SINGLE PIECE TOP SURFACE DISPLAY LAYER AND INTEGRATED FRONT COVER FOR AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20070229475A1
• Filed: 06/06/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lam, Lawrence, Gettemy, Shawn, Hanson, William, Slothower, Anna
• Granted Patent: US 7,973,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04142 the force sensing means being located peripherally, e.g. disposed at the corners or at the side of a touch sensing plate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/905 Display device with housing structure

Abstract

A single-piece top surface display and integrated front cover for an electronic device. In one embodiment, the cover comprises a thin, flexible, transparent layer coupled with a supporting structure. The flexible layer is supported above a display screen which is coupled with pressure activated sensors located under the display screen. The cover is dust-free, waterproof, and has a flat outer surface that is free of any steps or indentations. Users input data by applying pressure on the cover which causes the display screen to deflect and activate the sensors. The pressure exerted on the sensors is triangulated to register the position of the user input. In another embodiment, the cover is transparent, rigid, and directly contacts the pressure activated sensors which are located in front of the display screen or in the housing behind it. When pressure is applied to the cover, the cover deflects and activates the sensors. In both embodiments, an accelerometer identifies valid input events.

Claims

1. A display assembly for an electronic device comprising:

a display mechanism;

a plurality of pressure activated sensors; and

a single-piece bezel-less top cover enclosing said display mechanism to allow mechanical transfer between said top cover and said plurality of pressure activated sensors, wherein said pressure activated sensors can be activated by mechanical pressure applied to the external surface of said single-piece cover enclosure.

2. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein said display mechanism is disposed beneath said single-piece bezel-less top cover, and above said plurality of pressure activated sensors.

3. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein said display mechanism is in direct contact with said plurality of pressure activated sensors.

4. The display assembly of claim 1, further comprising a fixed electronic circuit layer and wherein said pressure activated sensors are disposed between said circuit layer and said display mechanism.

5. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein said single-piece bezel-less top cover further comprises:

a transparent flexible thermoplastic outer film; and

a supporting structure that is co-molded to said transparent flexible thermoplastic outer film.

6. The display assembly of claim 5, wherein said transparent flexible thermoplastic outer film has sufficient deflection under external pressure to apply mechanical pressure to said display mechanism which applies pressure to said plurality of pressure activated sensors.

7. The display assembly of claim 5, wherein said plurality of pressure activated sensors are operable to register a position where contact is made with said transparent flexible thermoplastic outer film.

8. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein said single-piece bezel-less top cover is a flat top surface free of any indentation.

9. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein said plurality of pressure activated sensors comprise an accelerometer operable to identify the parameters of a valid input event.

10. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein said single-piece bezel-less top cover is a transparent rigid cover.

11. The display assembly of claim 10, further comprising a back cover and wherein said single-piece bezel-less top cover is disposed around said display mechanism to contact said plurality of pressure activated sensors, which are disposed between said top cover and said back cover.

12. The display assembly of claim 11, wherein said single-piece bezel-less top cover has sufficient range of motion to allow mechanical transfer between said top cover and said plurality of pressure activated sensors.

13. The display assembly of claim 11, wherein said plurality of pressure activated sensors are operable to register a position where contact is made with said single-piece bezel-less top cover.

14. The display assembly of claim 11, wherein said single-piece bezel-less top cover is a flat top surface free of any indentation.

15. The display assembly of claim 11, wherein said single-piece bezel-less top cover has indentations to indicate button functions.

16. A display assembly for an electronic device comprising:

a display mechanism of flat panel display technology;

a transparent single-piece cover that is bezel-less and is disposed over a top surface of said display mechanism and operable to allow mechanical transfer of pressure to said display mechanism; and

a plurality of pressure activated sensors disposed under said display mechanism and, responsive to said mechanical transfer of said display mechanism, operable for registering a contact point on said transparent single-piece cover.

17. The display assembly of claim 16, further comprising a supporting structure and wherein said transparent single-piece cover is a flexible thermoplastic outer film co-molded to said supporting structure.

18. The transparent single-piece cover of claim 17, wherein said flexible thermoplastic outer film has sufficient deflection under external pressure to transfer said pressure to said display mechanism.

19. The display assembly of claim 16, wherein said single-piece cover is a flat surface free of any indentations.

20. The display assembly of claim 16, wherein said plurality of pressure activated sensors comprise an accelerometer operable to perform thresholding to identify a valid input event.