Skip to main content

Shoe phones, vibrating tattoos and more insane mobile patents we hope become real

shoe phone headerWe’re all familiar with the patent wars that took place in 2012 between Samsung and Apple – the ones that are still playing out to this day. It’s all about intellectual ownership, who came up with what first. In the mad dash to claim every single idea known to man (and several known only to dolphins), there have been some odd patents filed and granted. These are things that, in reality, there’s no practical use for. But you can never be too sure when claiming ownership of an idea. In the patent race, there are no bad ideas. Take, for example, Samsung’s recent air guitar patent. Weird? Sure. Essentially without purpose? Yeah, probably. While most of these are unbeatably impractical, we secretly kind of hope they are put to use some day.

Airbag for your phone

airbagphone
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Even the greatest thinkers of our time have some pretty terrible ideas. Most of them don’t file them for a publicly accessible patent, though. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos noted a problem with people dropping their phones, likely from a spike in protective phone case sales on his massive e-commerce site. His solution? An airbag that fires out from your phone to protect it from impact damage. The patent is for a process that can measure the potential impact of a fall, then tells the phone to brace by inflating its airbag. Just wait until the prank gift world gets ahold of this patent and makes your phone’s padding a whoopee cushion.

Recommended Videos

Vibrating Tattoo Notifications

vibratingtattoo
Image used with permission by copyright holder

You want the notifications from your phone to be accessible as quickly as possible. That’s the idea behind things like the Pebble watch and other devices that make your phone closer to you without requiring a reach into your pocket. Nokia decided to take it a step further with it’s patent for vibrating tattoos. It can be visible, invisible, a custom symbol, whatever you may want. But it’s placed on your skin and will offer a stimulus – the vibration – to you via magnetic fields when your phone rings. First person to get a vibrating trap stamp loses.

Banana phone protector

bananaphone
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Would it be fair to just put the lyrics to “Banana Phone” for this entry? James Laird Rickard – remember the name, he’ll come up again – filed a patent for a protective cover to insert a phone in. This seems more reasonable than an airbag until you learn that phone cover is a banana. Because when you think of fruits that aren’t ruined or damaged when dropped, you definitely think banana, right? Likely more a novelty than anything else, the banana phone somehow never quite caught on.

Shoe Phone Case

Screen shot 2013-03-13 at 12.45.43 AM
Image used with permission by copyright holder

You know the phrase, “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again?” If you’re James Laird Rickard, do not listen to that advice. Your first attempt at a protective phone cover failed as there is almost nothing practical about carrying around a banana all day long. But do you know what is less practical than that? Carrying a shoe around all day long. That is what owners of Rickard’s other patent, the shoe-shaped phone case, would have to do. Though it does have its influence in Get Smart, this idea is anything but. What’s worse about this particular patent is what it inspired. 

Shoe Phone Holder

Screen shot 2013-03-13 at 12.48.44 AM
Image used with permission by copyright holder

While the previous patent was just a shoe shaped holder, this patent actually suggests you walk on your phone. It turns your actual shoe into a place to put your phone when you aren’t using it. Any time the drawing to show off your idea as it might be implemented features a Croc shoe, it’s a pretty solid tip off that it’s a bad idea to begin with. Of course, that didn’t stop this one from being approved because the US Patent office really doesn’t have a high bar when it comes to ideas.

Rotatable Keyboard

RotatingKeyboard
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ever been holding your phone and thought, “You know what would be way more convenient? If I could type with the keyboard facing a totally different direction than where it is right now. Maybe behind the screen, set so the screen appears vertically while the keyboard is horizontal.” Probably not, but that’s why you’re not Research in Motion. The inventors of BlackBerry are also the inventors of the rotatable phone keyboard, unfortunately patented with the title “Handheld electronic device with rotatable member.” Check your phrasing, RIM.

Air-Expelling Keyboard

AirExpellingKeyboard
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple loyalists know owning an Apple device is as much about the experience of a product as it is the product itself. Apple aims to give its users the most enjoyable all around experience imaginable. The fruit-themed company knew it’s phone users would be typing away quite a bit, so it figured it would try to offer some relief to those furious fingers. It’s solution was an air-expelling keyboard, a solution that would have required physical keys to create. Every time you would press down on a key, air would shoot up through the tiny cracks between keys to provide a soothing blast of air. Maybe it’s the same air that will inflate that airbag we mentioned earlier.

