Curved display and curved display support

• US 10,652,967 B1
• Filed: 10/03/2018
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Inventors: Baloga, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dzierzynski, Evan P
• Application Number:
  US16/151,104
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2021/0076 the screen being incorporated in the desk top
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/00 Tables or desks for office equipment, e.g. typewriters, keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/0073 liftable above the desk top
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/08 with a standard F21S6/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/30 Pivoted housings or frames
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0012 Furniture hospital beds F21V33/0072
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/301 for furniture
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/145 Arrangements of the electroluminescent material

Abstract

A workstation assembly comprising an emissive surface assembly including a substantially contiguous emissive surface on which visual content may be presented, the emissive surface assembly including emissive surface sections including first and second substantially flat emissive surface sections wherein one of the first and second flat sections is substantially horizontal and the other of the first and second flat sections is at least somewhat vertical, first and second curved surface sections that are curved about first and second non-parallel axis, the first curved section positioned between and adjacent the first and second flat surface sections, the second curved section adjacent an edge of the first substantially flat emissive surface section, each of the curved and flat surface sections forming a portion of the substantially contiguous emissive surface, a support structure and a driver.

Claims

1. An emissive surface assembly comprising:

an emissive surface assembly including a substantially contiguous emissive surface on which visual content may be presented, the emissive surface assembly including emissive surface sections including;

at least first and second substantially flat emissive surface sections;

at least first and second curved emissive surface sections that are curved about first and second non-parallel axis, the first curved section positioned between and adjacent the first and second flat surface sections, the second curved section adjacent an edge of the first substantially flat emissive surface section, each of the curved and flat surface sections forming a portion of the substantially contiguous emissive surface; and

a driver for presenting content on the substantially contiguous emissive surface.

2. The assembly of claim 1 further including a third substantially flat emissive surface section, the second curved section positioned between and adjacent the first and third flat surface sections, the third flat surface section non-parallel to each of the first and second flat surface sections.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein each of the first, second and third flat surface sections includes substantially straight edge portions that abut adjacent curved sections.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the first flat section is at least somewhat horizontal and wherein the third flat section extends at least somewhat vertically upward.

5. The assembly of claim 4 further including a fourth substantially flat emissive surface section and a third curved emissive surface section, the third curved section between and adjacent each of the first and fourth flat surface sections, the third curved section positioned along an edge of the first flat surface section opposite the edge along which the second curved surface section is positioned, the fourth flat surface section extending at least somewhat vertically upward.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first and second flat surfaces are substantially parallel.

7. The assembly of claim 6 further including a support structure that is substantially rectilinear having first and second oppositely facing rectilinear surfaces, the first flat section substantially covering the first rectilinear surface and the second flat section covering at least a portion of the second rectilinear surface.

8. The assembly of claim 7 wherein the second flat section covers substantially the entire second rectilinear surface.

9. The assembly of claim 8 wherein the support structure includes first through fourth substantially straight edges and wherein the first and second curved sections cover the first and second straight edges, respectively.

10. The assembly of claim 9 further including third and fourth curved sections that curve about third and fourth axis and that extend along edged of the first and second flat sections opposite the first curved section, the third and fourth curved sections together substantially covering the third edge of the support structure wherein the third edge of the support structure is opposite the first straight edge.

11. The assembly of claim 10 further including a fifth curved section that extends along a straight edge of the first flat section opposite the second curved section, the fifth curved section substantially covering the fourth edge of the support structure that is opposite the second straight edge.

12. The assembly of claim 11 wherein distal edges of the second and fifth curved sections opposite the first flat section are adjacent side edges of the second flat section.

13. The assembly of claim 6 further including a support structure that includes oppositely first and second support surfaces and at least first and second substantially straight edges, the first and second flat sections substantially covering the first and second support surfaces, the first and second curved sections covering the first and second substantially straight edges, respectively.

14. The assembly of claim 7 further including at least a third flat section that is co-planar with the second flat section and that substantially covers the portion of the second rectilinear surface that is not covered by the second flat section.

15. The assembly of claim 13 wherein the support structure includes first through fourth substantially straight edges and wherein the first and second curved sections cover the first and second straight edges, respectively.

16. The assembly of claim 13 further including a third curved section that substantially covers the third edge of the support structure and extends along an edge of the first flat section, wherein the third flat section extends from an edge of the third curved section and to the edge of the second flat section.

17. The assembly of claim 7 further including a third curved emissive surface section, the support structure having at least first and second substantially parallel and substantially straight edges and wherein the first and third curved surface sections cover the first and second straight edges, respectively.

18. The assembly of claim 17 wherein an edge of the second flat surface section and an edge of the third curved surface section are immediately adjacent each other.

19. The assembly of claim 7 wherein the support structure includes first through fourth substantially straight edges and wherein the first and second curved sections cover the first and second straight edges, respectively.

20. The assembly of claim 7 wherein the support structure includes first through fourth substantially straight edges, the assembly further including a third curved section that extends from an edge of one of the first and second flat surface sections and a fourth curved section that extends from an edge of one of the first and second flat surface sections, wherein each of the straight edges of the support structure is at least partially covered by at least one of the curved surface sections.

