Apple’s lanyard patent for iPhone, iPod and other handheld electronic devices

MacNN discovered that Apple has filed a patent application titled Lanyard for handheld electronic device, published on March 8, 2007 by the US Patent & Trademark Office.

The gist of the patent relates to lanyards for handheld electronic devices with electronic circuitries integrated into it. The patent describes the lanyards as going far beyond today’s design o accommodate the forthcoming iPhone and future versions of the iPod. There are possibilities where the lanyard will feature telephony, lighting effects that relate to heart rates for joggers and additional input facilitators such as buttons, touch pads or sliders.

The following report covers Apple’s key lanyard patent features and functionalities.

Connector with Wireless Broadcasting & Added Functionality: Apple’s documentation notes that the connector unit may include additional ports, jacks, connectors so that additional peripheral devices can be coupled to the handheld device (e.g., audio, video, data, power, etc.). In some cases, the connector unit may even include a wireless interface so that the handheld device can remotely communicate with other devices. In the case of a music player, the connector unit may for example allow the user to broadcast music to other music players. The connector unit may also include a battery for providing additional power to the handheld electronic device thereby extending its life when used remotely as for example when worn around the neck.

Lanyard Hub: A lanyard can also serve as a hub for operatively interfacing with the handheld electronic device. In fact, the connector unit may be configured to extend the functionality of the handheld electronic device coupled thereto or to provide a physical user interface that allows more convenient control of the handheld electronic device when the user is wearing the handheld electronic device.

Use of Processor & Telephonic Functionality: The connector unit may also include a processor that helps control interactions between the above mentioned devices carried by the connector unit and the handheld electronic device. The processor may also include additional control functionalities not offered by the handheld electronic device. For example, the connector unit may provide telephonic functionality to a handheld electronic device that does not normally have such functionality. In fact, to go along with this new processing capability, the connector unit may even include a numeric or alphanumeric keypad so that the user can easily and conveniently make inputs associated with this new functionality.

Connector Unit Extends Device Functionality: In yet another embodiment, Apple notes that the connector unit may include functional components of other types of electronic devices so that the handheld electronic device can operate as another type of electronic device. For example, it may include software and hardware that is different than the software and hardware of the handheld electronic device, but works with the handheld electronic device to extend its functionality (e.g., creating a multifunctional device). By way of example, the connector unit may include functional components associated with cell phones, PDAs, GPS units, remote controls, media players, and the like. In the case of a connector unit with cell phone functionality, for example, the connector unit may include an antenna, transceiver, keypad, and the like.

Use of Flash Memory: The connector unit may also include a memory unit such as flash memory for providing additional memory to the handheld electronic device. In the case of the music player, the memory unit may contain additional lists of songs as for example songs, which are better associated with wearing the music player around the neck. The memory unit may for example include an exercise playlist that is tied to a particular workout.

Use of Illumination: In one particular embodiment, Apple notes that the connector unit and/or the cord are capable of being illuminated so as to affect a color change. As a result, these elements can be used to indicate events or status of the handheld held electronic device. These elements may also indicate variables associated with the user as for example temperature, heart rate, speed, etc. In the case of heart rate, the color red may indicate when the user is reaching an upper limit of a heart rate threshold while the color blue may be indicate when the user is reaching a lower limit of the heart rate threshold. These elements may also be used to provide illumination at night (safety beacon) or to enhance the feel of music being outputted by the handheld electronic device, i.e., they can change color or provide visual effects according to the music (strobe, blinking, fading in and out).

Lanyard Holding Mechanisms: Apple notes that future lanyards could include a mechanical holding feature that utilizes such elements as buttons, latches, snaps, hooks, tabs, flanges, lips, catches, detents and/or friction couplings for quickly and conveniently securing and releasing the handheld electronic device to the lanyard. Although latches and buttons are not used in the illustrated implementation, it should be appreciated that this is not a limitation and that latches and buttons may be used. For example, a button may be used to engage and release a holding detent rather than utilizing a spring loaded flexure.

Lanyard Input Mechanisms: The connector unit may for example include input mechanisms such as buttons, dials, sliders, navigation pads, etc that allow a user to interact with the handheld electronic device via the lanyard. In the case of a music player, the connector unit may include button controls for volume, play/pause and playing the next or previous songs. As a result, the user does not need to use the user interface from the handheld electronic device, which can be difficult when the user is on the go as for example when the user is exercising. Alternatively or additionally, the input mechanism may correspond to touch sensing devices such as touch pads, touch screens or touch sensitive housings.
Lanyard Output Mechanisms: The connector unit may include output mechanisms such as indicators, speakers, displays, haptics devices, etc, that provide additional information to the user. In the case of music player, a speaker may be used to output sound to the user’s surroundings rather than or in addition to earphones. Furthermore, color indicators (e.g., strobe) and vibrators (e.g., bass) may be used to enhance the feel of the music.

The connector unit may also include sensors such as a heart monitor, light sensor, temperature sensor, motion sensor (e.g., accelerometer), etc. that provide external information about the user or the user’s surroundings that can be used by the handheld electronic device.

Lanyard Cases, Skins & Shells: Although the connector of the connector unit is primarily shown as a key that snaps into the portable electronic device, the support means may take other forms including sacks, skins, shells, and the like, that partially or entirely surround the portable electronic device so as to secure the portable electronic device to the cord. In either case, the support means typically includes openings that allow a user to interact with user interface of the portable electronic device. Although it should be pointed out that this is not a requirement as for example in embodiments where the user interface is extended to the support means itself. The sacks, skins or shells may be formed from elastic or rigid materials. In one implementation, the skin is formed from an elastic material that conforms to the shape of the portable electronic device, i.e., can be stretched over the portable electronic device. By way of example, the skin may be formed from a woven or mesh like material, a foam like material or an elastic plastic or rubber material.

Finally, Apple notes that although the various embodiments noted above use an anchoring mechanism, such as the connector unit to attach a handheld electronic device can be referred to a lanyard, it should be noted that in another embodiment the handheld electronic device can be permanently affixed to the cord of the lanyard or the anchoring mechanism can be part of the handheld electronic device.

Apple lists Daniele De Iuliis, Matthew Dean Rohrbach and John Greer Elias as the inventors of this patent.