Apple patents access system for bottom-loading optical drive

While Apple still seems to be toying with the idea of getting LED-backlit LCDs into its MacBook Pro, a few clever engineers behind tightly sealed Cupertino doors have been chewing on another concept. Based on two recent patents belonging to Apple, it seems as if the company is investigating ways to get its already-thin laptop lineup even slimmer, and its going after the optical drive first and foremost. Based on the wording and diagrams found in the filings, we could end up seeing optical drives mounted underneath of the laptop in order to free up that oh-so-precious space underneath the palm rest. Additionally, the patent includes detailed information about accessing the disc drive in ways that won't hinder efficiency while computing, as well as various "active user interface" mechanisms designed to prevent users from "accidentally" ejecting their disc. So while there's sure to never be a public word spoken from Jobs & Co. about this potentially fictitious idea, we definitely wouldn't complain about a trimmed down version of Apple's lappies, but if this ends up seeing the light of day, we can probably kiss those awkward-sounded slot-loading drives a fond farewell.

[Via UnwiredView]
Read - Apple's access system for a portable device patent
Read - Apple's disk drive media access patent

[Blackster @ Jan 26th 2007 2:48PM]

that's just ridiculous! *g*

[Eric Pham @ Jan 26th 2007 2:55PM]

I hate the idea of having to stop what im doing on the laptop and then having to physically turn it over to switch out porn disk. The point of having a laptop is for conveniance. On the bright side if it makes the notebook smaller and prettier then i wont have much room to complain.

[tom @ Jan 26th 2007 2:55PM]

the vast majority of patents filed by apple are never put to use, they were probably just kicking the idea around.

[oshean @ Jan 26th 2007 2:55PM]

Think Different

[Philip @ Jan 26th 2007 2:55PM]

that really is crap, the current slot drives are fine, just refine the mechanism...

[blahblah @ Jan 26th 2007 2:56PM]

Wait. So, if you want to put a disc in the machine, you have to somehow lift the machine up (what if the lid is up?), open the drive cover - that opens *perpendicular* to the laptop itself (as if this maneuver weren't awkward enough) - insert the disc, close the cover, and then set the laptop back down?

Worst. Idea. EVER. Absolutely horrible.

[blahblah @ Jan 26th 2007 2:56PM]

Follow what I just said closely and ask yourself if you want to do that every time you need to use a CD or DVD.

Just to put this into context: with Apple current slot load drives, there's only one operation to perform: insert disc 'A' into slot 'B'.

This idea they're considering is... There is no adjective to describe how stupid it is.

[Eh @ Jan 26th 2007 2:59PM]

Thats probably the stupidest idea Ive ever seen in the history of laptops.

[01 @ Jan 26th 2007 2:59PM]

I agree with a comment on TUAW that this actually does look like a Apple tablet. There's no other practical purpose for a bottom-loading optical drive in my humble opinion.

[Dean Lowe @ Jan 26th 2007 3:00PM]

Every time I want to change discs I have to flip the machine? No,
Thanks Steve.

[nicleT @ Jan 26th 2007 3:02PM]

People don't get it:

The CD drive is in the right direction, only the laptop is upside down!

Tnereffid Kniht!

[fraggle_rocker @ Jan 26th 2007 3:12PM]

wouldn't it be better to put it under the keyboard? just a thought... (that someone will now patent)

[Andrew @ Jan 26th 2007 3:25PM]

Panasonic already does that with their thin Toughbooks.

[apeguero @ Jan 26th 2007 3:12PM]

This idea somehow reminds me of a similar idea someone had many years ago about putting a belly gunner in a submarine.

[Wonderboy @ Jan 26th 2007 3:13PM]

People, learn to read...

"Additionally, the patent includes detailed information about accessing the disc drive in ways that won't hinder efficiency while computing..."

In other words, they're going to do it in a way that allows you to eject and insert discs without much hastle. If this ever comes to fruition it won't look anything like the drawing. Whether or not it'll be cool, I can't say; but even though I'm not a fanboy by any means you've got to admit Apple isn't stupid.

[bbydon @ Jan 26th 2007 3:22PM]

ITs for Ultra portables.....You know the ones that dont have drives in them.

[dc @ Jan 26th 2007 3:28PM]

Fraggle_rocker:

Years ago ('96?), there were notebooks that had keyboard that lifted up to allow access to a CD drive beneath.

[Xenoterranos @ Jan 26th 2007 3:43PM]

You'd think, that at the very least, they'd incorperate the disk reader into the lid somehow (making it ungainly heavy and bulky), or maybe one of those trianguar clips would pop out the corner and hold/read the disk while spinning it at dangerous speeds in free space! Either of those would be better than this.

