Patent shows Microsoft is still exploring foldable device tech

Mar 25, 2017 08:24 GMT  ·  By

We’ve known for a while that the Surface Phone is the next (and possibly the only) big thing to happen to Windows phones, and though no confirmation from Microsoft was ever provided for this project, there are signs that the company is looking into tech that could help develop such a product.

A new patent (PDF version) that was filed in 2015 but only recently published indicates that Microsoft is exploring foldable devices, possibly for a Surface Phone that could play several roles and convert from smartphone to something else, possibly a laptop.

This time, it’s not a display that bends, but a more complex approach that relies on a multi-layered screen, with two curved displays placed under a standard layer. Microsoft explains that the curved edges of the screen can help eliminate the gap usually created by support structures, thus creating the perception of a single display that continues from one side to another.

A mobile PC on the go

The description section of the patent provides more information as to how Microsoft envisions this technology could work on devices:

“In display devices such as tiled displays or hinged displays, where multiple display panels may be included and separated by one another via the support structure, the visibility of the support structure may hinder a user's perception of displayed objects.

“In order to reduce and/or obscure the visibility of a support structure for a display panel, the present disclosure provides example display devices including curved or otherwise bent regions for directing light to a user's eye when the user's gaze is directed to a support structure at an edge of the display panel. In this way, when a user is viewing a region occupied by the support panel, the user may instead see light from the display panel showing the displayed objects.”

Needless to say, this is just a patent for the time being, and it’s way too early to assume that Microsoft could bring it to production, though it aligns with the company’s efforts to create new form factors with its Surface lineup.

The latest rumors have suggested that the Surface Phone won’t arrive this year, but more likely in 2018, so Microsoft still has enough time to come up with something truly innovative.

The new system would use two curved screen layers until a single regular layer
The new system would use two curved screen layers until a single regular layer

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This tech could allow the phone to become a laptop too
The new system would use two curved screen layers until a single regular layer
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