Earlier this week the US Patent and Trademarks Office published Apple's application for a wrap-around form factor for electronic devices, which looks like a curvy iPhone. The patent filling, which was filed for the patent in September 2011 but became public only Thursday, shows a phone similar to a flattened tube of glass, inside of which an AMOLED display envelops the chips and circuit board. This allows "functionality to extend to more than one surface of the device," the filing said. There's no frame or bezel surrounding the display, meaning it can take up more of the device's surface area.

Apple describes the method of folding and unfolding the display and displaying information on its various surfaces, along with a sensor system that detects the user?s field of vision and activates the screen accordingly.

It will be possible to remove the display from its glass enclosure and to flatten it.

Many companies often file for patents on designs that never come to fruition.