Unbreakable iPhone Screen Method Patent

If Apple gets its way the next iPhone may be able to re-orient itself in the middle of a drop to prevent it from landing on fragile parts like the screen. A patent has been filed by apple which allows an Apple phone to do just that.

The schematics inform us that the gyroscope, accelerometer and GPS will work together to determine when the phone is falling, and the speed of the fall. Once it has been determined that the device is plummeting downward a motor will then work to re-position the phone in midair so that it lands in a way that wont leave it shattered from the impact. The patent also details several other impact absorbing methods. One method being deploying gas canisters to soften the landing.

A great deal of patents are just created by companies to prevent other organizations from making the same product and capitalizing on it before they can. This may just be a chess move by Apple and not an actual intended product, but this would definitely make for a very interesting keynote demonstration.




Images via Flickr / USPTO