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The patent could probably be challenged. Magnetic power connectors existed prior to MagSafe (e.g. you don't want hot oil from your deep fryer to spill on you if
by pyre 12y ago
The patent could probably be challenged. Magnetic power connectors existed prior to MagSafe (e.g. you don't want hot oil from your deep fryer to spill on you if you trip over the cord), so the patents seem more like those "X but on a computer"-type patents.
- stormbrew 12y agoOh I agree, the patents are ridiculous, but I think if any of the big manufacturers were willing to make a go of it, they'd have done it by now. That said, I think the specific innovation they rest their patent on is that it can be inverted. Under current patent doctrine that might be enough, and I suspect people wouldn't be very happy with a non-invertable magsafe-like.
- pgeorgi 12y agoMake it a triangle that can be plugged in in any _three_ directions.
- Miserlou57 12y agoOh yeah.... Make it a circle!
- desdiv 12y agoI fully agree with you that the MagSafe utility patent is a paper tiger, but unfortunately in this case Apple still hold a design patent on the general MagSafe connector shape[0]. So anyone is free to make their own magnetic power connectors, it just can't have five pins in a line that matches the exact sizes that Apple has chosen. [0] http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2012/12/apple-wins-5-design-patents-covering-iphone-4-ipad-magsafe.html http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2012/12/apple-wi...