Attachable article with signaling, split display and messaging features

• US 10,459,485 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2016
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flexterra, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Flexterra, Inc.
• Inventors: Inagaki, Philippe, Baum, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Zheng, Xuemei
• Application Number:
  US15/066,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20160299526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/24 Ornamental buckles; Other ornaments for shoes without fastening function
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/36 with light sources
• CPC Class Codes: A44C 5/0015 providing information, e.g. bracelets with calendars identification bracelets G09F3/005
• CPC Class Codes: A44C 5/0053 Flexible straps
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/2227 with means for amusing or giving information to the user A47G23/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An attachable article or device, such as a wristband, includes a flexible electronic display disposed thereon in a manner that is bendable or conformable to a user'"'"'s wrist or other curved surface, and that enables various images to be displayed on the electronic display in a manner that is easily viewable to the user. The attachable article implements a messaging routine that enables a user or wearer to receive notifications of incoming messages and to selectively view incoming messages or indications thereof. Upon receipt of a message, the attachable article may activate one or more vibrational or other tactile signal generating element elements disposed at various locations on the article to inform the wearer that a new message exists and may present the contents of a message in a split display screen format or using a natural messaging methodology that waits for the user to take some specific natural action before displaying the message. Different vibrational patterns across the plurality of vibrational elements may signify different types of messages, and associations between vibrational patterns, message types, and locations on the flexible display at which different message indicators are displayed may be configurable.

Claims

1. A display system, comprising:

an article having a substrate and a flexible display disposed over a portion of the substrate;

a display driver electronically connected to the flexible display for providing image content to the flexible display;

a user signaling element disposed on the article;

a processor coupled to the display driver;

a memory that stores a messaging routine that, when executed on the processor, operates to;

detect receipt of an incoming message,

upon detecting receipt of the incoming message, send an activation signal to the user signaling element to generate a user signal sensible by a user,

initiate a first detection iteration to detect whether a first predetermined action has been taken by the user, with respect to the article, within a predetermined period of time after generating the user signal,

display an indication of the incoming message on a portion of the flexible display of the article when the first predetermined action is detected within the predetermined period of time,

initiate a second detection iteration to detect whether a second predetermined action has been taken by the user, with respect to the article, and

modify the predetermined period of time when the second predetermined action is detected; and

one or more sensors, wherein the messaging routine uses said one or more sensors to;

detect the first predetermined action by detecting one or more of a first motion of the article, a positioning of the article in a first predetermined position, or a change of an orientation of the article to a first predetermined orientation; and

/or

detect the second predetermined action by detecting one or more of a second motion of the article, a positioning of the article in a second predetermined position, or a change of an orientation of the article to a second predetermined orientation.

2. The display system of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined position or the second predetermined position is a position associated with the article being disposed on a wrist of a hand of a wearer with the palm of the hand facing towards the wearer of the article.

3. The display system of claim 1, wherein the messaging routine uses the one or more sensors to further determine a position or an orientation of the article to determine whether to send the activation signal to the user signaling element to cause the generation of the user signal.

4. The display system of claim 3, wherein the messaging routine determines the position or the orientation of the article by determining whether the article is disposed on a wrist of a hand of a wearer with the palm of the hand facing away from the wearer of the article, or disposed around another member by determining whether first and second ends of the flexible substrate are connected or are disposed adjacent to one another.

5. The display system of claim 1, wherein the article is a wristband and wherein the messaging routine displays the message on a portion of the flexible display disposed adjacent the inner wrist of the wearer if the first predetermined action is detected within the predetermined period of time.

6. The display system of claim 1, further including a user interface and wherein the messaging routine detects the first predetermined action by detecting a first predetermined interaction of the user with the user interface and/or detects the second predetermined action by detecting a second predetermined interaction of the user with the user interface.

7. The display system of claim 6, wherein the messaging routine detects the first predetermined interaction or the second predetermined interaction of the user with the user interface by detecting a predetermined gesture entered by the user via the user interface.

