There are credible indications that Xiaomi will be upping the stakes soon in the accessories market by unveiling a fast-charging device that uses sound to charge smartphones and other electronic devices. This much can be gotten from the recent application for a patent filed by the Chinese company at the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA). The CNIPA filing revealed some essential details about the revolutionary charging system. The implications of this new technology, when it finally debuts, are pretty exciting.

The market has been awash with various innovative charging solutions from several manufacturers in recent times. From fast wired charging to wireless charging solutions, the list has been rising as companies seeming to pursue the development of an ultimate charging solution. 

Although this innovative sound charging technology from Xiaomi could take years before it becomes a reality, the filing indicates some level of progress in developing sound charging technology. The device will deploy sound and other components to provide power for charging smartphones and other devices. It will consist of a sound charging device (that will be capable of collecting sound), an energy storage apparatus, and an electronic device.

The device will have a mechanism for converting sound energy to electrical energy to charge connected devices. It will first convert the sound wave to mechanical vibration before transforming it to electrical power, the patent document reveals. There would be an interface to convert the generated alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC), which could then be used to charge devices without using a power socket.

Industry watchers see the move by Xiaomi in registering this patent as ambitious, as the requisite technology for sound charging is, at best, at its infancy. We await further definitive moves by the Chinese company as it seeks to break new ground in charging solutions for smartphones and other electronic devices. 

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(via)

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On Christmas Day 2020, we reported that OPPO had patented a rollable smartphone concept design in collaboration with Tom Ford, a popular American fashion designer and filmmaker. Now, a couple of months later, it turns out that the Chinese tech company has actually infringed the intellectual property of Tom Ford.

LetsGoDigital was the first to spot this patent. As per the publication, Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications filed this concept design patent with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) on February 24, 2020. This means the company filed the patent two weeks after the announcement of Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne Edition.

A few days after LetsGoDigital’s article went live, Tom Ford International LLC filed a claim with the publication to take down all the images. The fashion firm issued the following statement.

“There is no collaboration between Tom Ford and OPPO. There is no such product being developed. In addition, the images include improper and misleading use of the TOM FORD trademark.”

Interestingly, even OPPO gave a similar statement.

“We can confirm that there is no collaboration between OPPO and Tom Ford.”

This begs the question, Why did then OPPO use the ‘TOM FORD’ trademark? Our guess is that the company might have gone ahead and patented the design even before initiating the talks on partnership. The firm might have considered this decision seeing the popularity of Samsung’s collaboration with Thom Browne.

Additionally, the images in the patent documentation also use iPhone 11’s official wallpaper with minute changes in colors. This was yet another red flag in the patent and we wonder why OPPO decided to submit a patent with both Apple and Tom Ford’s intellectual properties.

What are your thoughts on OPPO infringing Tom Ford’s intellectual property? Do let us know in the comment section below.

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Foldables are said to the future of smartphones. But apart from Samsung and Lenovo-owned Motorola, no other handset makers have released such devices yet. But they are reported to do so this year. Hence, we have been seeing multiple patents regarding foldable smartphones in the past few months like this new vivo one.

According to LetsGoDigital, Vivo Mobile Communications filed a design patent with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) at the end of August 2020. This patent got approved and published on February 12, 2021.

Going by the sketches, this vivo foldable smartphone design is unlike any other. Normally, foldable smartphones either fold out to become a tablet or they feature old-school clamshell. But this design patent by vivo is neither.

EDITOR’S PICK: Vivo V2055A appears on Google Play Console listing, might debut as iQOO Neo5 in mid-March

This foldable phone design by vivo sports a rather unusual long display panel that folds at the bottom. Hence, it looks like a normal handset in the folded state. However, in the unfolded mode, the screen is elongated and it looks weird.

Further, the back of the device houses a penta-camera setup, which also includes a periscope zoom unit and a unique LED flash module. Interestingly, the design only has a single physical key at the top (could be the power button) and there are no ports as well. Hence, this phone may charge wirelessly.

With that being said, the only benefit we can realize from this vivo foldable smartphone design patent is that it is slimmer than commercially available foldables in the market. Additionally, its screen can be useful for vloggers as a viewfinder for the five cameras.

