Tablet computer protective display cover and system and method incorporating same

• US 20030222149A1
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Homer, Steven S., Doczy, Paul J., Solomon, Mark C., Wolff, Stacy
• Granted Patent: US 7,025,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/472.01
• 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 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• 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 1/1669 Detachable keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1632 Pen holder integrated in the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus

Abstract

The present technique provides a system and method for protecting a display of a computing device, such as a tablet computer system, which is coupleable with a plurality of companion components, such as an attachable companion keyboard and a docking structure. A protective display cover is provided with a multi-orientable mounting structure, which is coupleable with at least one of the tablet computing device and the companion components in various intercoupled configurations. The multi-orientable mounting structure may have a reversible latch mechanism to accommodate a stand-alone configuration of the tablet computing device and an assembled configuration of the tablet computing device and one of the companion components, such as the attachable companion keyboard.

Claims

1. A display protection assembly for a portable computer system, comprising:

a protective display cover having a multi-orientable mounting structure, which is releasably coupleable with at least one of a tablet computing device and an attachable companion keyboard in a plurality of configurations.

2. The display protection assembly of claim 1, wherein the protective display cover comprises an opaque portion and a transparent portion.

3. The display protection assembly of claim 2, wherein the transparent portion comprises a viewing window for at least a portion of a display screen of the tablet computing device.

4. The display protection assembly of claim 1, wherein the protective display cover comprises a flexible material.

5. The display protection assembly of claim 1, wherein the multi-orientable mounting structure comprises an orientation guide structure to ensure proper mounting of the protective display cover.

6. The display protection assembly of claim 1, wherein the multi-orientable mounting structure comprises a tool-free coupling mechanism.

7. The display protection assembly of claim 1, wherein the multi-orientable mounting structure comprises a reversible latch assembly having a first orientation coupleable with the tablet computing device and having a second orientation coupleable with the attachable companion keyboard.

8. The display protection assembly of claim 1, wherein the multi-orientable mounting structure comprises a hinge structure.

9. The display protection assembly of claim 8, wherein the hinge structure comprises an axial rotation member having an offset latch structure.

10. The display protection assembly of claim 9, wherein the axial rotation member comprises an offset guide structure.

11. The display protection assembly of claim 9, wherein the offset latch structure is rotatable between an intermediate region of the hinge structure and an extended region away from the hinge structure.

12. The display protection assembly of claim 11, wherein the offset latch structure is coupleable with the tablet computing device while positioned in the intermediate region.

13. The display protection assembly of claim 11, wherein the offset latch structure is coupleable with the attachable companion keyboard while positioned in the extended region.

14. The display protection assembly of claim 1, wherein the protective display cover is positionable over a display screen of the tablet computing device in at least two configurations of the plurality of configurations.

15. The display protection assembly of claim 14, wherein the at least two configurations comprise a stand-alone configuration of the tablet computing device and an assembled tablet-keyboard configuration of the tablet computing device and the attachable companion keyboard.

16. A portable computing system, comprising:

a tablet computing device having a display and computing circuitry;

a keyboard releasably coupleable with the tablet computing device; and

a protective display cover releasably coupleable with at least one of the tablet computing device and the keyboard in a plurality of configurations.

17. The portable computing system of claim 16, wherein the tablet computing device comprises a releasable attachment mechanism engageable with a mating attachment structure of the protective display cover.

18. The portable computing system of claim 17, wherein the mating attachment structure comprises a multi-functional attachment mechanism that is engageable with either the releasable attachment mechanism or a releasable coupling mechanism of the keyboard.

19. The portable computing system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the tablet computing device, the keyboard, and the protective display cover comprises an attachment orientation guide structure to ensure proper attachment of the protective display cover.

20. The portable computing system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of configurations comprise a keyboard storage configuration having the keyboard removably coupled with a rear face of the tablet computing device.

21. The portable computing system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of configurations comprise an operable keyboard configuration having the keyboard removably coupled with an edge of the tablet computing device.

22. The portable computing system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of configurations comprise an operable keyboard configuration having the tablet computing device removably coupled with an intermediate section of the tablet computing device.

23. The portable computing system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of configurations comprise a docked configuration having the tablet computing device removably coupled with a docking assembly.

24. The portable computing system of claim 16, wherein the protective display cover comprises a flexible material.

25. The portable computing system of claim 16, wherein the protective display cover comprises a tool-free mounting mechanism.

26. The portable computing system of claim 16, wherein the protective display cover comprises a reversible latch assembly having a first orientation coupleable with the tablet computing device and having a second orientation coupleable with the keyboard.

27. The portable computing system of claim 16, wherein the protective display cover comprises a hinge structure having an integral mount structure.

28. The portable computing system of claim 27, wherein the integral mount structure comprises an axial rotation member having an offset latch structure extending from the axial rotation member.

29. The portable computing system of claim 28, wherein the integral mount structure comprises an offset guide structure extending from the axial rotation member.

30. The portable computing system of claim 28, wherein the offset latch structure is rotatable between an intermediate region of the hinge structure and an extended region away from the hinge structure.

31. The portable computing system of claim 30, wherein the offset latch structure is coupleable with the tablet computing device while positioned in the intermediate region.

32. The portable computing system of claim 30, wherein the offset latch structure is coupleable with the keyboard while positioned in the extended region.

33. The portable computing system of claim 16, wherein the protective display cover is positionable over the display in at least two configurations of the plurality of configurations.

34. The portable computing system of claim 33, wherein the at least two configurations comprise a stand-alone configuration of the tablet computing device and an assembled tablet-keyboard configuration of the tablet computing device and the keyboard.

35. A method of protecting a display of a tablet computer system, comprising the acts of:

releasably coupling a protective display cover to at least one of a tablet computing device and an attachable companion keyboard in a desired configuration of a plurality of configurations of the tablet computer system.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the act of releasably coupling comprises the act of tool-lessly mounting the protective display cover.

37. The method of claim 35, comprising the act of rotating the protective display cover between protective and non-protective positions relative to the display screen.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the act of rotating comprises the act of flexing a portion of the protective display cover.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein the act of releasably coupling comprises the act of guidingly mounting the protective display cover in the desired configuration to ensure a proper mount orientation of the protective display cover.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein the act of releasably coupling comprises the act of reversibly mounting the protective display cover in either a first mount orientation with the tablet computing device or a second mount orientation with the attachable companion keyboard.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the act of reversibly mounting the display cover comprises the act of releasably latching the protective display cover to a stand-alone configuration of the tablet computing device in the first mount orientation.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the act of reversibly mounting the display cover comprises the act of releasably latching the protective display cover to an assembled tablet-keyboard configuration of the tablet computing device and the attachable companion keyboard in the second mount orientation.

43. The method of claim 35, wherein the act of releasably coupling comprises the act of rotating an offset latch structure about an axially rotatable member of a hinge structure between an intermediate region of the hinge structure and an extended region away from the hinge structure.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the act of rotating the offset latch structure comprises the act of engaging the offset latch structure with a mating latch structure of the tablet computing device while positioned in the intermediate region.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein the act of rotating the offset latch structure comprises the act of engaging the offset latch structure with a mating latch structure of the attachable companion keyboard while positioned in the extended region.