In addition to the recent pattern tap to unlock patent that RIM was just received, they have also been awarded a patent for having a fuel cell on a mobile device. While many companies have tried recently to add wireless charging options to devices, RIM has been seeking this patent since 2009 when it was initially filed. The idea behind this would be that devices with physical keyboards could lay a fuel cell behind the keyboard and in front of the circuit board and would have a membrane with one physical contact that would allow charging on the go.
A mobile device having: a keyboard; a printed circuit board having at least one contact responsive to the keyboard; and a fuel cell assembly having: a fuel cell located between the keyboard and the printed circuit board, the fuel cell having a membrane and at least one aperture corresponding with the at least one contact; a tank adapted to store a fuel for the fuel cell; and piping connecting the tank with the fuel cell, where the fuel cell ventilates through the keyboard. Alternatively, the fuel cell acts as the printed circuit board and at least one contact for the keyboard is printed onto the fuel cell.
In concept this is an amazing idea, and we can only hope to see this come to surface sooner than later. What do you think - are fuel cells the wave of the future? Sound off in the comments.
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