Apple files patent for crumb and dust-resistant MacBook keyboard

The design could resolve the issue of dust and dirt getting lodged in the gaps.

Photo: Reuters

San Francisco: Getting crumbs stuck down the back of your keyboard could soon be a thing of the past, according to a patent application from Apple. 

The new design could resolve the issue of dust and dirt getting lodged in the gaps between shallow keys.

Brushes, wipers and flaps could block crumbs going down the space between keys and a 'bellows' effect could even force pesky crumbs out from under them.

Not only do these crumbs look disgusting but they can also result in the entire keyboard needing to be replaced.

Titled "Ingress Prevention for Keyboards", the application describes a key mechanism that would use 'membranes or gaskets' to keep foreign objects from getting in under the keys and jamming up or interfering with the electronics on the keyboard, The Register reported on Saturday.

The application also illustrated the various types of barriers that could be put in place to keep debris from coming in from the sides of a key and getting underneath into the actual mechanism.

MacBook owners have been complaining about the keyboard being prone to crumb and debris blockages.

Last week, another patent filing revealed that the company was working on a new charging connector to juice up its devices.

According to the Patently Apple website, the US Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday published a pair of Apple patent applications that show the change in the shape of the charging adaptor, known as "lighting connector".

This wedge-shaped next-generation connector is to increase water resistance by creating a tight vacuum seal and strengthening it with the addition of a generator and pistons inside the device.

The Cupertino-based giant is also reportedly working on the next-generation AirPods that will come with noise cancellation and see the light of day in 2019.

(With agency inputs)