Flexible information handling system display user interface peripheral keyboard configuration

• US 10,429,901 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2017
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Aurongzeb, Deeder M., Hong, Jung-Hwan, Lyles, Justin C., Wang, Yulin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lunyi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hermann, Kirk W
• Application Number:
  US15/411,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20180210508A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1669 Detachable keyboards
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266

Abstract

A portable information handling system with rotationally coupled housing portions having an OLED film display disposed over the housing portions automatically adapts presentation of visual images at the display based upon detection of a peripheral keyboard placed on the display. For example, a peripheral keyboard biases into a predetermined position with magnetic attraction and a keyboard manager removes content from the display beneath the keyboard.

Claims

1. A portable information handling system comprising:

a folded housing having rotationally coupled portions, rotationally coupled folded housing portions

rotating between a planar configuration and one or more folded configurations;

a processor disposed in the folded housing and operable to execute instructions to generate visual information;

a memory disposed in the folded housing and interfaced with the processor, the memory operable to store the information;

a display mounting surface disposed in the folded housing over the rotationally coupled portions;

a display disposed in the folded housing over the rotationally coupled portions and interfaced with the processor and the memory, the display operable to present the visual information as visual images, the display comprising a flexible film that folds responsive to the rotating of the rotationally coupled portions;

a graphics processor mounted in the folded housing and interfaced with the display and operable to process the visual information to generate pixel information, the pixel information defining the visual images for presentation on the display;

a peripheral keyboard sized to rest on a portion of the display, the keyboard having plural keyboard magnets integrated at a lower surface of the keyboard;

plural mounting magnets integrated in the display mounting surface folded housing directly below the display and above the folded housing and positioned to align with opposing polarity to the keyboard magnets when the keyboard rests on the display at a predetermined position;

and a keyboard manager interfaced with the graphics processor, the keyboard manager operable to detect placement of the keyboard on the display and, in response, to adapt the presentation of the visual images for coordination with inputs by the keyboard, the keyboard manager detecting the keyboard based at least upon proximity of the keyboard magnets to the display.

2. The portable information handling system of claim 1 further comprising:

a first wireless device including a first antenna, the first wireless device is integrated in the peripheral keyboard; and

a second wireless device including a second antenna, the second wireless device is integrated in the folded housing, the first and second antennae are aligned at the placement of the keyboard on the display to communicate key inputs from the keyboard to the processor.

3. The portable information handling system of claim 2 wherein the first wireless device includes a wireless local area network device operable to communicate with external wireless local area networks, the first wireless device bridging the second wireless device with at least one of the external wireless local area networks.

4. The portable information handling system of claim 2 wherein the first and second antennae comprise MIMO antennae.

5. The portable information handling system of claim 1 wherein the keyboard manager is further operable to provision a virtual touchpad on the display proximate the peripheral keyboard in response to the detecting the peripheral keyboard.

6. The portable information handling system of claim 1 wherein the peripheral keyboard further comprises a heat sink, the peripheral keyboard heat sink interfacing with a cooling subsystem integrated in the folded housing upon the placement of the peripheral keyboard on the display to dissipate heat from the folded housing.

7. The portable information handling system of claim 1 wherein the keyboard manager is further operable to provision a display area for presentation of the visual information that substantially coincides with one of the rotationally coupled folded housing portions.