21. The assembly of claim 20 wherein each of the straight edges of the support structure is substantially covered by at least one of the curved surface sections.

22. The assembly of claim 21 wherein the first, second, third and fourth curved surface portions covers the first, second, third and fourth straight edges of the support structure, respectively.

23. The assembly of claim 22 wherein each of the third and fourth curved surface segments extends from an edge of the first flat surface section.

24. The assembly of claim 23 wherein the second flat section substantially covers the second rectilinear surface.

25. The assembly of claim 24 wherein at least a portion of the emissive surface is touch sensitive.

26. The assembly of claim 25 wherein a first portion of the emissive surface is touch sensitive and a second portion of the emissive surface is not touch sensitive.

27. The assembly of claim 20 wherein at least a portion of the emissive surface is touch sensitive.

28. The assembly of claim 27 wherein a first portion of the emissive surface is touch sensitive and a second portion of the emissive surface is not touch sensitive.

29. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first flat surface section has an emissive side and a rear side, the first curved section curves in the direction of the emissive side and the second curved section curves in the direction of the emissive side.

30. The assembly of claim 29 wherein the second flat surface section is substantially perpendicular to the first flat surface section.

31. The assembly of claim 30 further including a third substantially flat emissive surface section, the second curved section positioned between and adjacent the first and third flat surface sections, the third flat surface section non-parallel to each of the first and second flat surface sections.

32. The assembly of claim 31 further including a fourth substantially flat emissive surface section and a third curved section along an edge of the first flat surface section opposite the second curved section, the third curved section positioned between and adjacent the first and fourth flat surface sections, the fourth flat surface section non- parallel to each of the first and second flat surface sections.

33. The assembly of claim 32 wherein each of the third and fourth flat surface sections are substantially perpendicular to the second flat surface section.

34. The assembly of claim 33 wherein the third and fourth flat surface sections form an obtuse angle.

35. The assembly of claim 34 wherein the second flat surface section is substantially horizontal.

36. The assembly of claim 35 further including a support structure for supporting the emissive surface assembly with the second flat surface section at a table height.

37. The assembly of claim 34 wherein the second flat surface section is substantially vertical.

38. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first flat surface section has an emissive side and a rear side, the first curved section curves in the direction of the emissive side and the second curved section curves in the direction of the rear side.

39. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the second substantially flat surface section has a lateral edge that is immediately adjacent an edge of the second curved section opposite the first substantially flat surface section.

40. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first curved section is flexible.

41. The assembly of claim 40 wherein the second curved section is flexible.

42. The assembly of claim 40 further including a sensor for detecting the position of at least one of the first and second substantially flat surface sections with respect to other emissive surface portions.

43. The assembly of claim 42 wherein the driver presents different information on the emissive surfaces as a function of the position of the at least one of the first and second flat emissive surface sections.

44. The assembly of claim 43 wherein the different information includes different arrangements of the same information.

45. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the second axis is substantially perpendicular to the first axis.

46. The assembly of claim 45 wherein the first curved section curves through substantially 180 degrees.

47. The assembly of claim 46 wherein the second curved section curves through substantially 90 degrees.

48. The assembly of claim 1 further including at least one additional surface section forming a portion of the substantially contiguous emissive surface that extends from the second flat section opposite the second curved section the edge of the second curved section opposite the first flat section immediately adjacent at least one other surface section.

49. The assembly of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the emissive surface is touch sensitive.

50. The assembly of claim 49 wherein a first portion of the emissive surface is touch sensitive and a second portion of the emissive surface is not touch sensitive.

51. An emissive surface assembly comprising:

an emissive surface assembly including a substantially contiguous emissive surface on which visual content may be presented, the emissive surface assembly including emissive surface sections including;

a plurality of substantially flat emissive surface sections;

a plurality of curved emissive surface sections that are curved about different axis, at least first and second of the curved emissive surface sections curved about non-parallel first and second axis, the first curved section positioned between and adjacent the first and second flat surface sections, the second curved section adjacent an edge of the first substantially flat emissive surface section, each of the curved and flat surface sections forming a portion of the substantially contiguous emissive surface; and

a driver for presenting content on the substantially contiguous emissive surface.

52. The emissive surface assembly of claim 51 further including a support structure and wherein the substantially contiguous emissive surface substantially covers an entire outer surface of the support structure.

53. The emissive surface assembly of claim 52 wherein the support structure is substantially rectilinear.

54. The assembly of claim 52 wherein the outer surface of the support structure includes at least first and second surfaces that face in opposite directions.

55. An emissive surface assembly comprising:

an emissive surface assembly including a substantially contiguous emissive surface on which visual content may be presented, the emissive surface assembly including emissive surface sections including;

at least first, second and third substantially flat emissive surface sections;

a plurality of curved emissive surface sections that are curved about different axis, at least first and second of the curved emissive surface sections curved about non-parallel first and second axis, the first curved section positioned between and adjacent the first and second flat surface sections, the second curved section positioned between and adjacent the second and third flat surface sections, each of the curved and flat surface sections forming a portion of the substantially contiguous emissive surface; and

a driver for presenting content on the substantially contiguous emissive surface.