An Apple patent focuses on delivering Durable Folding Displays while introducing the use of a Third-Glass Layer
Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a patent application from Apple that covers an electronic device that may be provided with a foldable housing. The housing may have first and second portions that are coupled by a hinge for rotation about a bend axis. Apple also introduces the use of a "third glass layer" as part of the device's construction.
A foldable display may be mounted to the foldable housing. The foldable display may have a display cover layer and a flexible display panel. The foldable display may bend around a bend axis. The display panel may have an array of pixels configured to display an image through the display cover layer.
The display cover layer may be formed from a layer of glass. A recess may be formed in the layer of glass that extends along the bend axis. The recess may form a flexible locally thinned portion in the layer of glass that allows the glass layer to bend about the bend axis.
To ensure that the display cover layer exhibits satisfactory impact resistance during drop events, corner portions and other edge portions of the display cover layer may have increased thickness relative to other portions of the display cover layer outside of the locally thinned portion.
The hinge and/or other structures in the display may be configured to help hold the display flat when unfolded during normal use, while causing the display to slightly fold about the bend axis when the electronic device is jolted during a drop event. This helps prevent the display from impacting a surface while fully opened.
For other details, review the patent figures and notes below.
Today, Apple updated this patent with 20 new patent claims wherein they primarily focused on updating features related to the foldable device hinge, a spring-loaded mechanism while introducing a new facet of a foldable device relating to "a third glass layer," which appears in patent claims #13, 14 and 16 as follows:
Claim #13: An electronic device, comprising: a flexible display panel that is configured to bend about a bend axis; and a display cover layer overlapping the flexible display panel, wherein the display cover layer comprises: a first glass layer that overlaps the bend axis; a second glass layer with a gap that forms a recess that extends along the bend axis; and a third glass layer non-overlapping with the recess.
Claim #14: The electronic device defined in claim 13, further comprising a first polymer layer interposed between the first and second glass layers and a second polymer layer interposed between the second and third glass layers.
Claim #16: The electronic device defined in claim 13, wherein the display cover layer has corner areas and wherein the third glass layer overlaps the corner areas.
In four patent claims, Apple focuses on protecting their "Spring-loaded cam mechanism" and "Spring-loaded pin." In context, patent claim #3 notes: The electronic device defined in claim 2, wherein the spring-loaded cam mechanism comprises a cam wheel mounted on a hinge shaft that rotates relative to a spring-loaded pin as the foldable housing is folded and unfolded."
To review the full details of this invention, included the full 20 new patent claims, check out patent application 20240324131.