Hunting for Apple Inc. patent applications has become a hobby for many, as the company hints at its future plans for the gadgets it will sell or incorporate into upcoming iPhones.
The latest applications (or inventions, if you will) cover a range of various ways to protect the iPhone from falling, but there was also a particularly interesting prospect, where the user can activate a laser on their device to map their surroundings.
According to a filing with the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) filed by Apple Inc., it is looking at ways to equip its portable devices, such as the iPhone, with lasers, sensors and processors that can calculate the user's environment.
A few words about laser. The word laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation and means “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation”. A laser is a device that essentially emits light of a specific wavelength and is an excellent tool for measuring distances, providing precise measurements of small areas through a concentrated beam of light. A sensor can take different distance readings and at the same time a processor can calculate the space by combining all the measurements.
According to Apple's filing with the USPTO: “distance measuring devices with laser include a laser and a sensor. The laser produces a laser beam that is reflected from surfaces such as walls in a room. By detecting the reflected beam, a device can measure the distance from the sensor to the reflected surface”
It's unclear whether Apple hopes to take credit for this technology by filing a patent application with the USPTO. What's more obvious, however, is that the company plans to cover every possible scenario that a wearable device could possibly involve. If things continue to move at this pace on the patent front, Apple should be selling us a real tricorder.
