March 27, 2012 01:48 pm EDT

Apple patents ejectable SIM card tray as nano-SIM battle rages on

We're guessing it's just coincidental timing here, but it looks as if Apple has been granted a patent surrounding "ejectable component assemblies" that are designed to be "flush with the external surfaces of the housings of the devices, despite variations in their manufacture." In other words, a SIM card tray. Granted, there's no specific verbiage in the independent claims of this one letting us know what exact size we're talking about, so it's highly unlikely that a patent application filed in December of 2010 (but granted today) would be directly referencing the nano-SIM war that's currently ongoing. That said, the description most certainly sounds like the tray that we've seen throughout the iPhone's life cycle, and if Apple's trying to go small in future handsets, there's a better than average chance that the ejection mechanism will be all too familiar. Legalese lovers can find the usual load down in the source link.

Apple patents ejectable SIM card tray as nano-SIM battle rages on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original Link: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/27/apple-patent-ejectable-sim-card-tray-nano-sim-war/

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