Device with foldable display

• US 10,180,704 B1
• Filed: 07/06/2017
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Stewart, Aaron M., Yu, Jonathan Jen-Wei, Skinner, Jeffrey Earle, Hancock, Lincoln Penn
• Primary Examiner(s): Edmonds, Lisa Lea
• Application Number:
  US15/643,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20190011955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683

Abstract

A device can include a folding case that includes a fold region that defines a first portion and a second portion of the folding case; a housing disposed on the first portion of the folding case where the housing includes a processor, memory operatively coupled to the processor, and a keyboard operatively coupled to the processor; and a flexible display operatively coupled to the processor and disposed in part on the first portion of the folding case and disposed in part on the second portion of the folding case.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a folding case that comprises a fold region that defines a first portion and a second portion of the folding case, wherein the first portion comprises a first end and wherein the second portion comprises a second end;

a housing disposed on the first portion of the folding case wherein the housing comprises a processor, memory operatively coupled to the processor, and a keyboard operatively coupled to the processor; and

a flexible display operatively coupled to the processor and disposed in part on the first portion of the folding case and disposed in part on the second portion of the folding case,

wherein, in a folded state of the device, the fold region forms a hand grip that comprises an outer radius greater than or equal to approximately 15 mm, and wherein, in the folded state, a substantially triangular gap exists defined by a dimension near the fold region that is greater than a dimension near the first and second ends wherein the substantially triangular gap prevents contact between at least some depressible keys of the keyboard and the flexible display as disposed on the second portion of the folding case.

2. The device of claim 1 comprising an unfolded state.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein, in the folded state, the first portion of the folding case defines a folded footprint of the device.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein, in the unfolded state, the first portion of the folding case and a portion of the second portion of the folding case define an unfolded footprint of the device.

5. The device of claim 2 wherein an unfolded state footprint of the device is larger than a folded footprint of the device.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the unfolded state footprint of the device is at least approximately 5 percent greater than the folded state footprint of the device.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein an area of a footprint of the device in the folded state is less than a display area of the flexible display.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the first portion comprises a first half of the folding case and wherein the second portion comprises a second half of the folding case.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the flexible display comprises a touchscreen display, wherein, in an unfolded state, the first portion of the folding case and a portion of the second portion of the folding case define an unfolded footprint of the device, larger than a folded footprint of the device, that increases physical stability of the device on a horizontal surface in the unfolded state.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the housing comprises a rigid housing.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the housing comprises a metallic material and wherein the folding case comprises an elastomeric material.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein the flexible display comprises an OLED display.

13. The device of claim 1 comprising instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to render a graphical user interface to the flexible display wherein the graphical user interface comprises a control bar portion rendered to a portion of the flexible display that is disposed on the first portion of the folding case.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein the folding region defines a minimum radius of curvature.

15. The device of claim 1 comprising an unfolded state wherein at least a portion of the flexible display that is disposed in part on the first portion of the folding case is co-planar with a plane of the keyboard.

16. The device of claim 1 comprising an unfolded state wherein the flexible display comprises a bend that is greater than approximately 90 degrees and less than approximately 180 degrees.

17. The device of claim 1 comprising an unfolded state wherein the flexible display is substantially co-planar with a plane of the keyboard.

18. The device of claim 1 wherein the fold region of the folding case comprises support features.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein, in the unfolded state, at least a portion of the support features are substantially co-planar with a plane of the first portion of the folding case.

20. A device comprising:

a folding case that comprises a fold region that defines a first portion and a second portion of the folding case;

a housing disposed on the first portion of the folding case wherein the housing comprises a processor, memory operatively coupled to the processor, and a keyboard operatively coupled to the processor; and

a flexible display operatively coupled to the processor and disposed in part on the first portion of the folding case and disposed in part on the second portion of the folding case,

wherein the flexible display comprises a touchscreen display, and

wherein, in an unfolded state, the first portion of the folding case and a portion of the second portion of the folding case define an unfolded footprint of the device, larger than a folded footprint of the device, that increases physical stability of the device on a horizontal surface in the unfolded state.