Last year we got our first real look at the Samsung Galaxy X or Flex, a foldable smartphone that comes with a folding screen which flattens out to function as a tablet-sized 2-in-1 device. The device uses Infinity Flex Display and new materials to make it functional.

Today, we discovered a series of patents that were published yesterday and the patent details foldable devices with various different characteristics. The design, however, remains same in the drawings.

Tri-fold foldable device patent

This patent is called ‘Display Device’ and it shows off a tri-fold foldable device. The device can be folded in three areas. The patent can be viewed here.

Here is the explanation:

A display device includes first and second guide plates facing each other, a pair of first and second guide rails disposed in the first and second guide plates, a first supporting plate disposed between the first guide rails and of the first and second guide plates, the first supporting plate having opposite end portions fixed to a first position of the first and second guide plates, a second supporting plate having opposite end portions coupled to the pair of first guide rails, a third supporting plate having opposite end portions coupled to the pair of second guide rails, and a display panel supported by at least one of the first to third supporting plates. The pair of first guide rails extends from the first position to a second position. The pair of second guide rails extends from the first position to a third position.

Foldable device with a software interface

The above drawing of the patent with the same title was also published yesterday and it shows off the device running mobile and tablet interface in two different figures. The patent can be viewed here.

Here’s the description:

An expandable display device includes: a housing including a fixing portion; a pair of sliding portions provided at respective sides of the fixing portion, each of the sliding portions being configured to be drawn out from the housing along a first direction such that a distance from the respective sliding portion to the fixing portion is changed; and a panel unit including: a fixing display unit on the fixing portion; and a pair of expanding display units on the pair of sliding portions and having a variable exposing area; a flexible display panel including a plurality of pixels and having a screen at a first side thereof; and a support panel attached to a second side of the flexible display panel facing the first side, the support panel including a plurality of slits extending in a second direction crossing the first direction.