Dual directional display for communication device

• US 20050024319A1
• Filed: 07/30/2003
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Castaneda, Julio C., Fredley, David S., Amirzadeh, Habib, Yorio, Rudy
• Granted Patent: US 6,927,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/104
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133342 for double-sided displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13718 based on a change of the texture state of a cholesteric liquid crystal
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1601 Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays constructional details related to flat displays integrated in a portable computer, e.g. laptop, handheld computer G06F1/1637; constructional details related to television receivers H04N5/64
• 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 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1612 Flat panel monitor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0245 using open/close detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit

Abstract

A communication device (100) comprising a body portion (110) and a display portion (130) that is rotatably connected to the body portion. A switch (160,161, 162, 163,164) is operable to reverse the modes of the inner (141) and outer (142) bistable clear-reflective layers in response to rotation of the display portion (130) with respect to the body portion (110).

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

a body portion;

a display portion rotatably connected to the body portion, the display portion including an inner and an outer bistable clear-reflective layer; and

a switch operable to reverse modes of the inner and outer bistable clear-reflective layers responsive to rotation of the display portion with respect to the body portion.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the display portion further comprises an LCD stack positioned between the inner and outer bistable clear-reflective layers.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the inner and the outer bistable clear reflective layers are in opposite bistable modes.

4. The communication device of claim 1, further comprising:

a power source, wherein the power source provides a voltage pulse to the inner and outer bistable clear-reflective layers responsive to the switch.

5. The communication device of claim 1, further comprising:

a controller electrically connected to the display to rotate images on the LCD stack, wherein the switch is operable to signal the controller to rotate the images on the LCD stack in response to the rotation.

6. The communication device of claim 3,

wherein the images comprise letters and numerals.

7. The communication device of claim 3, further comprising:

a hinge rotatably connecting the display portion to the body portion of the communication device wherein the hinge has an axis of rotation and wherein the images rotate about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the hinge.

8. The communication device of claim 1, further comprising:

a lightguide wherein the lightguide provides frontlighting when the display portion is in a closed position and wherein the lightguide provides backlighting when the display portion is in an open position.

9. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the inner bistable clear-reflective layer is clear when the display is in an open position and reflective when the display is in a closed position.

10. The communication device of claim 6, wherein the outer bistable clear-reflective layer is reflective when the display portion is in an open position and clear when the display portion is in a closed position.

11. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the switch is selected from a group consisting of mechanical switches, magnetic switches, electrical switches, piezoelectric switches, pneumatic switches, shape memory based switches, solenoid based switches and combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 11,

wherein the images are rotated about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the display with respect to the communication device.

12. A method for displaying information on an display of a communication device, the method comprising:

sending a reverse mode signal to an inner and an outer bistable clear-reflective layer of the display responsive to a rotation of the display with respect to a body portion of the communication device, wherein the mode of the outer bistable clear-reflective layer and the mode of the inner bistable clear-reflective layer are reversed responsive to the reverse mode signal.

13. The method of claim 12,

wherein the outer bistable clear-reflective layer and the inner bistable clear-reflective layer are in opposite modes.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

rotating images on the display in response to the rotation of the display with respect to a body portion of the communication device.

15. The method of claim 14,

wherein the images comprise letters and numerals.

17. A computer usable medium storing a computer program comprising:

computer readable code for distinguishing images in an array of pixels controlled by circuitry;

computer readable code for storing the distinguished images in memory; and

computer readable code for providing a rotate-mode signal to a processor electrically connected to circuitry in response to actuation of a switch.

18. The computer usable medium of claim 17 further comprising:

computer readable code for determining how to modify inputs to the circuitry operable to rotate the distinguished images stored in the memory in response to the rotate-mode signal

19. The computer usable medium of claim 18 further comprising computer readable code for modifying input to the circuitry operable to rotate the distinguished images about an axis of rotation

20. The computer usable medium storing a computer program of claim 17, further comprising:

computer readable code for rotated images in an array of pixels controlled by circuitry upon rotation of the distinguished images about the axis of rotation.

21. The computer usable medium storing a computer program of claim 17, further comprising:

computer readable code for periodically updating the distinguished images in an array of pixels controlled by circuitry;

computer readable code for storing the updated distinguished images in the memory;

computer readable code for determining how to modify inputs to the circuitry operable to rotate the updated distinguished images stored in the memory in response to the rotate-mode signal; and

computer readable code for modifying input to the circuitry operable to rotate the updated distinguished images about an axis of rotation.