The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 58 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In this particular report we cover a possible future digital periodical that Apple has evolved over time. The device has evolved into being a new scrollable device form factor that continues to be updated to reflect Apple's vision.

Apple's granted patent states that the invention relates to an apparatus and method for delivering mass media and multimedia information to a digital periodical or advertising device preferably using Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and having an electronic flexible screen or display.

Apple's invention has been evolving over time. In a report in 2016 we noted that Apple had updated their invention in a continuation patent that noted the following: "Patent claim 5 states that the electronic device comprises of a housing, wherein the flexible display is configured to collapse and roll up into the housing. The patent claims further noted that the flexible display is stored in the housing in a first mode and expanded out of the housing in a second mode. The device could be circular or cubical in design.

In 2017 Apple began to introduce a scrollable device form factor that was in-line with Apple's vision of a digital periodical as described in patent figure 5 noted above and seen below.

In 2020 Apple once again expanded on the idea of a scrollable device form factor as seen in the patent figure below.

In today's granted patent, Apple is seen to have updated their patent claims that differ from those listed in their last granted patent published in 2019 as follows:  

1. An electronic device having a front face, a rear face, and a central axis of rotation that bisects the front face, the electronic device comprising: a housing; a first display coupled to the housing, wherein the first display is configured to display content at the front face; a second display coupled to the housing, wherein the second display is configured to display content at the rear face; one or more sensors configured to obtain sensor data; and circuitry configured to turn off the first display and display content on the second display in response to the sensor data identifying a rotation around the central axis of rotation.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprises a motion sensor.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1, further comprising: a third display coupled to the housing.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3, wherein the first and second displays are configured to collapse into the housing and wherein the third display is viewable when the first and second displays are collapsed into the housing.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 3, wherein the first and second displays are configured to roll up into the housing and wherein the third display is viewable when the first and second displays are rolled up into the housing.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the first display is a first flexible display and the second display is a second flexible display.

7. An electronic device having first and second opposing surfaces and an axis of rotation that extends through a center of the first surface, the electronic device comprising: a housing; a first display coupled to the housing and configured to display content at the first surface; a second display coupled to the housing and configured to display content at the second surface; one or more sensors configured to detect rotation of the electronic device about the axis of rotation; and circuitry configured to: display content on only the first display while the first surface faces a front of the electronic device; and load content on the second display and stop displaying content on the first display in response to the one or more sensors detecting rotation of the second display to the front of the electronic device.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7, wherein the one or more sensors comprises a motion sensor.

Apple's granted patent 10,802,543 was published today by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The interesting aspect of this invention is that Apple wanted protection for this form factor as others like Samsung were beginning to patent the scrollable device form factor. The patent actually dates back to 2008 where we see that the invention came from Harry Vartanian of HJ Laboratories, LLC. Along the patent chain, Apple acquired this invention. That's why over time Apple has updated its patent claims to reflect their vision of the scrollable device and has since, as pointed out in this report, clarified the form factor and its functionality that was lacking in the acquired patent.