Multiple display device having a display on a rotary shaft

• US 10,216,228 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2015
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Company Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Company Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Bo, Xiao, Qihua, Xu, Jing
• Primary Examiner(s): Tan, Alvin H
• Application Number:
  US14/669,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20160077550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• 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 1/165 the additional display being small, e.g. for presenting status information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/166 related to integrated arrangements for adjusting the position of the main body with respect to the supporting surface, e.g. legs for adjusting the tilt angle
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range

Abstract

An electronic device and a display method are provided. The electronic device includes a housing; a first body including a first display unit which is arranged on a first surface of the first body; and a second body located in an end of the housing, where the second body includes a rotary shaft and a second display unit, the second display unit is configured to cover on the rotary shaft and operable to rotate along with the rotation of the rotary shaft.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a first body including a first touch display unit that is arranged on a first surface of the first body, wherein;

the first touch display unit has a display state and a non-display state, and

in a case that the first touch display unit is in the display state, the first touch display unit displays a first touch display content corresponding to an application running in a foreground in the electronic device; and

a second body located in an end of the housing,

wherein;

the second body comprises a rotary shaft and a second touch display unit,

the second touch display unit is configured to cover the rotary shaft and operable to rotate along with a rotation of the rotary shaft,

in a case that the first touch display unit is in the non-display state, the second touch display unit is configured to display a first information generated by a first type of trigger event,

in a case that the first touch display unit is in the display state;

the electronic device has a first working mode and a second working mode,

the electronic device is configured to switch between the first working mode and the second working mode based on a first angle between the electronic device and a horizontal plane,

in a case that the first angle is within a first preset range, (i) the electronic device is set to the first working mode, and (ii) the second touch display unit is configured to;

(a) display contents corresponding to at least one application running in a background in the electronic device by dragging, via a touch operation, an icon corresponding to the at least one application from the first touch display unit in a direction of the second touch display unit, and (b) cancel displaying contents of the second touch display unit corresponding to the at least one application by dragging, via the touch operation, the icon from the second touch display unit in a direction of the first touch display unit, and

in a case that the first angle is within a second preset range that does not overlap the first preset range, (i) the electronic device is set to the second working mode and (ii) the second touch display unit is configured to display a second touch display content corresponding to and different from the first touch display content.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1,

wherein a display area of the second touch display unit is smaller than a display area of the first touch display unit.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein:

a region corresponding to the second touch display unit comprises a first preset region and a second preset region;

a first display module is provided within the first preset region;

a second display module is provided within the second preset region; and

the second display module is configured to display second information associated with the first information in the case that the first display module displays the first information.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a control module configured to control the electronic device to execute a first operation associated with the first information in response to a user input.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising an authentication module configured to extract a first characteristic of a user to obtain third information for authentication.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein:

the second body comprises a detecting unit configured to detect a portion of the second touch display unit that is not covered by the housing; and

the portion is operable to display a notifying message corresponding to at least one application of the electronic device.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein:

the second touch display unit covers a surface of a first portion of the rotary shaft; and

the surface of the first portion is exposed from the housing during rotation of the rotary shaft.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein:

the second body further comprises a supporting portion that is operable to rotate within a preset range of angle along with the rotation of the rotary shaft; and

the supporting portion is configured to support the electronic device in response to the supporting portion rotating to a preset position.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein:

the supporting portion comprises a first end connected with the rotary shaft and a second end provided with a through hole; and

the through hole is operable to snap a clip arranged on the housing to fix the supporting portion to the housing.

10. A display method of an electronic device, wherein:

the electronic device comprises a first body, a second body, a housing, a first touch display unit being arranged on the first body and a second touch display unit being arranged on the second body;

the first touch display unit has a display state and a non-display state; and

in a case that the first touch display unit is in the display state, the electronic device has a first working mode and a second working mode, the display method comprising;

in a case that the first touch display unit is in the non-display state;

detecting a first type of trigger event;

generating a first information associated with the first type of trigger event in the case that the first type of trigger event is detected; and

controlling the second touch display unit to display the first information; and

in a case that the first touch display unit is in the display state;

detecting a working mode of the electronic device based on a first angle between the electronic device and a horizontal plane, wherein;

in a case that the first angle is within a first preset range, the electronic device is in the first working mode, and

in a case that the first angle is within a second preset range that does not overlap the first preset range, the electronic device is in the second working mode;

in response to determining the electronic device is in the first working mode, (i) displaying a first display content on the first touch display unit of the first body, (ii) displaying a second display content corresponding to at least one application running in a background in the electronic device on the second touch display unit of the second body dragging, via a touch operation, an icon corresponding to the at least one application from the first touch display unit in a direction of the second touch display unit, and (iii) cancelling display contents of the second touch display unit corresponding to the at least one application by dragging, via the touch operation, the icon from the second touch display unit in a direction of the first touch display unit, wherein

the first display content corresponds to an application running in a foreground in the electronic device, and

the second display content comprises a message corresponding to at least one application running in the background in the electronic device; and

controlling the second touch display unit to display a third display content in response to determining that the working mode of the electronic device is switched from the first working mode to the second working mode,

wherein the third display content corresponds to the first display content and is different from the first display content.

11. The display method according to claim 10, wherein the electronic device is:

in the first working mode in response to determining that the first angle is not greater than the first preset range, and

in the second working mode in response to determining that the first angle is not greater than the second preset range, wherein a minimum value of the second preset range is not less than a maximum value of the first preset range.

12. The display method according to claim 10, wherein:

the second touch display unit comprises a first region and a second region;

a first display module is provided within the first region;

a second display module is provided within the second region; and

the display method comprises;

generating second information associated with the first information; and

controlling the second display module to display the second information.

13. The display method according to claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a user input; and

executing a first operation associated with the first information in response to the user input.

14. The display method according to claim 13, further comprising extracting a first characteristic of user to obtain third information for authentication.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising, in the case that the electronic device is in the first working mode:

detecting a first operation in relation to the second display content on the second touch display unit; and

controlling, in response to the first operation, the first touch display unit to replace the first display content by a content corresponding to the second display content.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising, after controlling the second touch display unit to display the third display content in the case that the working mode of the electronic device is switched from the first working mode to the second working mode:

detecting a second operation in relation to the third display content; and

controlling, according to the second operation, the second touch display unit to switch display contents from the third display content to a display content corresponding to the second operation.