Apple was granted a patent this week for “electronic devices with flexible displays and hinges,” according to a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
If a device is ever manufactured as shown in the patent, it will include a screen that doesn’t crease when folded.
The paper trail showing Apple’s interest in foldables even goes back to a foldable that the company has been seeking a patent for since 2017.
In the invention description, Apple describes a novel hinge mechanism that could potentially set an Apple foldable apart from the rest of the pack.
The hinge ensures “adequate separation between first and second portions of the housing when the housing is bent,” according to the patent.
That basically means the two flat portions of the device will fold together with a hinge that keeps them from touching, while bending the display as little as possible to prevent creasing.
The patent also shows two extendable flaps that open when the device is opened and in an unbent state.
These moveable flaps extend parallel to the spine of the device, supporting the display while it’s flat.
They retract when the device folds, leaving “room for a bent portion of the display along the bend axis.” So there won’t be a terribly awkward gap in the spine of the device when it’s folded, as is the case with the Huawei Mate X.
Apple tends to perfect the concepts that other smartphone manufacturers first introduce.
Apple wasn’t the first to use a pull-down notification bar— that was software developed by Android—but the design is far sleeker now that iOS does support that notification shelf.
Apple wasn’t the first to introduce a fingerprint scanner, remove the home button, or even make larger-than-life displays, but in every case, the company has dominated the execution.
