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Well that's certainly something!

Geekwire article excerpt:

A patent application made public this morning lists Bezos and Amazon VP Greg Hart as the inventors of “a system and method for protecting devices from impact damage.”

It starts with a safety monitoring system that would use a gyroscope, camera, infrared beam, radar or other sensors to detect such things as motion, orientation and distance from other objects — then determine in a split second if the device is at risk of damage from impact.

One idea (shown in Fig. 2B above) is to embed one or more small airbags inside the phone, according to the filing. If the device is at risk of damage from a fall, the airbags would instantly inflate via an embedded cartridge of compressed air or carbon dioxide. The monitoring system could either detect which side of the phone will hit the ground, and deploy the airbag there, or pop airbags out of multiple sides of the device.

The patent application goes further — suggesting the possibility of reorienting the device in the air, by expelling gas, so that it lands on the side where an airbag is deployed.

http://www.geekwire.com/2011/jeff-bezos-put-airbag-smartphone

USPTO Patent Link

 

[VanMardigan]

Why didn't I think of that?

 

[Baggatoast]

That is definitely... something.

I think it would be about as big as an Otter Box after inflation.

 

[Tornado Condor]

Nice idea. I wonder how much bulk it adds.

 

[Korey]

So instead of having a cracked phone you'll have a big mattress air bag pillow phone

 

[kharma45]

Could've used that the other day when I dropped mine onto a tiled floor.

Bye bye screen.

 

[confused]

Genius, and can be applied across so many devices. This man is gonna be rich(er)

 

[itxaka]

The patent application goes further — suggesting the possibility of reorienting the device in the air, by expelling gas, so that it lands on the side where an airbag is deployed.

The cats have already patented "a method of moving an object so it always lands on the desired position"

 

[Shiloa]

How does it tell that I've dropped it compared to playing a game which uses motion controls?

 

[D4Danger]

this is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen

ever.

 

[Ryaaan14]

I don't understand how this would work. If the phone hits the ground, the damage has already been done. If it activates during freefall, there's gonna be a shitload of airbags going off in people's pockets.

 

[speculawyer]

Why didn't I think of that?

Because it is a ridiculous idea.

 

[Stinkles]

Because it is a ridiculous idea.

It is an AWESOME idea.

A trail of cracked phones marked with tears.

 

[Salmonax]

I've had various smartphones for seven years and have never dropped any of them. It's really not that hard.

 

[Reversed]

I'm guessing that, if sold to public, it will have those silly marketing TV ads where people accidentally break their phones (in B&W colors), to proceed showing this product.

Yeah, it would sell but not a lot.

 

[Jak140]

terrible. stick to simple ideas like using the internet to sell shit, please.

 

[FOOTE]

 

[Betta Lines]

This will never be implemented. No company will be willing to add bulk to their designs for something so ridiculous.

 

[baekshi]

I don't get it...how is it saving?

 

[Stat Flow]

This could be awesome.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

stupid.

 

[whitehawk]

How does it tell that I've dropped it compared to playing a game which uses motion controls?

Yeah I'm not sure about this. Maybe it only works when your in the menu/lock screen?

 

[Lamel]

I thought it was an airbag that inflates when it senses your car crashed, you mount it on the dashboard...god what was I thinking.

 

[InertiaXr]

How does it tell that I've dropped it compared to playing a game which uses motion controls?

Playing a game with motion controls you should never be moving the unit itself more than say an inch or so, only tilting it. While if you drop it it will start accelerating in one way, straight down, for multiple feet. The speed differences between a slow tilt and a full drop that this thing would see would be astronomical.

 

[X26]

a tech patent for something original and unique? what?

 

[Bboy AJ]

this is a p good idea

 

[Gouty]

Yeah I'm not sure about this. Maybe it only works when your in the menu/lock screen?

We'll never know because the patent proposes this ludicrous idea without any documentation explaining the actual nuts and bolts of its operation.

Is this really how patents work? Just draw a picture of a hover board or time machine and then wait for someone to figure it out and sue them?

 

[DoomGyver]

I thought companies WANTED you to drop the phone and break it so you have to buy another one.

 

[zychi]

how do you put the airbags back in the phone? buy more!

 

[baekshi]

What happens if held phone against a strong wind or a fan, can it detect if its falling.I don't get it.

 

[MIMIC]

WTF? So if you pretend to throw it on the ground, it explodes in your hand? @_@

This must be a joke because it sounds so stupid.

 

[Barrett2]

Combines the portability of an iPhone with the soft landings of a Harrier jump jet.

 

[remnant]

WTF? So if you pretend to throw it on the ground, it explodes in your hand? @_@

This must be a joke because it sounds so stupid.

Physics. Learn it.

the force a phone will generate falling to the ground is larger than the force you apply just holding it. Pretnding to throw it to the ground won't do much, because eventually you will decelerate.

 

[Red]

WTF? So if you pretend to throw it on the ground, it explodes in your hand? @_@

This must be a joke because it sounds so stupid.

It's like how if you hit your brakes real hard the airbags deploy

 

[slider]

I dropped me new phone the other day cos my dog jumped up at me. Heed my warning.

 

[Slayer-33]

Synthetic shell case protector and screen protector? Problem solved? LOL...


Jesus..


As if those hasn't saved my phone countless times and my iPod.

 

[MThanded]

no

 

[Herpes Reasons]

yeah, but can it protect against in the most sacred area for men?
i present to you the toilet water in the bathroom.

i dont think so.

 

[nVidiot_Whore]

I've never dropped my cell phone. True story.

 

[Argyle]

It's like how if you hit your brakes real hard the airbags deploy

http://jalopnik.com/5829996/camaros-air-bags-spontaneously-deploy-doing-donuts

 

[TUSR]

I've never dropped my cell phone. True story.

I have once, and only once.

This also seems really dumb.

 

[Centurion]

this seems like a patent that everyone would laugh at if it wasn't for the "Amazon CEO" part.

 

[2th]

This will never be implemented. No company will be willing to add bulk to their designs for something so ridiculous.

.

 

[MIMIC]

Physics. Learn it.

the force a phone will generate falling to the ground is larger than the force you apply just holding it. Pretnding to throw it to the ground won't do much, because eventually you will decelerate.

I guess I misread how it works.

So the device still hits the ground.....and then deploys an airbag. That's still stupid. Airbags protect the people in the car, not the car itself.

 

[MThanded]

Phone designs are already mostly comprised of battery as it is. On top of that the battery life is still not as good as it needs to be. Adding some air bags will only limit battery size even more. No way this gets put in a phone.

Cool but extremely impractical.

 

[Derrick01]

At first I was picturing this was for all the girls who smash into things because they're always messing around on their damn phones, this way their phone won't slam in their face (even if they deserved it).

The reality as usual is a little less fun.

 

[dabig2]

WTF? So if you pretend to throw it on the ground, it explodes in your hand? @_@

This must be a joke because it sounds so stupid.

Well, if I were programming this, I would have a tactile sensor to tell it if it's being held or not. If it is, nothing happens. If it isn't, then I begin my "free-fall" protocol where I then use all the other sensors to determine if this will be a bad drop or not.

It's actually a pretty cool idea. Well, not practical as it will add a lot of bulk, but a fun project to do when you're bored. I do have a spare micro-controller laying around, a bunch of sensors, and some spare time...

 

[Dead Man]

So... it will cost less to replace the airbag than fixing the phone?

 

[Zoramon089]

So like smartphone verniers? How many people are going to throw their smartphones into walls to see this work?!

 

[Chiave]

Looks stupid, but if it will save me money...