Rumors have abounded in recent weeks that the iMac line would be gaining a touchscreen display, and a new patent application from Apple revealed this week indeed shows that the company is at least thinking about it.

The new patent application, entitled “Shape Detecting Input Device,” is actually a continuation of a 2004 filing that was resubmitted on October 30, 2009, according to AppleInsider. The application, credited to inventor Peter Kennedy, describes a “variety of situations where a touchscreen would be preferable to a mouse and keyboard” -- including a host of situations that are commonplace today, such as ATM machines, airline e-ticket terminals and more.

In Apple’s patent application, the user is able to hold objects onto a touchscreen to enable access to the computer, presumably as a security method. For instance, a ring or a key could be used to enable users to gain access to the data on the system. Such a method could allow “improved techniques to allow different authorization levels” on computers; for example, allowing a network administrator to make changes.

"This is particularly advantageous in environments where the computer system is shared by multiple users, such as in education environments," the application reads. "Each user could have their own personal signet. The user simply has to present his/her ring to the touch screen in order to place the computer system in his/her preferred configuration."

Of course, the original 2004 patent makes no mention of multi-touch technology since it didn’t quite exist at the time.

Last month, a Chinese newspaper made the claim that Apple would ship a touchscreen-enabled iMac with a 22-inch screen sometime this year -- presumably a new model in addition to the existing 21.5-inch and 27-inch desktops which don’t have such a feature.

(Image courtesy of AppleInsider)