Not long ago, Apple and Nokia were involved in SIM-related disputes and now, the latest news confirms that Apple has won a patent for a micro-SIM connector.

Nokia and Apple have been locking horns over the design of future miniature SIM cards for mobile devices. Nokia had also threatened to withdraw around 50 SIM card-related patents from European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) if the Apple's proposal is approved. In June this year, Apple won the battle and has been officially granted the patent regarding the micro-SIM card.

The patent granted to Apple relates to connectors that allow SIM cards to be easily removed and replaced from a device. The connectors may be resistant to damage by an improper insertion of a SIM card on a device by a user, and may provide reliable mechanical performance.

"Apple credits Zheng Gao, Benjamin Rappoport, and Steve McClure as the inventors of this patent which was originally filed in Q3 2010. Note that the official title of this patent is 'Mini-SIM Connector.' We emphasized Micro because it was clearly listed in the patent and is the most current standard at this time," reported Patently Apple.

"An illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide connectors that allow SIM cards to be easily removed and replaced. Specifically, a plunger system may be provided where a user can push a plunger rod and eject a SIM card. This card, or a new card, may be easily be reinserted by pushing the card into the connector," per the patent documents. The mechanism of a plunger may be fairly similar to the one used in inserting a microSD card in a smartphone.

Rumors of iPhone 6 have already started to surface. It is anybody's guess if Apple will deploy the latest patent to the next-generation iPhone.