Method of designing a size-adjustable multi-mode display unit for portable electronic devices

• US 20060012951A1
• Filed: 07/16/2004
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semmie Kim
• Original Assignee: Semmie Kim
• Inventors: Kim, Semmie
• Granted Patent: US 7,092,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1622 with enclosures rotating around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define or with ball-joint coupling, e.g. PDA with display enclosure orientation changeable between portrait and landscape by rotation with respect to a coplanar body enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus is disclosed comprising a first housing, a first display device connected to the first housing, a second housing, and a second display device connected to the second housing. The first housing may be connected to the second housing so that the apparatus can be placed into a first state and into a second state. In the first state the first display device lies on top of the second display device, so that only the first display device can be seen. In the second state the first display device and the second display device lie adjacent to one another and the first and the second display device can be seen simultaneously.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first housing;

a first display device connected to the first housing;

a second housing;

a second display device connected to the second housing; and

wherein the second housing is connected to the first housing by a first pin so that the second housing can rotate about the first pin from a first state to a second state, while the first housing remains stationary;

wherein in the first state the second housing substantially overlaps the first housing so that the first and second display devices substantially overlap and in the second state the second housing does not substantially overlap the first housing so that the first and second display devices do not substantially overlap; and

wherein the second housing is substantially parallel to the first housing and remains substantially parallel to the first housing while the second housing is being rotated from the first state to the second state.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising

a third housing;

a third display device connected to the third housing; and

wherein the third housing is connected to the first housing by a second pin so that the third housing can rotate about the second pin from a third state to a fourth state, while the first housing remains stationary;

wherein in the third state the third housing substantially overlaps the first housing so that the first and third display devices substantially overlap and in the fourth state the third housing does not substantially overlap the first housing so that the first and third display devices do not substantially overlap; and

wherein the third housing is substantially parallel to the first housing and remains substantially parallel to the first housing while the third housing is being rotated from the third state to the fourth state.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising

a fourth housing;

a fourth display device connected to the fourth housing; and

wherein the fourth housing is connected to the first housing by a third pin so that the fourth housing ran rotate about the third pin from a fifth state to a sixth state, while the first housing remains stationary;

wherein in the fifth state the fourth housing substantially overlaps the first housing so that the first and fourth display devices substantially overlap and in the sixth state the fourth housing does not substantially overlap the first housing so that the first and fourth display devices do not substantially overlap; and

wherein the fourth housing is substantially parallel to the first housing and remains substantially parallel to the first housing while the fourth housing is being rotated from the fifth state to the sixth state.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein

the first pin and the second pin are the same pin.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising

a processor;

and

wherein the processor can communicate with the first and second display devices to cause a single image to be displayed on a combination of the first and second display devices.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising

a processor;

and

wherein the processor can display a first set of information on the first display device and the processor can display a second set of information on the second display device and the first and second set of information are substantially unrelated.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising

wherein the processor can communicate with the first and second display devices to cause a single image to be displayed on a combination of the first and second display devices.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising

a switch which can cause the processor to either display a single image on a combination of the first and second display devices, or which can cause the processor to display the first and second sets of information on the first and second display devices, respectively.

9. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein

the first pin, the second pin, and the third pin are the same pin.

10. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising

a processor;

and

wherein the processor can display a first set of information on the first display device, a second set of information on the second display device, a third set of information on the third display device, a fourth set of information on the fourth display device, and wherein the first, second, third, and fourth sets of information are substantially unrelated.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising

wherein the processor can communicate with the first, second, third, and fourth display devices to cause a single image to be displayed on a combination of the first, second, third and fourth display devices.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising

a switch which can cause the processor to either display a single image on a combination of the first, second, third, and fourth display devices, or which can cause the processor to display the first, second, third, and fourth sets of information on the first, second, third, and fourth display devices, respectively.

13. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising

a processor, and

wherein the processor can communicate with the first, second, third, and fourth display devices to cause a single image to be displayed on a combination of the first, second, third, and fourth display devices.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the first pin connects the first housing to the second housing at a corner of the first housing and a corner of the second housing.

15. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein

the first pin connects the first housing to the second housing at a corner of the first housing and a corner of the second housing;

and the second pin connects the first housing to the third housing at a corner of the first housing and a corner of the third housing.

16. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein

the first pin connect the first housing to the second housing at a corner of the first housing and a corner of the second housing;

the second pin connects the first housing to the third housing at a corner of the first housing and a corner of the third housing; and

the third pin connects the first housing to the fourth housing at a corner of the first housing and a corner of the fourth housing.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein

the first pin, the second pan, and the third pin are the same pin.

40. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein

each of the first and second display devices have an area, and the areas of the first and second display devices are about the same.

