The US Patent and Trademark Office has granted Apple a series of patents that cover a new MacBook hinge with cellular connectivity and biometrics related to the Touch ID fingerprint scanner.
So, first things first: there’s a patent application that’s titled “Hinged Portable Electronic Device With Display Circuitry Located in Base”, that’s linked to a MacBook hinge. This was filed one month after Apple’s last MacBook Air launch. Apparently, Apple wasn’t happy with the bulky hinge structures and the way they host wiring harnesses and spiral flexible printed circuits.
Stress may be imposed on the cables and damage them irreparably. The biometrics patent has to do with “finger sensor having orientation based authentication and related methods”. The patent states that an electronic device may include a housing and a finger sensor carried by the housing, that will sense the user’s finger placement at different rotational angles.
The electronic device may also include a processor coupled to the finger sensor and the orientation sensor. Basically, it all has to do with the way you hold your hand in relation to the scanner… allowing for more flexibility.
via patentlyapple
