Although Europe has forced Apple to adopt USB-C for the iPhone and other devices, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today officially published a patent application from Apple that relates to a new kind of connector that may be configured to resist physical and/or electrical disconnection. Some of applications include a connector to an audio device, wearable devices such as a waste band, wrist band, a headband for a future HMD like Vision Pro and battery pack.

New Connector Assembly

Apple's patent application covers a receptacle connector that includes a receptacle housing, pin contacts, and a retainer. The receptacle housing has a convex wall portion, a concave wall portion, a first side wall portion that extends between the convex wall portion and the concave wall portion, and a second side wall portion that extends between the convex wall portion and the concave wall portion. The convex wall portion, the concave wall portion, the first side wall portion, and the second side wall portion at least partially define a cavity having an open end. The pin contacts are located in the cavity of the receptacle housing. The retainer has a first side latch and a second side latch that are configured to extend into the cavity in an engaged position and to move outward from the cavity to a disengaged position.

The first side latch may be configured to extend into the cavity through a first latch opening in the first side wall portion of the receptacle housing in the engaged position, and the second side latch may be configured to extend through a second latch opening in the second side wall portion of the receptacle housing in the engaged position. The retainer may include a spring that urges the first side latch and the second side latch toward the engaged position. The first side latch and the second side latch may be configured for engagement with a corresponding plug connector to retain the corresponding plug connector in the cavity of the receptacle housing.

The retainer may include a release that is operable to cause movement of the first side latch and the second side latch of the retainer between the engaged position and the disengaged position. The retainer may have a push block that is in engagement with the first side latch and the second side latch, and movement of the push block with respect to the first side latch and the second side latch causes movement of the first side latch and the second side latch between the engaged position and the disengaged position. The push block may have a first contact surface that is in engagement with the first side latch and a second contact surface that is in engagement with the second side latch, and the first contact surface and the second contact surface may be angled relative to a movement axis of the push block.

Apple's patent FIGS. 1A-1B below are perspective views of a connector assembly in a disconnected position and a connected position. The plug connectors and receptacle connectors that are described herein include curved surfaces, which may be incorporated in the plug connectors and/or the receptacle connectors for aesthetic reasons, ergonomic reasons, packaging reasons, or other reasons. The plug connectors and receptacle connectors described herein may include features, such as configurations of electrical contacts and retainers, that facilitate secure connection of the plug connectors relative to the receptacle connectors and resist inadvertent disconnector, such as an inadvertent electrical disconnection as a result of disengagement of electrical contacts of the plug connector relative to electrical contacts of the receptacle connector.

Apple's patent FIG. 3A above is a front view of a receptacle connector of the connector assembly; FIG. 8 is an illustration of a system that includes a display unit and a headband such as a future version of Vision Pro.

To review the full details of this invention, check out patent application 20240162651.