Apple has won what could turn out to be a milestone patent – that covers the possibility of the company deploying foldable, and flexible, materials in its future iPhones.
The new patent, entitled “Flexible electronic devices,” is described as consisting of a flexible electronic device that may include a flexible display, a flexible housing and one or more flexible internal components configured to allow the flexible electronic device to be “deformed.”
Apple says that these flexible displays may include “flexible display layers,” “flexible touch-sensitive layers,” and “flexible display cover layers.”
“The flexible housing may be a multi-stable flexible housing having one or more stable positions. The flexible housing may include a configurable support structure that, when engaged, provides a rigid support structure for the flexible housing,” the patent filing reads.
Specifically, Apple highlights that these flexible internal components may also include flexible batteries, flexible printed circuits or other flexible components.
“A flexible battery may include flexible and rigid portions or may include a lubricious separator layer that provides flexibility for the flexible battery,” the filing says, adding that a flexible printed circuit may consist of “flexible and rigid portions or openings” that allow some rigid portions to “flex with respect to other rigid portions.”
The full filing is available to read at the USPTO.