PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9780621-B2
Application Number: US-201615015996-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Protecting an electronic device

Abstract:
An electronic device including a processor, at least one sensor in communication with the processor, wherein the processor is configured to determine an orientation of the device and drop event based on input from the at least one sensor. The electronic device further includes a motor in communication with the processor and a mass operably connected to the motor. The processor is configured to drive the motor when a drop event is determined and the mass is configured to rotate with respect to the motor to alter the orientation of the device.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A mobile personal electronic device having a plurality of zones, the mobile personal electronic device comprising:
 a sensor; 
 a motor; 
 a mass connected to the motor; and 
 a processing unit coupled to the sensor and the motor, wherein the processing unit is configured to:
 detect a drop event; 
 during the drop event, determine a rotational direction of the mobile personal electronic device and a predicted impact area of the mobile personal electronic device based on sensor input from the sensor; 
 during the drop event, determine the vulnerability to damage of each of the plurality of zones based on the rotational direction of the mobile personal electronic device; 
 change a desired impact zone during the drop event based on the determined vulnerability to damage of each of the plurality of zones and the sensor input; and 
 in response to detecting the drop event, drive the motor to rotate the mass with respect to the mobile personal electronic device to alter an orientation of the mobile personal electronic device so that at least a portion of the desired impact zone impacts a surface instead of at least a portion of at least one of the other zones in the plurality of zones. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The mobile personal electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the desired impact zone that is selected to impact the surface is less vulnerable to damage during the drop event than the other zones in the plurality of zones. 
     
     
       3. The mobile personal electronic device of  claim 1 , the processing unit further configured to:
 determine that one of the other zones in the plurality of zones will still impact the surface instead of the desired impact zone that is selected to impact the surface; and 
 drive the motor an additional amount of time. 
 
     
     
       4. The mobile personal electronic device of  claim 3 , wherein the processing unit drives the motor in a different direction in response to determining that the one of the other zones in the plurality of zones will still impact the surface. 
     
     
       5. The mobile personal electronic device of  claim 3 , wherein a speed of the motor is changed when driven the additional amount of time. 
     
     
       6. The mobile personal electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is configured to cause an additional mass to be rotated in response to detecting the drop event. 
     
     
       7. The mobile personal electronic device of  claim 6 , wherein the processing unit is configured to decouple the additional mass from the motor after the drop event. 
     
     
       8. The mobile personal electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is operable to select the desired impact zone that impacts the surface based at least partially on user input received during use of the mobile personal electronic device. 
     
     
       9. A method of protecting a mobile personal electronic device having a plurality of zones, the method comprising:
 operating a motor at a first rate to generate a haptic alert when the mobile personal electronic device is not in freefall; 
 with a sensor, detecting a drop event based on sensor data from the sensor indicating that the mobile personal electronic device is in freefall; 
 determining a drop height of the drop event based on the sensor data from the sensor; 
 based on the drop height, ranking each of the plurality of zones in order of vulnerability to damage from the drop event; 
 using the sensor data, determining one of the plurality of zones as an estimated impact zone on the mobile personal electronic device; 
 determining a different one of the plurality of zones as an altered impact zone on the mobile personal electronic device based on the ranked order of vulnerability to damage of each of the plurality of zones; 
 operating the motor at a second rate that is greater than the first rate while the mobile personal electronic device is in freefall to alter an angular momentum and change an orientation of the mobile personal electronic device so that at least a portion of the altered impact zone impacts a surface instead of at least a portion of the estimated impact zone; 
 monitoring an effect of the motor&#39;s operation; and 
 adjusting the operation of the motor based on the monitoring using a feedback loop. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising adding a solid mass to a moving section of the motor in response to determining that the mobile personal electronic device is in freefall. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising removing the solid mass from the moving section of the motor. 
     
     
       12. A mobile personal electronic device having a plurality of zones, the mobile personal electronic device comprising:
 a sensor; 
 a motor; 
 a mass connected to the motor; and 
 a processing unit coupled to the sensor and the motor, wherein the processing unit is configured to:
 drive the motor at a first rate to generate haptic feedback when no drop event is detected; 
 detect a drop event based on sensor input from the sensor; 
 determine a drop height of the drop event based on the sensor input from the sensor; 
 based on the drop height, rank each of the plurality of zones in order of vulnerability to damage from the drop event; 
 determine one of the plurality of zones as an impact zone of the mobile personal electronic device based on the sensor input from the sensor; and 
 in response to detecting the drop event and determining the impact zone, drive the motor at a second rate that is greater than the first rate to rotate the mass with respect to the mobile personal electronic device to alter an orientation of the mobile personal electronic device so that at least a portion of another one of the plurality of zones impacts a surface instead of at least a portion of the impact zone. 
 
 
     
     
       13. The mobile personal electronic device of  claim 12 , wherein the one of plurality of zones that impacts the surface is defined at least partially in response to the mobile personal electronic device being enclosed in a case. 
     
