Qualcomm wants to patent foldable touchscreens

Qualcomm wants a patent on foldable touchscreens, according to an application with the US patent office. The screen consists of three panels and the interface can be adapted to the way the device is folded.

The American Qualcomm wants to integrate different devices in a housing with the foldable touchscreen, as one says patent application to see. The screen consists of three separate touch panels attached to each other. When the three parts are completely folded, the screen can serve as a smartphone. Fully unfolded, the surface comes into its own as a tablet.

The patent application states that the interface may change with the way the screen is folded. For example, with the folding touchscreen a netbook can be made by folding one part. One part of the screen then acts as a keyboard, while the other two parts show the graphical interface.

Qualcomm will probably use OLEDs for the foldable touchscreen. This screen type does not require a backlight to function and can therefore be manufactured thinner than conventional LCDs. It is not known whether the manufacturer actually has products with a folding screen in the pipeline.