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Cell Phone Airbags Not Such a Crazy Idea After All?

By Rain Noe - November 18, 2011

Exactly a year and a week ago, we put forth the idea of having a cell phone designed with an airbag that would deploy in the event of a drop. Unbeknownst to us, Apple had actually patented a similar technology two quarters earlier.

Just coming to light now, as reported by the Patently Apple blog and now making the rounds, is this patent for a "Tunable Shock Mount with Micro Inflatable Bladder" that, unlike our somewhat silly suggestion, is more sensibly placed inside the phone:

Apple's patent FIG. 5 shows a housing and a cover glass in cross sectional view having a tunable shock mount 505 disposed there between. The tunable shock mount could comprise of an inflatable bladder 506 filled with a fluid 507. Tuning could be done in various ways such as by selection of materials for the bladder and fluid, and by varying an amount of inflation. Hmm, think of it as a form of air-bag for portable devices.

Unsurprisingly, there's no word on whether this particular invention will ever see the light of day.

o

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Cell Phone Airbags Not Such a Crazy Idea After All?

Dan

9 years ago

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What I would like, is a very durable phone, that's designed to be smashed into pieces, and re-assembled after. 5 durable parts that fly apart in dramatic fashion.

Tax time, brother-in-law, insurance company, spouse?
WAIT FOR IT. "bye". CLIK. SMASH!

Added sound effects for the destruction (like a crowd cheering) would be awesome too.

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Joe

9 years ago

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Patents never predict a time to market. Nothing new there. But the idea is fascinating. They should also have a tiny rim around the glass so that in the event of a fall, the rim would take the brunt of the fall and not the glass.
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Rain Noe

I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.