     
       14. The mobile personal electronic device of  claim 12 , wherein the mobile personal electronic device is a smart phone. 
     
     
       15. The mobile personal electronic device of  claim 12 , wherein the one of plurality of zones that impacts the surface comprises a surface other than a cover glass of the mobile personal electronic device.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/437,903, filed Apr. 2, 2012 and titled “Protecting an Electronic Device,” which is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/234,324, filed Sep. 16, 2011, entitled “Protective Mechanism for an Electronic Device,” the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entireties. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to electronic devices and more specifically, to mobile electronic devices. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Mobile electronic devices are being used more often and more people are carrying mobile electronic devices with them on a continuous basis. However, people may drop their mobile electronic devices, or the mobile electronic devices may otherwise be caused to enter a freefall state. For example, if the mobile electronic device may get pushed off of a counter or table. As mobile electronic devices impact a surface after freefall they may be substantially damaged, even if they are encased within a cover or other protective device. 
     Many portable devices have impact orientations that are less vulnerable than others. That is, there are orientations for the devices that reduce the likelihood of damage based in part upon a particular part of the device that impacts the surface after a fall. For example, smart phones with cover glass may be particularly vulnerable when the cover glass impacts the ground. They may be much less vulnerable if a metal or plastic portion of the housing of the smart phone impacts the ground first or instead. Thus, there are impact orientations that are less vulnerable to damage than others. 
     SUMMARY 
     Examples of the disclosure may take the form of an electronic device. An electronic device including a processor, at least one sensor in communication with the processor, wherein the processor is configured to determine an orientation of the device and drop event based on input from the at least one sensor. The electronic device further includes a motor in communication with the processor and a mass operably connected to the motor. The processor is configured to drive the motor when a drop event is determined and the mass is configured to rotate with respect to the motor to alter the orientation of the device. 
     Other examples of the disclosure may take the form of a method for protecting a vulnerable area of an electronic device during a freefall. The method may include detecting by a sensor a freefall of the device and determining by the sensor an orientation of the device. Then, determining an orientation of the device that would avoid impact at a vulnerable area of the device and operating a motor to alter the angular momentum of the device during the free fall to change the orientation of the device towards the orientation that would avoid impact at the vulnerable area. The method also includes monitoring the effect of the motor&#39;s operation and providing a feedback loop to adjust the operation of the motor based on the monitoring step. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is an isometric view of a mobile electronic device. 
         FIG. 1B  is a rear elevation view of the mobile electronic device. 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric view of another embodiment of the mobile electronic device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an exemplary block diagram of the mobile electronic device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4A  is one embodiment of a flow chart of a method for altering an orientation of a device during freefall. 
         FIG. 4B  is a second embodiment of a flow chart for a method for altering an orientation of a device during freefall. 
         FIG. 5A  is an isometric view of a first embodiment of a protective mechanism for the mobile electronic device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5B  is a rear plan view of the mobile electronic device of  FIG. 1  illustrating a long axis and a position of the protective mechanism of  FIG. 5A  relative to the long axis. 
         FIG. 5C  is a side elevation view of the mobile electronic device of  FIG. 1  during a freefall prior to impacting a surface. 
         FIG. 5D  is a side elevation view of the mobile electronic device of  FIG. 1  after a freefall and at the moment of impacting the surface. 
         FIG. 6  is an isometric view of a second embodiment of the protective mechanism for the mobile electronic device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7A  is a side elevation view of the mobile electronic device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7B  is a side elevation view of the mobile electronic device illustrating a third embodiment of the protective mechanism. 
         FIG. 8A  is a front elevation view of the mobile electronic device of  FIG. 1  illustrating a fourth embodiment of the protective mechanism. 
         FIG. 8B  is a side elevation view of the mobile electronic device of  FIG. 1  illustrating the protective mechanism of  FIG. 8A  in an activated position. 
         FIG. 8C  is an enlarged view of the fourth embodiment of the protective mechanism of  FIG. 8A  in the activated position. 
         FIG. 9  is an isometric view of a port utilizing a fifth embodiment of a protective mechanism for the mobile electronic device. 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of the fifth embodiment of the protective mechanism of  FIG. 9 , viewed along line  10 - 10  in  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of the fifth embodiment of the protective mechanism of  FIG. 9  with a plug received therein, viewed along line  11 - 11  in  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12A  is a partial cross-sectional view of sixth embodiment of a protective mechanism viewed along line  12 A- 12 A in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 12B  is a partial cross-sectional view of the sixth embodiment of the protective mechanism in an activated position. 
         FIG. 13A  is a partial cross-sectional view of a seventh embodiment of a protective mechanism taken along line  13 A- 13 A in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 13B  is a partial cross-sectional view of the seventh embodiment shown in  FIG. 13A  with air being thrust out of an aperture. 
         FIG. 14  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for collecting fall and impact data for the electronic device. 
         FIG. 15  illustrates the mobile device of  FIG. 1  in a safe impact position and a vulnerable impact position. 
         FIG. 16  illustrates safe and vulnerable zones of the device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 17  illustrates changing orientation of the device of  FIG. 1  so that impact is on a safe zone. 
         FIG. 18  illustrates the device of  FIG. 1  with its cover glass removed to show a motor placement and orientation. 
         FIG. 19  is a flowchart illustrating a method of operation for the device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 20  is flowchart illustrating another method of operation for the device of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     SPECIFICATION 
     In some embodiments herein, a device protection mechanism is disclosed. The protective mechanism may be activated help protect select components or portions of the electronic device from being damaged due to a fall or drop. When an electronic device impacts a surface, (for example, from a fall) certain portions of electronic devices may be more vulnerable than other portions or components. The protective mechanism may be activated when the device is falling or in a free-fall mode, and may help to protect the device, or certain portions or components of the device. 
     In one example, the protective mechanism is configured to alter the device orientation as the device is falling. This may allow a less vulnerable portion of the device to impact the surface at the end of a freefall. For example, the protective mechanism may be activated to rotate the device so that it may impact a surface on its edge, rather than on a screen portion. Similarly, the protective mechanism may alter the device orientation by altering the angular momentum of the device. As the angular momentum of the device is altered, the orientation of the device (as it is falling) may be altered. For example, the device may be rotating around a particular rotational axis when it first enters freefall and the protective mechanism may cause the device to rotate around a different rotational axis. 
     The protective mechanism may alter the angular momentum via a rotating or linearly sliding mass. A rotating mass will change the device&#39;s angular momentum around its rotation axis. A translating mass can shift the device&#39;s center of mass or change it&#39;s moment of inertia, which will change the rate of rotation of the mobile device. For example, a device could fall with no angular momentum and it&#39;s cover glass facing the ground. A mass rotating around an axis parallel to the ground will rotate the rest of the device in the opposite direction, so that the cover glass does not impact the ground. As another example, if a device is falling such that it will make one full rotation and its cover glass will hit the ground upon impact, shifting a mass away from the device&#39;s center of gravity will slow its rotation, and it might only make one half rotation before impact. Altering the center of mass and/or rotation pattern of the device may help increase the chance that the device may impact a surface in a desired orientation (or at least reduce the chance that the device may impact its most vulnerable area). In yet another example, a propulsion system may be utilized to change a rate of rotation of the device and/or to help slow or stop impact of the device with a surface. The propulsion system may be implemented as a fan, a jet or other suitable propulsion device. The propulsion system may be implemented alone or in combination with another system for changing the angular momentum of the device and/or helping to prevent the device incurring damage. 
     In some embodiments, a feedback control loop may be implemented to control a motor configured to alter the angular momentum. The feedback control loop may determine that the motor should be driven, stopped or reversed, as well as the speed of the motor. Generally, the feedback loop may include a kinematic system that receives input from one or more sensors or devices configured to provide data for determining metrics related to a fall event. For example, the data may be used to determine a fall height, a gravity vector or other orientation relative to ground, a rate of rotation, a degree of inclination from a plane, and so forth. Further, the data may be used to determine the effectiveness of attempts to alter the angular momentum of the device. The feedback loop may help to achieve a desired impact orientation for the device. In one example, the feedback loop may take the form of a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller. In some embodiments, an integral portion of the PID controller may be omitted or both the integral and derivative portions may be omitted. As such, in some embodiments, a Proportional controller may be implemented. 
     In another example, the protective mechanism may vary the angular momentum and/or orientation of the device during freefall by activating a thrust mechanism. The thrust mechanism may produce a thrust force in one or multiple directions in order to reorient the device. For example, the thrust mechanism may include a gas canister that may deploy the compressed gas outside of the device to change its orientation. In other examples, a fan used for cooling can also redirect air outside the device to provide propulsion, a fuel cell or turbine used for power can redirect exhaust outside the device for propulsion, or a dedicated system such as electric ion propulsion could be used. 
     In another example, the thrust mechanism may be used immediately before impact to “catch” the device before it makes impact. That is, the thrust mechanism may be used to provide thrust or generate an air cushion between the device and an impact surface instead of or in addition to varying the angular momentum. It should be appreciated that the use of the thrust mechanism in this manner may be in combination with one or more other angular momentum varying technique. 
     In yet another example, the protective mechanism may activate an airfoil to change the aerodynamics of the mobile electronic device. The airfoil may help to reduce a velocity of the free-fall of the device by producing a lift force, and can also redirect air to reorient the device. In this example, the airfoil may help to reduce the force of impact as the device hits the surface, as the momentum of the device may be reduced (as the velocity of the fall may be reduced). 
     The protective mechanism may also act to protect the device by altering components in order to attempt to prevent impact with a surface. For example, the protective device may contract the screen, buttons, switches, or the like that may be exposed on an outer surface of the enclosure, so that the buttons or switches may be protected within the enclosure at impact. This may help to prevent the buttons or switches from being damaged, while the enclosure (which may be designed to withstand particular forces), may receive most of the force from impact. 
     In another example, the protective device may include a gripping member configured to grip onto a power cord, headphone cord, or the like that may be partially received within the device. For example, headphones may be inserted within an audio port and the headphones may be operably connected to a user&#39;s head. As the device experiences a freefall (e.g., is dropped by the user), the grip members may expand within the audio port to grip or otherwise retain the headphones (or other plug). This may help to prevent the device from impacting a surface, or may at the least slow down or reduce the velocity at impact, which may give a user a chance to grasp the device. 
     The electronic device may also store information correlating to various impacts and freefalls of the device. This information may include the drop heights, drop frequency, device orientation prior to the drop, and/or drop velocity. This type of fall or drop information may be stored in order to improve or better protect the device from impacts due to freefalls. For example, the information may be used by the phone to better estimate a predicted freefall orientation and activate a particular protective mechanism or device. In another example, the information may be provided to a device manufacturer so that the device may be constructed to better withstand the most common freefall impacts, such as but not limited to, creating a thicker enclosure on a particular area of the device, relocating particular components within the device, or changing an overall shape of the device. 
       FIG. 1A  is an isometric view of a first example of a mobile electronic device and  FIG. 2  is an isometric view of another example of the mobile electronic device. The mobile electronic device  100  may include a protective mechanism to help reduce damage to the device  100  (or select components of the device  100 ) upon impact from a free-fall. The mobile electronic device  100  may be substantially any type of electronic device, such as a digital music player (e.g., MP3 player), a digital camera, a smart phone (e.g., iPhone by Apple, Inc.), a laptop or tablet computer, and so on. For example,  FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the mobile computing device  100 , illustrating the mobile computing device  100  as a laptop. The mobile electronic device  100  may include a display screen  102 , an enclosure  104 , and an input member  106 . 
     The display screen  102  provides an output for the mobile computing device  100 . The display screen  102  may be a liquid crystal display screen, plasma screen, and so on. Additionally, in some embodiments the display screen  102  may function as both an input and an output device. For example, the display screen  102  may include a capacitive input sensor so that a user may provide input signals to the mobile computing device  100  via his or her finger. 
