Apple has been granted a patent for an “Attachment System for an Electronic Device.” It’s for an attachment system for coupling two objects together and, more specifically, to an attachment system for a consumer product.
About the patent
Consumer products such as watches, cameras, phones, purses, and glasses may include one or more accessories attached thereto. The manner in which they are attached vary.
However, Apple says they typically suffer from similar, if not the same, drawbacks. For example, some consumer products typically don’t include user-friendly attachment systems.
Some may require special tools and others may even require taking the consumer product into a shop in order to remove, fix or replace the accessories. What’s more, even when products have user oriented attachment mechanisms, they may not provide adequate retention force. Even if the retention force is adequate, the mechanism used may be quite large enough to adversely affect the elegance of the consumer product, Apple says.
In one example, wristwatches typically include a case and a band. The case carries the components or mechanisms of the wristwatch including the face. The band extends away from the case so that it can wrap around the wrist of a user. The band may be integral with the case.
In most cases, the band is a separate part that’s attached to the case. For example, the case may include a pin that captures the band thereby attaching the band to the case. In order to detach the band from the case, the pin needs to be removed. In some instances, band removal can be accomplished with a special tool. However, in many cases, the user may need to visit a specialty store or have the assistance of technician in order to remove the band.
n another example, a pair of glasses — such as eyeglasses, electronic glasses, sunglasses and the like — may have temples or stems that extend from a frame. The temples or stems may be coupled to the frames by a screw, a pin or other such mechanism. However, like the wristwatch, a special tool may be required to remove and/or secure the temples or stems to and from the frame.
In still another example, other electronic devices may be coupled to a lanyard or other type of band or accessory. For example a camera, a remote control, a game controller and the like may have a lanyard that is attached to a housing.
However, it may be difficult to attach the lanyard to the housing as a portion of the lanyard is typically required to be inserted into a small opening within the housing of the electronic device. In this example, as with the other examples discussed above, the lanyard or other such accessory may be attached to the electronic device or consumer product in a manner that is neither secure nor aesthetically pleasing.
With all these things in mind, Apple’s patent involves solving problems related to attaching two or more electronic devices.
Summary of the patent
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “A removable module and a housing for an attachment system of a consumer product is described. The removable module includes a locking mechanism comprising a first portion having a substantially planar top surface and second portion that comprises a substantially non-planar bottom surface. The first portion and the second portion are coupled together. The locking mechanism also includes a first spring mechanism coupled between the first portion and the second portion.
“The first spring mechanism causes the first portion to be biased away from the second portion. The locking mechanism also includes a second spring mechanism. The second spring mechanism causes the substantially planar top surface of the first portion to be biased substantially flush with respect to the removable module and also causes the substantially non-planar bottom surface of the second portion to be biased proud with respect to the removable module.”
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