The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Samsung Display a patent for a new flexible display structure. The design and technology will allow displays to bend and even allow smartphones to possibly fold with breaking. Samsung has a huge pool of patent on this matter that you could review here.
Samsung Granted a Utility Patent for a Flexible Display Structure
Samsung's newly granted patent is for an invention that covers exemplary embodiments wherein the first electrode layer, the dielectric elastomer film, and the second electrode are disposed on the upper portion or the lower portion of the flexible display panel, a voltage is applied to the first electrode forming the first electrode layer and the second electrode forming the second electrode layer, thereby bending the flexible display device without using a hand.
Samsung's patent FIG. 3 noted above is a diagram illustrating a rear of the flexible display device; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a case in which a voltage is applied to all the first electrodes and the second electrodes in the flexible display device; FIG. 6 is simply a side view of FIG. 6.
Samsung notes that the flexible display panel includes a flexible substrate which is made of a plastic material having excellent heat resistance and durability, such as polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polycarbonate (PC), polyarylate (PAR), polyether imide (PEI), polyether sulfone (PES), and/or polyimide (PI).
Like many patents filed by Samsung's display division, the focus is on the mechanics of the display and not it's marketing capabilities. No reasoning is given as to how such a smartphone display will benefit users. If we look at the curvature that can be achieved by such a design it would at least appear that the device may be able to conform to a user's hand.
Though at the end of the day, this kind of display has to be put into perspective by understanding how it could fit in with other Samsung display and device patents such as these two (one and two) that cover flexible devices as noted below.
It's this type of technology that will go into future bendable or foldable devices from Samsung like the new slick foldable smartphone design that was granted to them yesterday by the U.S. Patent Office.
Samsung's granted patent 9,504,145 was filed with the U.S. Patent Office in May 2014 and granted to them yesterday November 22, 2016.
Patently Mobile presents only a brief summary of granted patents with associated graphics for journalistic news purposes as each Granted Patent is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any Granted Patent should be read in its entirety for full details. About Comments: Patently Mobile reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit comments.
Comments