     The enclosure  104  defines a cavity that may at least partially enclose the various components of the mobile computing device  100 . The enclosure  104  may include apertures defined within the enclosure  104 . The apertures may allow select components to extend past or communicate outside of the enclosure  104 . For example, a button  110  or switch may be inserted through an aperture in the enclosure  104  so that a user may activate the button, or a charging plug or audio plug may be inserted or positioned through an aperture of the enclosure to communicate with internal components. 
     The receiving port  108  is configured to receive a plug such as an analog audio plug, charging cord, output device, a tip ring sleeve connector, and the like. The receiving port  108  is formed in the enclosure  104  to electrically connect an external device (e.g., headphones, speakers) to one or more internal components of the mobile computing device  100 . The receiving port  108  may be configured to provide a pathway between the outside surface of the mobile computing device  100  and the internal components surrounded or encased by the enclosure  104 . 
     The input member  106  permits a user to provide input to the mobile computing device  100 . The input member  106  may be one or more buttons, switches, or the like that may be pressed, flipped, or otherwise activated in order to provide an input to the mobile computing device  106 . For example, the input member  106  may be a button to alter the volume, return to a home screen, or the like. Additionally, the input member  106  may be virtually any size, shape, and may be located in any area of the mobile computing device  100 . Furthermore, the input member  106  may be combined with the display screen  102  as a capacitive touch screen. 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram of an embodiment of the mobile computing device  100  illustrating select electrical components. The mobile computing device  100  may include a protective mechanism  112 , a power source  114 , sensors  116 , a processor  124 , memory  120 , a network/communication interface  122 , and an input/output interface  126  all connected together by a system bus  128 . The mobile computing device  100  may include additional components that are not shown; and  FIG. 2  is meant to be exemplary only. 
     The protective mechanism  112  includes protective means, described in more detail below, but generally the protective means may help to minimize or prevent damage to the mobile computing device  100  that may occur as a result of a freefall. For example, the protective mechanism  112  may vary the angular momentum of the mobile device  100  as it is falling so that the device  100  may impact on a certain surface or particular portion of the device  100 . Or in other examples, the protective mechanism  112  may grip a plug (such as headphone jack) in order to prevent or mitigate the freefall. In still other examples, the protective mechanism  112  may retract certain components from an exterior of the device  100  prior to impact, in order to help prevent damage to those components. 
     The sensors  116  may be in communication with the processor  124  and may help to determine whether the mobile device  100  is in a freefall position, how fast the mobile device  100  may be falling, orientation of the device, and a distance (or how much time) to an impact surface. The sensors  116  may be varied depending on the protective mechanism  112  and may similarly be positioned substantially anywhere on or within the device  100 . Similarly, there may be a single sensor  116 , or multiple sensors  116 . The sensors  116  may take any suitable form and in some embodiments may the form of one or more of the following: an accelerometer, gyroscopic sensor, distance, position or orientation sensors (e.g., radar, ultrasonic, magnetometer, and the like), location sensors (e.g., global position system (GPS), signal triangulation), image sensors (e.g., camera), sound or audio sensors (e.g., speakers, microphones) which may be used as a sonar combination, and so on. 
     The sensors  116  may collect and provide data related to a fall event to the processor. For example, an accelerometer may be utilized to determine a freefall state of the device and/or the orientation of the device relative to gravity immediately before the fall event. The magnetometer may be utilized to determine orientation of the device relative to the magnetic north pole. The speaker and microphone may be used together as an echolocation device to determine a distance to the impact surface. Similarly, two cameras or a projector and a camera may be used for depth perception to determine the distance to the impact surface. Specifically, the two cameras may be used to determine a stereovision depth perception. The projector may project a pattern, such as a checkered pattern or two lines, that may be captured by the camera and analyzed to determine depth. The camera is located a certain distance from the projector and the distance between the projector and camera allows depth perception similar to the distance between human eyes providing depth perception. The GPS may be used to track the location of the device to determine if it is indoors or outdoors. If indoors, the camera can be used to recognize and track known objects to determine orientation (e.g. a fluorescent light or ceiling fan will usually be on the ceiling, a clock will usually be on a wall, etc.). If outdoors, a camera may be used to sense the sun&#39;s location, an internal clock may determine the time of day and an algorithm may calculate the sun&#39;s azimuth to determine a direction to the ground and, hence, the orientation of the device relative to the ground. The rotational velocity of the device may be determined using the gyroscope and/or the camera. The distance to the ground may be determined using camera, a speaker/microphone sonar combination or, in some embodiments, a lookup table may be used. 
     Further, the orientation of the device relative to its environment may be determined. For example, the camera may be used for discerning and tracking the face of the user or other people in the area. Specifically, the face detection may be used to determine an orientation of the device and/or a rotation of the device. Additionally, the face detection and tracking may be used to determine the position of the device relative to the ground based on the faces generally being away from the ground. In another example, the camera may be used to track item in a known location, such as ceiling lights, ceiling fans, or a clock on a wall. In each of the examples, the determination and tracking of the objects may allow determination of the relative orientation of the device. Data provided from the sensors  116  may be useful to determine other characteristics of the freefall and impact as well, such as the time of flight (e.g., how long the device fell, if the fall was straight down or had a curved flight, and force at impact). 
     The power source  114  provides power to the mobile electronic device  100 . The power source  114  may be a battery, power cord, solar panel, and so on. The power source  114  may provide power to various components of the mobile computing device  100 . Additionally, the power source  114  may be removable or permanently attached to the mobile electronic device  100 . For example, the power source  114  may be a battery that may be removed from the device or the power source  114  may be a power cord that may be substantially secured to the mobile device  100 . 
     The network/communication interface  122  may receive and transmit various electrical signals. For example, the network/communication interface  122  may be used to place phone calls from the mobile computing device  100 , may be used to receive data from a network, or may be used to send and transmit electronic signals via a wireless or wired connection (e.g., Internet, WiFi, Bluetooth, or Ethernet). 
     The memory  120  may store electronic data that may be utilized by mobile computing device  100 . For example, the memory  120  may store electrical data e.g., audio files, video files, document files, and so on, corresponding to various applications. The memory  120  may be, for example, non-volatile storage, a magnetic storage medium, optical storage medium, magneto-optical storage medium, read only memory, random access memory, erasable programmable memory, or flash memory. 
     In some implementations, the memory  120  may store information corresponding to a freefall and/or impact of the electronic device  102 . The sensors  116  (in combination with the processor  124 ) may provide information such as fall height, velocity, fall or drop orientation, impact orientation, applications running at the beginning of the fall, and so on. The memory  120  may be configured to store the information and/or transmit the information (via the network/communication interface  122 ) to a second electronic device. 
     The processor  124  may control operation of the mobile computing device  100  and its various components. The processor  124  may be in communication with the sensors  116  and the protective mechanism  112 . For example, the processor  124  (based on inputs from the sensors  116 ) may activate or modify the protective mechanism  112  as necessary or desired. The processor  124  may be any electronic device cable of processing, receiving, and/or transmitting instructions. For example, the processor  124  may be a microprocessor or a microcomputer. 
     The processor  124  may also determine certain characteristics or features of a particular freefall and impact. For example, the processor  124  may determine a height of the freefall after impact by using the time of freefall and the velocity of the fall. The information regarding the characteristics of the freefall and impact may be stored even if a particular protective mechanism or device may not be able to be activated. In this manner, the processor  124  may be able to more easily predict characteristics of another freefall and impact. 
     The input/output interface  118  facilitates communication by the mobile computing device  100  to and from a variety of devices/sources. For example, the input/output interface  118  may receive data from user, control buttons on the mobile computing device  100 , and so on. Additionally, the input/output interface  118  may also receive/transmit data to and from an external drive, e.g., a universal serial bus (USB), or other video/audio/data inputs. 
       FIG. 4A  is a block diagram of a first embodiment for a method of helping to prevent or reduce damage to a device during free-fall. The method  200  begins with operation  202  and the current orientation of the mobile computing device  100  is determined. Operation  202  may be completed via the sensors  116 , for example, a gyroscopic sensor may be used to determine the current orientation of the mobile computing device  100 . The sensors  116  may determine whether the mobile computing device  100  positioned upright, sideways, angled, upside down, and so on. Once the orientation is determined, the method  200  proceeds to operation  204 . The orientation may be determined at predetermined intervals, e.g., every a second or the like, random intervals, or so on. The time intervals may be based on power conservation or user preferences. 
     In operation  204 , the mobile computing device  100  determines if a fall is detected. For example, a fall may be detected if the mobile computing device  100  has been dropped by a user, pushed off of a surface, and so on. Operation  204  may be completed via the sensors  116 . In one example, an accelerometer may detect when the device  100  is entering a freefall. This is because when the device  100  is resting on a surface (or otherwise supported), the gravity force exerted on the reference frame of the accelerometer may be approximately 1 G upwards. Then, as the device  100  enters freefall, the gravity force may be reduced to approximately zero, as gravity acts on the device to pull the device  100  downward. Other types of sensors  116  may also be used other than an accelerometer, therefore the actual values may vary for determining whether the device  100  is in freefall. If a freefall is not detected, the method  400  may proceed back to operation  202 . However, if a freefall is detected the method may proceed to operation  206 . 
     In operation  206  it is determined whether the impact surface is detected. For example the sensors  116  may include a position sensor to determine the distance to the impact surface and/or the time that it may take the device  100  to reach the impact surface. The sensors  116  may utilize images, sonar, radar, and so on in order to determine the distance to the ground. If the impact surface is not detected, which may be because the impact surface is too far away to be determined by the sensor  116 , then the method  200  may proceed to operation  208 . In operation  208  the device  100  may pause for a select time. The pause time may be varied and may be dynamically adjusted or may be a set predetermined time. The method  200  may pause at operation  206  to allow time for the device  100  to descend further so that the impact surface may be detectable. Therefore, after operation  208 , the method  200  may proceed again to operation  206 , and the device  100  may determine if the impact surface is detected once again. If the impact surface is detected the method  200  proceeds to operation  210 . 
     Operation  210  determines the orientation angle of the device  100  and may utilize the sensors  116  to determine the orientation of the angle. As the device  100  may be in the middle of a freefall state and therefore the orientation may be rapidly changing (e.g., if the device  100  is rotating while falling), therefore the orientation may include a rotational axis of the device, rather than simply a current orientation of the device. Additionally, it should be noted that in operation  210 , the orientation angle  210  may include not only the position of the device  100  relative to a “normal” position, but also its height in space. For example, the orientation angle may be a three-dimensional vector, e.g., along an x, y, and z axis, see e.g.,  FIG. 5C . 
     Once the orientation angle of the device  210  is determined, the method  200  may proceed to operation  212  and the distance to the impact surface may be detected or calculated. If the impact surface is detected, the device  100  may estimate the time to impact with the impact surface based on the freefall velocity and the distance to the surface. The device  100  may utilize an accelerometer sensor as well as a position sensor in order to estimate or calculate the distance to impact surface. 
     Once the distance to the impact surface has been calculated or estimated in operation  212 , the method may proceed to operation  214  and the impact area of the device may be estimated. Operation  212  may take into account the orientation angle (including the rotation axis) of the device  100 , and/or angular momentum of the device, as well as the distance or time to the impact surface. For example, operation  212  may utilize the distance/time to the impact surface, the current orientation of the device  100  in three dimensions, as well as the current angular momentum of the device  100 . In other words, if the device  100  is a certain distance from the impact surface, rotating along a particular rotational axis with a particular angular momentum, then the estimated impact area may be determined to be the front top portion of the device  100 . 
     Once the impact area of the device  100  has been estimated, the method  200  may proceed to operation  218 . Operation  218  determines whether the orientation angle may need to change. The orientation angle may need to be changed or varied so that the device  100  may be orientated (while during freefall) to potentially reduce the risk that the device  100  may hit the impact surface in a particular orientation. For example, if the device  100  were to impact the surface on the front side the display screen  102  may be significantly damaged as the display screen  102  may be glass or other relatively fragile material. On the contrary, if the device  100  were to land on its side or back, the enclosure  104  may provide substantial protection for the device  100  and may not be substantially damaged. Thus, based on the estimated impact area of the device, the device  100  may determine that the orientation angle may need to be changed so that the device may land on its side or back, for example. 
