Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 51 newly granted utility patents for Apple Inc. In this particular report we briefly cover a future foldable device patent. More specifically, the display cover layer may include a layer with self-healing properties. The layer of self-healing material may be formed across the entire display cover layer or may be formed only in the flexible region of the display cover layer. And as always, we wrap up this week's granted patent report with our traditional listing of the remaining granted patents that were issued to Apple this week.

Electronic Devices With Flexible Display Cover Layers

Apple's granted patent notes that during operation of an electronic device, the display cover layer for the electronic device may be scratched or dented. To improve the aesthetics of the electronic device, it may be desirable for the presence of scratches and dents to be minimized. To help mitigate the number of dents, scratches, or other imperfections in a display cover layer, the display cover layer may include a layer of self-healing material.

The layer of self-healing material may be formed across the entire display cover layer or may be formed only in the flexible region of the display cover layer. The display cover layer may include a layer of elastomer in the flexible region of the display cover layer for increased flexibility. The layer of self-healing material may cover the layer of elastomer in the flexible region.

Self-healing may occur in the layer of self-healing material without prompting (e.g., when the self-healing coating is dented, the material of the coating may fill the dent even without external intervention). Alternatively, the self-healing may be initiated or expedited by externally applied heat, light, electric current, or other type of external stimulus.

When heat is used as a stimulus for the self-healing process, the display cover layer may include transparent conductors that form a heating layer in the display cover layer. The heating layer may be used to generate heat to stimulate self-healing. The heating layer may be used to generate heat in response to user input, according to a predetermined schedule, or when the electronic device is charging.

To promote flexibility in the display cover layer, the display cover layer may include a transparent dielectric layer with slits. The slits may be filled with an index-matching material.

Apple's patent FIG. 1 below is a general graphic representing a device that appears like a foldable iPhone, though Apple states that it could be an iPad or a MacBook (or hybrid); FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of a display that includes a display cover layer with a layer of self-healing material; FIG. 18 is a top view of an illustrative transparent dielectric layer including slits.

As shown in FIG. 2, input-output devices #52 may include display #14 which may be a touch screen that incorporates a two-dimensional touch sensor that may be formed from an array of capacitive touch electrodes touch sensor or other touch sensor components (e.g., force sensors, resistive touch sensors, acoustic touch sensors, optical sensors, etc.): FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of a display showing how a display cover layer may have a flexible portion interposed between rigid portions.

Apple's patent FIG. 10 above is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative display in which the display cover layer includes a self-healing coating across the display cover layer and an elastomer layer in the flexible region of the display cover layer.  

Patent FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative display having a display cover layer with three transparent dielectric layers that include slits in a flexible region of the display cover layer. 

Apple's invention may apply to any foldable device such as an iPhone, iPad, hybrid iPad-notebook, a foldable monitor and foldable iMac.   

For full details, review granted patent 11991901.

This Week's Remaining Granted Patents