Apple Seeks Patent for iBag

On March 17, Apple filed U.S. Pat. App. 2016/0264304 A1, for now entitled simply “BAG,” but presumably it will one day be called “iBag” or maybe “Apple Bag.” I assume the precise details and features of iBag will be a closely guarded secret until Tim Cook dramatically unveils it at some future Special Event, but the application offers some tantalizing hints.

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Of course Apple doesn’t want to give away too much at this point, but reading between the lines, it looks like Apple sees iBag as occupying a place near the end of the retail supply chain:

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The description that follows (in the DETAILED DESCRIPTION) section is more detailed, in a sense, but somehow doesn’t seem to offer any more actual details:

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A couple of pages follow, along the same lines, but I should leave the detailed analysis up to bag experts.

So far as I can tell, the main thing that would distinguish iBag from previous bags is that it would be made of up to 60% “post-consumer content.” The application suggests that this is a lot, or at least more than in existing bags, so there is that. But the most important point to make here is that whoever came up with the phrase “post-consumer content” needs a good beating. If there’s a difference between that and “recycled,” I might semi-apologize, but I doubt there is.

<reads email>

Okay, there is a difference, I’ve now learned, but the term itself is still bothering me. It just seems like “post-consumer content” should refer to something that was previously contained within a consumer. Had someone figured out a way to make a bag out of that, it might be a real technical achievement but the practical applications would probably be limited.