Apple granted patent for display bezels that could go transparent

Apple has been awarded a patent that could make the bezel surrounding touch screens more useful on tech devices in the future. The patent, awarded Tuesday, describes a method by which the bezel around the display would remain opaque while users are touching areas within the screen borders but would become transparent as the user's finger approached the screen edges, creating more screen real estate, CNET reported. The technology could make screen bezels, currently just a decorative surround for touch screens, into interactive display elements, Such interactive bezels might create an additional "window" to reveal elements of an app such as additional menus or buttons. Diagrams in Apple's original application filed last September showing the technology being used suggests the company believes transparent bezels would work best on tablets or smartphones, CNET said.