COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE WITH EXTENDABLE SCREEN
First Claim
1. A portable communications device comprising:
- a housing;
a graphics processor that processes data to generate a graphical output; and
a display apparatus, which is disposed within the housing, comprising a first screen portion and a second screen portion, the display apparatus adjustable to be placed in a first, portable display configuration in which the second screen portion is retracted, and a second, expanded display configuration in which the second screen portion is extended, wherein;
the first screen portion presents a display of the graphical output provided by the graphics processor in the first, portable display configuration;
the second screen portion is inactive and housed inside the housing in a first position when the portable communications device is in the first, portable display configuration, and is extendable from the housing to bring the display apparatus into the second, expanded display configuration in which the second screen portion is disposed in a second position that is coplanar with the first screen portion such that an edge of the second screen portion directly abuts an edge of the first screen portion in order to form a combined display screen with the first screen portion; and
the graphics processor is configured to provide the graphical output in a first format to be rendered on the first screen portion in the first, portable display configuration and in a second format to be rendered in a first part on the first screen portion and in a second part on the second screen portion in order to present the graphical output at the combined display screen in the second, expanded display configuration.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Described herein are apparatuses and mechanisms for providing an extendable screen in a portable communications device. A portable communications device may be provided with a multi-part screen, a portion of which may be extended to provide an expanded viewing display surface or may be retracted to provide a reduced viewing mode and increased portability. In a reduced viewing mode, a graphical display may be provided on a first, visible portion of a multi-part display screen, where one or more other screen portions are retracted and/or obscured from view in order to provide a portable mode for the communications device. In an extended viewing mode, the one or more other screen portions may be extended and/or brought into the same plane as a first portion of the multi-part display in order to provide increased display size and resolution.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A portable communications device comprising:
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a housing; a graphics processor that processes data to generate a graphical output; and a display apparatus, which is disposed within the housing, comprising a first screen portion and a second screen portion, the display apparatus adjustable to be placed in a first, portable display configuration in which the second screen portion is retracted, and a second, expanded display configuration in which the second screen portion is extended, wherein; the first screen portion presents a display of the graphical output provided by the graphics processor in the first, portable display configuration; the second screen portion is inactive and housed inside the housing in a first position when the portable communications device is in the first, portable display configuration, and is extendable from the housing to bring the display apparatus into the second, expanded display configuration in which the second screen portion is disposed in a second position that is coplanar with the first screen portion such that an edge of the second screen portion directly abuts an edge of the first screen portion in order to form a combined display screen with the first screen portion; and the graphics processor is configured to provide the graphical output in a first format to be rendered on the first screen portion in the first, portable display configuration and in a second format to be rendered in a first part on the first screen portion and in a second part on the second screen portion in order to present the graphical output at the combined display screen in the second, expanded display configuration. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A portable communications device, comprising:
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a housing; a graphics processor, that processes data in order to generate a graphical output; and a display apparatus, which is coupled to the housing, and which comprises a first screen portion and a second screen portion, the display apparatus is adjustable to be placed in a first, portable display configuration and a second, expanded display configuration, wherein; the first screen portion is configured to be placed in a first position in the first, portable display configuration, in which the first screen portion is folded on top of the second screen portion such that a first planar display surface of the first screen portion faces inwardly toward a planar display surface of the second screen portion and a second planar display surface of the first screen portion faces outwardly, the second planar display surface presents the graphical output from the graphics processor when the display apparatus is in the first, portable display configuration, wherein the first planar display surface of the first screen portion and the planar display surface of the second screen portion are inactive when the display apparatus is in the first, portable display configuration; the first screen portion further configured to provide the second, expanded display configuration, in which the first screen portion is unfolded from its position in the first, portable display configuration along an axis that comprises an edge of the second screen portion that is coupled to and directly abuts an edge of the first screen portion, wherein in the second expanded display configuration, the first screen portion is collocated next to and coplanar with the second screen portion, such that the first planar display surface faces the same direction as the planar display surface of the second screen portion and forms a single display screen therewith, which presents a second graphical output from the graphics processor. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for displaying a graphical output on a communications device, the method comprising
detecting that a communications device has been placed in a first display configuration, wherein a first screen portion of the communications device has been folded upon a second screen portion of the communications device; -
displaying a first graphical output from a graphics processor of the communications device at a first surface of the first screen portion; detecting that the communications device has been placed in a second display configuration, wherein the first screen portion has been unfolded with respect to the second screen portion, such that a second surface of the first screen portion, which is opposite the first surface, is in the same plane and facing the same direction as a surface of the second screen portion, the second surface of the first screen portion and the surface of the second screen portion forming a single, combined display screen; displaying a first portion of a second graphical output on the second surface of the first screen portion; and displaying a second portion of the second graphical output on the surface of the second screen portion, such that the second graphical output is displayed on the single, combined display screen. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification