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A new Samsung Patent describes a Possible Future Smartphone with a Mini-Slidable Display Form Factor

1 cover Samsung mini-slidable display based smartphone

Patently Apple's offshoot Patently Mobile began following Samsung's patent trend regarding foldable smartphones back in 2012 that became a reality in 2019 with the Galaxy Fold. We covered dozens of various kinds of foldable patents that could be viewed in our Patently Mobile archives. starting here. At present, Samsung sells two styles of foldables: The Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip.

According to a new Samsung patent published last Thursday by both the U.S. and World IP Organization in Europe, Samsung has invented an all-new type of smartphone, the mini-slidable. While we have covered a series of full size slidable-display based smartphone patents from Samsung like these: 01, 02  and 03; this week's mini-sliable smartphone was a first that we've come across. The patent figures below illustrate this concept.

Samsung's patent FIG. 1 below is a perspective view of a display device according to one or more embodiments; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the display device of FIG. 1 in an extended state.

2 Samsung patent envisions mini scrollable - rollable display smartphone

Samsung's patent describes providing a mini display device that prevents a spring back effect of a metal layer at an end of a sliding display device with a simple structure, alleviates the panel crack problem that occurs when a display panel is compressed into a shape having a curved surface, and has high resistance to impact.

One or more embodiments of this display device include a display panel including a first panel and a second panel, the first panel being located at one side of the second panel in a first direction, a support member configured to support a bottom surface of the display panel and assist in a sliding motion of the display panel in the first direction. 

For more details, review Samsung's patent application here. Our cover graphic represents Samsung's patent FIG. 3 which is an exploded perspective view of the display device of FIG. 1.

Samsung's patent is deadly focused on the display structure and never describes the scrollable-display device in terms of marketing or end use. Knowing their extensive work on rollable/scrollable smartphone devices, it's clear that this patent is simply describing the mechanics of a mini-slidable display based smartphone.

10.0x35 Patently Mobile




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