Samsung has seven new design patents for upcoming 3D glasses and smartphones.

The images of the designs released by Patent Bolt indicate that one of the smartphone designs is for a Samsung smartphone powered by Windows 8. The design of the smartphone supports Windows Live Tile interface.

"On March 12, 2013, the US Patent and Trademark Office published a series of design wins for Samsung. Specifically, Samsung has been granted seven smartphone design wins for various models including one for Windows 8, along with a design win for their latest 3D TV glasses," reports Patent Bolt.

One of the designs shows what appears to be a Samsung phone that won't have both physical and capacitive buttons. The phone will instead utilize on-screen buttons similar to the LG Nexus 4 or the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Another design shows a device that seems to have four physical (or capactive) buttons.

Samsung has not officially released any information regarding any upcoming devices; however the company could just be testing out a new design for an Android smartphone, or maybe it's one of the upcoming Tizen handsets it's planning to release this year.

The designs indicate that Samsung is looking to keep away from the home button design featured on the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Samsung Galaxy Note devices. The designs of the smartphones are more likely to fall under the low- to mid-tier categories, because Samsung will not release another high-end device right after the Galaxy S4 release on March 14.

The design patents also include some pictures of 3D glasses, which Samsung may use for its 3D televisions.

Samsung has impressed smartphone lovers with the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 designs. However, the company may further improve on the design of its future smartphones to entice more customers.