Apple updates patent details on foldable iPhone

       Apple has applied for a number of patents for foldable iPhones. One of the granted patents is for an "electronic device with a slidable expandable display screen," and Apple has just updated the patent.

　　Apple stated in the patent that electronic devices often include a touch screen display that can be used in mobile phones or other portable devices to display information to users and collect user input. If care is not taken, the display may not provide enough screen space to display information of interest to the user. At the same time, it is difficult to enlarge the size of the electronic device too much to accommodate a larger display because this may make the device too bulky.

　　Apple's original version of the patent explicitly states that the proposal is for a device with a front and a back. This could mean either a book-like device that opens, or a back cover on the iPhone.

　　The newer version avoids this ambiguity and incorporates a wider range of possibilities. The electronic device will have a housing that is configured to move between an extended state and an unextended state.

　　The updated version repeatedly emphasizes previous details and makes the scope of the patent application broader. It describes a foldable iPhone, in which case expanding or opening the display means revealing a previously hidden screen. When needed, an expanded screen can be pulled out from the side of the iPhone. Apple said that when the shell is in an unexpanded state, a portion of the flexible display can be stored in the internal area of ​​the shell, and in the unexpanded state, the flexible display may have one or more bends and may flip on itself one or more times.