Apple Inc. has made a new invention that could waterproof future iPhones and other iOS devices from the Cupertino-based tech titan. In fact, a patent application titled "Methods for Shielding Electronic Components from Moisture" filed by Apple Inc. and published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday provided the details of the new method that company plans to employ to protect its smartphones from damage due to water.

According to IB Times, the latest innovation from Apple Inc. was first detected by Apple Insider. Apple filed the patent March 31, 2014, and credits engineers Nicholas Merz, Scott Myers, Gregory Stephens and Joseph C. Poole for the invention.

According to the document published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, in place of simply sealing the phone from the external elements completely, Apple plans to cover essential components of the devices like the circuit board using a hydrophobic coating. This coating will be applied in stratums measuring between 1 and 10 microns thick, employing a process dubbed as the plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (PACVD).

Employing this process would help to cover nearly all of the circuit board, while electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding helps to keep the coating away from being applied to some components of the iPhone. The patent proposes that this can be remedied by adding small holes to the protection, which would be sufficient to shield the components and, at the same time, ensure efficiency against EMI.

However, employing these techniques would only help to shield the circuit board, and not the soldered endpoints, the points where the wires and ribbon cables are joined to connect different components of the iPhone, like the display, battery as well as lightning connector. The patent application of the Cupertino-based tech giant proposes using silicone to close up these exposed points.

As of now, it is not confirmed when or if Apple plans to incorporate waterproofing into its iPhones or iPads. However, Apple CEO Tim Cooks has hinted during his Berlin Apple Store visit that the Apple Watch may come with some water-resistant features. French blog site iGen quoted Cook as saying that he even wears his Apple Watch in the shower.