Lee Chang-hoon, vice president of the business strategic team at Samsung Display stated during an analyst event in New York in late 2014 that they would "… be able to supply products with foldable displays to customer companies by the end of next year (2015). That time has come and gone and Samsung has failed to deliver such a device. Since that time there have been futuristic concept drawings floating around regarding a foldable phone along with many Samsung inventions (one, two & three) on the subject. Last week we reported on a more elaborate design for a foldable device that you could review here.
Some of Samsung's patents that we referenced to above are very detailed in illustrating how various interfaces would look like and function. Last month one of Samsung's latest and simplest foldable phone designs surfaced in a patent application showing us a completely redesigned hinge system for a smaller form factor that supports a single flexible seamless display as noted in patent FIG. 2 below.
Samsung's patent FIG. 11A noted below is a perspective view illustrating an example in which a mesh type textile sheet is attached as a cover of a foldable display apparatus. The display sits on top of this material.
Our cover graphic shows patent FIG. 6 seen in-part as a schematic view explaining an example in which a tensile spring is installed in a hinge connection portion between first and second bodies.
Samsung filed their U.S. patent application back in Q3 2014. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.
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