Apple researching keyboards with adaptive screens on each key

Apple is researching keyboards with small screens on the keys to dynamically change the label of each key, according to a recently granted patent application.

The presentation, detected by Clearly Apple, is titled “Electronic Devices That Have Keys with Consistent Fiber Packs” and was granted to Apple by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on the last patent day this year.

The patent explains how each key on a keyboard could have “an associated key screen” connected to “control circuits on the keyboard” using a “coherent fiber packet.” Apple proposes that each key would be “formed from a fiber optic board” with “opposite first and second surfaces.”

While the patent states that each key should contain a small screen to provide the label, from which any compatible array of pixels would work, the most advanced technology introduced by Apple is OLED. The key can be made from materials such as glass, ceramics, metal or polymer, or even crystalline materials such as sapphire.

This system would allow you to “reconfigure” the entire keyboard with tags that can be changed as needed. The patent highlights that keyboards could be reconfigured “for different languages, to temporarily convert a standard keyboard into a gaming keyboard in which the keys correspond to specific game actions or to modify the behavior associated with pressing the keyboard keys.”

It is also suggested that each key could provide “visual feedback” to indicate the current status of each key, such as whether it corresponds to an uppercase or lowercase letter or an active ability when playing.

The images included in the patent suggest that the adaptive keyboard could be used in both a laptop cabinet and a separate keyboard for desktop computers.

Crucially, this system does not interfere with the dome or scissor switches on physical keyboards. Unlike other Apple keyboard patents, such as for a static glass keyboard or a full-size touchscreen panel, this proposal explicitly describes a system that will be used with mobile keys, so Apple could theoretically retain the design of your magic keyboard.

While patents don’t necessarily demonstrate what Apple intends to launch, they can provide an interesting insight into what the company is researching and developing. Given that Apple has shown interest in keyboard adaptive displays via the MacBook Pro’s touch bar, it doesn’t seem unlikely that Apple will expand technology similar to each individual key at some point in the future.