Nokia was designing a kickstand-enabled tablet before Microsoft released Surface

A newly discovered patent application outlines a kickstand-enabled tablet that Nokia was designing in 2011, almost two years before Microsoft unveiled the Surface.

Nokia have embraced the Windows Phone ecosystem with its Lumia smartphone line, but so far no tablets using a Windows operating system has been officially revealed by the company. A tablet from Nokia has been rumoured – even pictured – but has never emerged into the light of day. Details of the device have previously leaked, with a few sources telling The Verge that the Nokia tablet would have a "special cover that envelops it like a book."

Uncovered by UnwiredView, the patent details a cover that doubles as a kickstand and clips onto the side of the device. The kickstand includes a keyboard, seemingly with island-style keys, similar to that of an Apple keyboard. The application was filed in October 2011, half a year after Nokia abandoned MeeGo in leu of Windows Phone. While the patent predates Windows 8, it isn't inconceivable that Nokia kept the development of a tablet on the back burner while it focused on the Lumia range.

The cover seems to be made of two separate pieces that are hinged so that the cover can work in a variety of ways, including propping up the device. Additional pictures of the patent application can be seen below.