A patent doesn't always equate to a launched product, but a new patent leak from Samsung builders is something that people will most probably want to see happening in the near future.
A patent published by the USPTO on November 26 shows that Samsung is trying to put together scrollable, foldable smartphones and tables, says Gadgets NDTV. The design of such devices will of course require flexible displays, which Samsung has been working on for three years now.
It's hard to imagine what a scrollable handset can really look like, but drawings show a spine with a screen that can be pulled out. The other smartphone build illustrated shows a foldable smartphone, in which the top half of the device droops over the bottom half - and both the front and back have a screen on them, says Tech Radar.
Another design shows a device that looks like a book, using a hinge like system. The front cover contains the display, and then opening the device creates a larger display that makes it a tablet. The device also appears to have a bendable screen and body, but the patent does not give information on what materials they are made of.
Samsung has spent a considerable amount of time trying to develop flexible displays, one of its first efforts first shown at CES 2013, and a the first prototype unveiled in a private meant in CES 2014. Since then, there have been numerous rumours claiming that 2016 will be the year that the world will see foldable displays, says Digital Trends.
The patents could be for Samsung's upcoming project that the company is calling, "Project Valley" or "Project V," which will be unveiled in January of 2016 and may make an appearance at CES 2016 as well.
The patent applications were filed in the US and published earlier this month. However, there were earlier filings in 2014 in South Korea, Samsung's home country.
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