Samsung has applied for a new Flip Cover patent, one with an e-ink display on top. In its current form, the Flip Cover comes with a slot to view content like notifications, date/time etc. The company also has an S-View Flip Cover with a transparent front panel.
This new Flip Cover, however, will allow customers to interact with the cover as well. This is the first time that a flip cover is equipped with a secondary display on board, so this could be one of the more important technological innovations made by Samsung.
The patent image reveals that this case has a standard Flip Cover like cutout which shows the contents of the primary display. There's a slightly larger window below it which houses the e-ink display. This can show the contents of the phone without eating up too much of the battery. We're guessing Samsung will offer an onscreen button to turn off the main display from within the smaller window.
It's unclear as to when this case will actually be released, but since it's only now making its way out of the Korean Intellectual Property Office, we're guessing it's still some distance away from a release. However, Samsung applied for the patent sometime last year, so the company might pull off a surprise and release the cover later this year, perhaps with the Galaxy Note 8.
