The latest patent application to come out of Cupertino could allow for new Macbooks that are slimmer, lighter, greener and could provide power for days without a charge. What’s the magic ingredient? Fuel cells!
Dredged up by Apple Insider, Apple’s patent indicates that hydrogen fuel cells would be used to send and receive power from a battery. But they also admit that developing a product which is small enough and cheap enough to be placed in one of their laptops will be a challenge. And oddly enough, they interject some opinions about the U.S.’s reliance on fossil fuels and alliances with unstable Middle Eastern governments. Not that I necessarily disagree, it’s just strange to be reading that in a patent app.
IN ANY CASE, I want fuel cells in my laptop. I want them NOW. [Patent 1, 2 via AppleInsider via Ubergizmo]
Titsnass
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 8:47 AMBloody hell, now they’ve got the patent for fuel cells in touch pads! Don’t bother trying to do that now then, lest you get you’re ass handed to you in court. God I hate Apple
AnthonyP
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 8:48 AMI am sure Lenovo had this idea way back in 2008!
Zeruel
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 9:27 AMWhy is it permissible to patent something without a physical example of it’s working? This is just a flow chart with an abstract and a detailed text.
Are they’re waiting for someone else to come alone and make it all possible and practical then swooping on and claiming it?
Andrew
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 12:19 PMwould this even be allowed on a plane
MD
Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 1:07 AMWho hasn’t thought of this….. and Im sure it isn’t really patentable, unless they have some new Fuel cell tech…
Like, surely the first company to get a small fuel cell got a patent for it in a Portable device, well, that covers ALL portably devices….
This is more Patent Trolling….
Someone said that Apple has bone from being a Technology Company to a Law Firm….too true.
(They also have a patent on “Thin Portable Devices”…. what a load of crock
MD
Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 1:11 AMAs commented above, they need a working model (that used to be a criterie) to be granted a patent, unless someone is paying the Patent office a lot of money….
A fuel cell is really just a battery, but instead of recharging it you pump in hydrogen, or some other fuel (butane, propane, methane etc..)……
Did they patent the Use if Pi-Po batteries in portable devices as well..
Nick
Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 6:01 AMYou haters are fair ignorant. You do realise Apple isn’t the only company to patent ideas? And perhaps they do have working prototypes?