What you need to know
- A Microsoft patent for a foldable mouse was recently published.
- The patent shows a mouse that folds more than the already existing Microsoft Arc Mouse.
- Microsoft could create a mouse that folds all the way around into a compact shape.
Microsoft could potentially be working on a new foldable mouse. A recently published patent shows a mouse that can fold to be easier to carry around (via WindowsUnited). This may sound familiar, as Microsoft also makes an Arc Mouse that folds. Unlike that mouse, the patent describes an input device that can fold all the way over onto itself.
The currently available Arc Mouse can either lay flat or pop up into an arched configuration. In contrast, the device described in the patent could fold around in a way similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. This wouldn't reduce the mass of the mouse, of course, but it would allow a device to fit into different pockets and bags.
The abstract of the patent reads:
A foldable computer mouse is provided that includes a deformable body configurable to be formed into a first expanded configuration usable for receiving inputs for controlling a computing device and a second folded configuration in which a first portion of the deformable body is folded over a second portion of the deformable body. The mouse also includes an input sensor disposed on the deformable body and configured to detect tactile input, a motion tracking component disposed on the deformable body and configured to detect movement of the computer mouse, and a communications component configured to wirelessly communicate tactile input and motion tracking data to the computing device.
As is the case with all patent filings, Microsoft may never make a device that utilizes this design. The patent was filed on March 30, 2021 and published on November 4, 2021.
