USPTO publishes patent hinting at new Apple Pencil
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted Apple a patent for a ‘stylus’, which may be used with its Mac trackpads as well as the iPad Pro.
Apple filed its patent at the USPTO on November 14, 2014 and it was published on May 19, 2016.
The patent was made publicly available yesterday, July 26.
Apple currently has a pencil for its iPad Pro which gives users a “variety of tools in a single instrument”, while a “subsystem scans its signal at 240 times per second”.
According to the patent, “a stylus may have an elongated body with opposing first and second ends. Electronic equipment may have a touch sensor that receives electromagnetic signals from one or more electrodes at the first end.
“The stylus may have a six-axis inertial sensor at the second end. Force sensors may be located at the first and second ends.”
The patent also describes “a joystick, a rotational controller, an air mouse, or other input devices in addition to serving as a touch sensor input device”.
This new version is due to be more sophisticated than the current model.
Already registered?
Login to your account
If you don't have a login or your access has expired, you will need to purchase a subscription to gain access to this article, including all our online content.
For more information on individual annual subscriptions for full paid access and corporate subscription options please contact us.
To request a FREE 2-week trial subscription, please signup.
NOTE - this can take up to 48hrs to be approved.
For multi-user price options, or to check if your company has an existing subscription that we can add you to for FREE, please email Adrian Tapping at atapping@newtonmedia.co.uk