A recently published patent from Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) shows a three-screen version of its Surface device.
The images show a dual-hinged device, with three full-sized displays that can be used in different screen combinations. Notably, the filing describes the possibility of the three screens laying flush with each other and making one large display.
Microsoft filed the patent under the names of three inventors — two of whom are based in the Seattle area — in June 2020. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently published the filing. Patently Apple first reported on it.
The Redmond-based tech giant recently unveiled a suite of new and refreshed Surface products, including the Surface Duo, which unfolds and reveals two screens. The company also shelved its Surface Neo project, which was a large dual-screen foldable tablet set to launch at the end of 2020.
The Duo line looks to be similar to Samsung's foldable phone, but it lacks a foldable screen.
Surface is one of Microsoft's least successful ventures. The division is profitable, but has yet to make a significant dent in personal computer sales in the U.S. — it trails behind HP Inc., Dell, Apple Inc. and Lenovo, according to recent data from Gartner Inc.
It's also a small part of Microsoft's overall revenue. For the 2021 fiscal year ending in June, the company credited just under 4% of its total sales to Surface, a percentage that's been dwindling over the past few years as cloud computing revenue has been gaining a bigger share, and the lowest it's been since 2014, according to Microsoft earnings reports.
