A continuation patent from Apple shows that they're still working on a Future Flip-Style iPhone with a unique air-permeable structure
Late this morning Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo touched on 2H25 by pointing to an ultra-thin iPhone (with the thinnest part around 5.5mm) and a foldable iPhone, which is in the planning stage.
Talking about a foldable iPhone, the U.S. Patent Office published Apple's fourth patent application (a continuation patent) for a foldable iPhone in the form of a flip phone.
While I personally hope that Apple is also working on a book-style foldable for down the road pricing pressures in the short term will likely demand that they enter this segments with a flip styled iPhone first.
The thing about patents is that they present a concept. The patent images that are part of this "utility patent" don't represent the finished design. The patent figures represent a general concept only. So don't get discouraged at the basic design.
When looking at Apple's patent FIG. 19A below we see physical components like a keypad and a plurality of physical button. And they do in support that. Apple's patent FIG. 7 confirms that physical components are considered an option.
However, further into the patent Apple provides the design an option in patent point #0067 which states: "the top surface may include input devices such as keypads, directional pads, touch sensors, keyboard, touch- and/or force-sensitive input devices. The top surface may also be referred to as an input surface."
One of the key aspects of Apple's flip phone design relates to patent figure 19B below that points to #1910 an air-permeable structure.
Apple notes that the air-permeable structure may be any suitable structure, such as a series of rods, filaments, shaped (e.g., corrugated) sheets, fibers, an open-cell foam, or the like, that extend between the front member #1906 and the back member 1908.
The rods, filaments, fibers, foam, or shaped sheets may be formed from or include any suitable material, such as carbon fiber, polymer, metal, ceramic, polymer, composite materials, or the like. The air-permeable structure may structurally and at least semi-rigidly couple the back member to the front member. For example, the air-permeable structure may be sufficiently rigid to prevent substantial movement or flexing of the back member during normal use of the device.
The permeability of the air-permeable structure may allow air to flow through the structure to facilitate cooling of the device. For example, as shown in FIG. 19B above, which is a side view of the device, air may enter one end of the air-permeable structure #1910 (e.g., at arrow #1914) and pass through the air-permeable structure by exiting at another location #1918.
The air flow may be due to natural convection or forced air (e.g., from a fan). In the latter case, a fan may be included in the display portion or the base portion and configured to direct air flow through the air-permeable structure.
The air-permeable structure may be configured to assist in cooling the display portion #1904 or the base portion #1902. In order to move heat from the base portion to the air-permeable structure, the device (flip phone)may include a thermally conductive conduit #1912 that extends from the base portion to the display portion and thermally couples one or more heat generating components within the base portion to the air-permeable structure.
For full details, including 20 new patent claims, review Apple's patent application 20250013274. There were 19 Apple engineers given credit for the invention.
Oddly enough, two of the new patent claims continue to support physical buttons on the flip phone. Patent Claims #9 and #10 state: (9) The electronic device of claim 8, wherein: the top layer comprises an opening in the top surface; and the electronic device comprises a button mechanism positioned in the opening; (10). The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the button mechanism comprises a dome switch coupled to the electrically operative layer.
For more on Ming-Chi Kuo's supply chain report, click here.