According to PatentlyApple reports, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially announced a patent application from Apple today. The patent covers future foldable devices, including iPhones, hybrid tablets, laptops and other products. . The patent application proposes a way to chemically create textured glass at folds to prevent it from cracking. It was reported earlier that a research report released by famous analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that the foldable iPad-MacBook hybrid device may achieve mass production in 2027.
The patent is titled “Electronic Devices With Folding Displays Having Textured Flexible Areas.” The patent describes a foldable electronic device with a flexible display embedded in a foldable body and capable of bending along the folding axis. The surface of the screen is covered with a transparent glass cover. In order to allow the cover to bend when the device is folded, the patent proposes a process of etching elongated grooves on the glass cover to make the glass in this area thinner and thus Achieve bending. The grooves are filled with polymer material, which on the one hand smoothes the inner surface of the cover, and on the other hand the rough texture of the filler surface helps reduce light reflection.
The patent comes with multiple schematic diagrams, the first of which shows a foldable device that can be a mobile phone, a tablet, or a laptop. When users need to watch the content on the display, they can unfold it into a tablet form, and fold it for easy portability.
The patent also mentions that the polymer in the groove can be injected by liquid infusion and then cured by ultraviolet irradiation, heating or other curing processes. The polymer can be made of flexible materials such as silicone or acrylate. The rough texture on the surface of the cover not only helps to fix the polymer, but also allows light to gradually pass through the interface between the glass and the polymer, reducing light reflection.
Finally, the patent points out that the inner and outer surfaces of the cover can also be treated through a chemical strengthening process to form a reinforced layer that is more wear-resistant and scratch-resistant. For example, replacing sodium ions on the glass surface with potassium ions through an ion exchange process can introduce compressive stress to the glass surface, thereby improving its resistance to damage.
