If a new Apple patent is any indication, the company could soon be taking rival Samsung's Galaxy Edge route.

A new patent granted to Apple shows how next-gen iDevices and iPhone could plausibly tout a sidewall flexible display in favor of physical buttons and on-screen controls, such as Active Virtual Buttons.

The "Mini Flexible Edge Displays" described in the patent would be embedded on the sides of the handset. These would basically replace the mute switch and volume keys.

According to the patent, the flexible sidewall displays could imbibe a single, or more, flexible layer, which would possibly be mounted beneath a transparent screen -- made perhaps of plastic or transparent glass.

Additionally, this flexible display could incorporate a touch-sensitive coating, which would enable users to give a touch input to the iDevice. Moreover, according to Patently Apple, which shared the patent details, the pixels on the flexible display could be deployed to provide visual data to users.

What's more, the site also suggests "the housing and flexible display may be configured to form planar front and rear surfaces and sidewall surfaces for the device."

The sidewall display could also have a slight bend, which would enable the "second portion" of the flexible screen to cover the edges of the device.

Interestingly, one of the schematics shows off the flexible edge sporting controls for the iDevice's camera, whereas another figure depicts gaming controls on the rear of the iDevice. This approach is different from having curved glass around the screen. Moreover, this would enable the placement of virtual controls anywhere on the iDevice.

If Apple does take the "user input interface elements" route, then the way we perceive and use tablets and smartphones could transform.

However, whether Apple's Patent No. 8,976,141, like several others granted to the company, sees the light of day remains to be seen. Samsung, on the one hand, has already brought the idea to life with the Galaxy S6 Edge. Apple, on the other hand, is notorious for filing patents that don't always come into fruition in a tangible product.

Apple filed for this patent in 2011 and was granted on March 10. Scott Myers, Anthony Montevirgen and Stephen Lynch are listed as authors of the Apple patent.