COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE WITH EXTENDABLE SCREEN

• US 20120280924A1
• Filed: 05/01/2012
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Kummer, David A., Minnick, Danny J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,927,839 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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: G09G 2340/04 Changes in size, position or resolution of an image
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0414 Vertical resolution change
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0421 Horizontal resolution change
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0216 Foldable in one direction, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit

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.

Claims

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.

2. The portable communications device of claim 1, further comprising a spring mechanism configured to move the second screen portion into the same plane as the first screen portion when it is fully extended.

3. The portable communications device of claim 1, wherein the second screen portion, when in the first position, is housed beneath the first screen portion within the housing.

4. The portable communications device of claim 1, further comprising an actuator that is engaged by a user to initiate an extension of the second screen portion from the first position into the second position.

5. The portable communications device of claim 1, further comprising at least one track attached to the second screen portion, which facilitates an extension of the second screen portion from the first position into the second position.

6. The portable communications device of claim 1, wherein the graphics processor is configured to rotate the graphical output and increase a resolution of the graphical output for presentation of the graphical output at the combined display screen in the second, expanded display configuration.

7. The portable communications device of claim 1, further comprising a protective edge portion, disposed at an edge of the housing, which is coupled to the second screen portion and which may be gripped in order to extract the second screen portion from the first position in the housing in order to move the second screen portion into the second position and bring the portable communications device into the second, expanded display configuration.

8. The portable communications device of claim 7, wherein the protective edge portion is constructed of the same materials as the housing and forms an edge portion of the housing when the portable communications device is in the first, portable display configuration.

9. The portable communications device of claim 8, further comprising an actuator that is engaged by a user to release the edge portion from the housing and initiate an extension of the second screen portion from the first position into the second position.

10. The portable communications device of claim 1, wherein the portable communications device comprises a mobile telephonic communications device, the portable communications device further comprising a communications interface configured to receive and transmit telephonic signals wirelessly.

11. The portable communications device of claim 1, further comprising:

a third screen portion, which 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, in a direction that is opposite from a direction in which the second screen portion is extendable, the third screen portion extendable in order to bring the display apparatus into the second, expanded display configuration, the third screen portion configured to be brought into a second position that is coplanar with the first screen portion, wherein an edge of the third screen portion directly abuts a second edge of the first screen portion that is opposite the edge of the first screen portion that is abutted by the edge of the second screen portion when the second screen portion is extended, in order to form a combined display screen with the first and second display screen portions;

wherein 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, a second part on the second screen portion, and a third part on the third screen portion in order to present the graphical output at the combined display screen in the second expanded display configuration.

12. A portable communications device, comprising:

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.

13. The portable communications device of claim 12, wherein the first planar display surface and the second planar display surface of the first screen portion are comprised of two different, oppositely-facing display devices that are disposed within the first screen portion.

14. The portable communications device of claim 12, wherein the first display surface and the second display surface of the first screen portion provide a view of a single display device that is disposed within the first screen portion, wherein the graphics processor is configured to alter the orientation of the single display device based on a detection of whether the communications device is in the first planar display configuration or the second planar display configuration.

15. The portable communications device of claim 14, wherein the single display device comprises a layer of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) material.

16. The portable communications device of claim 12, wherein the first and second screen portions are comprised of a single display sheet having multiple layers, wherein the axis between the first and second screen portions comprises a corrugation in the single sheet, along which the single sheet may be creased.

17. The portable communications device of claim 16, wherein the single sheet includes a touch screen layer.

18. The portable communications device of claim 12, further comprising a third screen portion, which is configured to be placed in the first, portable display configuration, in which the third screen portion is folded on top of the second screen portion and beneath the first screen portion;

and which is further configured to be placed in the second display configuration, in which the first and third screen portions are unfolded from their positions in the first display configuration along a first and second axis that comprise opposite edges of the second screen portion to which the first and third screen portions are attached, wherein in the second display configuration, the first and third screen portions are collocated next to and coplanar with the second screen portion, such that a planar surface of the third screen portion forms the single display screen with the first planar surface of the first screen portion and the planar surface of the second screen portion, which presents the graphical output from the graphics processor.

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.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first screen portion includes a single display device, which provides a display that is visible at both the first and the second surfaces of the first screen portion, the method further comprising:

displaying the first graphical output from the graphics processor of the communications device to be displayed in a first orientation by the first screen portion when the communications device is in the first display configuration; and

upon detection that the communications device has been placed in the second display configuration, inverting the first orientation of the first screen portion in order to provide a second orientation to correctly display the first portion of the second graphical output in the second display configuration.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising increasing a resolution of the second graphical output and rotating an orientation of the second graphical output, with respect to the first graphical output, in order to utilize additional screen space and resolution provided by the combination of the first screen portion and the second screen portion into the single display screen, when the communications device is placed in the second display configuration.