Sliding modular bay

ModularBay
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Your phone does a lot, but do you ever feel that it’s limited in what it’s capable of because of what is attached to it? Microsoft thought it could improve upon the mobile experience by adding some accessories to its smartphones. It’s way of doing this, though, was by making a modular bay that would slide out – like the sliding keyboard – and could then have different pieces plugged into it to change functionality. This is a great idea for allowing more specific focus to get the most out of a device, except it means you have to carry around a bunch of extra parts on the off chance you want to utilize a given feature. That means we’re a step closer to having a physical sling shot to use with Angry Birds. 

AJ Dellinger
AJ Dellinger is a freelance reporter from Madison, Wisconsin with an affinity for all things tech. He has been published by…
Clicks: They say this iPhone keyboard gives your mobile superpowers
It's a satisfyingly clicky, full QWERTY keyboard for your iPhone.
Clicks iPhone keyboard close up in black on device

Typing on a smartphone isn't bad, but it's not exactly productive either. If you're typing out a long email, message or working with a document, chances are, you're probably going to migrate to a laptop or computer, Mac included. It's not only more satisfying to work on a full size keyboard, even a compact one, it's so much more intuitive. The answer, usually, is to grab a portable or compact keyboard that works with your phone. But I'm here to tell you there's a much better way, and it's completely accessible -- meaning it won't empty your bank account. Cue Clicks, or more aptly the Clicks iPhone keyboard. Designed for the iPhone 14, 15, and 16, it's essentially a case with a keyboard built-in, but it's soo clicky and satisfying. The brand also claims that it gives your iPhone "superpowers," and I'm convinced they're not wrong.

While there's no huge discount currently, it's already reasonably-priced. Starting at $139 for the iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro, and $159 for the larger devices, like the iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. It's definitely something you should check out if you type a lot on your phone.
Buy Now
 
Why you should consider the Clicks Keyboard for your iPhone

Read more
Best cell phone plan deals: T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Mint Mobile and more
Woman

The best phone deals will get you some impressive savings on a new phone, but there are also deals available on ways to keep it connected. The best cell phone plan deals are scattered across carriers, with AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and others currently offering some savings. Below you can find all of the information you need in order to save on a new cell phone plan, and if you’re in the market for a phone as well be sure to check out all of the iPhone deals, Google Pixel 8 deals, Samsung Galaxy S24 deals, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 deals, and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 deals going on today.
Mint Mobile: Get a 12-month Unlimited plan for $240
For a limited time, Mint Mobile has dropped the price of its yearly plan to $240 -- a $120 discount on the usual $360. That's essentially $20 per month instead of $30, but you have to pay for the year upfront. This deal is running through June 27, 2025. We named Mint Mobile the best cell phone plan for value last year, and for good reason. All Mint Mobile plans include unlimited talk and text, access to 5GB high-speed data, free calling to Mexico and Canada, free mobile hotspot access, and WiFi calling support. You can't beat that!

U.S. Mobile: Pre-pay $23 per line per month
Prepaid wireless plans are a great option for light users, kids, and anyone else who won’t be consuming a lot of data on a daily basis. U.S. Mobile is one of the best prepaid service providers available today, allowing you to build your own custom plan, so you’re only paying for as many minutes, texts, and gigabytes of data as you want to. As just one example, its Unlimited Starter plan is just $23 per line, or $276 for 12 months -- saving you $72 per year. You get unlimited talk, text, and data, 10GB of hotspot data, international calling and texting, and more. If you're adding multiple lines to a plan, you can also unlock free extras like Disney+ and Netflix. U.S. Mobile even has an Unlimited Flex plan that goes for just $15 per month when you pre-pay for 12 months.

Read more
Best iPhone deals: Save on iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro Max and more
iPhone 13 Pro in blue.

The iPhone is one of the most popular phones on the planet and the recent release of the Apple iPhone 16 has had everybody talking about it once again. This makes right now a great time to look at previous models, as they often make for some of the best phone deals and best Apple deals in the wake of a new iPhone release. Below we’ve rounded up all of the best iPhone deals available today, with iPhone 15 deals and iPhone 14 deals included. Read onward for all of those details and add to your Apple savings by checking out today’s AirPods deals, iPad deals, and MacBook deals as well.
iPhone 15 128GB — $630 $730 14% off

The Apple iPhone 15 finally brings with it Dynamic Island which we’ve only previously seen on the Pro range. It’s a real game changer at times and is very convenient. Alongside that, the Apple iPhone 15 has the Ceramic Shield front to keep it more protected while its 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display promises to be up to two times brighter than the iPhone 14 in the sun. There’s also a 48MP main camera with 2x telephoto lens to help you take great shots. The A16 Bionic chip has plenty of processing power to aid with software adjustments.

Read more