Apple has been granted a patent (number 11,147,359) for a “device carrier.” It involves the company’s attachment/carrying devices for its AirTags trackers.
About the patent
In the patent, Apple says that carriers, such as carabiners, have become integrated into everyday use as a convenient method of holding key rings, various tools, and other objects, due to the ease and speed with which objects can be attached and removed from the device coupled with the additional function of being quickly and easily attached to or detached from a user’s belt loop, a bag strap, or other article, thus providing a convenient way to carry objects.
The tech giant thinks it has a more elegant solution: device carriers of “monolithic parts integrally formed together.”
Summary of the patent
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “Device carriers described herein can support a device therein and enable a user to readily attach, detach, and exchange the device with other objects and/or to a user for easy access. The construction can include both rigid and flexible parts that are formed together to both facilitate easy operation and be resistant to wear. The construction can further provide an elegant appearance.”