A new phone design patent filed by Microsoft reveals a modular design with interchangeable modules that fit various different purposes.

Microsoft Patents Phone Design With Interchangeable Parts

Microsoft has filed for a patent that details a module phone design featuring interchangeable parts that serve different purposes. From a QWERTY keypad to a game controller, it shows a generic slider phone similar to the DROID in design with the lower tray acting as the module hub for the phone.

The patent says that the modules can operate independently over a wireless connection without needing to be docked on the slider. The various modules also include a second display and even a battery pack. The image above shows rough sketches of what these could look like.

Varied Uses Include Media Hub And Game Console

Since the modules can operate from a distance, the main phone can be connected to a separate device and then controlled via the module. For example, the phone can be connected to the TV and act as a media hub while the keypad module controls it. Similarly, the phone can also act as a game console while the game controller module is being used.

All these features already exist in one form or the other in the market in the forms of different phones and accessories. However, bringing them to one phone would be quite interesting. Since this is just a patent we are talking about, it is hard to tell whether Microsoft will actually bring out such a phone or whether it is being worked upon at all.

As Windows Phone continues to gain more Xbox Live features, such designs will start making more sense as the Xbox console shrinks in a Windows phone in the near future. It will be more entertainment than hardcore gaming oriented and it is quite an achievable future at this moment in technology.

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