Apple granted patent for a ‘communicating stylus’ that can display images or text wirelessly

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has awarded Apple a patent on a “Communicating stylus” that can be used to write on any surface, including a piece of paper and a whiteboard.
The written text can then be subsequently displayed on any device. The patent also outlines that the stylus can be used in “three-dimensional space” and the images drawn can be displayed on a computing device. The stylus is able to track the various position using an accelerometer, which might be stored for a short period of time. The data can also be transmitted in short bursts to the computing device the stylus is paired to.

As the stylus moves, one or more accelerometers may track the position and relative motion of a tip of the stylus. The stylus may store the output of the accelerometer(s) as position data for a period of time; position data may be transmitted in bursts to an associated computing device. It should be noted that the use of multiple accelerometers may permit the stylus to track three-dimensional motion as opposed to tracking only two-dimensional motion. It should also be noted that the stylus may continuously transmit position data rather than transmitting such data in bursts.

As explained by Apple in the patent, the stylus can be used to send the data written on a whiteboard in a classroom to a bigger display in realtime. Apple had applied to patent this technology on January 6, 2010, with Aleksandar Pance being credited as the inventor.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note is the only prominent smartphone series in the market that still ships with a stylus. While the stylus also packs in an accelerometer and pressure sensitivity, it does not feature any other advanced functionalities as Apple has mentioned in its patent.
Even though Apple launched a 5.5-inch iPhone this year that can be clearly classified as a phablet, it is highly unlikely that the company will bundle the stylus with it. Instead, I think the company will provide this stylus as an additional accessory for Mac users, provided it ever sees the light of the day.