     In one example, the device  100  may be divided mathematically into different areas or zones that may be ranked in a particular order based on the zone&#39;s vulnerability to damage due to an impact. These zones can also change depending on drop height. That is, one area might never fail below a threshold drop height and often fail above the threshold, while another could have linear failure rates with height. Additionally, the zones can change based on a rotational direction and rate. For example, if the camera is facing the ground but the device is rotating such that the camera is moving toward the ground faster than the device&#39;s center of mass it may be ranked as a highly vulnerable zone, whereas if the camera is moving slower toward the ground than the device&#39;s center of mass due to the rotation of the device it may be ranked as a less vulnerable zone. For example, the display screen  102  may have a high vulnerability, whereas the side or back of the enclosure  104  may have a lower vulnerability. Operation  218  may determine the zone or area which may be configured to impact the surface and then change the angular momentum of the device  100  so that another zone may be configured to hit the surface. Additionally, the vulnerability of the zones may be ranked by the user. For example, if the user has included a particular case to enclose a portion of the device  100 , he or she may alter the zones so that the areas covered by the case may be ranked to have the lowest vulnerability, that is, they may be able to withstand the most amount of force. 
     If, in operation  218 , the orientation angle needs to change, the method  200  may proceed to operation  216 . Operation  216  changes the angular momentum of the device  100 . For example, one or more protective mechanisms  112  may be activated. The protective mechanism  112  may then alter the angular momentum of the device  110 . For example, the protective mechanism (as discussed in more detail below), may vary the center of mass of the device  100  so that the rotational axis may be varied. As the center of mass is varied, the rotational axis of the device may be varied. The rotational axis of the device  100  may determine the surface and impact orientation of the device  100  when it intersects with the impact surface. For example, if the device  100  is rotating about a y axis there may a certain probability that the device  100  will impact the surface at a particular orientation, versus if the device  100  is rotating about the x axis. 
     Once the protective mechanism  118  has been activated, the method  200  may optionally return to operation  210 . In this embodiment, the device  200  may proceed repeatedly between operations  210 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216 ,  218  to dynamically vary the rotational axis of the device  100 . This may better ensure that the device  100  may be orientated in a desired manner so as to help to minimize damage to the device  100  when it impacts the surface. However, in other embodiments, the method  200  may terminate after operation  218 . For example, some of the protective mechanisms  112  described below may only be activated once prior to impact. 
       FIG. 4B  is a flow chart illustrating a second embodiment of the method  200  illustrated in  FIG. 4A . The method  250  may be substantially similar to the method  200  illustrated in  FIG. 4A , however, in the method  250  of  FIG. 4B , the impact surface may not be known. The method  250  may begin at operation  260  and the current orientation of the device  100  may be determined. Operation  260  may be substantially similar to operation  210 , and the sensors  116  may determine the orientation of the device  100 . The method  250  may be configured so that this operation  260  may be completed at select time intervals. For example, the device  100  may determine its current orientation every 1 second, ½ second, or the like. After operation  260 , the method  250  may proceed to operation  262 . In operation  262  the device  100  determines whether a fall is detected. Similar to operation  212 , the sensors  116  may determine if there has been a change in the gravity vector or other fall indicator (e.g., if the velocity of the device  100  has suddenly and/or unexpectedly increased). 
     If a fall is detected, the method  250  may proceed to operation  264  and the distance to the impact surface may be estimated. The estimation may be a predetermined value or a dynamically generated estimation. In one example, the impact surface may be estimated at approximately 3 to 4 feet, which is a typical distance that a mobile device  100  may be dropped. For example, many users may carry their mobile devices  100  in their pockets or purses, and may drop the mobile device  100  while accessing the device  100  from his or her pocket or purse, which may be at a height of approximately 3 to 5 feet. The estimated distance to the impact surface may also be varied depending on the embodiment of the mobile electronic device  100 . For example, a laptop may generally be dropped from different heights than a mobile phone and therefore the estimated distance to the impact surface may be different for the laptop than for the mobile phone. In embodiments of the mobile device  100  utilizing the method  250 , a position sensor may not be needed, as the impact surface may not need to be detected, as the distance to the impact surface may be estimated, rather than determined. 
     Once the distance to the impact surface has been estimated, the method  250  may proceed to operation  266 . In operation  266  the device  100  determines its current orientation. This operation  266  may be substantially similar to operation  210 , and the orientation angle may include a rotational axis, angular momentum, and a position of the device  100  within a three dimensional space. This may be determined by sensor  116  or multiple sensors  116 . For examples, the sensors  116  may include a three axes gyroscopic and accelerometer that may be able to determine the angular moment of the device and the rotational axis of the device. 
     After operation  266 , the method  250  may proceed to operation  268  and the impact area of the device  100  may be estimated. Similar to operation  214  in method  200 , the operation  268  may determine the estimated impact surface of the device  100 . This may include the position of the device  100  as the device  100  may impact the surface at the end of the freefall. The position of the device  100  at impact may be estimated by the rotational axis, angular momentum and estimated impact surface distance. 
     Once the impact area of the device  100  is estimated, the method  250  proceeds to operation  270  and the device  100  determines whether its orientation needs to be changed. For example, the device  100  may determine whether the estimated impact area is a more vulnerable area (or zone) than others areas (or zones) of the device, such as whether the device  100  may hit the display screen  102 . If the orientation of the device  100  needs to change the method  200  proceeds to operation  274  and the angular momentum of the device  100  may be changed. For example, the protective mechanism  112  may be activated so that the rotational axis of the device  100  may be varied so that the estimated impact area of the device  100  may be altered. 
     After the protective mechanism  112  has been activated, the method  250  may return to operation  266 , and the orientation angle of the device  100  may be recalculated and operations  268  and  270  may be repeated. This allows for the device  100  to dynamically adjust the potential impact area and to readjust after the protective mechanism  112  has been activated. However, it should be noted that in some embodiments, the protective mechanism  112  may only be activated once and therefore there may only be a single chance to alter the angular momentum of the device  100 . In these embodiments, after operation  274 , the method  250  may not return to operations  266 ,  268 , and  270 . 
     If in operation  270 , the device  100  determines that the orientation angle does not need to change (for example, the protective mechanism  112  has been activated once already in operation  274 ), then the method  250  may proceed to operation  272  and the device  100  determines whether an impact is detected. This operation  274  may be utilized as the distance to the impact surface may not be known, and may need to be dynamically adjusted mid-fall. If the impact is detected  272  the method  250  may end. However, if the impact is not detected, the method  250  may proceed to operation  276  and the device  100  may estimate a new distance to the surface. This new estimate may utilize an iterative process to more accurately determine the fall distance and the new estimate may be a portion of the original estimated distance. For example, the new estimate may only be 1 foot or less whereas the original estimated distance may be approximately 4.5 to 5 feet. This is because the device  100  may assume that it has fallen a certain distance already, so that the new distance to the surface may be much smaller than the original estimate. The new estimated distance may be individually determined based on common heights that the particular device  100  may be normally dropped. 
     After operation  276 , the method  250  may return to operation  268  and the impact area of the device  100  may be determined. The method  250  may then proceed through the operations  270 ,  274 , and  272 . Thus, the device  100  may iteratively estimate the fall distance, which may allow the device  100  to update and vary the potential impact surface as the device  100  is in a freefall. 
     In one embodiment the protective mechanism is configured to alter the rotational axis of the device  100  as it is in freefall by altering the center of mass. As the center of mass is varied the rotational axis may also varied, changing the angular momentum of the device  100 . In another embodiment, the protective mechanism  112  may be activated in order to help prevent the device  100  from entering freefall. Additionally, the protective mechanism  112  may help reduce the rotation of the device  100  as it is falling. For example, the protective mechanism  112  may produce a force that may be opposite to the rotational force exerted on the device  100  during freefall. Reducing the rotational velocity of the device  100  may help to reduce the impact velocity of the device  100  as it hits the surface. 
       FIG. 5A  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the protective mechanism  312 . In this embodiment, the protective mechanism  312  may include motor  314  that may drive a mass  318  via a drive shaft  316 . The protective mechanism  312  may be operably connected to the device  100 , for example, the protective mechanism  312  may be enclosed within the enclosure  104 . The protective mechanism  312  may alter the center of mass of the device  100  by varying the position of the mass  318 . The mass  318  may be eccentrically connected to the drive shaft  316 , and therefore as the mass  318  is rotating it may create a vibration through the device  100  (e.g., as a vibrating alert). In other examples, the mass  318  may be centered on the drive shaft  316 . 
     The protective mechanism  312  may be configured so that the mass  318  may rotate at substantially the same speed as it may rotate when functioning as an alert for the device  100 . In other examples, the motor  314  may rotate the mass  318  at a higher rotation per minute during a freefall than an alert. In some implementations, the rotational speed may be so fast that it may not be able to be sustained long term, in that it may burn out the motor  314 . However, in these implementations the motor  314  may be able to more quickly affect the rotational velocity of the device  100 . 
     When activated, such as in operations  216 ,  274 , the motor  314  activates the drive shaft  316 , which may then rotate the mass  318 . In some implementations, the mass  318  may have a rotational axis  317  centered approximately through a centerline of the drive shaft  316 . The rotational axis  317  of the mass  318  refers generally to the axis that the mass  318  rotates around when rotated by the motor  314 . The mass  318  may be rotated so that it may be positioned differently within the enclosure  104 , or the mass  318  may continue to rotate in order to vary the center of mass of the device  100 . As the mass  318  is repositioned or rotated, the center of mass for the device  100  is altered, which may vary the angular momentum of the device  100  when/if the device  100  is in a freefall. 
       FIG. 5B  is a rear elevation view of the electronic device  100  illustrating a long axis  313  and a short axis  314 . The long axis  313  may be positioned along a center of the device  100  and its length. The short axis  314  is positioned along a center of the device  100  across its width. The length and width of the device  100  correspond to the length and width of the device  100  as shown in  FIG. 5B  and indicated in the legend shown in  FIG. 5B . The terms length and width are representative only. Accordingly, in the event that the device  100  orientation changes, the terms length and width may generally refer to the dimensions illustrated as length and width in  FIG. 5B . 
     Angular momentum is a vector used to describe the state of a system resulting from rotation around an axis. As may be appreciated, angular momentum may be estimated in a number of different ways. For a fixed mass object rotating about a fixed symmetry axis, angular momentum may be expressed as the product of the moment of inertia and angular velocity. The angular momentum vector is in the same direction as the angular velocity vector. Angular velocity evaluation may allow for angular momentum to be evaluated in three components (e.g., three axes). Specifically, three orthogonal axes may be utilized with the component vectors, each having a direction of an axis and a magnitude of rotation about the axis, to determine angular velocity which, in turn, may be used for calculation of angular momentum.  FIG. 5C  is a side elevation view of the electronic device  100  in a freefall at a time prior to impact T i-n . As shown in  FIG. 5C , the angular momentum of the electronic device  100  during freefall may be the value of the resultant vector V t . The vector V t , including magnitude and direction, may be calculated from the orthogonal angular velocity vectors V 1 , V 2 , and V 3 . It should be understood that this example shown in  FIG. 5C  is illustrative and there are other techniques for determining angular momentum of the device during freefall. 
     The projected impact angle A i  of the electronic device  100  at any given time may be the angle taken from the closest point of the device  100  to the impact surface, relative to a plane parallel to the impact surface  319 . Or, when the device actually impacts the surface  319 , the impact angle A i  may be taken with respect to the first impacted area of the device with respect to the impact surface  319 . As the device  100  may be rotating, it may have a different impact angle A i  at different distances from the surface, as shown in  FIGS. 5C and 5D . Accordingly, the impact angle A i  has a first value at T i-n , and as shown in  FIG. 5D , a second value at Ti. The impact angle A i  may be altered by the protective mechanism  312 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 5B , in some embodiments, the protective mechanism  312  may be positioned so that the rotational axis  317  of the mass  318  may be positioned substantially perpendicular to the short axis  315  of the device  100  and substantially parallel to the long axis  313 . In these embodiments, the protective mechanism  312  may be better able to affect the orientation angle or eventual impact angle A i  of the device  100 . This is because the degree change that the protective mechanism  312  may be able to adjust the impact angle A may depend on a ratio of the protective mechanism&#39;s  312  moment of inertia to the moment of inertia of the device  100  about the long axis  313   
     For instance, the angular velocity of the device  100  may be related to the moment of inertia of the mass  318  over the moment of inertia of the device  100  multiplied by the angular velocity of the mass  318 . This is expressed in Eq. (1) below. 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     ω 
                     Device 
                   
