Samsung is planning to invent an ejectable S Pen in their Galaxy Note devices, which is going to improve user experience.
Samsung recently filed a patent on the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office relating to an innovation of the S Pen, which is paired with their Samsung Galaxy Note devices, such as the Galaxy Note 5.
The invention points to an "automatically ejectable input touch pen system" that can stay locked and be released through a special voice command or gesture.
"What's unique about this invention is that the pen could stay locked into the smartphone and only released until the user provides a special voice command and/or gesture," said Patently Mobile.
Magnets will play crucial parts in this invention. The company will insert two electromagnets in Galaxy Note devices (such as Galaxy Note 5) and a magnet in the S Pen. Then Samsung will make their Note devices "sense an automatic ejection."
When power is supplied, the first electromagnet would push the S Pen magnet toward the pen hole through repulsion, making it ejectable. The second electromagnet will be used to pull the S Pen magnet inside the pen hole. Magnets repel if they have similar poles or attract if having opposite poles.
"Thus, the magnet of the touch pen may move from a location at which the first electromagnet is located, to a location at which the second electromagnet is located, and as a result, the touch pen may be ejected from the Galaxy Note (or electronic device) according to the distance between the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet," explained Patently Mobile.
It should also be noted that a locking mechanism is also going to be included in the invention so that the S Pen will hold it, preventing it from being dropped. Further, Samsung will make the locking mechanism of this Galaxy Note sensitive enough to detect basic "shape gesture" on the display or a simple "voice command" to eject the S Pen.
Thus is the concept of an ejectable stylus.
It is uncertain if Samsung will include this S Pen feature in their upcoming Galaxy Note 5 as the patent was filed back in Q4 2015. Nevertheless, having this kind of feature would be welcomed.
As for the Galaxy Note 5 release date, it is speculated to be around September this year.
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