iPad Could Be Wirelessly Charged Through the Smart Cover

A new patent application submitted by Apple describes an interesting way of charging the iPad — through a wireless charger built into the device's Smart Cover

The application, filed back in September 2011, describes a "protective cover arranged to protect at least a display of a tablet device" with a body portion comprising "an inductive power transmitter arranged to wirelessly pass power to a corresponding inductive power receiver unit."

In other words, Apple's Smart Cover could be an additional battery that charges the iPad when it runs out of juice, without the need to actually connect it with the iPad's dock