A recently published patent shows how Apple could be working to develop technology that could allow virtually invisible input areas that can display information to a user while replacing physical buttons or controls on its products.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted patent number 11,237,655, covering a “concealable input region for an electronic device.” The patent describes technology that uses microperforations to sense input.
Within the patent, Apple states that the point of the technology is to do away with the “large buttons, keys, or other mechanically-actuated structures” used to sense inputs on a device. That’s because traditional input elements “may lack flexibility or adaptability and may permanently indicate the presence of the input device.”
The patent describes a means of adding an input surface to a device’s exterior that includes an array of microperforations. When in an active state, these microperforations can display virtual keys, buttons, or notification graphics to illuminate an input region.
The patent highlights that input regions would “be visually imperceptible when not illuminated.”
The invisible input regions could be further configured to receive an input, detect touch, or use other methods like optical, magnetic, and capacitance-based sensors to otherwise enable device controls. Apple says it could also be configured with a haptic portion to simulate the tactile response of a key or button.
This input layer could also incorporate a translucent layer made of “glass, ceramic, plastic, or a combination thereof.” The company has stated that this translucent layer could be the “top case of a laptop.”
Apple has been granted other patents related to microperforation illumination. A patent from 2012, for example, described a system for using similar technology to create invisible device controls that can light up when activated to indicate a control area.
The system could be used in conjunction with other Apple-patented technology, such as glass keyboards on a MacBook Pro or seamless all-glass iPhones.
It’s unknown as to if and when this technology will be incorporated into future Apple products.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and the United States Patent and Trademark Office