Apple’s New Patents Hint At Possible Folding iPhone With Waterfall Screen

If newly-filed patents are to be believed, Apple could soon follow in the footsteps of its competitors and debut a folding iPhone, complete with a waterfall screen that turns every surface inch of the device into a touchscreen.

First spotted by AppleInsider, the US Patent and Trademark Office recently awarded the technology giant several new patents, some of which involve detailed input capabilities that could appear on future devices.

The patents depict a gadget covered in layers of touch sensors that are “overlapped” by its outer panels. As per the description, these sensors would be embedded under glass on the front, bottom, and “curved sidewalls” of the iPhone.

According to Gizmodo, this feature would mean that users would be able to use nearly all of the device’s surface area as a working touchscreen, though it did point out that the design could possibly mean phone cases become a thing of the past.

As per Apple’s description, the “foldable electronic device[s]” could work as a touchable surface, even with a clamshell design, by using an “elastomeric material” that allows for the device to bend according to the user’s fancy.

Sensors placed in the sidewall of the smartphone could potentially be used as volume controls, camera shutters, or other forms of sliders, such as to adjust the phone’s brightness, and may be made from “transparent and opaque materials.”

In addition, sensors on the backplate of the iPhone could endear Apple to gamers, with the patents stating that the functions could be used in “gaming applications” so as to dedicate most of the display screen to the action.

Last but not least, the patent points out a possible extra enclosure that would allow for the device “to be folded one or more times along one or more fold axes.” Could this come in extra handy for users with smaller pocket space?

While it’s still uncertain if Apple will ever get around to releasing a foldable iPhone, the patents’ design features no doubt point towards a more innovative form of touchscreens that could soon grace our smartphones.

[via AppleInsider and Gizmodo, images via various sources]