The latest Apple iPhone invention to surface at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will finally let you walk and text without the risk of suffering bodily harm.
AppleInsider discovered a patent dated September 2012 for a system that replaces the background of a text message screen with a live video feed from the device’s rear primary camera, allowing a user to converse freely while keeping an eye on where they’re going.
Even the text bubbles within a chat can be opaque or semi-transparent, and a user would activate the live camera feed with the touch of a button inside the texting window.
The patent describes potential further uses for transparent displays including in Web browsing apps, where the live video feed of the camera would appear behind the text of a webpage or the blank white background of an eBook, allowing for some serious reading on-the-go.
“Alternative embodiments of the invention can be applied to virtually any computer-executable application in which text is presented over a background,” Apple’s U.S. patent no.20140085334 said.