According to the latest news, Apple has filed a new patent. The US tech giant is studying the small display on the keyboard to dynamically change the label content of each key.
PatentlyApple discovered the application titled “Electronic devices having keys with coherent fiber bundles” and was awarded to Apple by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on the last patent day of this year.
This patent explains how each key on the keyboard is connected to the “control circuit in the keyboard” through a “coherent fiber bundle”, and can have a “related key display screen”. Apple proposed that each button will be “formed by a fiber optic board” and have “opposing first and second surfaces.”
Although the patent stipulates that each button needs to include a small display screen to provide labels or characters, any compatible pixel array can be used, but the main technology proposed by Apple is OLED. The button may be made of materials such as glass, ceramic, metal, or polymer, or even crystal materials such as sapphire.
This system will allow the entire keyboard to be “reconfigurable” and the label can be changed as needed. The patent emphasizes that the keyboard can be reconfigured, “to adapt to different languages, temporarily convert the standard keyboard into a gaming keyboard, where the keys correspond to specific game actions or modify the behavior related to pressing the keys in the keyboard in other ways”.
Another note is that each key can provide “visual feedback” to indicate the current state of each key, such as whether it corresponds to an uppercase or lowercase letter or the ability to move during the game.
The pictures included in the patent show that the adaptive keyboard can be used on a laptop or a standalone keyboard on a desktop computer.
The most important thing is that this system will not interfere with the dome or scissor switch of the physical keyboard. Different from other Apple keyboard patents, such as patents for static glass keyboards or full-size touch screen panels, this proposition clearly outlines a system with movable keys, so Apple can theoretically retain the design of its Magic Keyboard.
Although patents do not necessarily prove what Apple intends to bring to the market, they can provide interesting insights into what the company is researching and developing.
Considering that Apple has demonstrated its interest in adaptive display on the keyboard through the Touch Bar of the MacBook Pro, it seems not impossible for Apple to extend similar technology to each individual button at some point in the future.
(Via)
