In the futurity , eat and toast near your computer keyboard might not be such a dangerous game . On March 8 , Apple filed apatentapplication for a keyboard designed to preclude liquids , git , detritus , and other “ contaminants ” from getting inside , Dezeenreports .
Apple has previously filedseveralpatents — include one announcedon March 15 — surrounding the idea of a keyless keyboard that would work more like a trackpad or a touchscreen , using force - sensitive technology instead of mechanical keys . The raw anti - crumb keyboard patent of invention that Apple file away , however , does n’t get into the specifics of how the anti - contamination keyboard would ferment . It is n’t a letters patent for a specific Cartesian product the company is expire to debut anytime soon , inevitably , but a patent for a future product the company hop to grow . So it ’s hard to say how this spare - clean keyboard might work — possibly because Apple has n’t fully calculate that out yet . It ’s just seek to lay down the legal groundwork for it .
Here ’s how the patent of invention describes the techniques the company might use in an anti - contaminant keyboard :
Thanks to a change in copyright police force in 2011 , the U.S. now gives possession of an melodic theme to the person who first file for a letters patent , not the someone with the first working epitome . Apple is specially go after about applying for patents , filingplentyof patents each class that never amount to much .
Still , they do reveal what the fellowship is focalise on , like foldable headphone ( the subject ofmultiplepatentsin recent long time ) and evenpizza boxesfor its corporate cafeteria . Filing a lot of patents allows company like Apple to claim the rights to intellectual prop for technology the company is working on , even when there ’s no specific invention yet .
AsThe New York Timesexplainedin 2012 , “ patent applications often attempt to encompass every possible expression of a new engineering , ” rather than a specific plan of attack . ( This allows brand to action rival if they occur out with something similar , as Applehas donewith Samsung , HTC , and other companies over designs the company watch as ripping off iPhone applied science . )
That means it could be a while before we see a coffee - proof keyboard from Apple , if the company comes out with one at all . But we can dream .
[ h / tDezeen ]
