When Apple introduced Apple Pencil for the iPad Pro in November 2015, its charging methodology was a dork's dream come true. The negative feedback and mockery of the charging system pushed Apple's engineering team to reinvent the charging system for Apple Pencil. The first patent covering a new magnetic and wirelessly charging system surfaced back in March 2017. We covered it in our report titled "Apple Reveals new Attachment and Recharging Solutions for the Next Generation of Apple Pencil." The key patent figures from that patent are shown below.

Technically the introduction of Apple Pencil 2 during their special event on October 30th fulfilled that patent's overall concept.

Today, Patently Apple discovered Apple's refined and detailed patent application for Apple Pencil 2 in Europe. Today's report focuses in on the key patent figures of Apple's patent filing.

Apple's patent FIG. 1 below is a schematic diagram of an illustrative capacitive wireless charging system; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an illustrative capacitive wireless charging system having a computer and associated computer stylus.

Apple's patent FIG. 4 below is a side view of an illustrative computer stylus having one or more wireless power receiving capacitor electrodes; FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a wireless power transmitting structure having at least one wireless power transmitting capacitor electrode formed on a half-cylindrical surface that receives a computer stylus

Patent FIG. 17 below is a diagram showing how a wireless power transmitting structure may be mounted to a cover for a tablet computer.  

Apple's new "double tap" feature for Apple Pencil is covered in patent point #42 by using one of many new sensors listed.  In Apple's patent point #42 they note in-part: "The DC voltages are used in powering components in device 10 [Apple Pencil] such as sensors and other components (e.g., buttons, accelerometers, force sensors, touch sensors, magnetic sensors, capacitive sensors, resistance sensors, temperature sensors, light sensors, pressure sensors, gas sensors, image sensors, moisture sensors, etc.), wireless communications circuits for communicating wirelessly with corresponding wireless communications circuitry."

Apple's patent application was filed in Europe in April 2018 and published on November 1, 2018.

Some of the inventors on this patent include Mohit Narang, Sr. Director, Wireless Design; Yi Jiang, Manager Antenna/OTA Design; Reza Nasiri Mahalati, Hardware Design Engineer who worked on key sensing technologies for Apple Pencil; and Indranil Sen, Wireless Design.