Samsung may be working on a new tablet with an expandable display. The South Korean tech giant has submitted a patent application that shows a tablet shell with a flexible display that can be expanded along a single plane. Interestingly, the display can be independently expanded in two different directions, giving users more control over the size of the display. Samsung says that such displays will solve the problem of consumers having to choose between small displays and large displays.
Samsung patent application describes expandable display
The patent application was listed on the website of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which is affiliated with the United Nations (UN). The applicant’s name was stated to be Samsung Electronics and publication number was WO/2024/150990. The patent application includes a series of drawings explaining the mechanism of the tablet’s expandable display and a description of each drawing.
Image from Samsung’s patent application
Photo Credit: WIPO
According to the application, Samsung’s flexible extendable display technology aims to address the limitations of foldable smartphones. The company says that while foldable phones allow users to reduce the size of the device by half, “users cannot feel free to choose the screen size as per their preference” as it only offers two positions Single -screen (folded) state and dual -screen (open) state.
In the patent, the company offers a solution in terms of a new design that involves a tablet-shaped shell that is capable of expanding and shrinking in size along a single plane. A flexible display is used for extension, and the movement is triggered by a guiding unit and a driving unit.
As per the picture, a diagonal mechanism has been placed within the device that can extend the display in any direction. Samsung says expansion can happen either in both directions or in one direction simultaneously, giving users more control over the size of the display.
The driving unit is described as a gear system where 10 gears are placed on the base shell, 10 on the first side shell, five on the second side shell, six on the third side and seven on the fourth side shell. These gears move together to control the expansion of the display. According to the patent application, the guiding unit is “configured to receive additional flexible screens synchronously” when the shell contracts, or released when the shell expands.
Although such a device would offer a new form factor to the consumer, it should be noted that a patent application is not confirmation of the development of a device. Even after receiving the patent, Samsung may or may not unveil the design to the public in the coming years.
