Folding user interface

• US 20080212272A1
• Filed: 12/18/2007
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stripe, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jonathan Hollander
• Inventors: Hollander, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 7,672,119 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/681
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• 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 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1666 Arrangements for reducing the size of the integrated keyboard for transport, e.g. foldable keyboards, keyboards with collapsible keys G06F1/1664 takes precedence
• 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 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• 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

Abstract

An electronic device interface provides three different physical user interfaces. Users may fold or unfold the device to reveal one interface and hide the other two. A first module includes a first portion of a first interface. A second module includes a first portion of a second interface. A third module includes a second portions of the first and second interfaces. The second and third modules are folded together to hide the second interface and expose the first interface. The first and third modules are folded together to hide the first interface and expose the second interface. The third interface is exposed when the first and third modules and the second and third modules are folded together, hiding the first and second interfaces. The first modules can include a concave portion matching a convex portion of the third module to maintain a flush profile for the first and second interfaces.

Claims

1. An interface for an electronic device, the interface comprising:

a first module including a first surface including a first portion of a first interface;

a second module including a second surface including a first portion of a second interface; and

a third module including a third surface including a second portion of the first interface and a fourth surface opposite to the third surface and including a second portion of the second interface;

wherein the third module is connected with the first module via a first folding joint and with the second module via a second folding joint, such that the first, second, and third modules can be folded along the first and second folding joints into a first configuration that exposes the first and second portions of the first interface and hides the first and second portions of the second interface and into a second configuration that exposes the first and second portions of the second interface and hides the first and second portions of the first interface.

2. The interface of claim 1, wherein the first folding joint is located on a first side of the third module and the second folding joint is located on a second side of the third module that is not adjacent to the first side.

3. The interface of claim 1, wherein the first configuration and the second configuration have approximately the same footprint.

4. The interface of claim 1, further comprising:

a latching system adapted to hold the second and third modules together while the first module is rotating around the first folding joint and to hold the first and third modules together while the second module is rotating around the second folding joint.

5. The interface of claim 4, wherein the latching system includes a magnet.

6. The interface of claim 1, wherein the first surface includes a first concave region and the third surface includes a first convex region adapted to nest within the first concave region in the second configuration.

7. The interface of claim 6, wherein the second surface includes a second concave region and the fourth surface includes a second convex region adapted to nest within the second concave region in the first configuration.

8. The interface of claim 6, wherein the second surface and the fourth surfaces are substantially flat, such that the first and second portions of the second interface form a substantially flat surface in the second configuration.

9. The interface of claim 1, wherein the first surface includes a first common interface portion, the second surface includes a second common interface portion, and the third module is smaller than the first and second modules, such that the first and second common interface portions are exposed in the first and second configurations.

10. The interface of claim 9, wherein the first common interface portion includes a first display device and the second common interface portion includes a second display device, such that the first and second display devices form a primary display.

11. The interface of claim 10, wherein the first and second display devices exchange positions from the first to the second configuration, and further comprising:

logic adapted to display a first portion of an image with the first display device and the second portion of the image with the second display device in the first configuration and to display the first portion of the image with the second display device and the second portion of the image with the first display device in the second configuration.

12. The interface of claim 10, further comprising an optical system adapted to minimize the visibility of bezels of the first and second display devices.

13. The interface of claim 1, wherein the folding joints include wiring adapted to communicate signals between the first, second, and third modules.

14. The interface of claim 1, further comprising:

the first module including a fifth surface including a first portion of a third interface; and

the second module including a sixth surface including a second portion of the third interface;

wherein the first, second, and third modules can be folded along the first and second folding joints into a third configuration that exposes the third interface and hides the first and second interfaces.

15. The interface of claim 14, wherein the third configuration has a footprint approximately one half of the footprint of the first configuration.

16. The interface of claim 1, further comprising logic adapted to activate the first interface and deactivate the second interface in the first configuration and to activate the second interface and deactivate the first interface in the second configuration.

17. An interface for an electronic device, the interface comprising:

a first module including a first surface including a first portion of a first interface;

a second module including a second surface including a first portion of a second interface; and

a third module including a third surface including a second portion of the first interface and a fourth surface opposite to the third surface and including a second portion of the second interface;

wherein the third module is connected with the first module via a first folding joint and with the second module via a second folding joint, such that the first, second, and third modules can be folded along the first and second folding joints into a first configuration that exposes the first and second portions of the first interface and into a second configuration that exposes the first and second portions of the second interface, such that the third module covers the first portion of the second interface in the first configuration and covers the first portion of the first interface in the second configuration.

18. The interface of claim 17, wherein the first folding joint is located on a first side of the third module and the second folding joint is located on a second side of the third module opposite to the first side.

19. The interface of claim 17, wherein the first configuration and the second configuration have approximately the same footprint.

20. The interface of claim 17, further comprising:

a latching system adapted to hold the second and third modules together while the first module is rotating around the first folding joint and to hold the first and third modules together while the second module is rotating around the second folding joint.

21. The interface of claim 17, wherein the first surface includes a first concave region and the third surface includes a first convex region adapted to nest within the first concave region in the second configuration.

23. The interface of claim 17, wherein the first surface includes a first common interface portion, the second surface includes a second common interface portion, and the third module is smaller than the first and second modules, such that the first and second common interface portions are exposed in the first and second configurations.

24. The interface of claim 17, further comprising:

the first module including a fifth surface including a first portion of a third interface; and

the second module including a sixth surface including a second portion of the third interface;

wherein the first, second, and third modules can be folded along the first and second folding joints into a third configuration that exposes the third interface and hides the first and second interfaces.

25. The interface of claim 24, wherein the third and fourth surfaces of the third module are covered by the first and second modules in the third configuration.

22. The interface of claim 22, wherein the second surface includes a second concave region and the fourth surface includes a second convex region adapted to nest within the second concave region in the first configuration.