Apple's new patent, which the company filed the previous year, has just been granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Patent No. 8,903,519 is known as "Protective mechanism for an electronic device." The whole idea of the patent is to provide a more effective way to safeguard expensive computer hardware from an accidental drop, whether from the hands of the user or from the device's placement on a table.
While the iPhone's sleek design may have made Apple an icon in the mobile devices industry, people have also noted how the devices are vulnerable to huge and sometimes irreparable damages that are incurred when the device is accidentally dropped.
Apple has decided to address that issue by creating a patent that does not only estimate the device's point of impact but also shift its center of gravity in order to protect its sensitive components, such as the display panel and cameras.
"Mobile electronic devices are being used more often and more people are carrying mobile electronic devices with them on a continuous basis," said Apple. "However, people may drop their mobile electronic devices, or the mobile electronic devices may otherwise may be caused to enter a freefall state. For example, if the mobile electronic device may get pushed off of a counter or table. As mobile electronic devices impact a surface after freefall, they may be substantially damaged, even if they are encased within a cover or other protective device."
The patent also described how devices would be fitted with accelerometers or gyroscopes, imaging sensors and GPS that will track the phone's positioning and physical activity. In the event that the phone is dropped, the sensors would then generate data, which will be sent to the central processing unit. In a fraction of a second, the CPU will calculate various information that revolve around the fall, such as its speed, time, and the device's closing distance from the ground.
Once the information becomes available, it will then activate a mechanism that will reposition the phone as accurately as possible, protecting the device's crack-prone areas from hitting a hard surface. These crack-prone areas include the phone's glass screen and camera.
Apple has become a popular name when it comes to filing patents for all types of ideas. The new "futuristic" iPhone-protecting patent may not be applied in upcoming iOS devices anytime soon. However, making a huge leap in creating an effective mechanism that addresses the consequences of a fall is definitely a smart move to stay ahead of the competition.
