Apple Patent Delivers Refined Curved Glass

It's time to get a bit curvy with Apple's newest patent application, made to allow Apple to legally push forth their own brand of glass that's not exactly flat. This lovely patent application goes so far as to show a method for bending the glass rather than forming it in a curved manner – interesting stuff! This new-wave Apple creation may well be making it s way to future iPhones, iPads, and beyond.

What we're seeing here is a way for Apple to mold thin glass into bent or curved shapes galore. Apple shows tools that allow glass to mold around many different forms, this blowing the minds of those hoping for futuristic glass-covered devices of all kinds. Perhaps a glass-covered keyboard is up your alley?

Much more likely is the idea that Apple will deliver fabulous new mouse-like devices with curved glass, touchpads, or yes, a next-generation iPhone. Apple patents creations such as these for devices great and small – so don't get your mind bent too far out-of-shape over the idea of a spherical iPad.

On the other hand, Apple has been known to file patents many, many years before the actual final product hits the test floor, much less the market. Perhaps we've got Apple preparing for the orb of user interaction after all! Have a peek at some other relatively recent Apple patents that've popped up in the timeline we've got up below and make some guesses as to what they're all about too – fun stuff!

[via Patently Apple]