No More Cracked iPhone Screens: Apple Awarded ‘Bumper’ Patent To Protect

Also, since Apple first used 7000 series aluminum on the Apple Watch and then brought it to the iPhone 6s, it points towards Sapphire screen also making a similar shift.

The company has a new patent in the works which will use “shock absorbers” to burst out of the phone if it detects it is falling and about to hit the ground. The sensors protrude from the device at the top and bottom of the screen, ensuring the entire glass portion of the device is protected from a sudden fall.

As with any patent, there’s no telling whether or not we’ll see this on any upcoming iOS device, but on paper, it sounds like a brilliant solution to an issue that plagues millions of smartphone users around the world. The customer’s feedback and suggestions compel Apple authorities to think out of the box and bring innovative display technology into its new generation phablets.

Apple also notes cameras can detect proximity to a fast-approaching object with specialized motion capture software.

There won’t be any collateral damage for your expensive phone at all.

These screen protectors are comprised of multiple tabs at each corner of the display that could be made from plastic, plastic film, polyethylene terephthalate, a polymer, thin metal, or metal.

The four pronged approach will apparently protect the delicate glass covering on the iPhone, but don’t get your hopes up in anticipation for a 2016 arrival. The patent was published on Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

According to AppleInsider, the “feet” are not user-controllable and retract after a period of time beyond the “fall event”. Patents are sometimes never even utilized because technology can change during the patent approval process.

Considering that Apple may be moving to a bezel-less design for the iPhone 7, the likelihood of apertures being inlaid into the display are highly unlikely.