                   = 
                   
                     
                       
                         I 
                         Mass 
                       
                       
                         I 
                         Device 
                       
                     
                     × 
                     
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                   Eq 
                   . 
                   
                       
                   
                   ⁢ 
                   
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                     1 
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     As shown in Eq. (1), the angular velocity of the device  100  may be affected by the angular velocity of the mass  318 . However, it should be noted that the protective mechanism  312  may be only be able to affect the value of a single vector of V 1 , V 2 , and V 3 . However as the total angular momentum of the device  100  may be a sum of each of the vectors V 1 , V 2 , and V 3 , by rotating the mass  318 , the protective mechanism  312  may alter the angular velocity (and thus may alter the orientation of the device  100 ) during freefall. 
     Similarly, as shown in  FIG. 1B , in some instances, the protective mechanism  312  may be positioned in a first zone  327  of the device  100 . The first zone  327  may be positioned at or adjacent to a center point or center line  313  of the device  100 . By moving the protective mechanism  312  or at least the mass  318 , the rotation moment of inertia of the device  100  about an axis may be significantly reduced. By reducing the rotation moment of inertia of the device  100 , the propensity of the device  100  to maintain its dropped angular orientation may be reduced. In other words, the device  100  may be more susceptible to the angular changes introduced by the protective mechanism  312 . Thus, the protective device  312  may more easily alter the fall orientation of the device  100 . 
     Substantially any point of mass in the device  100  will contribute to the moment of inertia proportionally to the density of the mass and the square of its distance from a rotational axis of the device  100 . This concept is expressed mathematically in Eq. (2), as shown below. 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   I 
                   = 
                   
                     
                       ∫ 
                       V 
                     
                     ⁢ 
                     
                       
                         ρ 
                         ⁡ 
                         
                           ( 
                           r 
                           ) 
                         
                       
                       ⁢ 
                       
                         ⅆ 
                         
                           
                             ( 
                             r 
                             ) 
                           
                           2 
                         
                       
                       ⁢ 
                       
                         ⅆ 
                         
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                             ( 
                             r 
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                   Eq 
                   . 
                   
                       
                   
