AppleInsider reports that Apple has been granted patent number 8,796,885, entitled "Combining Power from Multiple Resonance Magnetic Receivers in Resonance Magnetic Power System." First filed in April 2012, the invention is credited to David T. Amm and Li-Quan Tan, and uses wireless near-field magnetic resonance (NFMR) to wirelessly send power to low-power devices like mice and keyboards.
Apple's described system would use small form factors to both transmit and receive trace amounts of electricity, and the company noted that this technology could one day help to replace conventional batteries by including a constant supply of power to low-power devices.
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Apple Patents System for Wireless Power to Mice and Keyboards
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(Score: 3, Insightful) by dyingtolive on Wednesday August 06 2014, @07:59PM
Now it's "(existing technology) ...in your peripherals."
Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
(Score: 0, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Wednesday August 06 2014, @08:29PM
Wireless power by Apple?
They could call it gay-diation! Hahahaheh heeheeheehoooooo!
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by dyingtolive on Wednesday August 06 2014, @08:36PM
But it's powered by magnets. Magnets...mag...Magneto. Magneto was played by Ian McKellen, who is openly gay. Apple stores usually have a very open floor plan.
I think this is bigger than we thought.
Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by maxim on Wednesday August 06 2014, @10:53PM
Why my mod points just expired
(Score: 2) by dyingtolive on Thursday August 07 2014, @12:49AM
For what it's worth, I thought it was +5 funny material, and I have both, a mac, and a hackintosh.
Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
(Score: 2) by nukkel on Thursday August 07 2014, @05:24AM
I don't get it. :(
(Score: 2) by strattitarius on Wednesday August 06 2014, @08:40PM
Anyone with more technical knowledge of this subject know if it is truly different enough from how those applications worked to support a patent?
Wiki - Resonant inductive coupling [wikipedia.org]
Slashdot Beta Sucks. Soylent Alpha Rules. News at 11.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Wednesday August 06 2014, @08:43PM
You just need a patent examiner who is narrow-minded enough to overlook how asking for an RFID tag's ID is pretty much the same thing as asking a keyboard for its status.
(Score: 1) by pjbgravely on Thursday August 07 2014, @03:45AM
Once again, Tesla was robbed.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by mrider on Wednesday August 06 2014, @09:44PM
I have not read the patent. But "someone has done something similar to this in the past" is insufficient reason to reject the patent. If there's something specific about the way Apple is doing this, and that is the only thing that's actually patented, then at least the system would be used as intended.
It's far more likely though that your assessment is correct, and it's just S.O.S, only "now in a computer peripheral".
Doctor: "Do you hear voices?"
Me: "Only when my bluetooth is charged."
(Score: 4, Informative) by tibman on Thursday August 07 2014, @02:51AM
Well, it better not be inductive charging because there are plenty of mice out there that charge from mousepads. Apple's patent seems to indicate that it will power devices up to a meter away. Not only that but one device can send power to another and form a chain (imagine how efficient that will be).
from 2014: http://www.slashgear.com/mionix-inductively-charged-mouse-prototype-hands-on-always-wireless-11312247/ [slashgear.com]
from 2007: http://www.cnet.com/news/wireless-mouse-never-needs-batteries/ [cnet.com]
the best (and DIY) from 2003: https://web.archive.org/web/20121118053323/http://www.afrotechmods.com/cheap/arnoldpad/arnold.htm [archive.org]
Be gentle and patient on the last link, it is to archive.org
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 3, Funny) by kaszz on Wednesday August 06 2014, @08:11PM
Nice, now all your hands are electromagnetically radiated and will be chopped up when cells go kaput.
(Score: 2) by Rivenaleem on Thursday August 07 2014, @09:24AM
Have you seen how some people wear a magnetic bracelet (it supposedly transfers a charge to the iron in your blood causing all the cells to align in one direction to increase blood flow)? Well, now you'll get that in your mouse and keyboard as standard! I wonder if it will help with RSI?
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Thursday August 07 2014, @12:15PM
One is a static field. The other is back- and forth thousands of times per second. It's not a good idea. There's statistics on higher cancer probability near high voltage wires (220 - 800 kV). So having these kind of fields right at your limbs sounds like pretty bad idea.
(Score: 2) by Rivenaleem on Thursday August 07 2014, @04:56PM
So you're saying were getting into engendering superpowers territory? I'm cool with that too.
(Score: 1, Redundant) by Dunbal on Wednesday August 06 2014, @10:52PM
So now instead of adding "on a computer" to patent claims which is now rightly frowned upon, they are patenting "on a mouse" and "on a keyboard" instead.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 07 2014, @09:50AM
Examiner looks at application
Ok this ones for chargi.. *glances at from field* Oh Apple I know them, tick approved. Next.