Apple Granted Patent for MagSafe Gimbal Camera Mount for iPhones

Apple recently received a patent for an iPhone stand that’s designed to connect to a gimbal and provide charging for an iPhone during filming.

The patent, “Adapter For Charging and Stabilizing Cameras,” has been granted by the U.S. Patent Office. In the patent application (shared by AppleInsider), Apple claims that current iPhone “cameras have such a high quality that they are replacing traditional single-lens reflex (SLR) and other cameras in many applications.”

Apple says that the iPhone camera’s abilities have raised a problem serious enough that the “adoption of phone cameras into these non-traditional uses has been slowed by a lack of enabling infrastructure.”

“While there are vast numbers and types of camera stabilizers such as tripods, gimbals, and other devices for SLR cameras,” says the patent, “the same does not exist for cameras on phones.”

The design resembles a compact makeup case that folds out into a mount for a tripod. Apple’s charger folds flat and opens up to a 90-degree angle.

Apple says “It can be desirable to provide adapters, mounts, and other devices to allow existing camera stabilizers to be used with cameras on phones.” Apple says the devices should be small, allowing them to be easily carried by photographers along with the multiple other pieces of equipment carried by the photogs.

Apple also explained why power should also be provided to the iPhone, due to how “phone cameras might be used for very long periods [or] in power-intensive applications such as recording video.”

Lastly, “the cameras on the phones [should] be readily placed in various orientations or positions to provide flexibility.”

Apple goes on to explain that the solution is highly portable adapters that can mount the iPhone on camera stabilizers, that are “useful in a number of situations and environments.”

The patent also covers a few variations of how the system works. While the patent never mentions “MagSafe,” the technology being described absolutely fits the magnetic charging and mounting technology described in the 20-page patent.

The stubby horizontal portion of the mounting system contains the connector system that allows the user to mount the unit onto a standard tripod. The vertical MagSafe stand resembles a slightly elongated version of the current MagSafe mounts.

Apple files and is granted patents on a regular basis. However, many of the patents are never used in released Apple devices, meaning we may never see a mount using the technology described in the patent.

This invention is credited to six inventors, Timothy J. Rasmussen, Christoper S. Graham, Eric S. Jol, Aaron A. Oro, Miranda L Daly, and Ibuki Kamei.