Second Patent For Glass Staircase

Apple Inc. has received a second patent covering the spectacular glass staircases that help make their flagship stores a magnet for visitors. This patent is for a “glass support member,” and focuses on the engineering and manufacture of the laminated glass panels, and the use of titanium inserts to attach the panels together. The 21-page patent includes numbered diagrams that set out the typical parts of a glass staircase, and text that sets out the technical details of bonding glass in layers, with laminates in between. The patent was filed in July, 2003 and lists Steve Jobs among the 10 inventors. A previous patent was awarded in August 2003 for the overall design of the glass staircases. Download (pdf, 1.1 Mb) a copy of the latest patent document here.