COMBINING MULTIPLE SLATE DISPLAYS INTO A LARGER DISPLAY MATRIX

• US 20120062442A1
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Published: 03/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Locker, Howard J., Critchley, David William III, Majapuro, Mika
• Granted Patent: US 9,047,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/1.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2356/00 Detection of the display position w.r.t. other display screens

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for automatically combining multiple displays on multiple portable electronic computer devices to form a larger display matrix. For each device, a first display configured to combine with additional displays of additional electronic devices to form a larger display from a matrix of the first display and the additional displays. A display orientation module automatically determines an orientation of the first display with respect to the one or more additional displays that form the larger display matrix. The display orientation module determines a location of the first display in the larger display matrix.

Claims

1. An electronic computer device comprising:

a first display configured to combine with one or more additional displays of one or more additional electronic devices to form a larger display from a matrix of the first display and the plurality of additional displays; and

a display orientation module that automatically determines an orientation of the first display with respect to the one or more additional displays that form the larger display matrix, the display orientation module determining a location of the first display in the larger display matrix.

2. The electronic computer device of claim 1, wherein the orientation module further determines a size and shape of the larger display matrix.

3. The electronic computer device of claim 1, further comprising a detection module that automatically detects a presence of the one or more additional electronic computer devices and determines that the detected additional electronic computer devices are compatible with the first display to combine to form a larger display matrix.

4. The electronic computer device of claim 3, wherein the detection module comprises one or more detection contact points, wherein the detection module detects the presence of one of the additional electronic computer devices in response to the detection contact points of the detection module contacting one or more detection contact points of the additional electronic computer device.

5. The electronic computer device of claim 4, wherein the display orientation module determines an orientation of the first display with respect to one or more of the additional displays based on information determined by the detection contact points.

6. The electronic computer device of claim 1, further comprising a control module that communicates with one or more of the additional electronic computer devices to control operation of the larger display matrix.

7. The electronic computer device of claim 6, wherein the control module identifies an electronic computer device as a display master, wherein the display master is the electronic computer device that controls the output of the larger display matrix, the display master sending output display signals to each of the other electronic computer devices.

8. The electronic computer device of claim 7, wherein the control module identifies a second electronic computing device as the display master in response to an input command and wherein control of the larger display matrix transfers to the second computing device in response to the input command.

9. The electronic computer device of claim 1, wherein the first display and each additional display each comprise a touch screen interface.

10. The electronic computer device of claim 9, wherein the touch screen interface of the first display and each of the additional displays combine to form a larger touch screen interface such that the first display and each additional display each provide a portion of the larger touch screen interface.

11. The electronic computer device of claim 1, wherein the display configuration module determines a number of additional displays to be used in the larger display matrix and determines one or more potential screen configurations for forming the larger display matrix based on the number of displays to be used in the larger display matrix.

12. The electronic computer device of claim 1, wherein the first display is configured to be combined with two or more additional displays to form the larger display matrix.

13. The electronic computer device of claim 1, wherein the first display is configured to be combined with three additional displays in a two by two matrix to form the larger display matrix.

14. The electronic computer device of claim 1, wherein the first display is configured to be combined with eight additional displays in a three by three matrix to form the larger display matrix.

15. The electronic computer device of claim 1, wherein the larger display matrix formed by the combination of the first display and the one or more additional displays is controlled by an additional master electronic computer device that is not used to form the larger display matrix, wherein a display of the master electronic computer device separately displays the same data displayed by the larger display matrix.

16. The electronic computer device of claim 1, further comprising one or more securing mechanisms that physically secure one or more edges of the first display to one or more edges of the additional displays.

17. An system comprising:

a first electronic computer device and one or more additional electronic computing devices, the first electronic computer device comprising

a first display configured to combine with one or more additional displays of one or more additional electronic devices to form a larger display from a matrix of the first display and the plurality of additional displays; and

a display orientation module that automatically determines an orientation of the first display with respect to the one or more additional displays that form the larger display matrix, the display orientation module determining a location of the first display in the larger display matrix.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first electronic computer device comprises a slate computer.

19. A computer implemented method comprising:

configuring a first display of an electronic computer device to combine with one or more additional displays of one or more additional electronic computer devices to form a larger display matrix, the first display configured to provide a portion of the larger display matrix; and

automatically determining an orientation of the first display with respect to the one or more additional displays that form the larger display matrix, the display orientation module determining a location of the first display in the larger display matrix.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

identifying an electronic computer device as a display master, wherein the display master is the electronic computer device that controls the output of the larger display matrix, the display master sending output display signals to each of the other electronic computer devices; and

operating the larger display matrix based on the output display signals from the display master.