A new Apple patent has surfaced again, which has the company detail the mechanism of a unique hinge design. It is known that the company has been working on many different ideas through these patents, with the latest one showcasing how a display can expand along with the hinge articulation points for what could possibly be a future foldable iPhone.

According to an AppleInsider report, the Cupertino based had one of its patent applications be recently published earlier this week. The patent was titled “Electronic devices having folding expandable displays.” Apple has patented certain designs for a foldable iPhone in the past, and this arrives as another proof that the company will launch a foldable handset sometime in the future.

However, a notable aspect regarding the latest patent is the company’s work on the hinge structure. Looking at the patent, a multi link hinge structure can be observed, which means that the hinge isn’t comprised of one single mechanism but multiple complex structures in its entirety. The patent also states that the hinge structure could include “gear teeth, belts, and/or other movement synchronization structures” and may also feature “members that move relative to each other during bending.”

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Furthermore, these moving components could also include compromise bars and links with opposing curved bearing surfaces. This would include stop surfaces as well that can “prevent excessive rotation of the bars and links with respect to each other.” The links might even be able to rotate around a pivot point that lies somewhere in the display separate from the hinge structure “living within the thickness of the display.”

In simpler terms, the patent could possibly be for a form of expandable display iPhone or even an iPhone with a slide out display. This is indicative by the “housing structures that support folding motions, sliding motions, scrolling motions, and/or other behavior,” which might be for a compact device that can offer additional screen real estate. Unfortunately, it is still too early to tell what this display technology is actually for. Apple might just include it in a product apart from the iPhone as well. So stay tuned for more updates.

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Recently, Huawei patented two foldable smartphone designs similar to the Galaxy Z Fold2 and Galaxy Z Flip. Now, another patent by the Chinese telecom giant imagines a complex hinge structure for foldable devices with the clamshell form factor.

This newly spotted foldable smartphone hinge design patent was filed by Huawei Technologies with the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) on April 16, 2019. However, it got approved and published only on October 22, 2020. That means this patent is older than the other two foldable designs by the company. 

That said, this particular patent was first unearthed by WindowsUnited. We later confirmed it via Incopat and found its number to be WO2020210987A1.

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The document for this patent goes into detail about a complex hinge design. In a nutshell, this design is meant to avoid creases, which is one of the many cons of current-gen foldable handsets. It achieves this by using a modular design. 

With this hinge design, the OLED panel contracts and expands when the phone is shut and opened like on the Motorola razr and razr 5G. In other words, the screen is not completely folded when the device is closed. If implemented, this hinge design can provide a crease-free foldable smartphone experience.

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Having said that, Huawei’s diagrams showcase this hinge in a clamshell form factor. Hence, we don’t think the same hinge design can be implemented in foldables that unfold into a tablet.

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