Tech titans Apple and Samsung have locked horns for several years in courts disputing who overstepped whom more, but there are a number of cases that are more obvious when compared to others. For instance, the latest patent awarded to Apple applies to a "mini flexible edge display," something quite similar to the curved screen edges on the recently launched Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and Galaxy Note Edge.

According to Tech Radar, the just-granted patent, which was first spotted by Patently Apple, may possibly hint that the iPhone 7 (or whatever the next iPhone is named) will come with a curved or side-mounted display.

In fact, the patent filing by the Cupertino-based tech titan describes various dissimilar possibilities, which include flexible displays that pull out onto the sides of the purported iPhone 7 and features like touch buttons as well as controls that may hypothetically substitute the volume buttons on the side of an iPhone.

If the features described in the patent filing are incorporated in the purported iPhone 7, the inputs may result in contextual changes, for instance, becoming a camera shutter button or any other handy feature when required.

Apple has also shown the manner in which virtual buttons on the side as well as the back of a device could be used as inputs for gaming. However, that is a further specific application for this technology.

While the possibilities described by Apple are certainly interesting, that doesn't mean that all these features will be incorporated into the next iPhone. Alternatively, Apply may use neither of them. However, tech experts as well as enthusiasts will definitely be keeping an eye out for further information in this regard.