Apple Files Patent For New Proprietary Port

rwise2112 writes "Apple proposes a solution to multiple port requirements within limited space: the two in one port. The port is described as a 'Combined Input Port,' where two different interfaces could be in one port. The input port includes an outer wall defining a receiving aperture, a substrate positioned within the receiving aperture. One set of contacts is configured to communicate with a first connector and the second set of contacts is configured to communicate with a second connector. Looks like another addition to the special Apple cable lineup."

Comments

Prior art

[AmiMoJo]

Samsung and HTC, and doubtless others, invented this first. My Galaxy S3 has a combined USB, HDMI and audio port. My ancient HTC Hero had a combined USB and audio port. Different connectors used different pins.

It seems like anything is new and worthy of patenting if it's on a computer, on the internet or on an Apple :-(

Re:Prior art

[Freshly Exhumed]

Combined USB2.0 & eSata port on recent Lenovo notebooks too. Apple's patent diagram resembles it.

Re:Prior art

[Kurast]

The patent is only for a specific type of joint connector (not for all of them), and for this type, there is no prior art. The patent, if granted, secures only the schematics/diagrams mentioned in it.

Even the title being generic, this does not mean they are patenting the abstract idea of combined ports. You have to read the patent to see what it mentions.

Re:Prior art

[TeknoHog]

It's called eSATAp. Oddly enough, my current Thinkpad (T410) only has plain eSATA, but I remember a Fujitsu laptop from my 2008 workplace that had the powered one.

Re:Prior art

[Sarten-X]

You're absolutely factually correct, but since this is a story about Apple, patents, and law, we Slashdotters will spend the rest of this discussion raging about prior art, litigation, and monopolies.

Re:Prior art

[CanHasDIY]

USB 3.0 cables are a marriage of two different connectors.

Abomination!

Marriage is only between 1 man and 1 woman! So sayeth the bearded fairy in the sky!

Re:Prior art

[gl4ss]

The Galaxy S3 has an "MHL 2.0" port that allows for the use of:
a) a charging connection
b) a data connection
c) a video connection

yeah.. it's just their arrangement they're patenting I suppose. so you can't build clone cables.

Re:Prior art

[QuantumLeaper]

So patents given to company who move around wires at the end now?

Re:Prior art

[jedidiah]

I trash Tivo for this kind of nonsense all the time and I was an early adopter. The fact that I like their stuff or appreciate that they are an innovator doesn't mean I will cut them any slack for abusive nonsense.

Beyond that... When you aren't proud of being a moron, you're more likely to realize how unoriginal some stuff is. When you acknowledge more than your single pet brand, you have a broader perspective on things.

Speaking as a Mac owner

[fyngyrz]

Oh, fuck.

bad enough every video cable is an adaptor, now what, more? [groans]

Special Cable? not so much...

[Tavor]

From TFA:

Apple illustrated the idea with discussion of a USB port and SD card reader, showing how the card reader and USB port could be integrated, but the port could house other interconnects.

The summary is misleading in so many ways. This is just adding USB to a multi-card reader.

Not a new cable.

[FellowConspirator]

Specifically, this port allows either an SD card or USB3 cable to be plugged into the same physical opening. Either will fit.

Reading comprehension fail

[Anonymous Coward]

While the submitted made their hatred of all things Apple very clear, they also made clear that their rage obscures their ability to read.
The patent is clearly for one port that you can plug multiple standard cables into -- so there is no call for the "looks like another addition to the special Apple cable lineup" snark.

not really innovative but not proprietary either

[arifyn]

This is just cramming two ports into one space (in the example, SD and USB) so you can add more functionality to the sort of thin & light products that Apple is obsessed with. No need for a "special Apple cable", since the whole point is that it can accept several standard interfaces.

Dongles

[simonbp]

What is it with Apple engineers and 1000 different connectors? Do they have a dongle fetish?

Not a "proprietary port", no "Apple cable lineup"

[Above]

Normally I'm not a fan of the jump on the poster bandwagon, but this title and description could not be more misleading. The patent is on the idea of making one port take two standard connectors. The example used is a USB-or-SD Card physical form factor.

The design does not use "proprietary port"(s), rather it builds on existing standard port designs.

The design does not require a "special Apple cable", indeed the entire point is that standards compliant devices (not just cables, but things like SD cards) will just work.

As to the merits, it seems to me like there is probably prior art, and it may also fail the obviousness test. I'm not sure this is an idea that deserves patent protection. As devices get smaller, thinner, and lighter, I do think this is a great idea to reduce the physical space needed to provide all the ports a user might want.

Re:Seems like Cisco might have some prior art.

[jo_ham]

That's not what they are doing here. Those sort of "one port, many protocols" thing has been around for a while. What this is, is a design for a port that can accept a standard USB cable or a standard SD card (not both at the same time) into one port, depending which one you needed to use at the time.

The apple bashing "lolz need a special connector" snark in the summary is nonsense, as usual, but apple bashers typically have their reading comprehension obscured by the fog of hatred. It's funny, because they're often pretty decent with technology and basic reading ability otherwise.

Re:Filing doesn't mean getting

[dgatwood]

Okay, that's just trolling right there.

First, this is not a proprietary port, as that implies that it takes proprietary plus. It is a proprietary connector that takes standard plugs and SD cards.

Second, to the best of my recollection, not counting power connectors or internal card slots, Apple products have used only four truly proprietary ports in its entire history: the two iPhone dock connectors, the Apple high density video connector (early PowerPC desktops), and the HDI-30 external SCSI connector (68k era laptops).

All the other connectors that you seem to think are proprietary are either existing industry standard connectors (e.g. mini-DIN-8 serial and DB25 SCSI) or are connectors that Apple designed and made available as part of industry standards that it helped define (e.g. FireWire 400/800, Mini DisplayPort, and Thunderbolt).