COMBINING MULTIPLE SLATE DISPLAYS INTO A LARGER DISPLAY

• US 20120062475A1
• 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 9,052,760 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 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• 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 combining multiple displays on multiple portable electronic computer devices to form a larger display. For each device, a configuration module configures a first display to combine with one or more additional displays of one or more additional electronic computer devices to form the larger display. The first display may be configured to provide a portion of the larger display. A display orientation module determines an orientation of the first display with respect to the one or more additional displays to form the larger display. A detection module 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.

Claims

1. An electronic computer device comprising:

a first display; and

a display configuration module that configures the first display to combine with one or more additional displays of one or more additional electronic computer devices to form a larger display, the first display configured to provide a portion of the larger display.

2. 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.

3. The electronic computer device of claim 2, 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.

4. The electronic computer device of claim 3, further comprising a display orientation module that determines an orientation of the first display with respect to one or more of the additional displays based on the detection contact points.

5. 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.

6. The electronic computer device of claim 5, 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, the display master sending output display signals to each of the other electronic computer devices.

7. The electronic computer device of claim 6, 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 transfers to the second computing device in response to the input command.

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

9. The electronic computer device of claim 8, 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.

10. 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 and determines one or more potential screen configurations for forming the larger display based on the number of displays to be used in the larger display.

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

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

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

14. The electronic computer device of claim 1, wherein the larger display 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, wherein a display of the master electronic computer device separately displays the same data displayed by the larger display.

15. 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.

16. 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; and

a display configuration module that configures the first display to combine with one or more additional displays of the one or more additional electronic computer devices to form a larger display, the first display configured to provide a portion of the larger display.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first electronic computer device comprises a slate computer.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the slate computer comprises a touch screen interface.

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, the first display configured to provide a portion of the larger display.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining an orientation of the first display with respect to the one or more additional displays to form the larger display;

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, the display master sending output display signals to each of the other electronic computer devices; and

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