Apple received a new patent granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Tuesday for a new type of stylus that can capture handwriting on a variety of surfaces, including whiteboards, paper and the iPad's touchscreen, reports TechCrunch.

The new Apple stylus uses motion sensors and accelerometers to track handwriting movement. The pen activates only when picked up, its nib is pressed to a surface, it has been manually turned on or it has been withdrawn from a dock.

It conserves battery life by transmitting data either in real-time or at timed intervals -- similar to how certain fitness trackers synchronize at times with a user's smartphone to decrease the power draw of a continuous wireless connection.

Details in the patent describe the stylus as able to capture handwriting accurately whether the device is used on a wall, a table surface, or in the air. Interior 3D motion sensors help make it possible.

The smart pen captures digital copies of handwritten notes. Apple Insider describes the pen as "a smart writing utensil that uses accelerometers, wireless communication hardware and onboard storage to transfer hand-written notes and drawings onto the display of a digital device."

Apple Insider states that if the stylus were being used on a large classroom whiteboard, the operator could have real-time reproduction for displaying output on a larger digital display, if so desired.

Different nibs or pen heads could be used; ink in notebooks, markers for whiteboards, and graphite for pencil drawings. A capacitive nib would enable it to work as a stylus for devices like the iPhone and iPad.

Apple's stylus patent was first filed in January 2010 with Aleksandar Pance credit as its inventor.

Apple is not the first company to invent a smart pen. Livescribe's smart pen was the first, though it does not have the advanced technology seen in Apple's design. It uses an infrared camera located in its tip to capture handwriting. The handwritten notes are stored onboard or offloaded by Bluetooth. The Livescribe stylus requires quite a bit of power, specialized paper, and has a larger chassis.