MOBILE TERMINAL UNIT, DISPLAY METHOD, DISPLAY PROGRAM, AND RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20090051830A1
• Filed: 08/30/2006
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unified Innovative Technology, LLC
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kiyoshi, Honda, Masanori, Takemoto, Minoru, Matsushita, Yoshiteru
• Granted Patent: US 8,174,628 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/836
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133308 Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels
• 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 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• 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 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1688 the I/O peripheral being integrated loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0268 including a flexible display panel

Abstract

A flexible LCD (2) is a flexible display. The flexible LCD (2) is pulled out from an upper cabinet to change a display area of the flexible LCD (2). An amount-of-sliding detecting section (4) measures the pullout amount (amount of sliding) of the flexible LCD (2) when the flexible LCD (2) is pulled out from a mobile terminal unit (1) or is retracted into the mobile terminal unit (1). A display controller (3) causes the flexible LCD (2) to display in a manner responsive to the amount of sliding that is measured by the amount-of-sliding detecting section (4). The foregoing makes it possible to utilize effectively the display having a display area that is revealed when the display is pulled out.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal unit with a pullout display that is to be pulled out from a body of the mobile terminal unit,

the mobile terminal unit comprising:

amount-of-pullout detecting means for detecting a pullout amount by which the pullout display is pulled out;

display controlling means for causing the pullout display to show a display responsive to the pullout amount detected by the amount-of-pullout detecting means; and

a touched-section detecting member to detect a section touched by a user,

the touched-section detecting member being provided on a front surface of the pullout display and rigidly mounted on the body of the mobile terminal unit.

6. The mobile terminal unit of claim 1, wherein:

the pullout display is flexible; and

the pullout display is in a state of bending when housed in the body of the mobile terminal unit.

7. The mobile terminal unit of claim 1, wherein the display controlling means adjusts a size of an image in a manner responsive to the pullout amount to display the image on the pullout display.

8. The mobile terminal unit of claim 1, wherein the display controlling means displays a content having a size responsive to the pullout amount that is detected.

9. The mobile terminal unit of claim 1, wherein the pullout display needs light given from a back,

the mobile terminal unit further comprising a backlight that emits the light to the pullout display and is allowed to be pulled out along with the pullout display.

10. The mobile terminal unit of claim 1, wherein the pullout display needs light given from a back,

the mobile terminal unit further comprising:

a backlight that emits the light to a part of the pullout display, which part is housed in the body of the mobile terminal unit;

amount-of-light controlling means for controlling an amount of light to be emitted from the backlight; and

amount-of-light detecting means for detecting an amount of ambient light around the mobile terminal unit,

the amount-of-light controlling means controlling the amount of light to be emitted from the backlight in a manner responsive to the amount of ambient light that is detected by the amount-of-light detecting means.

11. The mobile terminal unit of claim 1, further comprising, on a front surface of the pullout display, a touched-section detecting member to detect a section touched by a user,

the touched-section detecting member being allowed to be pulled out along with the pullout display.

12. A mobile terminal unit of claim 1, further comprising display moving means for automatically moving the pullout display to a position responsive to a display size of information that is to be displayed on the pullout display.

2. A mobile terminal unit with a pullout display that is to be pulled out from a body of the mobile terminal unit,

the mobile terminal unit comprising:

amount-of-pullout detecting means for detecting a pullout amount by which the pullout display is pulled out;

display controlling means for causing the pullout display to show a display responsive to the pullout amount detected by the amount-of-pullout detecting means; and

a sound output member that is allowed to be pulled out along with the pullout display.

3. A mobile terminal unit with a pullout display that is to be pulled out from a body of the mobile terminal unit,

the mobile terminal unit comprising:

amount-of-pullout detecting means for detecting a pullout amount by which the pullout display is pulled out; and

display controlling means for causing the pullout display to show a display responsive to the pullout amount detected by the amount-of-pullout detecting means,

if the pullout amount is decreased when information is being displayed, by the display controlling means, on the pullout display pulled out from the body of the mobile terminal unit, the display controlling means moving, in a direction in which the pullout display is to be pulled out, the information by a distance substantially equal to the pullout amount that is decreased, and displaying the information thus moved.

4. (canceled)

5. A mobile terminal unit with a pullout display that is to be pulled out from a body of the mobile terminal unit,

the mobile terminal unit comprising:

amount-of-pullout detecting means for detecting a pullout amount by which the pullout display is pulled out;

display controlling means for causing the pullout display to show a display responsive to the pullout amount detected by the amount-of-pullout detecting means; and

application activating means for activating a predetermined application responsive to the pullout amount.

13. A mobile terminal unit with a pullout display that is to be pulled out from a body of the mobile terminal unit to be extended,

the pullout display being flexible to be allowed to bend when housed in the body of the mobile terminal unit,

the pullout display, when housed in the body of the mobile terminal unit, being bent to form a first surface and a second surface that are separated by a bent section of the pullout display,

at least a part of the first surface being revealed from an external surface of the body of the mobile terminal unit to serve as a first display, and

at least a part of the second surface being revealed from a surface, different from the external surface, of the body of the mobile terminal unit to serve as a second display.

14. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. (canceled)