Apple Inc. has been granted a new patent on Smart Cover for its iPad devices. The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (via RedmondPie) on Tuesday published the patent that was filed in 2012. It comes with a couple of new features like an extra touchscreen and a stylus with drawing capability.
The patent published by the USPTO comes with illustrations showing an Apple tablet with additional screen for users. The technology will be helpful to those who want more functionality, as they can make use of two screens.
Another feature revealed in the patent is the ability to write or sketch anything on the Smart Cover even when closed. This feature will help users write anything they would like to refer to later. The Smart Cover can also be folded, which means it will act as a stand for users to watch videos.
"A tablet device with a flexible cover is disclosed. Thin flexible display technology can be integrated into the flexible cover without affecting the overall form factor of the cover or tablet device. Adding the integrated display to the flexible cover greatly enhances the overall functionality of the tablet device," reads the patent.
It may be noted that several Apple patents have been granted by the USPTO of late. The Cupertino giant has filed a patent titled "Electronic Devices With Housing Port Shutters" which is about shutters for speaker and microphone ports to prevent intrusion of contaminants inside the device.
Another patent titled "Audio class-compliant charging accessories for wireless headphones and headsets" filed on Oct. 17, 2014, was approved last month. It led to speculations that Apple might discard headphone jack in the upcoming iPhone 7.
