Apple continues to focus on stylus devices, being granted a patent on Tuesday for a high-tech pen that can show handwriting and drawings on digital devices.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) revealed in a filing that the patent, which is for a "communicating stylus," will give users the ability to write on any surface they want, according to CNBC. Features include accelerometer sensors, storage and transmitter for connecting to other devices.
Exactly how the stylus would connect to other devices has yet to be revealed. However, the patent claims the pen will do so with a "receiver integral or external to the computing device," the later the filing said "may be located anywhere, as long as it is able to communicate with the stylus, and be able to display the written text or images."
There are four ways to activate the pen: picking it up, pressing its nib to the paper, withdrawing it from a dock and manually turning it on, Apple Insider reported. Sensors are tasked with tracking changes in position so the pen can send real-time data to translate and show on graphs what the user writes or draw on a device's screen.
Apple says data can be transmitted to computing devices in the user's pocket or bag, which gives them the user an option for saving digital backups of physical notes.
Other companies that have filed similar patents include LiveScribe and its 3 Smartpen, which also lets users transmit what they write or draw but needs a special paper to do so, CNBC reported. With Apple's new pen, users wouldn't need a specific kind of paper because they would theoretically be able to write on any surface.
Apple has already filed patents for stylus devices, having been granted a patent by the USPTO earlier this year for a pen that people can use directly on touchscreen devices.
The latest patent doesn't guarantee that Apple will begin producing the pen, though it does give the tech giant the opportunity to build it in the future, Apple Insider.
Apple first filed for the smart pen patent in January 2010, and the patent credits Aleksander Pance as its creator.
