According to the patent filing, which was submitted in February, but has only just been made public, tiny airbags would be deployed from the phone if the in-built accelerometer detected that was falling.

The patent submitted by the Amazon boss also suggests using a laser or even radar to determine the distance between the phone and the ground.

Other suggestions for protecting a falling phone include springs that would be released from the casing to ensure that the phone safely bounced on hitting the ground. The patent application also suggests that a gyroscope or jets of compressed air could be used to alter the angle of the device in the air. Shane Richmond/The Telegraph.