Apple's new patent hints at over-the-air wireless charging

The US Patent & Trademark Office have published two new Apple wireless power patent applications which offer a sneak peek into how the company may provide a new and advanced way to charge our devices.

Though, these patents do not confirm anything, rumours suggest that since 2014, Apple has been closely working with Energous, a company which recently received an FCC certification for its first-gen WattUp Mid Field transmitter. This device system will reportedly power up devices at a distance of up to three feet away. With this move, we can expect both companies to offer a wireless charging solution for future mobile devices.

According to a report by PatentlyApple, Apple’s system is "configured to wirelessly transmit power over the wireless power transfer link." Whether that's the equivalent of 'over-the-air' wireless transfers from the WattUp device is unclear; though scheduling power to varying devices would strongly suggest that it is. These patents were filed in June this year.

Energous started work on a zero-contact charging solution called WattUp, which is capable of supplying power to nearby devices through the air. It is believed that Apple has been developing software along with device-specific implementation solutions for the technology, reports VentureBeat.

At the moment, there is no clarity on the whether the company will go ahead with this development. We suggest you take this news, with a pinch of salt.