Apple Patents Explore iPod Charging, Noise Reduction and Battery Design - Wired News

A future iPod nano may not require a cable for charging or transferring data. Image: Free Patents Online

The United States Patent and Trademark Office published a host of new Apple patent applications Thursday, providing us with a peek inside the minds of all the smart people sequestered at One Infinite Loop. This week, we see innovation in a new method for iPod nano charging, a removable case that would be useful in the Windy City, and some innovative battery designs.

In a patent application originally filed in 2011, Apple could be investigating new ways to keep your iPod cordless by eliminating the 30-pin dock connector and using instead electrical terminals fixed to the clip on the nano’s back. The clip could have one or more terminals that could be used for data transfer and charging when the nano is docked. On the current iPod nano, the clip doesn’t do anything besides hold the device onto your clothes, or wherever you choose to clip it.

An iPhone case with a wind screen. Image: Free Patents Online

This looks similar to the technology that’s used in the Fitbit exercise monitor â€" it clips onto your clothing, and docks to charge using the same apparatus. The iPod nano could be due for an update, so it’s possible we could see this and other changes to its design at Apple’s fall media event this year.

Apple also published an interesting patent application for an iPhone case that provides protection from wind noise. The case has an opening that aligns the mic ports on a mobile device with a sealed windscreen that can “reduce wind noise, air blasts, vocal plosives, and other noise.” The technology would also prevent moisture and dirt from potentially clogging up a device’s mic opening. Apple describes the windscreen as a mesh structure, foam structure, or feather-like structure.

The case would seem particularly useful in places that are often windy, like Chicago, San Francisco or desert regions, allowing people on the other end of the line to actually understand what you’re saying even if you’re braving gale-force winds.

Finally, Apple published a patent application for a layered, jelly roll-style battery cell that can efficiently use space inside of a portable electronic device. We know how much Apple loves to artfully squeeze internal components into smaller and smaller packages, so this battery vision would seem to fit right into Apple’s plans.

The battery cell is enclosed in a pouch that’s formed into two “cups,” and folded to create a terrace shape. These so-called cups allow for other components inside the device to be positioned along the side of the battery cell, basically making use of every millimeter inside of a mobile device.

A creatively shaped battery means no wasted space inside of a mobile device. Image: Free Patents Online