Apple patent points to charger with integrated battery

A newly published Apple patent application suggests the company is working on chargers with integrated backup battery systems inside. Entitled “Power Adapter with Internal Battery” and filed in September 2009, the patent describes a device charger that contains a battery to provide power to the device when no other power source is available, and a processor for determining how to distribute charge between the charger’s internal battery and the device’s battery. Optional features of the described charger include a “trickle” source of power, such as solar, and wireless technology to allow the processor inside the charger to communicate with the device. Notably, third-parties have released chargers with integrated batteries in the past, for both Apple products and those from other companies. As with all Apple patents, this filing does not necessarily represent any future product release from Apple, but offers evidence of the company’s research in this area. [via AppleInsider]