Apple has always been about patents but this is probably one of the more useful sounding ones so far. Instead of a patent for a rounded edges, this patent is about a "Protective Mechanism for an Electronic Device" that allows an electronic device to shift the weight of a falling device in such a way that it would always fall on it's back. This means if your smartphone had this feature and it fell, you wouldn't have to deal with a cracked screen (Corning Gorilla Glass still cracks due to falls).
The way it works is that when the device is falling the phone detects free fall using position sensors, imaging sensors and accelerometers. Then it sends a signal to the protective mechanism, allowing it to land on the strongest part of the chassis (usually the back part), minimizing the possibility of cracks or damage to the device and the screen of the device.
The patent doesn't mention that it has to be a smartphone so it could apply to practically all Apple devices such as the iPod touch, iPad and other devices we tend to let slip from our fingers. It also doesn't seem to account for if the device bounces from impact but it does sound like a more useful feature to have over an ultra-pixel camera or an eight core processor. Again, it is just a patent, so no news if this is going to come out in the Apple iPhone 5s. We'll keep you posted of any new news.
[sourced from techradar.com]
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