A major folding smartphone patent application from Microsoft surfaced in late July with a second one surfacing in early August. Last week two additional foldable smartphone related patents surfaced contrary to the company's never-ending denials. Both patents clearly spell out smartphone in plain English with no ambiguity.
Microsoft's patent figure 1 noted below describes mobile computing device #12 may take the form of a smartphone device.
Microsoft's patent FIG. 9 above may be utilized in two separate displays that are rotatably coupled to form another example of a dual-display device #400.
The input subsystem of the dual display smartphone may comprise or interface with one or more user-input devices. In some embodiments, the input subsystem may comprise or interface with selected natural user input (NUI) componentry. Such componentry may be integrated or peripheral, and the transduction and/or processing of input actions may be handled on- or off-board. Example NUI componentry may include a microphone for speech and/or voice recognition; an infrared, color, stereoscopic, and/or depth camera for machine vision and/or gesture recognition; a head tracker, eye tracker, accelerometer, inertial measurement unit, and/or gyroscope for motion detection, gaze detection, and/or intent recognition, electric-field sensing componentry for assessing brain activity, any of the sensors.
The communication subsystem may include wired and/or wireless communication devices compatible with one or more different communication protocols. As non-limiting examples, the communication subsystem may be configured for communication via a wireless telephone network, or a wired or wireless local- or wide-area network.
The second patent was granted to Microsoft on August 28th about a hinge device with a living hinge.
Microsoft's patent FIG. 1 below is a perspective view of a multi-part electronic shown in an open position and in several of its other possible positions.
Microsoft's patent FIGS. 2C/D/E are side elevation views of the multi-part electronic device shown in a progression of positions from a closed position to a fully open position; and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the multi-part electronic device showing a pair of the hinge elements.
The input devices can include a Natural User Interface (NUI). An NUI is any interface technology that enables a user to interact with a device in a "natural" manner, free from artificial constraints imposed by input devices such as mice, keyboards, remote controls, and the like. Examples of NUI methods include those relying on speech recognition, touch and stylus recognition, gesture recognition both on screen and adjacent to the screen, air gestures, head and eye tracking, voice and speech, vision, touch, gestures, and machine intelligence.
Other examples of a NUI include motion gesture detection using accelerometers/gyroscopes, facial recognition, 3D displays, head, eye, and gaze tracking, immersive augmented reality and virtual reality systems, all of which provide a more natural interface, as well as technologies for sensing brain activity using electric field sensing electrodes (EEG and related methods).
Further, the device can comprise input devices and software that allows for user interaction via a user's spatial gestures, such as detecting and interpreting gestures to provide input to a gaming application.
The wireless modem is typically configured for communication with one or more cellular networks, such as a GSM network for data and voice communications within a single cellular network, between cellular networks, or between the mobile device and a public switched telephone network (PSTN).
Microsoft's second patent was filed in July 2016 and granted on August 28, 2018.
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