Anyway, we don’t expect vivo to launch any handset with this design anytime soon.

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Foldables are said to be the future of smartphones. As of now, only four companies, namely Samsung, Motorola, Huawei, and Royole sell this type of phones. But others are also expected to release their devices very soon. Hence, almost all the major OEMs have been patenting tech related to foldables for the past few years. That said, one such patent by Xiaomi detailing a solution to reduce crease has emerged now.

Foldables come in two different types right now. The first design folds out to be a tablet, whereas the second design resembles clamshell phones from the past. But both these designs have one thing in common and that is creases.

Creases can be found in all the foldable smartphones that are available in the market. Although they don’t bother you if you don’t look for them, they are still a flaw. Therefore, we have seen multiple patents over the past few months from different companies to mitigate them.

Xiaomi’s new patent is also a solution to this problem. The company filed this patent with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) in July 2019. However, it got approved and published only on February 2, 2021. This patent is titled “Support Structure of Flexible Screen, Flexible Screen Structure and Terminal Equipment” (translated).

According to the documentation, this design includes two supporting structure for the flexible display panel. The second structure, which is close to the screen is deformable. Hence, when the device is closed, the display has a low chance of getting affected by a larger crease in the long run. Will this design work? We can only know when Xiaomi uses it in a commercial foldable smartphone.

So far, we are only aware that Xiaomi is working on a foldable smartphone codenamed ‘Cetus’. This handset is said to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, 108MP camera, and MIUI 12 based on Android 11. This device could be the one that was leaked in lived images last month.

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(Via)

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In late 2019, Xiaomi announced a concept smartphone called Mi MIX Alpha with a surround display. The company said that it will go on sale in limited quantities but that never happened. Also, the firm did not unveil its successor even a year later. But the company did patent a few smartphone designs with a similar form factor. Now, again, two such designs have emerged after a one with pop-up cameras was exposed a few days back.

According to LetsGoDigital, Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software filed a patent with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Office) at the end of 2019. The documentation for the same was published on January 1, 2021. It exposed two surround display smartphone designs with some minor differences.

Talking about the first design, this phone’s display wraps around from top to bottom, instead of side to side as found on the Mi MIX Alpha. But there are two separate screens on either side. Further, the device features a horizontal frame on the back housing a quad-camera setup, dual-LED flash, and what appears to be a microphone.

The main highlight of this design is that this smartphone is slimmer than the MIX Alpha and is even elliptical in shape. On the other hand, the second design features a rounded shape. Also, this one includes a triple camera setup and there’s no LED flash or microphone.

Anyway, we don’t see Xiaomi launching such a handset in the near future. The company may showcase it may never enter mass-production just like the Alpha.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi patents a rollable smartphone design with a secondary display

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Huawei makes a number of products apart from telecom equipment and smartphones. The company is also exploring new categories like UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle). Hence, the firm has patented a technology related to drones.

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. filed a patent with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) for ‘Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Identification Module and Storage Method’ in June 2019. However, it got approved and published on December 8, 2020. In simpler words, this patent details how the company’s future drones can be identified.

For those unaware, phones come with two physical identifiers – MAC (Media Access Control) and IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity). The former is used for WiFi and Bluetooth, whereas the latter is used by SIM cards. Since these identifiers are unique, the device with a particular identifier can be easily recognized by the system.

Drones also use similar identifiers and like any other gadget, they are also prone to hacking. Hence, the identification system needs to be secured. Therefore, Huawei has created a new system for its drones and has patented them.

Hence, this patent only details how the physical identifier and storage method works to read and track information of a drone during its whole life-cycle.

As of now, Huawei is yet to launch a consumer drone. We don’t think the firm will ever release such products. Its UAV business should be mostly for commercial usage only.

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(Via)

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OPPO is one of the popular Chinese smartphone markers. It is a well-known brand in Asia. Lately, the company has been slowly expanding into markets like Europe to fill the void left by HUAWEI. The firm is known for selling both budget as well as high-end devices. It has now patented a smartphone design with an under-display camera and circular camera window.

Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications filed this smartphone design patent with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Office) at the end of 2019. However, it got approved and published only on October 23, 2020. As always, the patent was unearthed by LetsGoDigital.

