Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple a patent that relates to a system of electronic devices and electronic device accessories that use near-field wireless communication techniques to dynamically modify or change how a device operates. The invention applies to smart covers, smart stands, Keyboards, docks, cases, Apple Pencil, iPhone, iPad, MacBooks, Apple Watch and more.  The interfaces may adapt to particular rooms in a home, such as a kitchen, living room or TV room etc.

For example, various different accessories for electronic devices may each include near-field wireless communication antennas that allow the accessories to be detected and identified by the electronic device. Once a particular accessory is detected near the electronic device, the electronic device may change its mode of operation in a manner that is unique to that particular accessory or type of accessory.

Various different types of accessories may be configured to use near-field wireless communication systems to affect the operational modes and/or characteristics of devices that are using those accessories. For example, a protective case for a mobile phone may be configured to change the operational mode of the mobile phone in one manner, while charging docks change the operational mode of the mobile phone in another manner, while an “alarm clock” docking accessory changes the operational mode of the mobile phone in yet another manner.

The change in operational mode may correspond to and/or be accompanied with a change in the graphical user interface or graphical output that is displayed by the mobile phone. For example, when the mobile phone is placed in a sport-focused protective case, the mobile phone may, without additional user input, replace its primary graphical user interface (or any graphical user interface that is currently active) with a sport-focused interface.

As another example, when the mobile phone is placed on a speaker dock, the mobile phone may replace its primary graphical user interface with a set of audio playback controls.

The graphical user interfaces that are activated when a device is used with an accessory may therefore be customized to a particular function or set of functions that are relevant to the associated accessory. In some cases, these graphical user interfaces may be simpler than a primary graphical user interface (e.g., having fewer and/or larger graphical objects), which may help facilitate more efficient use of the device and may be dedicated to a particular function set or operational mode of the device.

In some implementations, one or more graphical outputs that are displayed on the device are changed or switched in response to detecting the protective case.

Graphical outputs may include graphical user interfaces, graphical objects, images, videos, and/or other visible outputs produced by a display. Graphical user interfaces may include various types of graphical objects, including icons, menu items, status bars, menus, graphical objects indicating information such as wireless signal strength, time, battery charge level, and the like. Graphical user interfaces may also include graphical outputs such as background images.

Graphical objects may be visually differentiable from other graphical objects, and the boundaries and/or borders of a graphical object may suggest functional distinctions between different graphical objects. For example, the boundary and/or border of a first icon (e.g., a first graphical object) may visually differentiate the first icon from a second icon, and may indicate to a user that the two icons define different input areas and will, if selected, cause a device to take different actions.

Apple's patent FIG. 1A below depicts an example system including an electronic device and associated accessories; FIGS. 2A-2B depict an example wireless charging system for the device of FIG. 1A; FIG. 4 depicts several additional example devices holders for the device of FIG. 1A.

Apple's patent FIG. 34 above is a flow chart of a method for use with a computer system.

Finally, Apple notes that the graphical object may include inputs and outputs that are relevant to a room where the dock is located. A graphical object or graphical user interface may be considered relevant to a location, room, accessory, or the like, if the graphical object or graphical user interface provides access to functions or information that are germane to a context of the location.

In this way, for example, if the dock is in a bedroom, the graphical object may include an input for activating or deactivating an alarm.

If the dock is in a living room, the graphical object may include an input for controlling audio playback of an iPhone or a connected audio system (e.g., a home stereo, HomePod or other device).

If the dock is in a kitchen, the graphical object may include a recipe interface and one or more timers.

If the dock is in a music room, the graphical object may include audio controls and a musical notation interface.

In some implementations, an association of an accessory (e.g., a dock) with a particular room is based on an assignment of the accessory to a virtual room in a smart home platform.

A smart home platform may include numerous virtual rooms or environments, and devices and/or smart accessories may be associated with particular ones of the rooms and/or environments.

For example, devices such as a television, audio system, and wirelessly-controllable lights may be assigned to a “living room” environment. In some implementations, a dock is also associated with or assigned to the “living room” environment in the smart home platform.

Accordingly, in some implementations, in response to being placed on the dock in the living room, the device detects that the dock is associated with the “living room” environment, and displays graphical objects that are configured to control the devices assigned to the “living room” environment (e.g., the television, audio system, and lights that are in the living room).

Apple's granted patent US 11553070 B2 is an in-depth patent with many more patent figures to review here.