“On July 10, 2014, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals an invention related to a next generation of sapphire cover glass,” Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple. “The glass could be used as both a front and/or back cover for future iDevices such as an iPhone and/or iPad.”
“A sapphire back side cover glass could be used on an iPad as was revealed in one of Apple’s latest granted patents regarding fused glass housings,” Purcher reports. “The Indicia, which may include Apple’s logo, device serial number and so forth won’t be imprinted on the sapphire glass but rather embedded in between two layers of sapphire glass via means of a new ion implantation methodology. The indicia can also be color controlled so as to stand out correctly on the surface of a particular iDevice.”
Purcher reports, “In addition, there were two supporting patent applications worth noting that cover residual compression stress and sapphire cover glass that could extend to the sides, top and bottom of an iDevice. This would translate to an entire housing created with sapphire cover glass.”
Read more, and see Apple patent application illustrations, in the full article here.