If you're curious about Nintendo's forthcoming plans, sometimes it's best to flip through its latest patents. This week, a patent came to light for a "cartridge for electronic game machine," which looks like an elongated cartridge for a Nintendo DS game system—complete with the same 17-pin connector at the bottom (yes, I counted).



The weird thing, aside from the increased height, is a double-bump series on its side. What're those? The patent doesn't say, merely establishing an "ornamental" design, but the current Nintendo DS on shelves wouldn't fit those bumps.

Nintendo has been known to file patents that go nowhere—most recently, for a two-cartridge game system that was eventually scrapped in favor of last year's DSi design. But rumors have begun swirling about a new portable Nintendo system, and a new cartridge design—particularly one with room for, say, a motion-sensing gyroscope like the one in the Wii—would put the company one step closer to competing with the growing iPhone games market.

Reps from Nintendo of America have not yet responded to my request for more information.