Patent ID: 10110717

Abstract:
A smartphone with flexible folding screen of the current invention comprises: a front body and a back body connected by hinges on the side, an exterior screen on the outer cover of the front body, a large flexible folding inner screen covering the inner covers of the front and back bodies, and a keyboard below the flexible screen. The invention further comprises a connection element with two ends in shape of rods serving as pins for the hinges connecting the front and back bodies and a long center portion having a flat surface on one side as a support plate for the flexible screen. The axis line of the rod ends is slightly above the surface of the support plate. The invention further comprises two swing panels on two sides of the support plate and the swing panels are flexibly jointed to the inner covers on the far side from the support plate and are isolated on other three sides. The swing panel, therefore, can swing downward when pressed from above. The front body and the back body have empty spaces underneath the swing panels to allow the swing panels to swing downward. The axis of the hinges is at or slightly above the surface level of the flexible screen so that the smartphone can fold fully. The flexible screen is permanently attached to the inner covers but is separated from or partially attached to the swing panels. The invention further comprises a plurality of mechanisms to control the swings of the swing panels to ensure a flat backing support for the flexible screen when the smartphone is at the full open position. When the smartphone is in open position, the support plate and the swing panel are at the same level with the inner covers of the front and back bodies and they together thereby provide smooth backing for the flexible screen. When the phone is in the folded position, the folding of the flexible screen results in curved folding of the flexible screen along the center line and the curving produces pressure on the swing panels and force the swing panels to swing toward the outer covers so that when the smartphone is in fully folded position the flexible screen has a curved folding along the center line and thereby has achieved folding without causing a crease to the flexible screen.