You know, if they made the keyboard pop-up and you put this disk in under it, that wouldn't be so bad.

[Jim @ Jan 26th 2007 3:44PM]

Wow! That is teh suck.

[Paula @ Jan 26th 2007 3:45PM]

Why doesn't someone put the drive behind the LCD? I mean, I wouldn't really mind closing the lid to change a disc, and doesn't the cold cathode they put normally only take bulk behind one part of the screen?
And that'd be really great in a SideShow laptop... (I'd rather Apple didn't patent that design)
You could just change a music disc and have it play without opening the laptop. Or when you're hooked up to a docking station and want to change discs. Sometimes room to pop out a disc on the side is cramped, ya know?

[Tom Pacyk @ Jan 26th 2007 3:48PM]

I don't understand why this is being posted everywhere when the patent is from 2005. Look at the year! It's OLD. Somebody dug this up and it's being presented as some new product.

[Dan @ Jan 29th 2007 10:49AM]

I've said this before about patents, I will say it again: these are patent applications, NOT patents. 18 months after an application is filed, it is "published." That means that it becomes public knowledge, searchable on the patent web site. This patent application was filed in 2005, but the first time that anyone outside of Apple and the Patent Office saw this (presumably) was January 25, 2007 (the date of "publication"). So, as far as the public is concerned, these applications ARE new.

The easiest way to tell the difference (besides the "United States Patent Application" wording at the top of the page) is that applications are numbered based on year of publication + a serial number, granted patents just have a number (they are in the 7,000,000's now) or have D+number (for design patents). Technically, there are also RE's (re-issues), but the above cover mostly what you'll see. So, US20070019374 is a patent APPLICATION, US7164426 is a PATENT.

Again, these are NOT granted patents. I doubt a patent examiner has even looked at them yet...I wish sites would stop advertising them as such...It's important to note applications as technical directions a company may be pursuing (though it's never definite), especially some of the advanced research stuff, but it's also important to note the difference between a patent and an application. You can't sue anyone until you have a granted patent...

[Eric Pham @ Jan 26th 2007 3:49PM]

For the record the sony g1 is a 12.1 inch notebook with a dvd-rw and weighs about 2 lbs. http://www.dynamism.com/g1/main.shtml While the panasonic w5 has a flip top disk drive under the wrist rest, which you can also find somewhere over at our friends at dynamism. So i still cant figure out how much of an advantage an optical drive on the bottom would be.

[tiuk @ Jan 26th 2007 3:57PM]

I wish they'd just drop the optical drive altogether. For the few times I use it I'd rather just have an external.

[Kurt @ Jan 26th 2007 4:03PM]

I'm no apple fan boy, love my PC for it's excitement and ability to prevent me from getting bored. But.. this idea seems to have some imaginary uses, eg. devices mounted on the top of SUVs, and maybe some other industrial machines that allow access to media or any form of interfacing ONLY from the bottom.

[Michal G @ Jan 26th 2007 4:04PM]

Maybe you just need to life the laptop a bit and press a button on the little bar area where the top locks into the bottom and the disc simply opens like a pacman mouth?

I don't know how to explain...

[Adam @ Jan 26th 2007 4:16PM]

The reason Apple is filing patents like this is because they would like to save room on the base of the laptop and add other features. (Like maybe more ports!) I believe that the best solution to this would be to figure out a way to put their already amazing slot-load drive into the side of the screen. Now I know that this would require some major thinning of the drive/mechanism itself, but it would be more than worth it if whatever company makes their drives figures out how to pull it off. Not only would it look cool, it would allow for more space in the base of the computer for more ports, also it would be yet another Apple first.

[leggmason @ Jan 26th 2007 4:27PM]

As long as it's an etra disk. For porn. Drive one, top, all porn, drive 2, power bottom, all porn, and hard disk full of porn. No operating system either.

[ab @ Jan 26th 2007 4:44PM]

Ideas like this come from trying to keep people happy who think they need an optical drive in their laptop.

I love my MacBook but I would like a solid state storage drive and could do without:

Optical drive
usb
firewire
audioports
video ports

The more moving parts and tethers that can be removed the better. this would help me work better (less thought about external machine junk), give me better battery life, and result in a much lighter machine for travel.

Just wifi, a 12 in wide screen, good keyboard and I would be happy.

[kornholio360 @ Jan 26th 2007 4:56PM]

Or, they could put the optical drive where the keyboard is and put the keyboard on the bottom...XD.

[TT @ Jan 26th 2007 5:10PM]

read the appleinsider article about it. http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2436
it has a bunch more pictures and a few more details.

