Nokia patents a folding device with removable keyboard

"SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a folding computer device that has a screen bigger than the device in its folded position, and thus solves the problem of reducing size without causing visual problems. This is accomplished by having a screen split into two parts that are joined at the device's primary fold line. The keyboard and one of the screens are on the same piece of the device, and thus are not separated by the primary fold line.

The present invention provides a helpful way to combine keyboard with touch mode functionality. Because touch mode functionality renders a flat device configuration desirable, the present invention discloses a flat configuration, and sliding pieces for fixing the device in that flat configuration. Thus, the two screens unite in the flat configuration. When the sliding pieces slide away to allow the device to be closed, no screen faces outward in an unprotected folded position.

The user terminal of the present invention comprises a base including a keyboard, a first display screen attached to the base along the primary fold line, a second display screen included in the base and located between the keyboard and the primary fold line, and at least one sliding piece for fixing the base and the first display screen in a substantially flat configuration in which the first display screen, the second display screen, and the keyboard form a substantially flat surface. In this invention, the first display screen, the second display screen, and the keyboard have substantially the same width, in order to fully utilize the width of the entire user terminal. This user terminal has a relatively simple and economical layout, having only one or two fold lines.

Each of the sliding pieces is for sliding along a side of the portable folding user terminal, and for fixing the portable folding user terminal in a flat unfolded configuration. The sliding piece comprises at least one finger contact surface, and at least one terminal contact surface.

In some embodiments, the keyboard of the present invention is detachable by the user. This provides the advantages of prior art detachable keyboards, plus detachment of the present keyboard would optionally reveal an exposed area of the base that includes at least one feature available to the user when the terminal is operable. For example, removal of the keyboard may expose a larger display screen. Likewise, another embodiment of the present invention has a primary fold line that is also a detachment line, so that the user is able to carry only the base which includes the keyboard and the second display screen. In this case, a secondary fold line advantageously separates the keyboard from the second display screen, and the sliding piece has sufficient length to cover both fold lines at once."

The above is from the patent document from here. This sounds cool. I can't wait to see this implemented.