Today, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of twenty-one newly granted patents for Apple. One out of the 21 patents filed is for a remote control design that works by clipping it to a steering wheel. The said patent, which has never been seen before, essentially looks like the iPod click wheel.
But according to Apple, the notable difference is that its faceplate is touch-sensitive. According to PatentlyApple, what’s even more interesting is that one of the engineers working on this project was a principal designer at California’s famous Frog Design. Frog Design is a global innovation firm that has been working with Apple, starting with the case of the portable Apple IIc, the fourth model in the Apple II series.
PatentlyApple notes that Apple’s steering wheel remote control patent could be used in controlling a portable media device. The remote control device could also include a base section with electronic circuitry for controlling operations. “For example, the electronic circuitry can detect an input from a user, interpret the input to detect a desired operation by the user, and transmit an appropriate signal to the PMD for performing the desired operation,” PatentlyApple said.
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