Microsoft has filed a patent for a “mobile device cover with integrated solar panel” as a measure to expand the battery life of its products in the Surface Pro lineup. The cover will have an integrated keyboard as well.
“A cover for a mobile device includes solar panels and an integrated keyboard. The solar panels are positioned on a stand of the cover and an angle associated with the solar panels can be changed so as to maximize input from a light source.”, reads the patent description.
The cover could draw power from its battery for keyboard input. The patent even hints at a use case where the cover uses artificial sources of light to supply power or charge the battery present in the cover. Now that sounds futuristic, doesn’t it?
Take a look at a rough sketch of the solar panel-integrated kickstand below.
With all that said, there will be a lot of practical difficulties for integrating solar panels into kickstands. Even if the Redmond giant manages to put it in one piece, it remains to be seen if the gadget would meet the standards of the company and the expectations of consumers.
Like every other patent we come across, there is no guarantee if this would ever see daylight and hence, we would suggest you take this patent with a pinch of salt. For what’s it worth, we hope Microsoft makes this a reality.
So, will you be interested to use a solar panel-integrated Surface kickstand? Let us know in the comments.
