Nokia files patent for a FOLDABLE battery that could see a new generation of ...

Nokia's patent application, filed originally in March, is called 'Battery Pack' It describes a battery made of a series of cells that can be folded together This battery could be made bigger or smaller depending on the handset The technology could lead to super-thin handsets, or phones that collapse

By Victoria Woollaston

PUBLISHED: 07:24 EST, 7 November 2013 | UPDATED: 07:57 EST, 7 November 2013

While LG and Samsung promote their curved handsets with bendable displays, rival Nokia appears to have been silently working on the next stage in flexible technology.

A patent, originally filed in March, has come to light this week suggesting the Finnish firm is working on foldable batteries.

It describes a battery pack made up of 'foldable cells' that can curve and bend with the shape of a phone, as well as being capable of folding in on itself.

Aside from being bendy, the technology also has the benefit of being able to be made smaller.

This means it could fit into places within a phone's circuit that other solid, and even bendable, batteries can't.

This could lead to super-thin devices, or advancements in batteries used in wearable technology designed to curve and move with a person's body.

According to Nokia's patent: 'Portable electronic devices are made with consistently smaller form factors.

'Even though the internal components are becoming smaller and smaller, batteries generally lag behind other technological advancements, consistently consuming a large portion of the portable electronic device.

It continues that batteries tend to take on 'rectangular box-type' forms and this means phones have to be equally rectangular in shape to maximise the use of space.

'In current portable electronic devices, to have a curved and aesthetically pleasing form factor, space is generally wasted between the battery and a case making the portable electronic device seem larger and a result may be less appealing,' added Nokia.

'Additionally, there may also be wasted space between the internal components and the case and/or between certain internal components.'

The technology behind the plans, including what the cells would be made of and how exactly they would fit together, was not fully explained in the patent.

It is not the first battery capable of changing its shape, however. LG Chem, the research arm of the Korean phone maker LG, unveiled its curved battery design earlier this year.

LG Chem used thin strands of copper wire, coated with nickel-tin, which are then spun into a 'metal yarn' and wrapped around a rod.

The rod is then removed, leaving a strong spring which can be tucked into tight and small spaces.

The team said: 'In our experiments we found that our prototype was exceptionally flexible and could suffer large strain without malfunction.'

They agreed with Nokia and said that when designing new devices, 'the limiting factor is often the shape of the battery' and that their battery could be 'a disruptive technology that could open up a path for design innovation.'