Apple patents idea for making iPhone screens shatterproof

Apple has recently patented an idea where retractable bumpers automatically trigger if a device starts to fall, Forbes.com reports.

The patent is titled “Active screen protection for electronic device” and it was filed by Tyson Manullang, a mechanical engineer at Apple.

How would it work? A sensor in the device would be able to detect a drop event and then screen protectors move from the retracted to the extended position. The bumper would become the shock absorber and prevent the screen from hitting the surface. Hypothetically, the screen protectors could be multiple tabs that move between the retracted and extended positions by motors or pinions. The patent says that those tabs could be made of materials like plastic, polyethylene terephthalate or metal.

The bumper could also potentially activate when audio components “emit a chirp or ultrasonic pulse and receive a reflection of such from the surface that is analyzed by a processing unit to detect the occurrence of a drop event based on determined height, speed and so on of the electronic device.” An altitude-detecting sensor like the global positioning system (GPS) may also activate the bumper. Or a camera sensor could capture image data that is analyzed by motion capture software to detect a drop event based on the determined proximity of the device. After a few seconds, the iPhone sensors would reactivate to ensure the drop event is finished so that the bumpers retract.