Samsung is still working on a folding tablet with a single seamless screen, according to a newly-granted design patent. The USPTO filing shows a tablet that appears to consist of two halves of a tablet that closes like a book, but still retains a single screen without a central seam or hinge in the middle of the display, something that the company has been working on for some time.
The filing spotted by Phone Arena offers little else about the design, except that it was officially awarded to Samsung on December 31st 2013. A device with a similar design has been shown before, under the Project Youm name. During CES 2013, Samsung released a video showing a device that appeared to have a similar way of working as the item shown in the design patent, one which was usable as a smartphone when closed, or as a small tablet when opened up.
Despite the appearance of the design patent, it is unlikely for such a device to launch this year, with announcements made during a recent Samsung Analyst Day suggesting the earliest launches of bendable displays in 2014, and the development of foldable versions towards the end of this year. The first products with shipping foldable displays could possibly occur in 2015.