INFORMATION DISPLAY USING ELECTRONIC DIFFUSERS

• US 20140063049A1
• Filed: 07/30/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Armstrong-Muntner, Joel S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,553,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 11/00 Filters or other obturators specially adapted for photographic purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/05 Combinations of cameras with electronic flash apparatus; Electronic flash units
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0592 installed in front of light emitter
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 9/00 Exposure-making shutters; Diaphragms
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/72 Combination of two or more compensation controls
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/75 by influencing optical camera components

Abstract

Embodiments of systems and methods for using electronic diffusers to implement message indicators are described. A segment of a diffuser attached to an electronic device is configured to indicate an informational message in response to signals that result in a change to an optical property. A set of information to be displayed using the segment is determined, and a signal is transmitted to the segment to display the information.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more processors,

a memory; and

one or more diffuser segments attached to an encasing of the electronic device, wherein one or more optical properties of a particular diffuser segment of the one or more diffuser segments are controllable via a signal;

wherein the memory comprises program instructions that when executed on the one or more processors;

determine contents of one or more messages to be displayed using the particular diffuser segment; and

initiate a generation of a signal to the particular diffuser segment to modify an optical property of the particular diffuser segment to form at least a portion of the contents of the one or more messages.

2. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the optical property comprises at least one of:

(a) diffusivity, (b) transparency, (c) opacity, (d) transmittance, or (d) color.

3. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the contents of the one or more messages comprise state information of one or more applications executing at the electronic device.

4. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the contents of the one or more messages comprise an indication of a state of a battery of the electronic device.

5. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the particular diffuser segment comprises one or more of:

(a) a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) device, (b) a curved metal blind deposited on a glass substrate, (c) a photochromic thin film, or (d) a suspended particle device.

6. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, further comprising a touch screen with a top bezel, two side bezels, and a bottom bezel, wherein the particular diffuser segment is attached to one of:

(a) the top bezel, (b) a size bezel of the two side bezels, or (c) the bottom bezel.

7. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, further comprising one or more supplementary light sources positioned within a threshold distance from the particular diffuser segment, wherein the program instructions when executed on the one or more processors:

initiate a generation of one or more other signals to the one or more supplementary light sources to indicate the at least a portion of the contents of the one or more messages.

8. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, further comprising one or more of:

(a) a digital camera, (b) a mobile phone, (c) a tablet computer, (d) a personal computer, or (e) a laptop computer.

9. A method, comprising:

performing, by one or more computing devices;

receiving a diffuser display configuration request indicating a data source;

configuring a particular segment of a diffuser attached to an electronic device to indicate, via a change to an optical property of the particular segment resulting from one or more signals, an informational message based at least in part on the data source;

determining contents of a particular informational message to be displayed using the particular segment during a particular time interval; and

transmitting a signal to the particular segment to display the contents of the particular informational message.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the particular segment comprises one or more of:

(a) a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) device, (b) a curved metal blind deposited on a glass substrate, (c) a photochromic thin film, or (d) a suspended particle device.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the electronic device comprises a digital camera, wherein the particular segment is positioned in a light path of a lens of the digital camera.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the electronic device comprises an flash unit configurable for use with a digital camera, wherein the particular segment is positioned in a light path of the flash unit.

13. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the electronic device comprises an encasing with a front face and a back face, wherein the particular segment is attached to one of:

the front face, or the back face.

14. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the contents of the informational message comprises one or more of (a) an indication of a state of an application running at the electronic device, (b) a logo, (c) an advertisement, or (d) artwork associated with an application.

15. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein, during at least a portion of the particular time interval in which the contents of the informational message are displayed using the particular segment, the electronic device is in one of:

(a) a low power mode, (b) a hibernation mode, (c) an airplane mode, or (d) a sleep mode.

16. A system, comprising:

one or more processors,

a memory,

a user interface including a first display attached to an encasing, and

a second display comprising one or more diffuser segments attached to the encasing;

wherein the memory comprises program instructions that when executed on the one or more processors;

configure a particular segment of the second display to indicate at least a portion of an informational message in response to one or more signals that result in a change to a particular optical property of the particular segment;

determine contents of an informational message to be indicated via the particular segment; and

transmit one or more electrical signals to the particular segment to change the particular optical property to form the contents of the informational message.

17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the informational message comprises an indication of an e-mail message received on behalf of a user.

18. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the one or more diffuser segments include the particular segment and a second segment, wherein the program instructions when executed on the one or more processors:

implement a programmatic interface enabling a user to indicate, via the user interface, respective applications for which state information is to be displayed via the first and second segments;

configure, in accordance with a request received via the interface, the particular diffuser segment to display an indication of a state of a first application, and the second diffuser segment to display an indication of a state of a second application.

19. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the particular segment comprises one or more of:

(a) a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) device, (b) a curved metal blind deposited on a glass substrate, (c) a photochromic thin film, or (d) a suspended particle device.

20. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein second display overlaps at least in part with the first display.