Fujifilm prepares to get in on the foldables game with its first device patent

Patents or other claims for foldable devices are getting more and more common these days. However, the source of a recent example of these comes from a potentially unexpected source. Fujifilm has had its IP for such a product published by the US Patents and Trademarks Office (USPTO) as of September 9, 2021.

This OEM is not typically associated with the technology described in this document; however, the company does in fact already have a patent for a flexible display, filed back in 2017. This screen - or possibly a newer generation of the same - features prominently in this newer claim.

The device in question incorporates this main display in a form-factor very similar to that of the Galaxy Z Fold3 or Huawei Mate X2, secondary "cover" screen and all. Then again, the Fujifilm version exhibits a noticeable chin under both panels, making it look more like a reader in its current form.

Fujifilm also proposes that its take on this category would contain a processor and an OS, necessary to effect the transition of various content types from one display to the other. (In fact, much of the 51-page document is dedicated to diagrams outlining this ability.) This, apparently, enhances work-flow on the hypothetical foldable.

Finally, Fujifilm hints at a range of connectivity options, Wi-Fi and possibly even Ethernet included, that could come with this next-gen device. On the other hand, other normal staples of mobile devices, USB ports and SIM-card slots included, go unmentioned.

Therefore, it is possible the OEM intends to pitch its first-gen foldable as a futuristic new kind of viewer or external screen for photographers or other content-creators that form this OEM's normal user-base.