Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple a patent that relates to single and multiple iPhone recharging stands with built-in security system for Apple retail store tables.

In Apple's patent background they note that retail stores display products on tables. The devices are expensive and are routinely subject to theft attempts. To thwart such theft attempts, retailers use security cables that are secured directly to the table. A display stand unit is needed that directly manages security cables without compromising the form factor of the display stand and that secures against multiple different security cable tampering modes.

Apple notes that their patent relates to Apple Store (or retail partner) display models for consumer-electronic devices such as smartphones, tablet computers, smartwatches, and other devices. The display models can be provided on retail display fixtures for a customer to pick up and evaluate. To deter theft and to maintain an orderly appearance, the display models can be tethered with a security cable to a display fixture, such as a table or other display unit. The display fixture (e.g., table) can incorporate a stand on which the display model can be set, and the tether can include a cable-management feature such as a retractor to keep the security cable neat and out of view when the display model is positioned on its display stand.

The display stands can each include a charger mounted to a stem. The charger both magnetically holds and wirelessly charges a consumer-electronic device. To help deter theft, a security cable can be associated with each display stand to fix the consumer-electronic device to the display stand unit. The display stand unit can include a retractor for each of its display stands to automatically spool and hide the security cable when its associated consumer-electronic device is not being handled. The retractors can have a low-profile form factor to fit within a slim base of the display stand unit. Retraction of the retractor can be driven by a spring. The spring can exert a force sufficient to retract the security cable, but low enough that the pull on the security cable will not be significantly felt when interacting with the consumer-electronic fixed to the security cable.

Apple's patent FIG. 1 below shows a schematic view of an example display stand unit; FIG. 2 shows a front perspective view of an example display stand unit with four display stands; FIG. 3 shows a rear perspective view of the example display stand unit of FIG. 2.

Apple's patent FIG. 12 below shows a rear perspective view of an example display stand unit with a single display stand.

Apple's patent FIG. 16 above shows an example of a security monitoring process.

 For more details, review Apple's granted patent number 11950713.

Despite the new iPhone security stands, low-life thieves still steal iPhones from store stands as presented in the video below filmed a few months ago. I guess it's back to the drawing board on iPhone stand security.