Blackberry in a bid to redesign their phones has applied for a 180-degree hinge patent. The patent comes at a time when flip phone form factor has taken a back seat with designers. Blackberry has been known to experiment with their smartphone designs, and have come up with phones like the Storm, which came with a touchscreen or the Torch, which has a sliding keypad. The hinge patent is pointing to a new experiment.
However, do keep in mind certain things about mobile companies filing for patents. With patent wars and costly lawsuits being very common, companies file patents all the time, even if the actual design might never be added to a device. Also this specific patent deals only with the hinge, and it is uncertain at this time if the hinge will be a part of a new smartphone or maybe it will be utilized in a tablet.
Blackberry has been aggressively tackling the smartphone market, first with the company name re-branding and then with the launch of the Z10 and Blackberry 10 OS. The hinge design might just prove to be the next amazing breakthrough from Blackberry. Would you like to see this feature in your next smartphone ? Read up on the Patent at the official US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) website.
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