Apple may integrate projectors in iOS devices

A freshly-published patent describes a way to embed projectors directly into the iPhone or iPad.

Your future iPhone or iPad could come with its own projector.

Granted to Apple on Tuesday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a patent called "Projected display shared workspaces" envisions a technology that would integrate smallprojectors into iOS devices and allow you to control a presentation through the use of gestures.

A camera would detect the shadows and silhouettes of gestures aimed at the projected area, giving you an easy way to manage your presentation. The system could even work with multiple displays. Again using gestures, you could swap images among the different displays included in a shared workspace.

The overall technology could also spread to laptops and desktops through a mini projector connected to the device.

As the patent describes it:

In one embodiment, electronic devices each may include a projector that produces a projected display and a camera that detects gestures made with respect to the projected displays. The electronic devices may interpret gestures on the projected displays to identify image sharing commands for sharing images between the projected displays. The electronic devices may be connected through a communication link that allows the electronic devices to share image data for producing images on any of the projected displays included within the shared workspace.

Certain gadgets on the market can turn your iPhone into a mini projector. But Apple's integrated invention could take that a few steps further through the gesture and sharing features.