Rumor has it that one of the major changes in next generation iPhone is the size of dock connector. Working on the same track, U.S. Patent department granted Apple with a patent for a mini dock connector implying that the existing iPeripherals may soon be obsolete.

United States Patent and Trademark Office approved Apple's patent, which was originally filed back in July 2010, for a new standard for dock connector under a new patent with patent number 8222773. The new patent has mentioned of the long-rumored micro/mini dock connector.

Looking at an image accompanied with the patent, the new dock connector appears to be identical to the original Firewire 400 connection. The new port looks like an alternative to microUSB, which is a standard supported by rival smartphone manufacturers. However, Apple's variant has a triangular edge at one side, which seems to build for stopping users from plugging in the cable the wrong way.

The new patent triggers speculation that Apple is ditching the old 30-pin dock connector in the next generation iPhone. The patent abstract data reassures that the connector will transport power (for charging) as well as data transfers.

Last month, folks at TechCrunch "independently verified" that iPhone 5 will have smaller 19-pin dock connector, instead of the age-old 30-pin dock connector that is being featured in iPhone, iPod, and iPad since day one.

Things are convenient at the moment as every iGadget uses the same connector. If you have one charging cable plugged in, you can use it to charge every iGadget of yours. The dock connector is of no much concern for us but the accessories associated with iPhone are. If Apple really changes the dock standard from a 30-pin connector to a 19-pin one, all of your existing iPhone accessories will become obsolete.

Travel charger, in-car entertainment add-ons, docks, external speaker, and every other iPeripheral that you purchase for your iGadget will not work on the next iPhone. This change means that you have to purchase new peripherals for the next iPhone.

We can assume that third-party developers will manufacture adapters that will let you connect the 19-pin iPhone to existing 30-pin peripherals. However, we cannot bet on that as Apple may approach for a ban on such products.

In such a scenario, we would recommend that you (if you are planning to buy iPhone 5 as soon as it comes out) get ready to pile some extra cash to buy new accessories.