PC and printer major HP that's known for its laptops is reportedly working on a clamshell foldable smartphone similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.
HP had once experimented with phablets and is now trying to work on a smartphone.
The company patented a design for such a smartphone with the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) and the patent was approved last month, reports LetsGoDigital.
The HP patent describes a technology for applying flexible screens to mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets or computers.
Although similar to the folding method of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, the HP patent describes it as 'using a movable hinge that can be folded in different positions' and is not limited to folding in half.
However, it is not necessary that HP would launch such a product in the market.
In 2016, HP Inc unveiled Elite x3, a 5.96-inch touchscreen device that ran Windows 10 Mobile and supported Continuum, a feature that allowed the device to be attached seamlessly to a separate screen, mouse and keyboard.
Earlier, Huawei also filed a new patent for a new clamshell design foldable phone.
The patents reveal a foldable flip phone designed handset with a vertically-stacked camera module on the rear, GizmoChina reported recently.
*Edited from an IANS report