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     By placing the mass  318 , the protective mechanism  312 , or other dense components of the device  100  in the first zone  327 , the rotational moment may be reduced. Thus, the fall orientation of the device  100  may be more easily affected by the protective mechanism  312 . For example, the motor  314  may be able to rotate the mass  318  at a slower rate, the mass  318  may be smaller, and so on, for the device  100  orientation to still be altered during freefall. Therefore, in some examples, more dense components of the device  100  may be placed in the first zone  327 , while the less dense components of the device  100  may be placed in the second zones  325  that are farther away from the center point of the device  100 . 
     In other examples, in addition to utilizing the mass  318  of the protective mechanism  312 , the moment of inertia of the device  100  may also be altered (thus making the device  100  more likely to be able to switch orientations) by adding additional mass to a rotation section of the motor  314 , e.g., the drive shaft  316 . In this manner, the drive shaft  316  and the mass  318  may be positioned close to the center of the device  100  in order to more greatly affect the moment of inertia of the device  100 . In another example, a secondary mass may be added to the protective mechanism  312 . The secondary mass (not shown) may be centered or eccentric with respect to the drive shaft  316 . Additionally, the secondary mass may be connected via a clutching mechanism so that it may be selectively rotated, e.g., may be only rotate during a freefall and not during an alert. Similarly, in other embodiments, the protective mechanism  312  may include additional motors (not shown) to drive an additional mass or more quickly drive the mass  318 . 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the protective mechanism  312 . In this embodiment, the position of the mass  328  may varied within the enclosure  104  as the mass  328  may slide or otherwise travel along a track  320 . The mass  328  may be substantially secured in a first position by a latch  322 , and as the latch  322  is released the mass  328  may travel along the guide track  320 . The mass  328  may then be repositioned at a position along a length of the guide track  320  (or at a terminal end of the guide track  320 ) and may be secured in place via the latch  322 , or another mechanism. In one example, the track  320  may include electromagnets dispersed along its length and the mass  320  may include a magnetic material. Then, at the desired position of the track  320 , the respective electromagnet may be activated. In other examples, the mass  328  may be configured to slide the entire length of the track  320  and then be secured in place. 
     In another example of the protective mechanism  312  of  FIG. 6 , a linear motor may be used to move and stop the mass  328  along the guide track  320 . In this example, the mass  328  may be able to stop at substantially any position along the guide track  320  and the movement and speed of the mass  328  may be able to be better controlled. 
     In the above examples as the mass  328  is repositioned within the enclosure (along the track  320  or by rotation), the mass  328  may vary the center of mass of the device  100 . This is because the center of mass is the mean location of all the mass of the device  100 , and so as the location of the mass  328  varies, the mean location of all of the mass of the device  100  may vary. For example, the weight of the mass  328  may be selected so that it may form a high enough percentage of the mean mass of the device  100 , so that as its position is varied it may change the center of mass for the device  100 . 
       FIG. 7A  is a rear perspective view of the device  100  illustrating the power source  114 , which in this example, may be a separately protected and encased battery.  FIG. 7B  illustrates the power source  114  ejected from the device  100 . A third embodiment of the protective mechanism  412  may include ejecting the power source  114  from the device  100 . For example, the protective mechanism  412  may include an ejecting member  416  that may eject or otherwise disconnect the power source  114  from the device  100 . The ejecting member  416  may be, for example, a spring, air (e.g., from a canister or produced by an electrical or chemical reaction), a linear rail across which the battery&#39;s potential is applied, providing propulsion, a latch or other member that may exert either a positive force on the power source  114  or remove a restraint on the power source  114 , allowing the power source  114  to eject from the device  100   
     In some examples the power source  114  may form a large percentage of the mass of the device  100  compared with other components. For example, batteries may often weigh more than other electrical components. Therefore, in these examples, as the protective mechanism  412  is activated and the ejecting member  416  ejects the power source  114 , the center of mass for the device  100  may be altered. Also, reducing the device&#39;s mass will decrease the impact force of the remainder of the device. As the power source  114  is ejected, the enclosure  104  may include a depression  404  where the power source  114  had originally been received. Additionally, although not shown, in some embodiments, the device  100  may include a cover or other protective member that may encase a portion of the power source  114  within the enclosure  104 . In these embodiments, the cover may also be ejected along with or prior to the power source  114  being ejected. 
       FIG. 8A  is an isometric view of a fourth embodiment of the protective mechanism  512 .  FIG. 8B  is a side elevation view of the protective mechanism  512  of  FIG. 8A  in an activated position.  FIG. 8C  is an enlarged front elevation view of the protective mechanism  512  in the activated position. The protective mechanism  512  may include lift members  514  or airfoils that may be extended out from an outer surface of the enclosure  104 . The lift members  514  may be positioned along substantially any surface of the enclosure  104 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 8A , there may be lift members  514  positioned along a top of the front surface of the enclosure  104  and additionally or alternatively along vertically along a side of the front surface of the enclosure  104 . For example, the lift members  514  may be positioned on the front, back, and/or sides of the enclosure  104 . 
     There may be multiple lift members  514  or there may be a single lift member  514 . The lift members  514  may be configured to be substantially flush with the enclosure  104  when in the non-activated or extend position. For example, the enclosure  104  may include depressions  504  for receiving the lift members  514 . Then, when the lift members  514  are extended via extending members  516 , they may be pushed out from the depressions  504  and may extend past the enclosure  104 . 
     The lift members  514  may be substantially planar members that may be extended from the enclosure  104  at an angle or may be extended substantially straight outwards from the enclosure  104 . The lift members  514  may be operably connected to the enclosure  104  along a first surface and a second surface, substantially parallel to the first surface may be free. In this example, the lift members  514  may rotate along the first surface to extend outwards from the enclosure. Referring to  FIG. 8C , in one example, the lift members  514  may be secured along a top side and the bottom side of the lift members  514  may be unsecured. The lift members  514  may reduce the velocity of the device  100  when it is in freefall, as the lift members  514  may provide an upwards lift. For example, in the extended position, air may be trapped and push upwards against the bottom surface of the lift members  514 , providing an upwards force (or force opposite of the freefall), thus reducing the velocity of the device  100 . 
     The lift members  514  may be activated or extended by extending members  516 . The extending members  516  may provide an upwards force on the bottom surface of the lift members  514  to substantially force each lift member  514  outwards. It should be noted that the lift members  514  may be activated individually or collectively. Additionally, the lift members  514  may be activated depending on the rotational axis of the device  100  during freefall. For example, there may be lift members  514  positioned on both a horizontal and vertical portion of the front surface of the enclosure  104 . Depending on the angular momentum of the device  100  during freefall, either the vertically positioned lift members  514  or the horizontally positioned lift members  514  may be extended. However, if the device  100  is rotating during freefall along an angled rotation axis, then both sets of lift members  514  may be activated. 
     As discussed briefly above, the lift members  514  may be extended so that they may be slightly angled or may be substantially planar in the extended position. For example, as shown in  FIG. 8C , the lift members  514  may be secured to the enclosure  104  at a top surface and then may extend outwards from the enclosure  104 , so that they may be angled downwards from the top surface. The extending members  516  may function to extend the lift members  514  from their position within the depressions  504  and/or may support the lift members  514  in their extended position. 
       FIGS. 9 and 10  illustrate a fifth embodiment of the protective mechanism  612 . In this embodiment, the protective mechanism  612  may act to grasp a plug that may be inserted into the device  100  when the device  100  enters freefall. For example, the protective mechanism  612  may form a portion of an audio port and if a headphone plug is inserted therein, the protective mechanism  612  may activate when the device  100  enters a freefall. Assuming that a user may be wearing the headphones, the device  100  may be prevented from continuing to freefall, may be paused mid-fall long enough to allow a user to attempt to catch the device  100 , a user may grab the headphones to prevent the device  100  from impacting a surface. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the protective mechanism  612  may include a body  614  with a port  616  or aperture defined therein. The port  616  may be configured to receive a plug for headphones, speakers, a power cord, power charger, or the like. Grip members  618  may be disposed intermittently along an inner surface of the port  616 . The grip members  618  may be configured to selectively grip the plug received within the port  616 . For example, as shown  FIG. 11 , when the grip members  618  are activated they may operably connect to a plug  610  received within the port  616 . The grip members  618  may substantially prevent the plug  610  from being removed from the port  616 . The grip members  618  may include rings that may tighten around the plug  620 , or may include prongs that extend to contact the outer surface of the plug  620 , or other similar members. In another example, the grip members  618  may be electromagnets or other magnetic material that may be selectively activated. In this example, the plug  620  may include a corresponding magnetic material. Then, as the grip members  618  are activated, the magnetic force may be used to grip the plug  620 . 
     When the device  100  enters freefall and the protective mechanism  612  is activated, the grip members  618  may grip the plug  620 . In one example, the grip members  618  may extend from the inner surface of the port  616  to contact the plug  620  and in another example, the grip members  618  may be received around the plug  620  and may tightening around the plug  620 . In these examples, the grip members  618  may substantially prevent the plug  620  from being removed from the port  616 , for example, from the weight of the device  100  as it is being pulled downward during the freefall. As the plug  620  may be operably connected to headphones, speakers, or to another device (which may be substantially stable), the plug  620  may prevent the device  100  from continuing to freefall. For example a user may be wearing headphones that may be operably connected to his or her ears and when the device  100  falls and the grip members  618  are activated, the headphones (by virtue of their association with a user&#39;s ears) may prevent the device  100  from continuing to fall. 
       FIG. 12A  and  FIG. 12B  illustrate a sixth embodiment of the protective mechanism  712 . The protective mechanism  712  may include a retracting member  714  configured to move or displace in order to retract a member, such as button  110 . The protective mechanism  712  may include a retracting member  714  operably connected to an anchor surface  716 . The retracting member  714  is configured to selectively displace or change dimensions. For example, the retracting member  714  may be an electro active polymer that may retract based on a particular signal. The retracting member  714  is operably connected to the anchor surface  716 , which may be an inner surface of the enclosure  104 , or may be another component within the device  100 . The other end of the retracting member  714  may be operably connected to a bottom surface of the button  110  or other component. 
     As the protective mechanism  712  is activated, the retracting member  714  may retract pulling the button  110  into the cavity defined within the enclosure  104 . As shown in  FIG. 12B , as the button  110  is retracted, the button may be positioned within the cavity of the enclosure  104 , so that as the device  100  impacts a surface (e.g., due to a fall), the button  110  may not be substantially damaged. It should be noted that the retracting member  714  may be operably connected to components other than the button  110 . For example, the retracting member  714  may be operably connected to the display screen  102 , so that the display screen  102  may be retracted from an outer surface of the enclosure  104  and may be substantially protected from impact when the device  100  impacts a surface. 
