Apple Patents iPhone Drop Protection Mechanisms That Are Built Into The Unit

Apple Inc. got a patent that could help protect iPhones from drops, including one that could help the smartphones change direction mid-air.

Anyone with a pricey smartphone has likely felt that moment of panic when it slips from your fingers and tumbles to the floor. “Please be ok, please be ok,” you say to yourself, praying for a responsive gadget and a screen free of cracks.

The patent is described as a “protective mechanism for an electronic device.” Apple Insider was the first to report on the new patent. The filing for it just appeared today, and it even mentions the Apple iPhone specifically as being a device that could be protected by the mechanism

The patent describes a quantity of ways Apple may be capable to make a device that can change path mid-flight, which would let it to place its most effect-resistant surface forward to fulfill the floor. These incorporate an internal gadget for shifting mass to one stop of the Apple iPhone, an real “thrust mechanism” that could even consist of a “gas canister,” an air foil that activates in cost-free tumble, a way to agreement external bits like switches within the scenario for security, and a gripping system that can clamp down on charging and headphone cables to guarantee those capture the falling phone.

We can’t help but be reminded of Amazon’s patent for a phone airbag. We won’t be seeing this in an iPhone anytime soon. Until then, we’ll have to stick with our conventional case.

[Apple Insider, Tech Crunch]