Apple Receives Patents for Technology That Can Help iPhone Users Type in the Rain and Avoid Buttons

Undoubtedly, tech giant Apple leads innovation and prefers to set new trends. Now, the company has been awarded a new patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, making it easier for iPhone users to use their devices in the rain.



The First Patent

Known as “Modifying functionality of an electronic device during a moisture exposure event,” this patent will allow users to type on a wet display even when their fingers are wet. Apple hopes the iPhone screen will adjust to moisture during light rain, steady drenching, and even when the handset is being used underwater. False taps will be added to the screen that the liquid will generate. They will be detected by the technology listed in the patent and eliminated.

On-screen buttons would also change and grow larger while moving farther apart from other buttons. It will help improve the accuracy of pressing the right button whenever the screen is wet. At the same time, the capacitive iPhone display would automatically change to a pressure-sensitive screen that is very similar to Apple’s no longer used Force Touch and 3D Touch technologies.



To prevent liquid (like raindrops) from accidentally setting off touch inputs, Apple will require the finger presses to have more force than a dynamic threshold which would change depending on the kind of moisture event (like heavy or light rain) which is making the touchscreen hard to type on with accuracy.

The patent filed by Apple reads, “The electronic device can include a moisture detector capable of detecting an amount of moisture present at the protective cover, where when the amount of moisture is greater than a threshold amount, the processor determines a position of the touch event based on detection signals provided by the capacitance detector and the applied force detector.”

The patent also mentions that the touch responses will have three modes, dry, wet and underwater, so the phone can be used underwater and change UI accordingly. It is useful for iPhone owners who prefer to click pictures or shoot videos altogether.



The Second Patent

Apple is also working on a way to cut off another key aspect of tech devices, physical buttons. The company has filed a patent for that. It proposes the creation of dedicated surfaces on undetectable products under normal circumstances. These circumstances will be riddled with micro-perforations enabling light to pass through them.

The region will be discernible whenever physical input is needed through illumination and function as an input device. To facilitate the latter, the technology will implement sensors that register touch or pressure and then respond to them as a physical button.

When the sensors aren’t in use, they will be disabled, and the entire surface will seamlessly fade into the device.

As Apple receives many patents over the course of a year and not each result in new technology, it’s unclear whether the brand would be interested in implementing these patents.

Sources:

https://www.retailnews.asia/apple-receives-patent-for-technology-that-helps-iphone-users-type-in-the-rain/

https://tech.hindustantimes.com/mobile/news/this-revolutionary-new-technology-coming-to-apple-iphones-71657205097737.html

https://www.phonearena.com/news/No-more-buttons-Apple-secures-patent-for-invisible-input-areas_id140279

 

 

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