Xiaomi had recently joined the ranks of the few OEMs like, Huawei and Samsung, that makes foldable devices. Now, a new patent has revealed that even Google is working on its own foldable devices that would launch sometime in the future.
According to a PatentlyApple report, the search engine giant has filed a patent that showcases their interest in foldable devices. The company filed the patent with the US Patent Office, which was published titled “Hinge Mechanism by Gear Set with Slider for Foldable Display Device.” This implies that the device in question could be a foldable smartphone, tablet, or even a netbook. In the patent, the brand highlights the issues that current foldable devices face and states that its patent offers a solution.
The Google patent first highlights the shortcomings of conventional hinge mechanisms and their issues. After which, the company offers its own solution in which, a device may “include a hinge assembly having a slider mechanism and a set of gears. The slider mechanism and the set of gears operate to transfer a rotational movement into a translational movement of one of a first housing or a second housing.”
To put it simply, the new hinge mechanism can transfer a rotational movement of the flexible device and allow bends without any damage or breakage. Unfortunately, this is still just a patent. While it implies that the Google engineering team is working on the device, it is still too early to offer anything concrete. So stay tuned for more, as we will be providing updates when additional information is available.
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