/Patent Tracker
AppleGranted patentPhones & computersInterest 7/10

Apple patents foldable screen that warns you if you bend it too fast

Apple has patented a design for a foldable device that uses sensors to monitor how quickly the screen bends. If you fold the device faster than a safe limit, the device will send a warning notification to protect the hardware.

Why it mattersThis feature could prevent users from accidentally damaging expensive foldable screens by folding them too aggressively.

In the filing’s own words

An electronic device may have a hinge that allows the device to be flexed about a bend axis. A display may span the bend axis. The device may have a stainless steel and/or carbon fiber reinforced polymer layer with slots. The slots may overlap the bend axis. The slots may have at least one property that varies in a non-linear manner as a function of position on the layer. The device may include an adhesive layer with a cutout that overlaps the slots. An interface that defines the cutout may have a plurality of recesses with varying depths. A flexible printed circuit may be attached to an edge of the display panel. The display cover layer may overlap a bonding region between the flexible printed circuit and the edge of the display panel. A UV-curable gap filler may be interposed between the flexible printed circuit and the display cover layer.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An electronic device comprising: a flexible display with a first portion, a second portion that is aligned with a bend axis that extends in a first direction, and a third portion, wherein the second portion is interposed between the first and third portions and wherein the first portion is configured to bend relative to the third portion about the bend axis; at least one strain gauge that is aligned with the bend axis, wherein data from the at least one strain gauge is used to determine a speed associated with bending the flexible display; control circuitry configured to determine if the speed associated with bending the flexible display is greater than a maximum recommended speed; and an output device configured to output a notification when the speed associated with bending the flexible display is greater than the maximum recommended speed.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
Electronic devices with flexible displays
Patent number
US12737009B2
Application number
18762440
Filed
Jul 2, 2024
Granted
Sep 15, 2026
Inventors
7
Claims
20

Classified under

G06F 1/1652 Physics & computingG01L 1/2281 Physics & computing
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

More from Apple in Phones & computers

Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.