Moveable display device for three dimensional image creation

• US 20030098832A1
• Filed: 11/29/2001
• Published: 05/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fraser, Sherridythe A., Hanson, William Robert
• Granted Patent: US 6,755,533 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/87
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 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 1/1654 the display being detachable, e.g. for remote use
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1431 using a single graphics controller

Abstract

A display system is disclosed. The display system includes a processor and a first display device having a first display surface and receiving display data from the processor. The display system also includes a second display device having a display area smaller than the first display device and moveable over the surface of the first display device. The second display device is either partially transparent or partially translucent. The display system also includes a sensor in communication with the processor and communicating location data to the processor. The location data is representative of the relative location of the first display to the second display. A program is configured to run on the processor and provides display data to the first and second display devices such that the display data prior to the second display device is based on the location data. A user of the system views a composite three-dimensional image when viewing the second display. The composite three-dimensional image is made up of a partial first image from the first display viewed through the second display and a partial second image from the second display.

Claims

1. A display system, comprising:

a processor;

a first display device having a first display surface and receiving display data from the processor;

a second display device having a display area smaller than the first display device and moveable over the surface of the first display device, the second display device being at least one of partially transparent and partially translucent; and

a sensor in communication with the processor and communicating location data to the processor, the location data being representative of the relative location of the first display to the second display; and

a program running on the processor and providing display data to the first and second display devices, such that the display data provided to the second display device is based on the location data,

wherein a user of the system views a composite three dimensional image when viewing the second display, the composite three dimensional image made up of a partial first image from the first display viewed through the second display and a partial second image from the second display.

2. The display system of claim 1, wherein the first display device includes a flexible display.

3. The display system of claim 2, wherein the first display device includes an e-paper display.

4. The display system of claim 1, wherein the first display includes a liquid crystal display.

5. The display system of claim 1, wherein the second display includes a liquid crystal display.

6. The display system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a capacitive sensor.

7. The display system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is an optical sensor.

8. The display system of claim 1, wherein the three dimensional image is a holographic image.

9. The display system of claim 1, wherein the second display includes more than one display layer.

10. The display system of claim 1, wherein the three dimensional image includes images which appear to be located behind other images.

11. The display system of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a touch sensor.

12. A method of providing an image to a display system user, comprising:

providing a first image on a first display;

detecting the location of a second display relative to the first display;

providing display data to the second display based on the detected location of the second display;

merging the image from the first display through the second display, with a second image generated from the display data on the second display to create a three dimensional image.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting data representative of the detected location of the second display to a processing device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting second display data from the processing device to the second display device.

15. A moveable display device configured for movement across a primary display surface, the primary display being in communication with a processing device, comprising:

an at least partially transparent display screen, the display screen including electronically selectable pixelated display elements; and

a wireless communications device receiving display data from the processing device, the display data being based on location data from a location sensor sensing the relative location of the display device and the primary display surface, the moveable display device generating a partial image based on the display data,

wherein a viewer of the second display device views a composite three dimensional image generated from a partial image on the primary display and from the partial image on the moveable display device.

16. The moveable display device of claim 15, wherein the display screen includes a liquid crystal display.

17. The moveable display device of claim 15, wherein the location sensor includes a capacitive sensor.

18. The moveable display device of claim 15, wherein the sensor includes an optical sensor.

19. The moveable display device of claim 15, wherein the location sensor includes a touch sensor.

20. The moveable display device of claim 15, wherein the three dimensional image is a holographic image.

21. The moveable display device of claim 15, wherein the second display includes more than one display layer.

22. The moveable display device of claim 15, wherein the three dimensional image includes images which appear to be located behind other images.