Apple is believed to be working on a protective iPad cover that would feature an embedded flexible display enabling a dual-screen experience.

The Cupertino company made a patent application for the concept - made public by the USPTO - a year ago, suggesting an Apple iPad Smart Cover could already be beyond the conceptual stage.

Based on the drawings submitted with the patent application, the secondary screen could be used as a virtual keyboard – think Microsoft Surface Tablet - or even as a drawing slab.

As with any patent application, the iPad Smart Cover with secondary display may never see the light of day and it certainly throws up more questions than answers.

For example, what resolution would the display be? A Retina Display would seem very unlikely. How big would it be - 9.7-inches? Might the iPad Smart Cover be launched in conjunction with a new iPad device?

Like we say, more questions than answers. Yet that hasn’t stopped one manufacturer from tweeting its support for the Apple Smart Cover with integrated display.

Claiming its tech is “ultra-light, superthin, robust & low-power,” Plastic Logic says it's the ideal suitor for making the concept a reality.

Do you like the sound of an iPad Smart Cover with flexible display? Tell us what in the comments below...