Apple registered a number of patents with the United States Patent Registry Office (USPTO), and one of them is a patent related to a folding screen cellphone.
In this patent there is an interesting thing, namely the use of touch sensors in all parts of the cellphone body, not just on the screen. The touch sensor can later be used to adjust the volume, screen brightness level, and so on.
In the illustration made by Apple, it can be seen that this technology is used for a folding screen cellphone whose design is similar to the Samsung Galaxy Flip. The difference is that in this patent, Apple wants to use a special layer containing a touch sensor that will be installed on all parts of the cellphone.
The goal is that users can interact with cellphones without needing to open the cellphone screen, which is considered to make the cellphone more user friendly, we were quoted as saying from Techspot, Sunday (19/2/2023).
"It would be difficult to gather touch input from the user and display images efficiently. For example, when a user enters touch input on a touchscreen, the user's hand may cover the image currently displayed on the screen," Apple wrote in its registration document.
Apple considers this kind of touch sensor to have more functions than physical buttons. The point is, the sensor can have more than one function. For example, when the cellphone is folded, the sensor functions to receive or reject phone calls.
Meanwhile, when the cellphone is folded, this sensor can be deactivated or its function can be moved to the edge of the device. Or for example when listening to a song when the cellphone is folded, the sensor can function to adjust the song, volume, search for other songs, and so on. Then when the cellphone is opened, the controls are moved to the screen.
Even though it seems more suitable for folding screen cellphones, this patent can actually be used on iPhones with the current design. Moreover, several leaks say that Apple will eventually abandon the physical buttons on their HP and replace them with touch sensors complete with haptic feedback.
But keep in mind, even though this patent has been filed and approved by the USPTO, it does not mean that Apple will make a device with this patent. The reason is that there are many patents registered by Apple -- and many other companies -- that don't end up as mass products.