Microsoft patents novel way to make headphone jacks thinner

Headphone jacks may be gradually going the way of the dodo, but a new Microsoft patent could offer a novel way to keep them around on thin devices.

First spotted by TechSpot, Microsoft was recently granted a patent for an expandable 3.5mm headphone jack, referred to a "plug receptacle for an electronic device."

In effect, this would allow for devices like phones and laptops to be thinner than a standard headphone jack while still including one. The port would remain in a closed state when not in use, flush with the dimensions of the device itself. A 3.5mm plug could then be inserted, expanding that jack outward to accommodate it. In the filing, Microsoft demonstrates the mechanism working in three different variations, with either the front, back, or both sides of the mechanism expanding.

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