Apple has been working on a foldable iPhone for the past few years, and during this time, developers have explored various options for implementing their plans, including using a roll-up display. One of the main problems faced by the developers is that the flexible screen must be specially protected from damage when folded or rolled into a tube.

Apple’s recently discovered patent titled “Electronic Devices with Flexible Display Cover Layers,” says future iPhones may have screens along with rigid and flexible display areas, using what the company calls “self-healing.”

How this technology will work is still difficult to say, since the patent provides different options for its implementation. Apple suggests that the display can occupy the entire front surface of the smartphone, but it will consist of three parts. It is supposed to place the flexible part of the display in the middle, while the usual panels will be used at the edges.

“ During the operation of an electronic device, scratches or abrasions may appear on its cover layer. To improve the appearance of an electronic device, you need to minimize the presence of scratches and dents. To reduce the number of dents, scratches, and other defects, a self-healing material may be contained in the cover layer of the display, ”says the patent description.

Apple’s patent covers several uses for the self-healing material at once, and it says that this technology can be used in different types of devices, including laptops, smartphones, and smartwatches. It is also possible to use a single flexible display instead of a configuration with a bending part in the middle. A common detail in each of these cases is that multilayer displays are assumed.

It is difficult to say whether any of these ideas will be implemented in practice. In any case, no foldable iPhone is expected this year.