As reports of battery problems causing discoloration on the white model iPhone 3GS continue to grow, a patent from Apple published for the first this week looks to address both internal and external elements that could have adverse effects on a device’s power source.

Apple continues to adopt non-user-replaceable batteries across its entire line of mobile electronics. As it does, the longevity and performance of those power sources becomes an even more crucial element of the technology in iPhones, iPods and unibody MacBooks.

The new patent aims to address the physical problems inherent in the batteries in electronic devices: namely, the fact that pressures and overheating can inflict damage on battery cells.

The patent, if approved, would grant Apple “systems and methods for monitoring and responding to forces influencing batteries of electronic devices.”

The application reads further:
“Pressure can build up within a battery as the battery operates, for example, due to heat. Pressure can also be applied to an external portion of a battery, such as by a physically adjacent object. These pressures generate forces that influence effects of the battery, such as the size and shape of the battery. Although some magnitudes of such forces can be normal, more intense forces may be indicative of an impending battery failure. Accordingly, what is needed are systems and methods for monitoring and responding to forces influencing a battery.”

The patent describes a “battery force sensor” that would be able to detect battery problems. If triggered, the sensor could produce an “alarm and a graphical user interface,” the patent reads. Similar elements of such a sensor may already be implemented in the iPhone, which can inform the user that the phone “needs to cool down before you can use it.”