Apple’s pursuit of more robust mobile devices has led it to invent a novel shutter system for devices like the iPhone, which protects its ports from liquid damage. The shutters automatically block the holes for the iPhone’s speaker, microphone, and Lightning port to stop liquid entering the device.
Titled “Electronic devices with housing port shutters,” the patent was published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office this week. It describes a shutter system powered by electric that help protect iPhones and other devices by closing their ports when necessary.
The system could be used to protect any opening in the iPhone’s housing, including its SIM card slot, and is designed to seal holes when they are not in use. Apple explains that each individual hole — like those drilled for the speaker on iPhone 6s — would have its own shutter.
By staying closed when the holes are not in use, the shutter could protect the iPhone not only against liquids, but also dust and other contaminants. The shutters would then open when the iPhone is plugged into charge, or things like the speaker are activated.
The shutters may also be controlled manually using voice commands or onscreen buttons, Apple explains, and there may be an external switch that acts as a manual override. This would allow the user to open shutters when the device is powered off, like when it runs out of battery.
Apple describes how the shutters could rotate, slide, or pivot into position, and may be curved to match the contours of a device’s housing. The shutters could also carry silicone rings to ensure they are air tight and that water is unable to pass through any cracks.
“Apple proposes employing sensing modules to detect the presence of moisture, airborne contaminants and other potentially detrimental environmental conditions that would warrant a state change from open to closed, or vice versa,” explains AppleInsider.
Like all Apple patents, this one isn’t a guarantee of things to come, but it does give us an idea of what Apple is working on inside the secret walls of its Cupertino headquarters. This is one of many patents the company has filed on waterproofing the iPhone and over devices.
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