Screen and Keyboard Fold Too... Samsung Obtains Patent for 'Foldable Laptop'

Patent drawings of Samsung Electronics' 'Multi-Foldable Electronic Device' recently approved by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
[Image source=SamMobile homepage]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Samsung Electronics has opened the possibility of producing a laptop that can fold not only the screen but also the keyboard.

According to industry sources on the 15th, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) recently granted final approval for a patent Samsung Electronics registered last July under the name "multi-foldable electronic device."

According to the drawings in Samsung Electronics' patent, the multi-foldable electronic device has the form of a conventional laptop with a structure that allows the display and keyboard to be separated. The core of this patent is that both the display and keyboard can be folded in half, reducing the volume to about one-quarter of the original laptop size. The separated parts each contain a battery and wiring, and the processor and microcontroller are expected to be housed in only one of these parts.

This flexible display folds horizontally like a book. When the keyboard is needed, it can be connected and used, and when only the screen is needed, it can be used in tablet form. If only the keyboard is detached, it becomes a large "foldable tablet." According to the patent, the device also supports "S Pen" handwriting input.

Products in the form of PCs with detachable displays and keyboards or laptops with foldable screens have already been released on the market. Microsoft's Surface Book, Lenovo Yoga, and ASUS's new product "ZenBook 17 Fold OLED" are representative examples. However, there has been no product in which the laptop's keyboard is detached and each part can be folded in half.

It is uncertain whether Samsung Electronics will commercialize this patent as an actual product. Instead, the industry views this as an attempt to innovate various forms of form factors focusing on enhancing user experience.