Foldable displays are certainly helping manufacturers to make new form factors to try to bring some innovation to a smartphone market that, relative to designs, can be said to be decidedly stagnant.
Samsung is definitely a pioneer in this sense having already made the two most interesting designs so far: from small to normal smartphones with the Flip and from large to almost tablet with the Fold. However, there are certainly many other possible designs to explore and evidently it is always good to “take cover” trying to patent as much as possible, even if sometimes they may seem a bit trivial.
In the middle of last year, the Korean company applied to WIPO, the World Intellectual Property Organisation, for a patent application for a smartphone design with a partially flexible display. The patent was approved on January 20th.
The patent describes a classic smartphone with the upper part of the display that also wraps on one side and continues on the back, opening if necessary to obtain a larger portion of the screen. In practice you would have an upside-down L-shaped display. Useful? It is not known but the opening mechanism is certainly ingenious, a hinge perfectly integrated into the frame designed not to break easily in case of an accidental bend in the opposite direction.
In the patent documentation it is reported that the panel is protected by an Ultra Thin Glass, a thin layer of flexible glass that Samsung has already used on its Galaxy Z. On the back, in addition, there are three magnets that prevent the display from opening with ease.
Since, regardless of the position of the screen, the lower part of the smartphone remains unchanged, this can be used to always maintain a firmer grip. A series of sensors also determine the position of the device in order to better adapt the interface and the display of apps. In practice, the mode of use is somewhat reminiscent of that of the LG Wing which allowed you to use the small portion of the additional display for a sort of multitasking.
The display, in this case, can also be used when folded, in its most compact form, acting, for example, as a viewfinder when we take a selfie with the rear cameras. The device is also equipped with a front camera. Finally, the documentation also reports the presence of two batteries, as already seen on the Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold.
As often happens, of course, the registration of a patent does not imply that the solution will actually be used but it is still interesting to see Samsung’s interest in this kind of solution in a period in which it is also gradually increasing competition on foldables, a market that currently dominates.
