Confusing iPhone Nano Patent

[Cody Overcash]

<iframe src="http://www.zumodrive.com/photo/embed/vBiMjE0Nm" width="450" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Straight via Australian filling, a US Patent filling for what looks like an iPhone Nano via Apple emerged recently on the USPTO directory.

The patent shows the iPhone Nano as a small device with screens on both sides. One side is shown as just a touch screen display similar to the iPhone today with menus for all the basic features including phone, text messaging, iPod, camera mode, etc etc etc.

The flip side however is where things get different. The patent shows it is a "force-sensitive touch-surface." This surface would control a click wheel like everyone is used to one the iPod of today. Somehow you control the screen side of the iPhone Nano via the controls on the back blind. Maybe the force-sensitive touch-surface has some etchings back there so you can feel your way around -- or something. There are also images of keys and whatnot being on the surface, specifically something that resembles a dialer pad.

The patent isn't exactly clear on how this whole thing will enhance usability, but if Apple can and decides to pull it off it probably won't be anything short of revolutionary. I'm not sure any of this is ever going to make the light of day since it all appears to be more confusing than functional. At least we get to have more iPhone Nano rumors for years to come

uspto via macnn

[Melech518]

Nano iPHone!!! This is a ploy to have more people lose their iPhones hence having to buy replacements $$$]
Lol, Ill probably buy it the day it comes out

[timbo]

Like a moth to a flame.... The masses (me 2) will eat this up!!!

[Channan]

Why do people want an iPhone nano so bad? The iPhone is already the perfect size. I'd hate to have one any smaller.

[aqan]

This would prob'ly be the one without AT&T exclusivity and no mandatory 3G data connection to capture the school going kids market.

[Happy Noodle Boy]

Where's the iPhone Shuffle?

[aekhamsouk]

blah! how about they make a better iphone 3gs instead?

[soto806]

This looks akward

[12jmartinez]

Why do people want an iPhone nano so bad? The iPhone is already the perfect size. I'd hate to have one any smaller.

exactly i couldnt handle an iphone any smaller

[santaf]

Where's the iPhone Shuffle?

haha this made me laugh... also i agree i love the iphone size a smaller one would be so hard to use everyone already complains about the keys being too small

[ericapproves]

This looks an awful lot like Hector Simpson's artist rendering of an iPod 6G (before the iPod Classic and iPod Touch was released).

Look at the 4th image in the patent set and compare it to this:



Am I right?

[StealthBravo]

This looks like crap

[santaf]

you're right

[unfaced]

I was reading yesterday on Yahoo's home page about Apple's plans for the next iPod. It involved making it "kinda" like a phone where you'd be able to make calls with it on networks like Skype.

[mobsta]

This looks like crap

agreed

[sziklassy]

I can;t imagine wanting this over an iPhone but I will be honest... when I first learned of the iPhone I thought it was going to be a giant failure too, yet it makes more sense to me than almost any other device out there. I think we will need a little more than some patent images to be able to judge. I know at least I will.

This looks like crap

Did you see the iphone patent images or even just the iphone 1st gen prototype? Looked about as good as these do LOL

[marys25]

ahh...no thanks...i'll stick with the regular size iphone thanks

[mobsta]

no camera either?

ahh...no thanks...i'll stick with the regualar size iphone thanks

they should make a bigger iphone lol

[A_DuB187]

I seriously doubt there will ever be an iPhone Nano.

Patents generaly mean nothing.

[jcraven8081]

not sure if i missed something but...whos to say those pattents are a phone couldnt it just be another ipod?