       FIG. 13A  is a perspective view of a seventh embodiment of the protective mechanism  318 . The protective mechanism  318  may be configured to provide thrust or a force to counter act the force of the freefall (that is, gravity). In one example, the protective mechanism  318  may include a canister  814  and an activating member  816 . The canister  814  may be configured to store a gas  818  (shown in  FIG. 13B ) that may be released from the canister  814  when the activating member  816  is activated. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 13B , the activating member  816  may be selectively activated and may release the gas  818  from the canister  814 . The canister  814  may be aligned with the port  108  defined on the device  100  (or other apertures within the enclosure  104 ). The gas  818  may be stored under pressure so that as it is released from the canister  814  it may provide a force or thrust for the device  100 . The force from the gas  818  may be configured, for example, by its exit point on the enclosure  104  and/or the stored pressure, to help to counter act the force of gravity as the device  100  is in a freefall. 
     In another embodiment, the protective mechanism  318  may be used to “catch” the device before it makes impact. That is, the thrust mechanism  318  may be used to stop the device&#39;s descent and set it down slowly, return it to the user, or generate an air cushion between the device and an impact surface rather than varying the angular momentum. As mentioned above, the thrust mechanism may include a canister of compressed air, a cooling fan or dedicated fan, exhaust from a power source such as a fuel cell or turbine, or a dedicated system such as electric ion propulsion. In one implementation there could be one dedicated aperture and direction, allowing the angular momentum of the device to be changed along one axis. There could also be multiple apertures with either a dedicated propulsion system at each, or a method of redirecting the propulsive medium to the right points, such as a solenoid or variable apertures. A nozzle could be used to increase the exhaust velocity, or could be omitted. 
     It should be appreciated that the use of the thrust mechanism  318  in this manner may be in combination with one or more other angular momentum varying techniques. As such, the device may be configured to alter the orientation of the device during freefall via one or more of the other techniques described herein and the thrust mechanism  318  may engage immediately before impact to achieve a soft landing. In such embodiments, the gas may be thrust out apertures in the housing of the device located in areas that are not vulnerable. In other embodiments, the gas may be thrust out apertures located at or near (e.g., around the periphery of) the vulnerable areas of the device to protect them from a hard impact. 
     In some implementations, the device  102  may store information such as fall and impact characteristics for a particular freefall and impact.  FIG. 14  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for collecting fall and impact data for the electronic device  102 . The method  800  may begin with operation  802  and an impact may be detected. Operation  802  may be substantially the same as operation  272  in method  250 . The impact detection may be at the end of a freefall as the device  102  encounters a surface. Once an impact is detected and provided that the device  102  is still at least partially operational, the method  800  may proceed to operation  804 . 
     Operation  804  determines whether the device  102  should store data relating to the freefall and/or impact. The data may include fall characteristics, such as but not limited to, fall height, fall velocity, device orientation at the beginning of the fall, and/or angular momentum of the device  102  during the fall (which may be before and after a protective measure is activated). The data may also include impact characteristics, such as but not limited to, device  102  orientation at impact, velocity at impact components experiencing the most force impact, and/or components most damaged at impact. If the data may not be stored, the method  800  may end. However, if in operation  804  the data may be stored, the method may proceed to operation  806 . 
     Operation  806  determines if the fall characteristics are known. For example, the sensor  116  may have captured certain characteristics relating to the fall of the device  102 , such as the velocity or angular momentum. However, other fall characteristics such as fall height or orientation of the device prior to the fall may not be known as they may not be directly captured by the sensor  116 . If the desired fall characteristics are unknown, the method  800  may proceed to operation  808  and if the desired fall characteristics are known the method  800  may proceed to operation  810 . 
     Operation  808  determines the desired unknown fall characteristics. The processor  124  may use data collected by the sensor  116  to compute the unknown characteristics. In one example, the processor  116  may be able to determine a fall height by using the freefall time along with the velocity to calculate the height that the device  102  fell. Similarly, the processor  124  may be able to determine the device  102  orientation at the beginning of the fall by using an impact orientation and the angular momentum of the device  102  during the fall (as captured by the sensor  116 ). 
     After operation  808  or after operation  806  (if the fall characteristics were known), the method  800  may proceed to operation  810 . Operation  810  stores in the memory  120  the fall characteristics that were determined as well as those known. The actual fall characteristics that are stored may be varied depending on the desired information. Once the fall characteristics are stored, the method  800  may proceed to operation  812  and impact characteristics may be stored. It should be noted in that in some instances operation  810  and  812  may be completed simultaneously or in a single operation. As with the fall characteristics, the impact characteristics that are stored in the memory  120  may vary depending on the desired information and/or application of the data. 
     After operation  812 , the method  800  may proceed to operation  812 . Operation  812  determines if the data (fall characteristics and impact characteristics) may be transmitted. If the data is to be transmitted, the method  800  may proceed to operation  814  and the device  102  may transmit the data to a second device. The second device may be a computing device that may be used to store data from multiple devices so that in developing and fine tuning devices, the data may be used to develop and/or modify electronic devices. For example, if a trend in fall data is found by comparing the falls and impacts of multiple devices, certain areas of the device  102  may be created to be stronger, or the protective mechanism  112  may be modified to be better suited to protect the device  102  as the common fall characteristics may be known. 
     If the data is not transmitted to a second device, the method  800  may terminate. However, at the end of the method  800 , the device  102  may include the fall characteristics and the impact characteristics stored within the memory  120 . This information may assist the device  102  in activating the protective mechanism  112 . For example, in the method  250  and operations  264  and  268 , the estimations for the impact surface distance and the impact area of the device  102  may be more accurate by including common or high percentage distances and areas, respectively. In this example, the device  102  may refine the estimates of the fall height and/or impact area based on other previous falls or by falls from other devices. This may allow the protective measure  112  to be more accurate in order to prevent the device  102  from landing in a particular orientation. This is because certain unknown parameters for a particular fall may be estimated using data from pervious falls. 
       FIG. 15  illustrates the device  100  of  FIG. 1A  along with sample vulnerable impact orientations and safe impact orientations. As discussed above, the vulnerable impact orientation may generally coincide with a cover glass of the device  100  impacting the surface, while the safe orientation may coincide with a metal or plastic portion of the device  100 .  FIG. 16  illustrates a safe zone  900  and a vulnerable zone  902  for the device  100  according to conventional devices having a large cover glass that is vulnerable to impact. Generally, if the device is dropped at an orientation that would result in the vulnerable zone making impact, there is a risk that the device may be damaged. However, implementing the present techniques, the safe zone may be extended to reduce or eliminate the vulnerable zone. That is, the extended safe zone  904 , as created through implementation of the techniques herein, may eliminate or encompass the entirety of the vulnerable zone. The determination as to whether the device will make impact with either a safe zone or a vulnerable zone may be made initially upon sensing a drop event. Drop metrics such as orientation, height and rotation, for example, may be determined and utilized to determine whether the device will impact at a safe zone or not. 
     Generally, to achieve the extended safe zone  904 , a vibration motor  906  may be implemented to alter the angular momentum of the device in freefall. A sensor  906 , such as an accelerometer and gyroscope sensor, is also implemented. In some embodiments, separate accelerometer and gyroscope may be used and each may sense a single input. The vibration motor  906  may take the form of a vibrating device. As such, the vibration motor  906  may be operated to generate a haptic feedback for a user during normal operation of the device. In some embodiments, the vibration motor  906  may be a bi-directional motor to allow rotation of the mass in two directions. The bi-directional motor may provide increased ability to alter the orientation of the device during free fall, as the orientation may be adjusted in at least two different directions. In other embodiments, the vibration motor  906  may be a uni-directional motor, and may take a form similar to that of the motor  314  described above in  FIG. 5A . The sensor  908  senses one or more characteristics of the device  100  such as its orientation, its acceleration and so forth. For example, if there is zero acceleration relative to gravity it may be determined that the device is in freefall. 
       FIG. 17  illustrates an example drop event of the device  100  and different stages during the drop. As shown, the device is able to manipulate its orientation to change the area that will make impact. In particular, the device  100  re-orients itself from its first orientation A so that impact will be made at a safe zone in orientation D. The re-orientation occurs due to the conservation of momentum through operation of the motor  906 . 
     Generally, the more angular momentum created by the motor, the larger the extended safe zone. As such, to achieve better responsiveness in altering the orientation of the device  100  during freefall, the vibration motor  906  may be larger than conventional motors in devices such as device  100 . It should be appreciated that the effectiveness of the motor  906  in reorienting the device will depend not only on the size and weight of the motor, but also the size and weight of the device itself. In other embodiments, the motor may be substantially smaller. 
       FIG. 18  illustrates the device  100  with the cover glass removed to show the positioning and orientation of the motor(s)  906  within the device. In some embodiments, multiple motors  906  may be implemented rather than a single motor. However, generally, there may be size and space constraints within the device that may limit the number and size of the motor. In multiple motor embodiments, the motors may be positioned in any suitable manner. In some embodiments, they may be aligned axially. Additionally, the motors may be configured to rotate together or independently. That is, they may be configured to rotate at the same speed and in the same direction or at different speeds and possibly different directions. Multiple motors may allow more precise control over varying the angular momentum by varying the rotational and or drive characteristics of the motors with respect to each other. Batteries  905  and control circuitry  907  are also illustrated. Generally, the motors  906  are positioned at or near the center of the device  100 . Although the motors may be positioned anywhere within the device  100  and still alter the orientation of the device, positioning the motors  906  at the center of the device may significantly reduce the rotational moment of inertia of the device about a longitudinal axis of the device without having to make the device smaller. Any point of mass in the device will contribute to the rotational moment of the inertia proportionally to its density and the square of its distance from the rotational axis. 
