A new Samsung patent application for a next generation smartphone cover has come to light at the US Patent & Trademark Office. Samsung wants to create a smart cover that will go far beyond the basic function of protecting the device and actually provide solar power so as to charge the smartphone's battery.
Next-Gen Galaxy Smartphone Cover
According to Samsung, one exemplary aspect of their new invention is that a future smartphone cover will integrate a charging unit. The charging unit could also one day use power generated from solar cells.
In Samsung's patent FIG. 1 presented below we're able to see a smartphone with a future smart cover on it. The case frame or cover has an outside and inside cover.
On the inside of the cover we're able to see an input unit #210 that is coupled to the portable terminal for providing an input signal. The sub input unit can be of an input scheme using a dome switch, an input scheme using a pressure sensor or a touch input scheme.
The sub-display unit could also comprise, for example, a flexible display. Particularly, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the sub-display unit uses Electronic ink (E-ink), and the sub-input unit can operate a touch input scheme using the E-ink – such as a phone keypad as noted in FIG. 1 below.
A charging unit, noted as 220 in FIG. 1 above is able to use a solar cell for charging the smartphone.
Samsung filed their US patent application back in June of this year. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.
For interest sake, this isn't a new idea. Apple has filed for several patents on this front. One patent that is aimed at their iPad surfaced in 2011. Another patent, aimed for their iPhone, actually goes all the way back to 2008.
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