The patent, which was registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on February 13, features an unusual design that combines a traditional folding hinge with an extendable roll-up display.
While we’ve seen products with separate foldable and rollable displays before, we’ve never before seen the two technologies combined into one.
At first glance, the device looks like the Galaxy Z Fold. But instead of a cover screen, it has a roll-up screen on one end, which can be unfolded to create a wider screen.
Keep the same screen thickness
When folded, the screen unfolds to allow you to check notifications or interact with certain widgets without opening the device like you would with a cover screen.
With foldable screens, the more you bend the screen, the thicker the device becomes. But the combination of foldable and rollable technologies could allow you to extend the screen while maintaining the same thickness of the device.
Of course, not all patents lead to product launches. So it’s unclear whether we’ll ever see a product with the patented technology.
However, Samsung has already proven that it can make a foldable phone, so this concept could become a reality. But it will likely be a few more years before the display is used in an actual product.
Source: “ZDNet Korea”