Apple Inc.

Terry C Shyu

Paul Stephen Drzaic

Hoon Sik Kim

Christopher D Jones

Masato Kuwabara

Nikhil D Kalyankar

Chang-Chia Huang

Yasmin F Afsar

Daniel D Sunshine

Christopher Schultz

Yung-Yu Hsu

David M Kindlon

Zhen Zhang

Sinan Alousi

Protective cover layers for electronic devices are described. In an embodiment, an electronic device includes a display panel and a protective cover layer over the display panel. The protective cover layer includes a transparent support substrate and a hardcoat layer covering an exterior facing surface of the transparent support substrate. The display panel may be a flexible display panel and the protective cover layer may flex with the flexible display panel.

Hybrid coverlay/window structure for flexible display applications

An item may have a flexible support structure and may include a flexible component. The flexible component may have electrical components mounted on component mounting regions in a flexible circuit substrate. The component mounting regions may be interconnected by serpentine interconnect paths or other flexible interconnect paths. The flexible circuit substrate and component mounting regions may extend along a longitudinal axis of the flexible component or may form a two-dimensional array. Two-dimensional mesh-shaped flexible circuit substrates may be used in forming displays. The mesh-shaped flexible circuit substrates may be auxetic substrates that widen when stretched (e.g., structures with a negative Poisson's ratio that become thicker perpendicular to applied force when stretched) and that therefore reduce image distortion. Temporary tethers may help hold flexible circuit substrates together until intentionally broken following assembly of a flexible component into the flexible support structure.

Flexible circuit substrate with temporary supports and equalized lateral expansion

An electronic device may have a flexible portion that allows the device to be folded. The device may have a flexible display. The flexible display may have edge portions that are joined along a flexible middle portion. The flexible middle portion may overlap a bend axis and may be bent about the bend axis. Flexibility enhancement regions may be formed in a backing layer, polarizer layer, organic-light-emitting display layer, and other display layers to enhance flexibility for the middle portion. The device may have a display with a flexible tail that is bent about a bend axis. Metal trace on the flexible display may include metal trace strips that serve as power lines. Flexibility enhancement regions such as slot-shaped openings or other openings may be formed in the metal trace strips to enhance flexibility.

Electronic devices with displays

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Terry C Shyu