Is smartphone evolution at a standstill? Today's batch of phones have ultra-sharp displays, zippy performance, and great cameras. What's left? One man hopes that the next big thing will be infrared sensors.
Taking children's temperatures can be a pain. No matter which orifice you stick the thermometer in, the kid will probably pitch a fit. With so much of our tech being airborne, why not add thermometers to the list?
Inventor Jacob Fraden has patented the smartphone thermometer. He wants manufacturers to equip phones with infrared sensors. You could then aim at your little one's head, and have her temperature in less than a second.
New doors
Temperature-taking wouldn't be limited to humans. You could use it on pets (another pesky chore), or inanimate objects like stoves or bathtubs.
It sounds promising. The small infrared lens would lie near the smartphone's camera, without any protrusions. Fraden says that results are accurate, falling within International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards. He adds that the manufacturing cost would be "incremental."
Imagine the other uses for a smartphone infrared sensor. We could see apps for detecting gas leaks, home security (infrared tripwires), or even breathalyzer alcohol tests. These weren't covered by Fraden's patent, but once the hardware is there, developers' imaginations could go wild.
Not so fast
Fraden is pitching his innovation to smartphone manufacturers, but that's far from a guarantee that we'll see this. How many patents are granted for technology that never sees the light of day?
It's also possible that we will have infrared smartphones, but Fraden's thermometer patents won't be necessary. Apple already has an infrared smartphone patent, and you can buy third-party IR add-ons.
There are other costs. At 5 mm wide and 5 mm deep, the sensor would take up precious internal space. Light and thin is sexier than a thermometer, so you can imagine where most smartphone makers' priorities would lie.
Wait and see
Still, with the list of obvious smartphone upgrades dwindling, we'd be surprised if somebody didn't license Fraden's innovation ... whether it will be in a phone that you'd want is another question. New parents, however, may already be waiting in line.
Source: Fraden Corporation
You're mistaken. Patents have nothing to do with practicality. You don't have to prove anything works at all in order to get a patent. Why do you think so many perpetual motion machines have been patented over the years? You just need two things: it needs to be unobvious and novel.
As for this, it would be a waste of effort and material. I have an infrared thermometer. Aside from occasional uses at work, I rarely take it out of my bag. Most people wouldn't have much of a use for one.
It is an absolute nonsense to be able to patent the idea of putting a non-contact temperature sensor in a phone. Of course, prior publication (aka defensive publication ) invalidates a patent. So I hereby declare as my ideas:
* Infrared blood oxygen sensor in a phone * Blood pressure meter in a phone * Altimeter in a phone * Barometer in a phone (Some duplication here, but best to be safe) * Ultrasonic ranging device in a phone (trivial if the speaker and microphone have sufficient frequency response) * Strain gauge in a phone (for weighing stuff). Could be integrated in the screen or maybe even use the same printed conductors. * Oscilloscope in a phone * Blood glucose measurement in a phone * Pulse rate monitor in a phone
There! Now nobody can patent those ideas. I have saved the world from Apple and bankrupted the legal "profession".
There a many patents covering a thermometer in a cell phone – so far nothing on the market. Why? Either nobody needs it or these patents are not practical. Initially, cell the phone producers ridiculed a camera in a cell phone. Now it’s an essential components. If one would have a super-compact (no external attachments!) IR thermometer in a cell phone – I am sure 25 million parents in the US alone and many medical professionals would be happy not to carry around a thermometer whenever they need it. I am sure you don’t use a camera daily, but when you need it – great having on a phone. It appears that the patent of this post is a serious practical solution – it came from a man who invented the ear thermometer, a very popular device. I read the patent and it looks solid, nut a “common roof” idea.
@splatman bad luck - they changed the rules - prior art needs to be at least 1 year older than the patent application date: you've just given the trolls a stack of new ideas that they can now patent :-)
Now, the bleeding obvious of course, sick babies can die. No smartphone is going to add technology that's going to see them land in court defending dead baby lawsuits!!!!