Foldable Wedge-Shaped Mobile Device Asymmetry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional handheld mobile devices face challenges in achieving a thinner body thickness, larger display area, longer battery life, ease of handling, and reduced reflection, while also accommodating ergonomic needs for users with smaller hands, as they often result in devices that are cumbersome and strain-handling due to their rectangular shape and flat design.
Innovation Solution
A wedge-shaped handheld device with a tapered body housing featuring a slanted or concavely curved display screen, a thick head section for a high-capacity removable battery and rotatable camera module, and a thin end for concentrated internal components, allowing for a thinner profile, improved ergonomics, and functionality when folded, including a secondary display on the backside for continued operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a uniform thickness design is used, then the device structure is simple, but the folded device thickness more than doubles and creates gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The device employs an asymmetric tapered body design where the thickness varies along the longitudinal axis, with a thicker first end and a thinner second end. This asymmetric structure allows the device to fold without creating gaps or exceeding doubled thickness, as the varying thickness compensates for the fold geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a uniform 2D thickness approach to a 3D tapered geometry, where thickness becomes a function of position along the device length. This dimensional change enables the folded state to maintain contact between surfaces while accommodating the fold.
2Ease of manufacture
If a flat display is used, then the manufacturing is simpler, but the display reflects incoming lights causing viewing disturbance
Solution Approach 1:
The display surface is curved rather than flat, following the tapered contour of the device body. This curvature redirects reflected light away from the user's line of sight, reducing glare and improving viewing comfort while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through modern display technologies.
3Area of stationary object
If the display area is increased, then the information display capability is improved, but the device size becomes bigger causing strain on users' hands
Solution Approach 1:
The tapered asymmetric shape concentrates the larger display area toward the thicker end of the device, allowing the display to be large while the overall device footprint remains manageable. The thinner end reduces the bulk, making the device easier to hold and operate despite the large display area.
4Stability of the object's composition
If functional components are distributed uniformly, then the design is balanced, but the battery must be thin reducing battery life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent concentrates the battery and other thick functional components at the first end of the tapered device where there is more space available. This localized arrangement allows the battery to have greater thickness and capacity without affecting the overall device balance, as the thinner second end does not require heavy components.
5Ease of operation
If a thin rectangular device is designed, then the portability is improved, but the device cannot stand sideways without a back-stand
Solution Approach 1:
The tapered asymmetric shape of the device allows it to stand upright on its thinner end without requiring an external kickstand or back-stand. The geometry itself provides the necessary stability, enabling the device to support itself in various orientations while maintaining portability.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile electronic smartphone device having a wedge-shaped body comprised of a curved and slanted display gradually tapered towards the thin end, and a thick head section comprised of a battery compartment and a modular, rotatable or replaceable camera module. The display may be rigid LCD, OLED, microLED with a rigid glass cover. Optionally, flexible, bendable display with stretch-rigid circuit backing and flexible cover screen may be used for a foldable or rollable device, comprised of a bending hinge located at or below the mid-section of the display body, wherein the thinner display section is bendable against the thicker section of the front display. Another embodiment of the wedge body is comprised of rollable housing slats and a flexible display in the lower half thinner display section that can be rolled up like a scroll or lie-flat against the thicker part of the device body.