The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded Apple a patent for a foldable electronic device with touch sensors on February 14th.
Users of the foldable device would be able to use multiple touch points beyond the main display to control features such as volume, the camera, screen brightness and color settings. Think solid state rather than mechanical buttons.
In the patent application, Apple explains: “It can be challenging to gather touch input from a user and to display images for a user efficiently,” Apple writes. “For example, when a user supplies touch input to a touch screen display, the user’s hand may block images that are being displayed on the display. Buttons and other input devices may be used to gather input from a user, but this type of input device may not be as convenient and versatile as a touch sensor.”
“Displays are sometimes not visible from certain directions and may be smaller than desired,” Apple continues. “It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide electronic devices with enhanced touch sensor and display structures.”
“A foldable electronic device may have a flexible transparent wall portion that joins planar transparent walls,” Apple explains. “Components may be interposed between the transparent planar walls and opaque walls. Display and touch layers may be overlapped by the transparent walls and the transparent flexible wall portion. Additional touch layers may be overlapped by the opaque walls.”
Via: MacDailyNews.com
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