Apple has been granted two patents (numbers 9,883,274 and 9,883,277) for an “earbud case with charging system” and “case with inductive charging system to charge a portable device.” Both involve the case for the company’s AirPods case.
The patent involve a case with cavities to receive the pair of earbuds. The case also offers charging circuitry configured to initiate charging of the pair of earbuds when an earbud detector detects that the earbuds are inserted within the cavities.
Apple is also working on an AirPods case that will work with the upcoming AirPower from Apple. The AirPower will be able to charge a Qi-compatible iPhone, an Apple Watch, and a pair of AirPods (in a special wireless charging case) at the same time regardless of where they’re placed on the pad. AirPower hasn’t been priced yet, but guesses have it costing anywhere from $150 – $200.
Of course, Apple files for — and is granted — lots of patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Many are for inventions that never see the light of day. However, you never can tell which ones will materialize in a real product.
