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ApplePatent applicationPhones & computersInterest 6/10

Apple patents hinge design that flattens flexible screens when opened

Apple describes a device with a bendable screen that folds in half using a special hinge. The housing includes internal parts that push outward when the device is opened to keep the screen flat and prevent it from creasing.

Why it mattersThis filing details how Apple might solve the common issue of visible creases in foldable phones by using mechanical pressure to smooth the display.

In the filing’s own words

An electronic device may have a flexible display that overlaps an axis. The display may be supported by a housing. The housing may have first and second portions that rotate relative to each other about the axis. The housing may be placed in an unfolded configuration to support the display in a planar state. The housing may also be placed in a folded configuration by rotating the first and second portions relative to each other. A hinge mechanism may be used to ensure adequate separation between the first and second portions when the housing is bent. Movable flaps may be retracted when the housing is bent to create room for a bent portion of the display.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An electronic device, comprising: a flexible display that bends about a bend axis and that has first and second portions on opposing sides of the bend axis; and a housing having: a first housing portion having a first plate to which the first portion of the flexible display is attached, a first inner member, and a first biasing structure that biases the first inner member away from the first plate to help flatten the flexible display when the flexible display is unfolded about the bend axis; and a second housing portion having a second plate to which the second portion of the flexible display is attached, a second inner member, and a second biasing structure that biases the second inner member away from the second plate to help flatten the flexible display when the flexible display is unfolded about the bend axis.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
Electronic Devices With Flexible Displays And Hinges
Publication number
US20260277281A1
Application number
19684443
Filed
May 21, 2026
Published
Sep 17, 2026
Inventors
4
Claims
20

Classified under

G06F 1/1681 Physics & computingG06F 1/1652 Physics & computingG06F 1/1618 Physics & computing
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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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.