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A new Microsoft patent details more of their work on a traditional Foldable Form Factor design that would appeal to Android Developers

1 cover foldable device

On December 29, 2024 Patently Apple posted a Patently Mobile report titled "Microsoft is rethinking Foldable Devices with a new Hinge Patent published this week." This week a new Microsoft patent was published in Europe that does a deep dive into a hinged device with a flexible display.

Microsoft killed off their dual display device known as "Surface Duo" in October. While it was an honest dive into foldable devices, Microsoft chose the wrong form factor. Instead of following the trend that Samsung established with the Galaxy Z fold having o large single flexible display that folded, Microsoft chose to go with two displays with a noticeable and awkward hinge in the middle. Android developers didn't want to support this oddball design, and the device couldn't survived and eventually died. 

2 old foldable form factor  Surface Duo  Msft

This week the European Patent Office officially published a patent application from Microsoft that reveals a new foldable device hinge for a different style of foldable that's more in tune with industry foldable smartphone trends.

Microsoft's patent relates to hinged devices that have flexible displays. One example has first and second portions rotatably secured at a spine from a closed orientation to an open orientation and a flexible display extending from a surface of the first portion across the spine and over a surface of the second portion. The example can include a track defined in the first portion and a display support positioned in the track. An orientation-dependent drive mechanism can be configured to bias the display support along the track toward the surface to support the flexible display in the open orientation of the first and second portions and to allow the display support to move along the track away from the surface in the closed orientation.

The flexible display #114 is shown partially in the cut-away of FIG. 1A below that  reveals underlying components.

2 Microsoft folding device figs

Microsoft's patent FIG. 4C above shows a central portion of the flexible display #114 positioned on the first surface #110 of the first portion #102, across the spine assembly #106 and onto the first surface #110 of the second portion #104; FIG. 8 shows another example device 100C in a zero-degree orientation, 180-degree orientation.

For those that want to review this highly technical patent click here (EP4490590).  The patent was published in Europe on January 15, 2025.

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