In a new patent filing, Apple has confirmed the firm is looking to create headphones that can double as external speakers.

The patent, which was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, describes a "dual-mode headphone" that delivers sound whether it's worn around a user's ears or placing them on a surface.

The headphones itself would feature circuitry in order to detect their position. They would sense when the headphones are situated around or near your ears so it doesn't deliver an excessive amount of sound.

A built-in amplifier would increase the audio to offer higher output when the headphones are acting as external speakers. When it's in that mode, audio ports would be able to transmit sound away from the surface in order for it to fill up the room better.

The patent, which was originally filed last year by inventor Edward Hyatt, suggests the user would be able to manually change the headphones between the two aforementioned modes.