Analysts have lengthy been calling on Apple to get on with launching its first foldable iPhone, however patent exercise suggests the corporate has extra formidable plans.
As noticed by Patently Apple, Apple has utilized for a patent (US-20230221766-A1) for a rollable show with the US Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO). Inventors Que Anh S Nguyen and Christopher Jones describe a versatile show that may be rolled up from one or either side in varied situations.
The display shall be based mostly on both OLED or micro-LED know-how, with the LED printed on a versatile polymer base. In one other variant, versatile glass is used for this function; the inventors envisage that the thickness of the glass coating on the within will taper from the sting to the middle, making the glass much more supple for rolling.
Whereas pundits stay fascinated by the folding tech obtainable for the iPhone, this invention won’t be restricted to smartphones. The inventors additionally focus on its use in tablets and moveable digital units, together with a MacBook.
USPTO
The patent specification is comparatively brief, comprising simply twelve pages, however it represents just one entry in an ongoing sequence of such purposes. Solely two days earlier, a patent known as “Inside coating for glass buildings in digital units” was permitted, and one of many authors of this patent labored on that one.
Que Anh S Nguyen is the lead writer of not less than 12 patents at Apple, all inside the identical realm of versatile and foldable shows. The earliest patent was permitted by the USPTO in March 2017 and is titled “Clear transition layer to take care of bendability from coated glass.”
It’s value noting that, whereas patent exercise typically offers a glimpse into Apple’s future, it doesn’t assure that such a product will certainly launch. Apple habitually undertakes analysis and patent exercise in varied instructions, even when there aren’t any instant plans for a corresponding product line.
This text initially appeared on Macwelt and was translated and edited by David Value.
