14 DAY TRIAL // Apple's patents usually deal with complex technological solutions for use in gadgets, but every once in a while, you see patent applications that are quite different from the norm. Such is the case of the filing called "Compact Memory Disc Adapter and Methods of Use Thereof," which describes a solution to a problem that you would not have thought Apple would have.
The patent filing was submitted in May of 2006 and published for the first time on Thursday. It details several methods for a collapsible hardware solution that would allow for the use of 8 cm digital media in slot-loading optical drives. The reasons for this patent may not seem obvious at first, after all, the small disks are not at all popular, rarely being seen in use. The reason for this is that they are not as universally functional as the bigger, 12 cm size, mainly due to the fact that they cannot simply be used in slot-loading optical drives. Considering that the vast majority of Apple products use slot-loading drives, it is not surprising that Apple wants a solution.
Exactly why Apple wants to use the small sized disks is also a relevant question, and the answer has to do with minimizing costs. Many of the disks that are found in software packages are not actually full of information, as such, the extra disk size, and the bigger boxes that are required to house them are simply a waste. Unfortunately, widespread adoption of the less wasteful 8 cm disks is not going to happen any time soon, unless they can work with each and every drive out there. Hence the reason for this patent.
Apple iPod chief Tony Fadell notes that special devices for allowing such disks to be used in slot loading units exist today, such as a rigid adapter that can act as a support for the smaller disk. Unfortunately, this solution actually solves nothing, as the rigid adapter, which must be shipped alongside the small disk, is the same size as a regular 12 cm disk thus resulting in a regular sized package.
Fadell's invention calls for a "compactable memory disc adapter" which can be compressed for shipping purposes and then expanded by the user before actual use. Two forms are described, one where two separate potions are mated together via a locking mechanism to form the expanded adapter, and one where the disk adapter would contain portions that are coupled via foldable joints.