Yesterday we posted a report titled "A new Video Roundup of iPhone Rumors points to 120hz Always-on-Displays, Stronger MagSafe Magnets, Astrophotography and more." Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple a patent that relates to displays with multiple refresh rate modes.

Apple notes that displays may be operable at a native refresh rate that is equal to the highest refresh rate at which the display has full resolution. When operating at the native refresh rate, each row of pixels may be scanned sequentially.

Displays may also be operable in a high refresh rate mode with a high refresh rate. In the high refresh rate mode, the display may operate at a refresh rate that is twice the native refresh rate, three times the native refresh rate, or four times the native refresh rate (as examples).

The native refresh rate may be 120 Hz and the high refresh rate may be 240 Hz, as one example. The native refresh rate may be 60 Hz and the high refresh rate may be 120 Hz, 180 Hz, or 240 Hz, as another example.

Apple's patent FIG. 2 below is a schematic diagram of an illustrative display; FIG. 3 is a state diagram showing how a display of the type shown in FIG. 2 may be operable in both a native refresh rate mode and a high refresh rate mode.

While the primary device will be an iPhone, the invention could extend to other devices over time, according to the patent, such as an iPad, Apple Watch, eyeglasses, an HMD, a television, an automobile and more.

Apple's granted patent 10,923,012 was filed in March 2020 and published today by the U.S. Patent Office.