Motorola Mobility has been hold out on us. The company quietly filed a new patent application in January this year concerning a smudge-free display for mobile devices.
The patent covers:
“A device comprising: a display comprising a transparent layer having a viewable surface; electronic circuitry to present information to the display; and a plurality of pedestals formed on the viewable surface, each of the pedestals comprising: a transparent material formed on the surface and having a first surface opposed to and substantially parallel to the viewable surface and at least a second surface substantially in a plane perpendicular to the viewable surface; and a reflective material formed on the at least a second surface.”
Whether the patent covers an external addition to a device’s screen or whether it would form part of the screen itself is uncertain, the wording seems to apply to either. The way that the invention would function is similar to the glass that MIT recently developed which features raised areas that impart additional properties to the surface of the glass or, in this case, screen.