Steve Jobs has 313 patents to his name, including some unexpected

The New York Times reports today on the 313 patents that include Steve's name. Many are no surprise, like the G4 iMac's articulated arm and the divisive "hockey puck" mouse. Others are lesser well known or even unexpected. Here's a list of a few lesser-known patents that Steve Jobs holds.

1. The lanyard used for the iPod and iPhone headphones. You'll remember this clever device that allowed those old iPods to hang around your neck while incorporating the headphones. Impressive cord management for sure.
2. Stairs! If you've visited a large Apple Store, you've probably seen the impressive glass staircase inside. Steve's name is on the patent for those, too.
3. A disc cartridge developed while Steve was at NeXT. Described as "The ornamental design for a computer disk cartridge, as shown and described," this patent was granted on November 13, 1990.

Finally, here's one that never went into production. The "Telephone interface for a portable communication device" combined the rotary dial and an old-style iPod (above). It's probably best that one stayed on the design floor.