As far as patents go, this is one of the more outlandish ones out there. And yes, we’ve seen quite a few. However, Vivo has patented a very unique design for a smartphone. It has a part of the display rotating at the bottom. The design could allow users to access functions like typing with keyboards, and draw on them when it stays on the other side.
Vivo has patented the design on March 10th, at China’s Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA). The patent has been granted and published today (July 17, 2020) revealing the design in all its glory.
The device has all the usual aesthetics of a smartphone in 2020. But the rotating module is something quite freakishly new. Also, the practical implications of such a design still remains a topic of discussion. However, being a fan of such unique designs, we would definitely want to see this in real life.
Rotatable screen patent: What’s New?
Talking about the module, the main and rear views of the patent shows a cutout at the bottom part of the device. This means a rotating module with help of a motor or a slider will rotate the display attached to it on triggering.
Further, the diagram also shows a movement of the module in a clockwise direction. However, we aren’t sure if it supports movement in both directions. Also, there is no detail on whether both the sides of the rotating module will have the displays or not.
The use-case image reveals interesting details. One of it has a keyboard triggered on the rear part and another image reveals notes can be taken on it with numbers written over the display part.
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All these points two possibilities – One is the rotating module having displays on front and rear and can switch between sides. The other one is the front end of the display when rotated behind, can enable the user to use the display part for typing, sketching etc.
Rotating display: Is it durable?
On the back, there is a triple-camera setup with a vertical strip beside it which could the LED flash module or any other sensor. There is a power button to the right and up-down volume buttons to the left.
Interestingly, there is a circular button on the bottom left of the phone near the rotating module. This could either be an assistant, camera shutter button, or a button to control the rotating module beneath. There is USB-C and speaker grills on the bottom.
That being said, with foldable display designs evolving and hitting the markets slowly, Vivo’s idea of adopting a rotating module to turn the displays is interesting, to say the least.
Nevertheless, as we often say, not all patents see the light of the day and let’s wait and see if this qualifies the durability test to make it to final design in the future.
