Apple is working on ways to change the way its devices can be charged, and one of them is wireless charging. According to Patently Apple, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted Apple a patent for an inductive charging system.
What this would do is allow wireless charging of your iPhone or iPod touch by simply placing the device on a specially designed dock with a reradiating antenna and inductive charging circuit. There's a lot more information about the patent, which was originally filed in 2008:
While the dock housing is shown to receive the handheld device in an upright position, other dock housing configurations for receiving the handheld device along its other sides are also possible. The dock housing is further configured to enable charging the battery of the handheld device through an inductive charge coupling mechanism, and to also provide improved wireless communication by integrating the reradiating antenna as shown. The charge circuit is connected between the inductive charge coupling mechanism and a port for receiving power.
Unfortunately, there are no iOS devices at current that feature wireless charging. But what awesomeness to come since, smartphones these days don't have battery life that last long enough, and it's not practical to bring your charger along with you every where you go, though I'm one of the few who actually do, it would be a nice thing to have. Along with the induction charging system, Apple was awarded 27 new patents which some include scrolling lists, rotating, and scaling documents on touchscreen displays and a light sensitive display.
