Apple patent details iPhone media sharing

AppleInsider discovered a 19-page patent application from Apple called "Methods and systems for mixing media with communications."

The application notes that while media is becoming increasingly portable for mobile users these days, its still not easily shared with others located remotely in real time.

The concept, if implemented, would add a new button labeled "Add Media" to the phone call screen in the iPhone UI (pictured). You'd simply attach a media file (music, video, images, voicemail and podcasts are specifically mentioned) and send it to the party on the other end of your phone call.

For example, the user may initiate a telephone call with his friend in order to ask the friend if she is familiar with a particular song... Once the phone call has been established between the user and his friend, the user may select the song of interest from his communications device, and he may send the song to his friend over the same communication path used by the communications device to establish the communications operation, so that the two may continue their phone conversation while the song plays simultaneously.

Media sharing over the phone is a cool concept in theory, but as with all patents, whether or not Apple chooses to implement it is another issue altogether.