At first sight, one can easily mistake the rear design to be of OnePlus 7T. The only difference between the two is that the patented design has an extra camera at the top. The design can be also compared with that of OPPO ACE2, however, the layout of the sensors is not identical on the latter phone though it has the same circular camera window.

EDITOR’S PICK: OPPO patents the design of realme X50 Pro with its own branding

That said, apart from the back design, the patent differs in terms of front design. Because it sports a curved screen with an under-display camera. Whereas, the OnePlus 7T and OPPO ACE2 feature flat panels with a dew-drop notch and a punch-hole respectively. Anyway, OPPO also patented the same design with a punch-hole too.

Interestingly, LetsGoDigital mentions the design to feature a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom. But the hole looks so tiny for that and therefore, we are skeptical regarding this claim. It could be the secondary mic as the top of the handset is plain.

Last but not least, the bottom of the phone also houses a USB Type-C port and SIM card slot, whereas the left and the right side of the device sports volume rockers and power button respectively.

UP NEXT: OPPO files a utility patent for clamshell foldable smartphone hinge

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Lately, we have been covering a number of patent stories related to foldable smartphones. Because companies have been filing so many as these devices are expected to be the future of smartphones. That said, Huawei has now patented another clamshell foldable phone with an uncanny resemblance to the Galaxy Z Flip.

A few days back, the Chinese telecom giant Huawei launched the HUAWEI Mate40 series as its latest flagship smartphones. These devices could be the last high-end phones from the company in a very long time. However, the firm continues to patent and invest in new technology despite its inability to produce them due to the US ban.

The latest Huawei foldable smartphone design patent was filed by Huawei Technologies with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Office). It got approved and published on October 23. As usual, LetsGoDigital was first to find it.

EDITOR’S PICK: Digital China Group: A Closer Look at the potential buyer of Huawei’s Honor smartphone brand

This patented design looks identical to 2020’s most popular foldable smartphone – Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. The only major differences between the two are the inclusion of a larger cover display, an inner screen without punch-hole or notch, a vertically-aligned dual-camera setup, and placement of the physical buttons.

In other words, Huawei fixed the biggest con of the Galaxy Z Flip by adding a larger screen to its design. However, this panel is uneven with cursed corners on one side and flat on the other.

Further, the volume rockers sit on the left side, whereas the power button is placed on the right side. There’s also HUAWEI branding etched on the back of the device along with the logo. Also, since the inner display is without any obstructions, it may feature an under-screen camera if Huawei ever plans to use this design.

Having said that, we don’t expect Huawei to launch a clamshell foldable smartphone or any premium smartphones for that matter in near future. It will happen only when the US ban is lifted.

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Chinese smartphone makers have recently started launching smartphones with curved displays. On the other hand, Samsung, the pioneer in this design reverted back to flat panels on its premium handsets. When we think about waterfall displays (super curved), OPPO and vivo are the two companies that come into mind. Now, another design patent for such a smartphone with an under-screen camera by the former firm comes into light.

Like always, the new OPPO design patent for a super curved display smartphone was unearthed by LetsGoDigital. According to the publication, Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications filed this patent with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Office) at the end of 2019. However, it got approved and published only on October 9.

According to the documents of this patent, OPPO has patented four different smartphone designs with minor differences in their display curves. But only one of them is showcased in color renders. Hence, LetsGoDigital says that it could be the potential design if the company ever plans to release a phone with such a design.

EDITOR’S PICK: OPPO files a utility patent for clamshell foldable smartphone hinge

That said, as per this design if this smartphone ever comes into life, the display on it may have 21:9 cinematic aspect ratio like the Xperia 1 II and Xperia 5 II by Sony. Also, since the sides will be engulfed by the screen, the volume buttons will be situated at the back near the end of the display curvature on either side.

Further, the rear panel of the handset will sport a vertically aligned triple camera setup at the top left corner. Whereas, the top side of the phone will house the power key as well as a microphone and the bottom side will include a speaker, USB Type-C port, and a SIM card slot. Interestingly, it may also feature an under-screen camera.

Having said that, we don’t think OPPO will ever launch a super curved display phone with this design since the cameras and the overall design look outdated. That doesn’t mean they will never release such a handset; they may do but perhaps with a slightly different design.

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