Could heat be a problem with a global-shutter sensor? It would be interesting if this was their solution to cool a global-shutter stills camera, but I do *highly* doubt Canon would risk such unusual ergonomics to come out in their flagship pro camera, especially another attempt at the very-poorly received touchbar.
That said, I wouldn't consider this specific patent's design as the exact look of whatever they're considering, it's lacking the third top control wheel that all other R-series cameras have. 0 chance Canon adds a third-wheel to all their photography, including the R3, and then randomly ditches it for another touchbar. So even if they are considering this design tangibly, there is definitely a lot that could change.
Interesting to me is that there is one AF joystick located at the corner of the screen. Solves the problem of needing one for each orientation, but feels like it's a compromise since it's not in an ideal spot either way you hold the camera, vs having two.