Samsung applies folding tablet patent to challenge Apple iPad

April 18 news, according to Forbes magazine reports, South Korean technology giant Samsung has been testing the concept of collapsible display, and now has applied for a patent for a multi-foldable tablet.

According to foreign media reports, South Korea's Samsung Electronics has recently applied for a patent for a collapsible tablet computer it has developed. The patent shows that the android tablet has three screens, one of which is the main screen and the other two are foldable screens. And, the tablet PC screen can perform two completely different folding ways, and different folding methods have corresponding different functions. For example, folding the screen outwards can make the keyboard, and the screen at the top of the home screen can serve as a notification board. The user can also fold all two screens as the cover of the home screen. In addition, there are reports that the tablet also has telephone capabilities. Because the tablet has a folding function, it can effectively overcome the uncomfortable feeling caused by the excessive length and weight of the tablet when making a call.

Patently Mobile, a website that pays special attention to patent applications, believes that this patent shows that Samsung will continue to try different types of screens on mobile devices. The patent shows that multiple different folds provide different functions. For example, the lower flap can act as a large keyboard after folding and the upper flap can serve as a notification bar on the main screen. Or two extra screens fold up to create a smart cover for the home screen.

Interestingly, the patent also briefly mentions the ability to use a tablet to talk in the third way. It is not unheard of to use cell phones in tablets, but this is very rare. To a large extent, this is because huge tablets are too bulky to coordinate with our faces. But this is precisely why foldable technology is so important: mobile phones can become tablets, and tablets can also become mobile phones. And, as Samsung demonstrated in this patent, flexible devices do not have to be folded once. Multiple parts of this device can be flexibly moved to form entirely new form factors.

Samsung is taking this opportunity to challenge Apple’s dominance in the tablet PC market and revive this shrinking market. However, this is of course only a patent, so there is no guarantee that it will become a commodity into the market. For companies, applying for a patent is commonplace, but it does not necessarily turn a patent into a commodity. However, taking into account Samsung's public statement on the development of flexible OLED technology and its launch in 2013 of a very similar tablet, if the tablet is not on the market, it may surprise many people.