Samsung Electronics applies for patent for rollable devices

By Lim Chang-won Posted : June 21, 2019, 10:56 Updated : June 21, 2019, 10:56

[Korean Intellectual Property Office]

SEOUL -- At a consumer electronics show in Las Vegas in January, LG Electronics, a major home appliance maker in South Korea, shocked the global TV industry by showcasing a 65-inch OLED TV with a rollable display that can appear and disappear from a base unit.

The world's first rollable OLED TV has been hailed by IT experts and tech-savvy consumers as a milestone in the TV market. LG's domestic rival, Samsung Electronics, could not hang behind because rollable or flexible displays are seen as the next game changer.

Unlike conventional displays which surround liquid crystal with hard glass substrates, rollable displays use flexible plastic films. Because of thin and light characteristics, rollable displays can be used widely in small and portable gadgets such as smartphones.

Samsung has applied for patents related to its new laptop. The company explained in its application document disclosed by the Korean Intellectual Property Office that the laptop's screen can be extendable, sparking speculation that it would be equipped with a rollable display similar to LG' rollable TV screen.
 

[World Intellectual Property Organization]

In November last year, Samsung sent an application to the World Intellectual Property Organization for patents related to a smartphone that uses rollable technology. Samsung Display, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, has already introduced rollable displays.

Samsung unveiled its first foldable smartphone, Galaxy Fold, in February, but the scheduled shipment of Galaxy Fold in the United States has been delayed due to problems found with the folding screen and related mechanism. Galaxy Fold uses an active matrix organic light emitting diodes (AMOLED) display.

Despite the delayed shipment of foldable smartphones, Samsung has made steady preparations to produce rollable devices.

"We are proud to have introduced Samsung’s first-ever foldable smartphone, and we are excited about what's next -- from 'foldable' to 'roll-able' and even to ‘'stretch-able'," Chung Eui-suk, an executive vice president in charge of software and artificial intelligence at Samsung’s mobile communications business, said at MWC, a mobile device exhibition in Barcelona in February.

LG has also hinted at using rollable displays for small devices. Kwon Bong-suk, who heads LG's home entertainment division, said earlier that rollable displays could be used for tablet PCs or small devices.

Competition between LG and Samsung is certain to grow the global market for rollable displays. IHS Market, a market research company based in London, predicted that the shipment of rollable OLED displays would increase from 5,000 units this year to 34 million units in 2025.
Lim Chang-won

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