Maybe we’ll see in future Apple laptops retractable keyboards. This is what emerges from a patent discovered in Patent Office American; in the documentation presented to the patent granting office, the Cupertino multinational explains that recent developments in computing devices have allowed the size of electronic components to be drastically reduced, with portable devices becoming thinner, lighter and more efficient.
However, Apple explains, the devices’ mechanical user interfaces integrate parts that can be difficult to change in size due to user preferences. Users expect devices with buttons and key sizes suitable for finger pressing and generally prefer buttons and keys that provide audible and tactile feedback when pressed.
Items like keyboards or other physical buttons are designed to predetermined sizes and take into account the amount of flex felt when pressed; These constraints may force you to create devices larger than necessary for some tasks, such as when the keyboard is not needed for input, making several improvements possible.
Apple’s idea (here is the patent) is essentially that of a retractable keyboard, with movable magnets o mechanical joints which would allow you to reposition the keycaps and stabilize everything in different possible positions. Dedicated structures in one of the mobile layers would allow it to act as key covers, stabilize movements and allow the keyboard to be stored in a retracted position when it is not needed, saving space when at rest. The stabilizers can be scissor, butterfly and similar mechanisms. The movable layer shown in the patent can be moved in response to the rotation of a hinge or other mechanical element in the electronic device.
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Apple registers hundreds of patents annually
As always, we remember that Apple presents dozens and dozens of patents annually and what is registered at the Patent Office does not always turn into actual products. To find out all the news on Apple patents you can consult the dedicated section of macitynet.
