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Folding iPhone Patent Application Shows How the Company Could Prevent Damage In Cold Weather (appleinsider.com)
A new patent application from Apple, titled "Electronic Devices with Flexible Displays," describes how the company could prevent foldable smartphone displays from getting damaged in extreme temperatures. "While at or in the region of typical temperatures hospitable to humans, folding systems may work fine, but adhesives and other elements used in a device's production may become more resistant to flexing at cold temperatures, which could cause unwanted wear or damage to the display if attempted in such conditions," reports AppleInsider. "To mitigate the cold temperature, Apple simply suggests there should be some way to warm up the area of the display panel where the bend takes place." From the report: As part of Apple's solution, an onboard temperature sensor is used to determine how warm the device is, and whether or not there is any danger to allowing the screen to be flexed by the user. The warming process itself can be performed by a heating element located near to the section that bends the most, with heat conductors transferring the warmth to where it is required. A heating element may not be practical to add to such a device, which has led to Apple suggesting an alternative, namely using the heat generated by illuminating the screen. To do this, a screensaver could be used that concentrates most on the bent section, such as by making it brighter and lit up more than the rest of the screen.
As the heating process could take time to complete, Apple notes there is a danger of the display being flexed before it is safe to do so, something it has also considered. Aside from warning the user on an attempt to bend, Apple believes the use of a latching mechanism to keep the device closed while folded may be worth investigating, both as a mechanical latch and by the folded device being held shut by magnets. When the temperature of the area is relatively safe, the latching system can be disengaged and the user will be free to open the device once again. The patent application does not seem to answer the question of how to prevent the user from folding up an unfolded device, but it could be feasible some form of locking mechanism could be used when the smartphone is flat.
As the heating process could take time to complete, Apple notes there is a danger of the display being flexed before it is safe to do so, something it has also considered. Aside from warning the user on an attempt to bend, Apple believes the use of a latching mechanism to keep the device closed while folded may be worth investigating, both as a mechanical latch and by the folded device being held shut by magnets. When the temperature of the area is relatively safe, the latching system can be disengaged and the user will be free to open the device once again. The patent application does not seem to answer the question of how to prevent the user from folding up an unfolded device, but it could be feasible some form of locking mechanism could be used when the smartphone is flat.
...LG and Samsung?
If you ask nicely, Apply may let you in on the secrets of folding screens...
A little bit of heat makes things move easier. They haven't detailed a novel method of applying and controlling such heat relative to the application. It looks like nothing more than trying to patent a simple feedback loop. Seems obvious.
People have wondered how folding screens (particularly exterior folding screens a la the Huawei Mate X) are going to be protected. Glass doesn't bend very well at the hinge part, which means plastic has to be used. However, plastic that bends well tends to be soft and thus scratches easily. My sneaking suspicion is that this calls for a 'new' tech I read about here on Slashdot 11 years ago. In particular, bonding plastic, which covers the hinge, to glass that covers the rest of the screen. Sure, the hinge area in the middle of the unfolded screen would still be susceptible to scratching, but that'd be an improvement over the whole screen being less-protected.
Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
Not true, eg. Apple recently innovated away the headphone jack.
Samsung and Huawei are struggling to catch up with that move (I think they're getting there though).
No sig today...
How about a phone that turns into a tablet, that turns into a laptop that turns into a desktop that turns into a resizable smart TV?
Even slicker, I think.
Now that they've got the bezels down to almost nothing then why can't they make a folding phone from two separate LCD panels
and stop right there. Screen space is great even when it isn't a single unified surface.
I remember reading about laptops where the keyboard was replaced by a touch screen. Or was that just Nintendo DS? Either way, it would make an interesting phone. The top screen could be without the touch capability to keep it clean.
Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
This isn't wrong. This patent actually kind of makes that point.
For a patent to be valid, it has to add to the state of the art. In other words, it can't be obvious. But "if it's too cold to use, then warm it up" is pretty obvious. The point of this patent is basically as a litigation tool, not to innovate. There have been thermostats and heaters used in virtually every form of device on the planet (and a lot of satellites and probes off the planet) since the invention of electricity. This isn't innovation. It's not even really intended to hold up in court. It's a stick to keep smaller entities out of the market. It's the shotgun approach. You get a bunch of people together to try and figure out the most obvious answers to a whole pile of minor problems so that if/when another player comes around and inadvertently uses one of those solutions, you can then sue.
Point being, radiating waste heat is a problem for phones; not being hot enough isn't, for the same reason.
but adhesives and other elements used in a device's production may become more resistant to flexing at cold temperatures, which could cause unwanted wear or damage to the display if attempted in such conditions
Maybe if Apple didn't glue everything shut to protect it from repair or replacement, this wouldn't be such an issue ...
The issue with keyboards, on mobile devices, is size and proper feedback.
Even in the golden age of keyboards on phones. The phone was really only good for typing a few sentences, and perhaps a paragraph or two if needed. It in not like typing on a full size keyboard. Where you can place all ten of your fingers on it at once, and type at a really good speed. The best cell phone physical keyboard, is about as good as the worse Chicklet keyboard from the 1980's budget Computers (I will probably consed membrane keyboards are worse).
The touch keyboard while not really an improvement in typing, isn't a major hindrance as well. So your email on your iPhone will take 5 seconds longer to type then on your blackberry, but still having the screen go away and extra reading space. Allows you to read those messages and saving you 10 seconds reading and navigating all you extra emails that do not require a response.
The biggest thing that stops me from getting a tablet (even a phablet) is that they are too big to carry in my pocket, so they are not convent, so I would rather stick with my phone for convince, and a laptop for needing more screen space. A folding display if done well, could be useful, more useful then a fold out keyboard.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
I ended up getting an HP clone of surface but when I was looking at ultraportables I saw that one you're talking about online... Lenovo Yoga Book. I've not seen one in person. Seems like it'd work well for a phone.
You could pair any Bluetooth keyboard with your phone if you have a lot of typing to do. There's some decent compact keyboards that will do the job available on eBay. Any of those RF/USB dongle ones should work with an OTG cable too unless you have an iPhone (last I checked OTG was not available).
For now I would say Apple should focus on making a phone that works at all in the cold. My work phone is an iPhone, and my personal phone has always been some flavour of Android. I work outside quite often at -40 degrees and the iPhone will not work unless it's kept warm somehow, but for some reason none of the Android phones I have owned have ever had a problem.
Adding the phrase "on a folding phone screen" does not make the concept of heating cold-sensitive parts worthy of a patent.