This week the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Samsung regarding apparatuses and methods relating to a foldable electronic device that includes a flexible display element.
Samsung is on record with inventions regarding dual display smartphones using a specialized middle hinge that would allow a user to view two displays tightly fitted together side-by-side when folded so as to appear as one larger display so that users could better enjoy watching mobile TV, movies and other forms of video content, wider viewed photos, documents and beyond.
In this week's published patent application by the US Patent and Trademark Office for Samsung, we see that another engineering team at Samsung is working on an alternate hinge and approach to a folding display design. Here the display is actually a single yet larger display that could be folded using a new flexible element as we note in yellow below in Samsung's patent figures 20 and 24.
Samsung notes in their filing that the flexible display element is seen in a folded state where the hinge unit #3 is disposed outside the flexible display element #4, to form a curved portion having a predetermined curvature. In this folded state, because the hinge unit cannot be bent any further, a key portion of the flexible display element #4 may be protected from being bent sharply beyond the predetermined curvature. The support member #3 may be formed of an elastomer such as a rubber that may be freely bent and provide flexibility
One or more exemplary embodiments include a foldable electronic device that may limit a curvature of a flexible display element in a folded state.
Another exemplary embodiment includes a foldable electronic device that may prevent a flexible display element from being folded in a direction opposite to a folding direction in addition to a user being able to control the unfolding able.
Samsung's patent FIG. 3 noted below is a side view illustrating a folded state of an electronic device; patent FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a detailed look at the hinge unit of an electronic device; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a hinge unit in a completely folded state where an electronic device is completely folded.
We first covered this kind of hinge from Samsung back in August that related to a hinge for a possible future notebook as noted in one of the patent figure graphics found in our report that is illustrated below.
The newly design smartphone hinge differs from the notebook hinge cosmetically where the individual slit-members are encased in rubber so that they're not seen by the user.
Another Samsung patent report that we posted in Q3 2014 we illustrated Samsung working on a similar design of smartphone that would fold like a wallet.
Samsung's filed their U.S. patent application back in Q3 2014 DATE. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.
Below is patent figure one with the smartphone fully open. The flex element could be seen in position in yellow.
A Note for Tech Sites covering our Report: We ask tech sites covering our report to kindly limit the use of our graphics to one image. Thanking you in advance for your cooperation.
Patently Mobile presents a detailed summary of patent applications with associated graphics for journalistic news purposes as each such patent application is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trade Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any patent application should be read in its entirety for full and accurate details. About Posting Comments: Patently Mobile reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments.
Comments