Illustrations of possible supplemental rear panels. Image credit-Patently Apple
A replacement rear panel could also be used instead of a case to offer protection from drops to iPhone models by pushing out the rear panel and adding sidewalls that might protrude to prevent the device from touching the ground if dropped straight down. Other possibilities for the rear panel include adding “supplemental batteries, physiological sensors and/or health-monitoring devices, cameras, auxiliary displays, and the like.”
If a replacement rear panel contains additional cameras, such a panel could include “a lens, an image sensor, and associated electronics to facilitate image capture.” Another interesting possibility is a supplemental rear panel with a touchscreen display with a high-resolution color display or a low-resolution monochrome display.
As we’ve said, just because Apple files an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) it doesn’t mean that it will be awarded a patent. Last year, Apple was granted 2,536 patents in the U.S., up from the 676 it received back in 2011.
