Apple research of the completely redesigned Apple watch with Wrap-Around display

Apple is investigating a potential radical redesign for the Apple Watch, including a rounded dial, flexible surround display and digitally customizable watch bands, according to a new patent filing patent.

The patent, spotted by MacRumors Earlier today, it was titled “Display Modules and System Applications” and was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The document shows how a flexible screen could cover the entire front of the watch and the band of a smart watch for a new Apple Watch transformative design. The elongated display itself is said to be flexible enough to outline the shape of a user’s arm to fit like a normal watch band.

In one embodiment, embodiments of the invention describe a portable electronic device, such as a smart watch, including a flexible display panel and a flexible display module. In this way, the smart watch display area is not limited to a rigid area of ​​the watch face. In one embodiment, a smart watch includes a flexible display panel, which is integrated into a flexible watch band. As a result, the curvature of the flexible display panel in both the watch face and the band area can be adjusted to fit the size of the user’s wrist … the flexible display panel display area may cover more space available in the area the face of the watch and the smartwatch band.

Apple explains that the design includes a display with a “plurality of interconnections” that extend “through the display substrate from the front surface to the rear surface, and a series of LEDs are in the display area and are electrically connected to plurality of interconnections. “A battery, a processor, an ambient light sensor and other vital components of the smartwatch can be fixed in a housing behind the large display unit.

While the recording explains that an OLED display can be sensitive to air and moisture degradation without a protective glass cover, and be “problematic” with the use of “interconnections”, some OLED display technologies may still be suitable for the radical new design. .

Apple also notes that the design could facilitate a “minimized” frame around the display for a more aesthetically pleasing look and could even “eliminate” the frame entirely:

According to embodiments of the invention, a width of the frame surrounding the display panel may be reduced to a minimum, for example below 4-5 mm or even less than 1 mm, less than 0.5 mm or eliminated. Thus, the design of the smartwatch frame can be designed for aesthetic concerns, rather than as a requirement for allocating space for a contact edge.

In addition to being able to select a face design for the watch, as with current Apple Watch models, the patent explains that users could similarly select a digital band design to be displayed on the band segment of the winding display using an “accessory manager”. to create a unique look. The submission describes a very similar system for selecting strip patterns, as it currently exists for selecting and customizing watch faces, with the option to do so either on the Apple Watch itself or on a connected iPhone.

The input is analyzed to obtain the data for display, and the derived data is displayed in the display area, where the display area is on a flexible display substrate covering a face and a strip of the portable electronic device. For example, the portable electronic device may be a smart watch. In one embodiment, the computer-readable environment stores additional instructions for performing additional operations, including receiving a configuration of the face and watch band display area, receiving a design from the derived data, design including a frame, and a tape clock and update the display area with the received design.

Although the Apple Crown Digital Crown does not appear to be described in design, a separate patent was published today entitled “Capacitive Sensor Ring for an Input Device”, explaining how Digital Crown could use two “nested” capacitive rings. which move against each other to obtain a wider range of input information.

While Apple has not yet launched a device with a flexible screen, it is believed that the company is working on an iPhone with a foldable screen. The patents cannot be taken as evidence of Apple’s specific intentions, but they do provide valuable insight into what the company is researching and developing behind the scenes.

Moreover, the description of an alternative Apple Watch design in a patent is very unusual, as Apple is usually aware to reflect the current design of the Apple Watch in the patent illustrations. Patents that focus on the physical design of the Apple Watch itself are even rarer and may suggest the future of the device.

The Apple Watch has actually had the same design since its launch in 2016, except for a minor refresh with the Apple Watch Series 4, and we still haven’t seen a substantial reimagining of the wearable form factor. Apple’s trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously suggested that the Apple Watch Series 7 could have an “improved form factor design,” but there is still no indication of what the final device might look like. The Apple Watch Series 7 is expected to be released later this year, but there have been few rumors so far about what the new model could present besides blood glucose monitoring.