     The rotational moment of inertia of the motor  906  could be increased by any suitable means including, but not limited to: adding mass to the rotating sections of the internal motor; adding mass to the eccentric weight (even if that mass is centered and doesn&#39;t contribute to the vibrating amplitude); and/or adding an additional mass to the drive shaft of the motor and the motor&#39;s rotor. In some embodiments, additional mass may only be engaged in a drop event. Clutches may be employed to decouple this mass from the drive shaft under normal use. Additionally, the motor  906  could be put into a short-term “turbo mode” during the drop event. The turbo mode may generally be an accelerated, overdriven mode having where the motor rotates a shaft a rate higher than normal. Prolonged use of the motor  906  in the turbo mode may prematurely wear out the motor but such wear would not generally be of concern during a ˜0.5 second fall, or a fall of typical duration. Additional motors could be added with the sole purpose of controlling impact angle, as shown in  FIG. 18 . 
     Additionally, the motors  906  may be mounted so that their rotational axis is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the device  100 . This allows for a maximum controllable angle to be achieved as the controllable angle depends on a ratio of the motor&#39;s rotational moment of inertia to the device&#39;s rotational moment of inertial about the parallel axis. In some embodiments, the controllable angle is approximately +/−16 degrees. 
       FIG. 19  is a flow-chart illustrating an example method  910  for operating the device  100 . Initially, it is determined whether the device  100  is at rest (Block  912 ). If the device  100  is at rest, the gravity vector is saved (Block  914 ). The gravity vector may be obtained by the sensor  908  (e.g., accelerometer). If the device is not at rest, the device  100  determines if it is in freefall (Block  916 ). If the device is not in freefall, it may be determined that the device is being shaken or otherwise moved deliberately or coincidentally (Block  918 ). The gravity vector may be estimated using the sensor (e.g., gyroscope) and dead reckoning (Block  920 ) and saved. If, however, the device is determined to be in freefall, the motor  906  may be spun (Block  922 ). As may be appreciated, the spinning of the motor  906  may be executed based on need. That is, the motor may spin to re-orient the device to a safe impact zone based on readings obtained from the sensors which allow for an orientation of the device to be determined. 
     False positives in method  910  may be mitigated through additional steps that are not shown. In particular, the device  100  may be configured to determine if the device has been tossed, as many users may toss the device to another user or onto a safe surface (e.g., a soft surface such as a pillow or bed) and re-orientation of the device may be unnecessary. The toss determination may be made based at least in part upon historical gyroscopic data in combination with the accelerometer data. This data may generally indicate the movement of the device as being a parabolic arc in nature (e.g., gentle movement upward and laterally before moving downward). However, if at any point during the downward movement, after a toss has been determined, there is an impact (such as would result if the device bounced off a surface, is caught and then dropped by an individual, or bumped), the system may reset and again determine if the device is in a freefall state (Block  916 ). The method  910  then proceeds. Thus, even when a toss event is detected, the freefall and impact protection techniques may still be activated in case the toss ultimately results in the device falling. 
     Turning to  FIG. 20 , is another flowchart illustrating another method  930 . The method  930  includes initially feeding data into a preprocessing algorithm (Blocks  932  and  934 ). Specifically, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer and camera data is provided to a preprocessing algorithm. Each of the input data may singularly or combinatorially contribute information that allows the algorithm to make a determination or estimation of a gravity vector. If the device is at rest, data provided from the accelerometer may solely be used to determine the gravity vector. As such, it should be appreciated that one or more of the devices may not be utilized in each embodiment. That is, for example, some embodiments may exclude data from at least one of the camera, the magnetometer, the gyroscope or the accelerometer. 
     A corrected gravity vector is thus determined and screened for zero-g events or impact (Block  936 ). If a zero-g event is detected, it may indicate a freefall of the device or a drop event. A kinematic calculator is then engaged (Block  938 ). Generally, the kinematic calculator may take the form of a feedback control loop configured to determine the orientation of the device and help to re-orient the device to achieve a non-damaging impact. The kinematic calculator may receive as input gyroscopic or kinematic data (Block  940 ) as well as data from the camera, magnetometer, previously recorded data, environmental data and user history (e.g., normal user carrying height and orientation) (Block  942 ). Based on this information, the kinematic calculator may drive the motor (Block  944 ) to properly re-orient the device. Once the motor has been driven, the method  930  again screens for zero-g events or impact (Block  936 ). If the device remains in the zero-g event, the kinematic calculator is re-run. The kinematic calculator may thus check to see if the orientation of the device is correct so that a safe zone will make impact and if not, may drive the motor to either stop rotation, reverse rotation or accelerate rotation of the device. Alternatively, if an impact is detected, the motor is stopped and the algorithm is reset (Block  946 ). 
     The initial orientation and height of the device can be used for “dead reckoning” control of the impact angle. The motor speed can be detected (as it can vary over the life of the product or from part to part, and integrated to determine change in angular position of the device, the gyroscope data can also be integrated to continuously track orientation, to make sure the processor always knows the device&#39;s orientation. The gyroscope may be useful if a user fumbles the device are dropping it. 
     The kinematic calculator may take any suitable form and any feedback loop can be used including but not limited to a proportional integral derivative (PID) controller. Generally, a PID controller consists of three distinct parts which heuristically determine present error, past error, and predicted future error. The proportional term spins the motor in proportion the current distance from its position to the ideal angle of impact orientation, while a derivative term changes the motor&#39;s speed based on the expected future position of the device to minimize how much the device overshoots its angular position target. An integral term may help eliminate steady state error, which is less useful in a drop of a small finite interval, but could still be used. That is, as a drop event may typically only last a fraction of a second, the accumulation of past errors may not generally be utilized. As such, in some embodiments, the kinematic calculator may take the form of a PD controller, as the integral term may be ignored. In other embodiments, both the integral and derivative terms may be ignored, resulting in a proportional P controller. 
     The PID controller may generally be configured to determine how to operate the motor effectively to achieve steady state operation. That is, the PID controller may be configured to prevent over and/or under rotating the device. As such, in some embodiments it may be configured to determine and track the effectiveness of the motor on the device (e.g., how effective was operation of the motor for reorienting the device presently). Alternatively, gyroscopic feedback may be used to determine how well the motor reoriented the device. Additionally, the PID controller may control operation of the motor in a predictive manner. The PID controller may be configured to brake the motor and/or reverse the direction in which the motor spins in bi-directional motors. Reversing the motor may alter the angular momentum in the opposite fashion, thereby maintaining an orientation of the device with respect to ground, slowing over-rotation and/or reversing the direction of rotation. 
     A determination is made as to an expect orientation at impact. Based on an expect impact orientation, the kinematic controller decides if the vibrator should be activated, at what speed, and in which direction. Some of the inputs that may be used by the algorithm include, but are not limited to: freefall state of the device; orientation of the device; orientation of the device relative to magnetic north; distance of the device to the ground; orientation of the device relative to the ground; location of the device; location of the sun; time; orientation of the device relative to the environment; rotational velocity of the device; distance to the ground and so forth. Sensors that may provide these inputs may include: an accelerometer; a gyroscope; a magnetometer; a speaker; a microphone; one or more cameras; a GPS device; and a clock or timer. In some embodiments, the height of the drop may be determined from a lookup table. 
     The inputs to the kinematic calculator may be used to determine various different fall and/or orientation related metrics. For example, the speakerphone element and microphone(s) can be used to determine the device&#39;s distance to a hard flat plane, in this case the ground. The magnetometer can be used to determine magnetic north when away from interference. Magnetic north will be a vector in a plane approximately horizontal to the ground. A single camera can be used for monovision depth perception, by taking video and tracking features (e.g. the pattern of a granite floor) as they move in the camera&#39;s pixel XY space. The accelerometer data can be integrated twice to determine change in position per time interval, and the change in distance between those features on the camera pixels can then be used to calculate the distance to those features. Two cameras or a camera and projector can be used similarly for stereovision depth perception and object tracking. 
     The control scheme can also determine the path of the device prior to drop. For example, a smooth arc would indicate a “toss” and not initiate the drop algorithm, while a high accelerometer reading (bump or jolt), or initial velocity below horizontal (toward the ground) would indicate a drop. 
     In some embodiments, the vibrator control algorithm might output a timestamp including all of its inputs, which can later be read. The unit can also record number of drops, to determine if a user repeatedly drops a device, from what heights and in what orientation. Drop height can be confirmed after the event using the time between freefall start and the impact with the ground, as measured by the accelerometer. 
     Generally, the higher the drop height, the more influence the motor and the kinematic controller can have on the impact angle (i.e., the higher the controllable angle). This is actually convenient, because higher height drop events generally have higher potential for damage (e.g., cover glass breakage) if the unit lands in a vulnerable orientation.  FIG. 20  is a chart illustrating the effectiveness of operating the motor to orient the device a safe impact area. The angle of impact θ is measured from the plane of the device when impacting directly on a safe zone (e.g., a metal or plastic portion of the device, not the cover glass). 
     The foregoing description has broad application. For example, while examples disclosed herein may focus on changing an orientation of a device prior to impacting a surface, it should be appreciated that the concepts disclosed herein may equally apply to modifying the device orientation during other situations. Similarly, although the protective mechanism may be discussed with respect mobile electronic device, the devices and techniques disclosed herein are equally applicable to other types of devices. Accordingly, the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be exemplary and is not intended to suggest that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to these examples. 
     All directional references (e.g., proximal, distal, upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, lateral, longitudinal, front, back, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, radial, axial, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aid the reader&#39;s understanding of the present disclosure, and do not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of this disclosure. Connection references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and joined) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members between a collection of elements and relative movement between elements unless otherwise indicated. As such, connection references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation to each other. The exemplary drawings are for purposes of illustration only and the dimensions, positions, order and relative sizes reflected in the drawings attached hereto may vary

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20160204
Publication Date: 20171003
Grant Date: 20171003
Priority Date: 20110916
Inventors: ROTHKOPF FLETCHER
ELY COLIN M.
LYNCH STEPHEN B.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F1/1694", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02K7/063", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M2250/12", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2200/1633", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/185", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1656", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02K11/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02K7/063", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2200/1633", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1656", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/185", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M2250/12", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1694", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02K11/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 48096313