A new patent from Lenovo gives us the best look at the possible foldable tablet that might run Windows 10. The patented device uses a connecting assembly (a hinge mechanism) and an innovative flexible display to change its form factor.
First spotted by us, the patent titled “CONNECTING ASSEMBLY, FLEXIBLE DISPLAY SCREEN, AND FLEXIBLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE” was filed by Lenovo in September 2018 and published by USPTO on March 28, 2019.
In the patent application, a large 2-in-1 device with a folding display has been detailed. The device in the patent does appear to be slightly more innovative than any other patented foldable devices.
Lenovo says uses a hinge and a shaft to couple the first and second portion of the device.
“A connecting assembly includes a plurality of link members, a hanging-hole-shaped fixing structure having openings configured to hole the plurality of link members, a first shaft and a second shaft coupled to the plurality of link members, and a first fixing member and a second fixing member for coupling to a first display region and a second display region of the flexible display screen respectively,” Lenovo writes in the description of the patent.
“The first and the second fixing members are further coupled to the first shaft and the second shaft respectively. The openings of the hanging-hole-shaped fixing structure are movable to arrange the plurality of link members at different distances from each other, in order to bend the flexible display screen upon a force being exerted on the flexible display screen to cause a relative motion between the first and second display regions of the flexible display screen,” Lenovo explains.