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Apple Patents Auto-Ejecting Shock Absorbers That Protect Your iPhone When Dropped

Apple Patents Auto-Ejecting Shock Absorbers That Protect Your iPhone When Dropped

Posted October 22, 2015 at 6:53pm by iClarified
Apple has filed a patent for auto ejecting shock absorbers that protect your iPhone when dropped. The patent is called 'Active Screen Protection for Electronic Device'.

The company notes that electronic devices, especially mobile ones, may be subject to various drop events. For example, an electronic device may fall from a table, fly from a user's hand when a user trips, and/or otherwise fall to the ground or other surface. Such drop events may damage glass layers and/or other fragile elements of screens included in the electronic devices. Repairing damage to screens may be expensive, burdensome, and/or impractical.

Apple Patents Auto-Ejecting Shock Absorbers That Protect Your iPhone When Dropped


Apple's solution is to hide screen protector tabs inside the body of the device. These tabs may be formed of various flexible and/or rigid materials such as plastic, plastic film, polyethylene terephthalate or other polymers, metal, thin film metal, combinations thereof, and/or other such materials. In some implementations, these tabs may be positioned at each corner of the screen. However, in other implementations the tabs may be positioned at a variety of positions around the screen, such as at the sides of the screen.

In the retracted position, the screen protectors may be flush with the screen or positioned below the screen and/or otherwise internal to the electronic device. In the extended position, the screen protectors may extend above the screen such that ends or other portions of the screen protectors contact a surface onto which the electronic device is dropped before the screen contacts the surface, thus preventing contact of the screen. They could even project over the screen while extended for added protection.

After the screen protectors move to the extended position in response to the sensor detecting a drop event, they may return to the retracted position. Retraction could be initiated based on sensor detection that the drop event is over, in response to one or more user inputs, on expiration of a timer after the drop event is detected, when the sensor determines the electronic device is retrieved after the drop event, or at various other times subsequent to a drop event.

Check out the images below for more details...


Read More [via Patently Apple]


Apple Patents Auto-Ejecting Shock Absorbers That Protect Your iPhone When Dropped

Apple Patents Auto-Ejecting Shock Absorbers That Protect Your iPhone When Dropped

Apple Patents Auto-Ejecting Shock Absorbers That Protect Your iPhone When Dropped
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Comments (7)
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Rick West
Rick West - February 14, 2016 at 7:41pm
Oh snap, those repair companies like ubreakifix and gizmodr should be concerned about the future of their business model repairing broken apple devices.
vee
vee - October 23, 2015 at 1:21pm
you're not dropping you phone right...
LKai
LKai - October 23, 2015 at 9:24am
Straight face down drop? Not gonna help
bilgates
bilgates - October 23, 2015 at 6:36am
This is bullshit patent patenting all. Hey let's patent the apple cack ring!!
Janbak
Janbak - October 23, 2015 at 3:40am
Lmao this is pretty funny for some reason
kiarra bell
kiarra bell - October 23, 2015 at 12:47am
How do you rest your iPhone
gggerserg
gggerserg - October 22, 2015 at 11:06pm
or buy a case, or will a case reak these motors- strip plastic ridges or gears . or make it inflate an airbag around it.
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