San Francisco (CNN Business) Apple has won a patent for a foldable screen that could be used on iPhones and other devices.

The patent , granted Tuesday by the US Patent and Trademark Office, describes an electronic device with a display and cover that are flexible or bendable.

Companies, including Apple, often patent ideas that never come to fruition, and the item described in an application doesn't necessarily have to be feasible for the patent to be granted.

The application was filed in January 2018 and is among a series of patent applications Apple has made around the idea of a foldable display. Patently Apple was the first to report that the patent had been granted.

"Foldable phones and 5G represent the next generation of smartphones in the coming years," said Daniel Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities.

Apple has won a patent for a foldable screen that could be used on iPhones and other devices.