On February 7, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Sony that is technically about the PlayStation Vita and their new and upcoming connectors. Sony states that the connectors are for "connecting the electronic apparatus to peripheral apparatuses" at the bottom and side surfaces of the device housing. Sony's patent filing specifically states that the next generation PS Vita will gain USB, HDMI and a power supply connector described as a parallelepiped connector.
New Ports Coming to Sony's PS Vita
As shown in Sony's patent FIG. 2, the electronic apparatus 1 in this example includes connectors 23, 24, 25, 39, and 59 as the plural electronic components. The connector 23 is, for example, a headphone jack. The connectors 24, 25, and 39 are connectors such as a USB connector or an HDMI connector for transmitting and receiving data between the electronic apparatus 1 and other electronic apparatuses. The connector 59 is, for example, a power supply connector for supplying electric power to the electronic apparatus 1.
Sony's patent application was originally filed in the US in Q3 2012 but months earlier in Japan. The photo above was taken from Sony website on February 7, 2013. It's juxtaposed to Sony's patent figures 1 and 2 which expose the new ports. In comparison, we see the new ports clearly.
Sony's patent was filed in the US in Q3 2011 under serial number 559772 and filed months earlier in Japan.
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