18. A method comprising the steps of:

connecting a first display device to a first housing;

connecting a second display device to a second housing;

connecting the first housing to the second housing;

wherein the first housing is connected to the second housing by a first pin so that the second housing can rotate about the first pin from a first state to a second state, while the first housing remains stationary;

wherein in the first state the second housing substantially overlaps the first housing so that the first and second display devices substantially overlaps and in the second state the second housing does not substantially overlap the first housing so that the first and second display devices do not substantially overlap; and

wherein the second housing is substantially parallel to the first housing and remains substantially parallel to the first housing while the second housing is being rotated from the first state to the second state.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising

connecting a third display device to a third housing;

and

connecting the third housing to the first housing; and

wherein the third housing is connected to the first housing by a second pin so that the third housing ran rotate about the second pin from a third state to a fourth state, while the first housing remains stationary;

wherein in the third state the third housing substantially overlaps the first housing so that the first and third display devices substantially overlap and in the fourth state the third housing does not substantially overlap the first housing so that the first and third display devices do not substantially overlap; and

wherein the third housing is substantially parallel to the first housing and remains substantially parallel to the first housing while the third housing is being rotated from the third state to the fourth state.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising

connecting a fourth display device to a third housing;

and

connecting the fourth housing to the first housing; and

wherein the fourth housing is connected to the first housing by a third pin so that the fourth housing can rotate about the third pin from a fifth state to a sixth state, while the first housing remains stationary;

wherein in the fifth state the fourth housing substantially overlaps the first housing so that the first and fourth display devices substantially overlap and in the sixth state the fourth housing does not substantially overlap the first housing so that the first and fourth display devices do not substantially overlap; and

wherein the fourth housing is substantially parallel to the first housing and remains substantially parallel to the first housing while the fourth housing is being rotated from the fifth state to the sixth state.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein

the first pin and the second pin are the same pin.

22. The method of claim 18 further comprising

causing a single image to be displayed on a combination of the first and second display devices.

23. The method of claim 18 further comprising

causing a first set of information to be displayed on the first display device and a second set of information to be displayed on the second display device, wherein the first and second sets of information are substantially unrelated.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising

causing a single image to be displayed on a combination of the first and second display devices.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising

switching between a first mode in which the single image is displayed on the combination of the first and second display devices and a second mode in which the first and second sets of information are displayed on the first and second display devices, respectively.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising

using a key to switch between the first and the second mode.

27. The method of claim 20 further comprising

the first pin, ta second pin, and the third pin are the same pin.

28. The method of claim 20 further comprising

causing a single image to be displayed on a combination of the first, second, third, and fourth display devices,

33. The method of claim 18 wherein

the first pin connects the first housing to the second housing at a corner of the first housing and a corner of the second housing.

34. The method of claim 19 wherein

the first pin connects the first housing to the second housing at a corner of the first housing and a corner of the second housing;

and the second pin connects the first housing to the third housing at a corner of the first housing and a corner of the third housing.

35. The method of claim 20 wherein

the first pin connects the first housing to the second housing at a corner of the first housing and a corner of the second housing;

the second pin connects, the first housing to the third housing at a corner of the first housing and a corner of the third housing; and

the third pin connects the first housing to the fourth housing at a corner of the first housing and a corner of the fourth housing.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein

the first pin, the second pin, and the third pin are the same pin.

29. The method of claim 2720 further comprising

causing a first set of information to be displayed on the first display device, a second set of information to be displayed on the second display device, a third set of information to be displayed on the third display device, and a fourth set of information to be displayed on the fourth display device;

and

wherein the first, second, third, and fourth sets of information are substantially unrelated.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising

causing a single image to be displayed on a combination of the first, second, third, and fourth display devices.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising

switching between a first mode in which the single image is displayed on the combination of the first, second, third, and fourth display devices and a second mode in which the first, second, third, and fourth and sets of information are displayed on the first, second, third, and fourth display devices, respectivley.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising

using a key to switch between the first and the second mode.

37. An apparatus comprising:

a first housing;

a first display device connected to the first housing;

a second housing;

a second display device connected to the second housing;

a third housing; and

a third display device connected to the third housing;

wherein the second housing is connected to the first housing by a first hinge so that the second housing can be folded out from a first state to a second state or folded in from the second state to the first state, while the first housing remains stationary;

wherein in the first state the second housing substantially overlaps the first housing so that only one of the first and second display devices can be seen and in the second state the second housing does not substantially overlap the first housing so that both of the first and second display devices can be seen;

wherein the third housing is connected to the second housing by a second hinge so that the third housing can be folded out from a third state to a fourth state or folded in from the fourth state to the third state, while the second housing remains stationary; and

wherein in the third state the third housing substantially overlaps the second housing so that only one of the second and third display devices can be seen and in the fourth state the third housing does not substantially overlap the second housing so that both of the second and third display devices can be seen.

38. The apparatus of claim 37 further comprising:

a fourth housing; and

a fourth display device connected to the fourth housing

wherein the fourth housing is connected to the third housing by a third hinge so that the fourth housing can be folded out from a fifth state to a sixth state or folded in from the sixth state to the fifth state, while the third housing remains stationary; and

wherein in the fifth state the fourth housing substantially overlaps the third housing so that only one of the third and fourth display devices can be seen and in the sixth state the fourth housing does not substantially overlap the third housing so that both of the third and fourth display devices can be seen.

39. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein

each of the first, second, third, and fourth display devices have an area, and the areas of the first, second, third, and fourth display devices are about the same;

and

wherein when the second, third, and fourth housings are folded out, the first, second, third, and fourth display devices form a substantially rectangular area.