New patent filings from Microsoft appear to hint at that foldable notepad we've heard rumors of for a while, The Verge reports. Filed earlier this week, the patent contains a number of images depicting a unique hinge and a few that show a foldable, two screen device that appears to work in a number of configurations.

In one image, half of the screen serves as a display while the other half has a virtual keyboard and trackpad. In another image, the device is situated in a tent-like formation with its display showing an alarm clock.

Microsoft also filed a patent in January that featured a hinged device, though these new filings provide quite a bit more detail. And this patent bears more than a little similarity to Microsoft's old Courier project. The company isn't the only one pursuing a foldable mobile device, however. There's ZTE's interesting but flawed Axon M and Lenovo's Yoga Book, though that doesn't have two screens. And Samsung has teased a foldable Galaxy Note device that it says could launch as early as next year.

This patent doesn't give us any clue as to when or even if such a device will hit the market but it provides an intriguing peek into what could be on the way.

Source:
courtesy of ENGADGET

by Mallory Locklear

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