Hi, and welcome back to Legal Geek. This week, we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in the most American way possible...by looking at future television tech that may define Black Friday deals in years to come.
LG has been one of the top television manufacturers over the past decade, and the Korean company continues to innovate beyond just the resolution level. LG previously announced in 2019 a rollable TV that can retract by rolling up into a base to make the television blend in with other furniture rather than being a static "black mirror" and centerpiece. While that is certainly an exciting development for LED television screens, another big announcement may be coming when reviewing the recent patent application publications of this same company.
To this end, a patent application published in the U.S. from LG describes a foldable OLED television. Much like the rolling design, the goal is to fold up the television screen into a much more compact space when not in use, which can allow for customers to enjoy having a much wider screen like a 21:9 aspect ratio without having to have that equipment always present at full size.
According to the drawings in the patent, this television design will follow the example of some recent smart phone innovations allowing for foldable phone screens. In this case, more folds are necessary for the large TV screen, and the patent shows six segments folding in a zig-zag or accordion style on top of one another when moving to the stowed position. Unlike rollable TV's with a base that holds the core electronics, the foldable TV shown in the patent application proposes end frames on opposite sides that presumably hold the internal electronics for the TV, while also holding speakers and acting as stands for the screen when deployed.
Of course, LG will need to overcome the same hurdles that have plagued smart phone manufacturers like Samsung in making these foldable screens durable and reliable. However, if LG can successfully solve the problem of a rolling OLED screen, one would think this company can also solve and bring to market some foldable option. Regardless, until we see a more finalized design on a show floor like CES, the jury will be out on whether this future TV tech will become reality of tomorrow.
A quick legal point before we head back to turkey leftovers. Patent applications generally publish 18 months after an initial filing, so LG has been working on this design for quite some time. Patent publications put the world on notice regarding what companies are seeking to patent, but until the national patent offices actually examine and grant the patent, there is no enforceable right. So LG is far from dominating the market, let alone hitting the sales shelves on Black Friday. Nevertheless, this gives us a glimpse into the product development process and where the legal battles may be over intellectual property in the tech field for the future.
The Bottom Line is: tech products will never stop innovating, and consumers will generally continue to benefit. As a closing note about American Thanksgiving, I want to thank Tom and Scott for continuing to make Current Geek in all its iterations and making this segment an integral part of their podcast. Furthermore, I'm thankful for all you listeners who send feedback and suggestions, and I look forward to providing more legal knowledge and insight in 2020 and beyond.
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