According to Patently Apple, the European Patent Office has recently published a patent application by Apple for flexible displays which was filed in Korea. The report said the patent application was filed by Apple’s engineers under their individual names without listing Apple as the official assignee. This suggests the company was trying to keep this away from the public as long as possible.
The patent describes an electronic device with a flexible display, “which technically could represent any one of the following devices: a laptop, tablet, a somewhat smaller device such as a wrist-watch device, pendant device, headphone device, earpiece device, or other wearable or miniature device..”
Apple is widely expected to release a smartwatch device later this year. A recent report suggests that Apple is having problems with the screen technology and battery of the device.
FIG. 10 illustrating a side view of a device with a flexible display having a hinge that is based on a four-bar linkage configuration; FIG. 11 a back-to-back configuration; in the third we see FIG. 22 the engagement could use magnetic structures, hook-and-loop fasteners, hook and notch structures and/or other mating structures; and FIG. 24 that is a device in a tri-fold configuration with a two hinge construction.
FIG. 16 which notes a side view of a device with a flexible display that has a housing that is based on a rigid housing structure and an associated flexible support structure such as a sheet of flexible metal.
