Apple's Patent Background

Electronic devices are ubiquitous in society and can be found in everything from wristwatches to computers. Additionally, portable or mobile electronic devices (e.g., smart phones, cell phones, MP3 players, portable gaming devices, and the like) are being used for more complex computing processes. The desire for mobile electronic devices to be able to perform more complex processes requires faster and more powerful processing devices. However, faster and more powerful processing devices may produce more heat than prior processors used in mobile devices. This may be a problem as many mobile electronic devices are designed to be small and compact, thus there may not be extra room within an enclosure for heat to dissipate.

Solution: Apple's Cooling System for Mobile Devices

One example of the disclosure may take the form of a mobile computing device including a processor, a receiving port, a motor, a fan and an alert device. The receiving port is in communication with the processor and is configured to receive a plug for an output device. The receiving port may include an input aperture configured to provide a communication channel between an inner surface of the mobile communication device and an outer surface of the mobile communication device. The motor is in communication with the processor, and the fan is operably connected to the motor. The fan is selectively activated and at least a portion of the fan is substantially aligned with the input aperture of the receiving port. Finally, the alert device is operably connected to the motor and is configured to be selectively activated to produce an alert for the mobile computing device.

Another example of the disclosure may take the form of a portable electronic device. The portable electronic device may include an enclosure defining a cavity, a receiving port, and a cooling system. The receiving port is formed in to the enclosure and configured to receive a plug electronically connected to an external device. The receiving port includes a first aperture defined through the receiving port and connecting the cavity of the enclosure with an outer surface of the enclosure. The cooling system is operably connected to an alert device and the enclosure. The cooling system includes a motor and a fan operably connected to the motor and substantially aligned with at least a portion of the first aperture of the receiving port, such that air passing between the outside and the inside of the enclosure passes at least partially around the fan.

Still other examples of the present disclosure may take the form of a cellular phone. The cellular phone may include an enclosure defining a cavity, a processor operably connected to an inner surface of the enclosure and a jack operably connected to the enclosure. The jack is configured to provide an air pathway between the cavity and an outer environment of the enclosure. Finally, the cellular phone may also include a cooling system operably connected to the inner surface of the enclosure. The cooling system is configured to exchange air between the cavity and the outer environment via the jack.

Apple's proposed cooling system may use air or coolants across various components. The mobile computing device shown as FIG. 1 in the illustration below may be virtually any type of electronic device, such as Apple's iPhone, iPod, video gaming device, tablet computer or other future mobile device.

Apple's patent FIG. 6A is a front elevation view of a drum operably associated with a clutch of the cooling system illustrated in FIG. 3, showing the clutch disengaged from the drum; FIG. 6B is a front elevation view of the drum operably associated with the clutch of the cooling system illustrated in FIG. 3, showing the clutch engaged with the drum; Our cover graphic illustrates patent FIG. 4 which is a side elevation view of the cooling system illustrated in FIG. 3a above.

Patent Credits

Apple's '354 patent application filed under serial number 099122 in Q2 2011 by inventors Fletcher Rothkopf, Teodor Dabov and David Kumka.

Note that technological revelations revealed in Apple's Intellectual Property filings are not to be interpreted as rumor. Furthermore, fictitious rumor site timetables associated with Apple inventions and/or designs should be dismissed.

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