Microsoft has patented a new a new way to silence a mobile phone by laying a smackdown on it. The company has applied to the US Patent Office to protect the idea, filed under the name Controlling Audio of a Device. The patent makes sense — after all, it's the natural way for humans to deal with irritating things such as alarm clocks and ringing phones.

The company states in its patent that the purpose of the "whacking" feature is that it will be used when the mobile phone is carried in a pocket or a purse, or during a meeting. At such times, it's difficult and time-consuming to take out the device and mute its speaker. Delivering a swift whack is the fastest, easiest, and the most natural way to tell your handset to pipe down. According to the patent, the phone uses its accelerator data to confirm that it can mute the speaker. This means that a software patch can be used to introduce this feature to practically all Windows Phone devices with an accelerometer.

Microsoft is facing an uphill task at staying in the competition against established heavyweights — in the form of Android phones and Apple's iPhone — and it's trying to add every nifty feature it can think of to make its devices better. If you ask me, this is actually a nice addition for WP smartphone users who have anger management issues. Or those who want to let off steam, simply because slapping one's phone is a lot easier than slapping one's boss.

TAGS: Mobile Phones, Weird, Windows Phone, Microsoft, Jayesh