Microsoft patents a foldable phone dock

Looks like Microsoft could be making a whole new accessory for the iPhone in 2018 going by a patent filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The device, titled 'User Input Peripheral', would function both as a phone dock that enables hands-free calling as well as an independent speaker that can do VoIP calls from the PC.

The dock looks to be a foldable clamshell type device, which can be tethered wired or wireless to the phone or PC. It will feature notification lights and functions to activate Skype or other VoIP apps on the phone and PC, both in open and closed configurations. It can also offer notifications about incoming calls even when the PC is in sleep mode.

The patent shows pictures wherein an iPhone is docked onto the device implying that Microsoft could be selling this as an iPhone accessory. It is not known whether support for other phone models is planned. Microsoft could also be enabling Cortana-powered notifications on the dock. The concept definitely is an interesting prospect, more so for enterprise customers, and hopefully, Microsoft will bring this to the market soon.

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