In November Samsung Display's VP Kwon Oh-hyeon told investors at the Samsung Investor Forum in New York that by the end of 2015 they would be able to deliver products with foldable displays. While Samsung has been working on new kinds of foldable and flexible displays and devices for years, it's still unknown as to which type of display or foldable device that Oh-hyeon was referring to specifically. Yet the bottom line is that Samsung is determined to deliver on thier promise of bringing their display innovation to market sooner rather than later.
This past week the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office published a new flexible display patent application from Samsung. The new invention notes that light-weight and break resistant characteristics of flexible devices and displays may contribute to the creation of a new bending input user interface.
According to Samsung, the new device for displaying an object includes a touch screen configured to receive a touch input; a bending detector configured to detect a bending input; and a controller configured to select an object related to an application displayed on the touch screen of the device in response to the user's touch. The bending input may include at least one of bending the device and un-bending the device.
Samsung's patent FIG. 1 noted below is a conceptual diagram describing a method by which a device (smartphone #110) displays an object (Virtual Keyboard #150) related to an application (messaging app #120) displayed on a screen (#115).
Translation: A user bending the bottom portion of this new kind of flexible device could call up a virtual keyboard in a messaging app as noted below. Depending on the app, specific bends in the display will call specific user interfaces to control music volume and even edit photos as you'll see below.
Device Bending Actions Activate Distinct Functionality
In Samsung's patent FIG. 6 noted below we're able to see a table (#600) which describes operations of the device according to types of the bending input. The types of the bending input may be identified according to at least one of a location, the number of times, an angle, a direction, and a hold time of reception of the bending input.
Samsung's patent figure 9 noted above relates to a photo editing application. By bending the bottom of the smartphone upwards, as noted in the middle illustration figure #140, an editing app will appear. Bending the bottom of the phone agains will close the app.
Samsung's patent FIG. 12 noted below is a block diagram of a device for displaying an object related to an application displayed on a screen. It specifically illustrates the bending controller which may detect a degree of bending of the device through a bending sensor.
Samsung's patent FIGS. 13A-B, 14A-B and 15A-B noted above illustrate possible locations where bending sensors may be incorporated in a device.
Samsung filed their U.S. patent application back in July 2014. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.
Samsung further notes that their new bending controller could apply to host of applications relating to taking photos, shooting a film, editing content, playing music, gaming as well as work with a word processor that could call up a dictionary with a simple bend of a corner of the device.
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