You just bought that fancy new smartphone and talked yourself out of buying a case for it.  You’ll be extra careful with it, you say.  Then it happens.  You drop it.  You look to the ground only to see your phone face down and at that moment your heart begins to race.  You don’t know what you’ll find when you pick up that phone and flip it around.  You hesitantly reach for your phone and…there it is; cracked screen.

That scenario plays out quite a bit.  It seems like everyone has either been through it themselves or has that one friend who goes through cracked screens like underwear.  In my experience, the majority of the users with cracked screens own iPhones.  It seems to be a common problem.

Fear no more, however, as Apple has also taken notice and has turned to patent law.  One question I ask each inventor who comes in with an idea is “what problem does your invention solve?”  This simple question is the basis of patents and what leads to innovation.

Apple has identified the problem and instead of just coming out with a stronger screen, it has applied for a patent on an electronic device and motor which will determine if your phone is falling.

If the phone is indeed falling, the motor will rotate to alter the orientation of the phone.  In other words, if your phone is due to fall on its face (screen), this device will rotate it so it falls on its side, theoretically saving you from a cracked screen and all the anguish involved with it.

You can read the whole patent application here: Protecting An Electronic Device