Editor's note: After iPhone X took 'Qi Liuhai' debut last year, China started to launch a mobile phone with a similar proportion to the ultra-high screen. Because of its shape, the industry calls it 'Liu Haiping' mobile phone. Today, why does 'Liu Haiping' become a domestic player? The mainstream design of mobile phone battle screen, whether the similar appearance will leave the hidden danger of infringement?
Leaving 'Liu Hai' on the mobile phone - a patented battle screen for domestic mobile phone layout
After the appearance of iPhone X with 'Qi Haihai' last year, China began to launch a mobile phone with a similar proportion to the ultra-high screen. Because of its shape, the industry calls it 'Liu Haiping' mobile phone. Since March this year, vivo X21, OPPO R15 have been released one after another, 'Liu Haiping' full bloom, becoming the mainstream design of domestic mobile phones.
In fact, at the beginning of the appearance of “Liu Haiping” in China, he was allegedly accused of plagiarizing Apple. His sag design was tainted by the industry and he was not optimistic about the industry. Nowadays, “Liu Haiping” can become the mainstream design for the domestic mobile phone battle. Does a similar appearance leave hidden infringement?
'Liu Haiping' became a mainstream design
In order to enhance the user's visual experience, in the same size of mobile phones, to expand the screen area, only to continue to increase the screen share. In recent years, designing a full screen mobile phone with a high proportion of screen, mobile phone industry has become the development trend. The overall screen design of mobile phones can be broadly divided into four types: 'Liu Haiping' represented by iPhone X, OPPO R15, etc., 'Full-view curved screen' represented by Samsung S9, and 'Unlimited forehead big chin' represented by Xiaomi MIX2s. There is also a classic '18:9' design used by the average mobile phone manufacturer.
'Liu Haiping' is not a full screen in the strict sense, but it is an effective way to increase the proportion of screens as much as possible under the current technological conditions. Wang Yanhui, Secretary-General of the Mobile China Alliance, said in an interview with a China Intellectual Property News reporter that due to the construction of mobile phones, The reason is that the integration of light, distance, and other sensors on the front of the mobile phone, along with the addition of the face recognition module, all require the space on the front of the mobile phone to be occupied. Therefore, there is a depression design of 'Liu Haiping', also known as a 'special-shaped screen'. '.
At present domestic manufacturers such as Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, etc. have all launched the 'Liu Haiping' mobile phone, and their screen share is generally above 90%. OPPO's Minister of Intellectual Property Feng Ying analyzed in an interview with reporters, 'Liu Haiping' from The reason that began to attract attention to the official launch of products last year and can develop rapidly is that it can maximize the screen size while maintaining the user's better experience.
For the user, 'Liu Haiping' can provide a higher screen share for the mobile phone in the same size, making the available area of the screen further expand and visually more shocking. In addition to the sensory experience upgrade, ' Liu Haiping' also made it possible to further reduce the size of the mobile phone, and increased the portability and one-handed operation of the mobile phone. For manufacturers, the design of 'Liu Haiping' also more properly solved the problem of many front sensors. Stay in the awkward situation.
Full screen starts patent first
Domestic “Liu Haiping” immediately followed Apple’s appearance and was allegedly plagiarized. However, the reporter learned from the interview that domestic mobile phone manufacturers had patented their designs and supporting technologies long before iPhone X was released. .
Wang Yanhui introduced that the comprehensive screen is not only an appearance design innovation, but also involves many design and manufacturing process difficulties, such as how to place the handset, front camera, and how to solve the positive fingerprint identification. Patent Office of the Patent Office of the State Intellectual Property Office Collaboration Beijing Center examiner Chen Jiawei found through patent search that domestic mobile phones are currently placed around the screen of the opposite sex cutting, earpiece design, fingerprint recognition, front camera, display control technology, etc. have applied for a patent application layout.
OPPO submitted its appearance patent application on 'Liu Haiping' as early as January 9, 2017, including semi-rectangular, semi-elliptical, semi-circular and semi-arc, etc., and on September 29, 2017. Authorized by Feng Ying, the company not only owns Liu Haiping's design patent package, but also includes multiple design patents such as the overall terminal appearance and partial exterior design, and has also arranged more than 100 relevant technology around Liu Haiping. Patented patent package, involving device stacking, display interactive technology, etc.
On March 19, when Vivo officially released the vivo X21 mobile phone, it also announced that it has applied for an invention patent called an "optical fingerprinting module and mobile terminal" for the self-developed screen fingerprint technology. This technology can be applied to full-screen mobile devices to achieve full-screen Fingerprint identification is currently entering the mass production stage. The industry believes that relying on the advantages of screen fingerprinting technology established in the market and the layout of its patents, will become a very competitive and market-aware vivo for a long time to come. One of the product features of degree.
'In the past few years, domestic mobile phone companies have repeatedly encountered patent litigation by foreign companies, which also forced domestic companies to continuously raise their level of technological innovation and patent protection awareness.' Wang Yanhui said.
Bottleneck period needs to subvert innovation
'Liu Haiping' is not a truly comprehensive screen. Its sag design is just a compromise between the proportion of screen occupants under the existing technological conditions. To achieve a truly comprehensive screen from a full-scale screen, Feng Ying believes that it needs to be on the face. Unlocking technology, front camera placement technology, fingerprint unlocking technology, etc. Further breakthroughs. It is understood that domestic companies are actively conducting technology layout and research in order to achieve a truly comprehensive screen. OPPO began research and development several years ago and is currently fingerprinting under the screen. , Under the screen camera technology, for a truly full screen made a technical reserve.
Right now, major manufacturers are still struggling to make full-screen technology, but Wang Yanhui believes that this technology can improve the user's visual experience, but it is difficult to become a subversive technology. 'Customers only because of a comprehensive screen collectively Machine, this possibility is very small. 'Wang Yanhui introduced, after the launch of the iPhone X, although the screen share was increased, the Home key was canceled, and the Face ID function was added, but compared to the new machine previously released, The enthusiasm of the user to change the machine is significantly worse than before.
'The rapid development of the mobile phone market in recent years has entered a mature period from the outbreak period, which is also a bottleneck period of innovation. 'Wang Yanhui believes that from the perspective of the entire mobile phone market, the enthusiasm of users for replacement is decreasing, and the life cycle of the mobile phone is Extending, the sales volume of the mobile phone market is declining. Currently, the innovation of full-screen mobile phones can only be regarded as the icing on the cake, and whether it can truly become the next selling point remains to be verified by the market. Relatively speaking, Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, and other layout development The bendable, foldable screen may give the market greater impact.