[v_dogg @ Jan 26th 2007 5:22PM]

yeah, apple is way too smart to do something like this. Im not worried at all.

[Joe @ Jan 26th 2007 5:27PM]

C'mon Engadget, I love you guys, and you seem to pretty succesful/popular, but omg teh grammar n00bz!

[J @ Jan 26th 2007 5:34PM]

umop-apisdn

[Chris @ Jan 26th 2007 5:45PM]

Apple should first fix their screen flickering/waving problem. There are hundreds, I was one of them, that experience such problems with new MacBooks. Apple seems to ignore the problem, and a fix was not yet reported.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=797545&tstart=0

[John @ Jan 26th 2007 5:59PM]

And the four other people who don't want any of those things would also buy one. Apple could listen to you and make a fortune! :)

[Lee Gibson @ Jan 26th 2007 7:36PM]

"we can probably kiss those awkward-sounded slot-loading drives a fond farewell."

I have no idea what that sentence means.

[totalundone @ Jan 26th 2007 9:04PM]

Panasonic's Toughbook line has a top cover for the optical drive. I thought they were under the keyboard but it seems they are under the palm rest.

This would be great for tablets but seems rather inconvenient for a notebook.

[Jeramy @ Jan 26th 2007 9:14PM]

ya i remember when they started putting slot-loading drives in the ibook. they touted a lack of parts that could break. this sorta takes it a step backwards. but idk, i'm sure they aren't entirely retarted. they know what they're doing.

[optV @ Jan 26th 2007 11:39PM]

You know, I had an idea like that once. A long time ago. ... It was a "Jump to Conclusions" mat. You see, it would be this mat that you would put on the floor... and would have different CONCLUSIONS written on it that you could JUMP TO.

[Lt_Ladle @ Jan 27th 2007 12:37AM]

ooh, I sure could use some research to prevent me from "prematurely ejecting" MY "disk". I'm sure that would be a problem with my hot, whining baby in my lap, especially if she gets "trimmed down" ;)

[oldaustin @ Jan 27th 2007 2:22AM]

why not eliminate the optical drive altogether in the apple flagship laptop? For the few occasions I'm loading music from old CDs, or copying a DVD to my hard drive for purposes of watching a film on the plane, I could easily get by with one attached to my monitor, keyboard and mouse on my real desk where I use the MacBook Pro at home. Apple was the first to dump the floppy, they should be the first to dump the optical drive cause we're all connected these dayz.

[Stranger @ Jan 27th 2007 6:34AM]

Well, hate to brake it to you but IBM (and many others as well) have had laptops without a optical drive for years. Instead they have just added a high-speed 2G- or 3G-connection. Clean and simple.

[Jan Dominik Gunkel @ Jan 27th 2007 7:31AM]

Hmm,
looks cool to me... But will it ever ship in a laptop?
I just remember the patent for the touch-screen iPod, which now turned out to become the famous iPhone.
Cheers,
Jan Dominik Gunkel

[Stranger @ Jan 27th 2007 8:06AM]

Toughbooks have had this solution for years, can't see how a new patent can be granted just because it's put on the bottom instead of under the palmrest?

Well, I guess all this tells us is that the US patent legislation is fairly broken. It should be possible to patent explicit technical innovations but not the general idea of "ODD on the bottom" or "cellphone with touchscreen" or "computer with graphical UI". It should also be legal to reverse-engineer any technical innovation but direct copying of design in a effort to mislead a customer (i.e. the Super Shuffle) should be not be allowed. Example - the Creative vs Apple trial concerning the UI used on the iPod. It should be legal to fully copy the UI's look and feel but the technical solution must be unique, i.e. Apple must hack it together themselves. This would be good for competition, leading to better products for the customers. And a number of silly lawsuits should never be produced, maybe lessen the image of being greedy fools the Americans have acquired during the last century.

[Rusty @ Jan 27th 2007 11:37AM]

Reminds me of the Lockeed F-104A starfighter. It had a BOTTOM ejecting mechanism to punch the pilot out UNDER the plane, instead of above it. They were afraid that the large tail plane surface would be like a guillotine. The problem with this mechanism is obvious...eject too soon and you save the funeral home the price of actually putting you in the ground. The ejection seat would do it for you. They wised up after 20 or so "failures" and put a conventional upward firing seat.

[Adam @ Jan 27th 2007 9:24PM]

Clearly this would be used for a TABLET. Look beyond the drawing folks.

[Dave J. @ Jan 28th 2007 11:17AM]

This is NOT a patent yet. What was posted was merely the published pending application (at 18 mos after the filing date). It has not even been examined yet so who knows whether it will even get granted.