Last week, it was revealed that there will be a total of four foldable smartphones from OPPO, vivo, and Xiaomi combined in the second half of 2021. It is worth noting that all these three brands are yet to debut their first foldable but they have patented various designs in the past few months. A new such patent by vivo has now emerged.
According to LetsGoDigital, Vivo Mobile Communication filed a design patent with the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office) in February 2020. Titled ‘Display panel and mobile terminal’, this patent got approved and published in October 2020. However, the publication seems to have found it only now and they even created 3D renders for visualization.
As per the documentation, this design features an inward folding screen that unfolds into a tablet. In other words, it is identical to Samsung Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Fold2. But it sports a unique hinge design with a silo for a stylus.
This silo is nothing but a gap at the folding point of the display panel. Hence, the included stylus is as long as the device and has a tip made of soft rubber material to avoid scratches on the screen. Further, It does not fall from the silo when placed inside as it remains attached magnetically. Also, the damaged part of the stylus can be replaced.
Apart from the above-mentioned details, the patent does not say much about this design because it is only about the foldable panel and stylus. That said, vivo may utilize some part of this design in one of its upcoming foldables, however, we cannot say that for sure as companies file a wide variety of patents every now and then.
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