CONVERTIBLE COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20130271378A1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Hulford, Tim
• Granted Patent: US 9,791,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• 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 1/162 changing, e.g. reversing, the face orientation of the screen with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, e.g. for folding into tablet PC like position or orienting towards the direction opposite to the user to show to a second user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• 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 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters

Abstract

An apparatus may include a first panel having a first user interface that includes a keyboard. The apparatus may also include a second panel coupled via a hinge to the first panel in a clamshell structure. The second panel may include a first display side to present information in a first display mode when the apparatus is arranged in an open position, and a second display side to present information in a second display mode when the apparatus is arranged in a closed position. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first panel having a first input device that includes a keyboard; and

a second panel coupled via a hinge to the first panel,

the second panel comprising;

a first display side to present information in a first display mode when the apparatus is arranged in an open position; and

a second display side to present information in a second display mode when the apparatus is arranged in a closed position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the first panel comprising a QWERTY keyboard.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the second panel comprising an optical light emitting diode (OLED) display.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, the OLED display arranged to switch between a multiplicity of viewing states when in the open position, two or more viewing states providing a different level of display transparency.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the second panel arranged to provide a transparent display when the apparatus is in the open position.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, the apparatus arranged to switch the second panel between a transparent and opaque state when in the open position.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, the first display side arranged to present information based on user input through the keyboard.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, the second panel comprising:

an OLED layer to generate an image in the second panel; and

a transparency-adjusting layer to adjust a level of light transmitted through the second panel.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, comprising a touch screen interface layer disposed on the second display side, the transparency-adjusting layer being disposed between the touch screen interface layer and the OLED layer.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, the transparency-adjusting layer comprising an electrochromic layer, a liquid crystal display layer, or a combination of the two.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, comprising:

a processor circuit;

and display mode management module operable on the processor to automatically switch between the first display mode and second display mode when the apparatus is changed between open and closed positions.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, comprising a second touch screen interface layer disposed on the first display side.

13. A system, comprising:

a keyboard panel to receive input to control the system through a keyboard;

a display panel coupled to the keyboard panel through a clamshell hinge and operable to present information in a first display mode when the keyboard and display panels are in an open position, and to present information in a second display mode when the keyboard and display panels are in a closed position;

a processor to receive one or more signals indicating the open or closed position; and

a display mode management module operable on the processor to set a display mode based upon the received one or more signals.

14. The system of claim 13, the first display mode comprising presenting information on a first side of the display panel, and the second display mode comprising presenting information on a second side of the display panel opposite the first side.

15. The system of claim 13, the display panel comprising a multilayer stack that includes an electrochromic layer to change opacity of the display panel.

16. The system of claim 14, the second side comprising a touch screen.

17. The system of claim 16, the second side comprising a capacitive touch screen.

18. The system of claim 15, the multilayer stack comprising an optical light emitting diode (OLED) layer to display information.

19. The system of claim 18, the OLED layer comprising an active matrix OLED layer.

20. The system of claim 13, the display mode management module arranged to adjust transparency of the keyboard panel when the keyboard and display panels are in the open position.

21. The system of claim 13, the display mode management module arranged to place the display panel in a transparent state when the keyboard and display panels are placed in a closed position.

22. An article of manufacture, comprising a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that when executed by a processor enable a system to:

determine whether the system comprising a display panel and keyboard panel coupled to the display panel in a clamshell manner is in an open or closed position; and

set a touch screen display mode when the system is in the closed position.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 22 containing instructions that when executed by a processor enable the system to set a transparency of the display panel at a high level when the system is in the closed position.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 22 containing instructions that when executed by a processor enable the system to switch orientation of an image presented on the display panel when the system changes from an open to closed position.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 22, containing instructions that when executed by a processor enable the system to turn off indicator lights in the keyboard panel when the system is in the closed position.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 22, containing instructions that when executed by a processor enable the system to activate a pointer in the display panel when the system is placed in the closed position.

27. A method, comprising:

determining whether a device comprising a display panel and keyboard panel coupled to the display panel in a clamshell manner is in an open or closed position;

setting a first display mode in which input is to be received through the keyboard panel when the device is in an open position, and

setting a second display mode in which input is to be received via a touch screen in the display panel when the device is in the closed position.

28. The method of claim 27, comprising setting a transparency of the display panel at a high level when the device is in the closed position.

29. The method of claim 27, comprising switching orientation of an image presented on the display panel when the device changes from an open to closed position.