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SamsungPatent applicationPhones & computersInterest 6/10

Samsung patents foldable phone design with antenna on the hinge

Samsung has filed a patent for a foldable electronic device that uses the hinge area to improve signal reception. The design places an antenna on one side of the fold and a matching slot on the other so they face each other when the device is closed. This alignment allows electrical currents to flow in sync, which helps maintain a strong connection while the phone is folded.

Why it mattersThis is interesting because foldable phones often struggle with signal strength when folded, so finding new ways to use the hinge area for antennas could lead to better performance in a compact form factor.

In the filing’s own words

An electronic device may include: a first housing including a plurality of first side areas; a second housing including a third surface and a plurality of second side areas; and a hinge connecting the first housing and the second housing, wherein the plurality of first side areas can include a first segment and an antenna extending from the first segment, the plurality of second side areas can include a first ground and a slot extending from the first ground, and, in a folded state, the slot is disposed to substantially face the antenna such that a current having the same phase can flow through the slot and the antenna.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An electronic device comprising: a first housing comprising a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a plurality of first side surface areas connecting the first surface to the second surface; a second housing comprising a third surface, a fourth surface opposite to the third surface, and a plurality of second side surface areas connecting the third surface to the fourth surface; and a hinge connecting the first housing and the second housing, and configured to operate between a folded state in which the first surface and the third surface face each other and an unfolded state in which the first surface and the third surface do not face each other, wherein the plurality of first side surface areas comprise a first split unit comprising a non-conductive material and an antenna in a shape extending from the first split unit, the plurality of second side surface areas comprise a first ground unit comprising a conductive material and a slot in a shape extending from the first ground unit, and the slot is disposed to substantially face the antenna in the folded state, such that currents of a same phase flow in the slot and the antenna.

Facts

Company
Samsung (SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.)
Official title
ELECTRONIC DEVICE COMPRISING ANTENNA
Publication number
US20260291048A1
Application number
19684602
Filed
May 21, 2026
Published
Sep 24, 2026
Inventors
10
Claims
20

Classified under

H01Q 1/22 Electricity & electronicsH01Q 1/42 Electricity & electronics
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.