8. The display system of claim 1, wherein the user signaling element comprises at least one of a vibrator and an audio signal generator, and the messaging routine sends an activation signal to the user signaling element so as to cause the vibrator to create a vibration pattern and/or the audio signal generator to create an audio signal indicative of a specific type of incoming message to be displayed.

9. The display system of claim 1, wherein the user signaling element is a visual signal generator, and the messaging routine sends an activation signal to the visual signal generator so as to cause the visual signal generator to create a visual signal indicative of a specific type of incoming message to be displayed, wherein the visual signal is one of an icon, a light, or a display image.

10. The display system of claim 1, wherein the messaging routine detects the receipt of the incoming message by detecting the receipt of one of an e-mail message, a text message, a phone call, or a calendar alert.

11. The display system of claim 1,

wherein the user signaling element comprises a plurality of tactile signal generating elements, each tactile signal generating element disposed at a respective different location on the article and

wherein upon detecting the receipt of the incoming message, the messaging routine sends one or more activation signals to the tactile signal generating elements to cause a tactile signal to be generated in a manner sensible by the user,

wherein the incoming message is one of a plurality of message types, and each message type of the plurality of message types corresponds to a different tactile signal.

12. The display system of claim 11, wherein the different tactile signals are vibration patterns distinguishable by at least one of:

a total number of vibrations,

a set of selected vibrational elements that are activated to generate the vibration pattern,

a sequence of activation of members of the set of selected vibrational elements,

a duration of one or more particular vibrations, or

an intensity of vibration.

13. The display system of claim 11, wherein:

the tactile signal is indicative of a particular portion of the flexible display at which an indication of the incoming message is to be presented; and

the messaging routine, when executed by the processor, further operates to cause the indication of the incoming message to be presented on the particular portion of the flexible display.

14. The display system of claim 13, wherein one or more of an association of the message type of the incoming message and the particular portion of the flexible display, an association of the particular tactile signal and the particular portion of the flexible display, or an association of the message type of the incoming message and the tactile signal is configurable by the user.

15. The display system of claim 11, wherein the message type of the incoming message corresponds to at least one of:

an application executed by the processor of the article, a source of the incoming message, or a priority of the incoming message.

16. The display system of claim 1, wherein the portion of the flexible display on which the indication of the message is displayed is selected based on at least one of:

a type of the incoming message, the first predetermined action, the second predetermined action, or the predetermined period of time.

17. The display system of claim 1, wherein modifying the predetermined period of time comprises:

resetting the predetermined period of time, extending the predetermined period of time, or setting the predetermined period of time to a different period of time than the predetermined period of time.

18. A display system, comprising:

an article having a substrate and a flexible display disposed over a portion of the substrate;

a display driver electronically connected to the flexible display for providing image content to the flexible display;

a user signaling element disposed on the article;

a processor coupled to the display driver;

a memory that stores a messaging routine that, when executed on the processor, operates to;

detect receipt of an incoming message,

upon detecting receipt of the incoming message, send an activation signal to the user signaling element to generate a user signal sensible by a user,

initiate a first detection iteration to detect whether a first predetermined action has been taken by the user, with respect to the article, within a predetermined period of time after generating the user signal,

display an indication of the incoming message on a portion of the flexible display of the article when the first predetermined action is detected within the predetermined period of time,

initiate a second detection iteration to detect whether a second predetermined action has been taken by the user, with respect to the article, and

modify the predetermined period of time when the second predetermined action is detected,

wherein the first predetermined action comprises one or more of;

positioning of the article in a first predetermined position, changing an orientation of the article to a first predetermined orientation, a first user input entered via a user interface of the article, or a plurality of first predetermined actions by the user via the article, and the second predetermined action comprises one or more of;

positioning of the article in a second predetermined position, changing an orientation of the article to a second predetermined orientation, a second user input entered via the user interface of the article, or a plurality of second predetermined actions by the user via the article.

19. The display system of claim 18, wherein modifying the predetermined period of time comprises:

resetting the predetermined period of time, extending the predetermined period of time, or setting the predetermined period of time to a different period of time than the predetermined period of time.