DEVICE AND METHOD FOR RENDERING CONTENT TO MULTIPLE DISPLAYS

• US 20140191926A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mathew, Mithran, Ramasarma, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US13/829,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20140191926A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• 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 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

This disclosure provides methods and apparatus, including non-transitory processor instructions on computer storage media, which enable a dual-display device to automatically select and render content to a display. Dual-display devices may include devices with a primary and a secondary display, the secondary display consuming less power than the primary display and having reduced glare when viewed in sunlight. In one aspect, the selection of the display may be based upon at least two of: a battery state of the device, an ambient illumination, and an item of content to be displayed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a processor of a device, a parameter based at least in part on an algorithm that evaluates at least two of;

a battery state of the device, an ambient illumination, and an item of content to be displayed;

selecting at least one selected display from among a primary display and a secondary display based at least in part on the determined parameter; and

displaying the item of content on the at least one selected display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary display consumes less power than the primary display.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the primary display and the secondary display is a transmissive display, an emissive display, a transflective display, or a reflective display.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising scaling the item of content for the selected display prior to displaying the item of content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the algorithm comprises:

evaluating the ambient illumination against a light threshold;

evaluating a battery charge level against a battery charge threshold; and

evaluating the item of content to obtain a content type based at least in part on one or more of whether the item of content is interactive, on an amount of text content relative to an amount of image content in the item of content, on the rate of change of the item of content, or on the resolution of the item of content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the selecting is also based at least in part on a device setting.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the algorithm comprises:

evaluating a set of rules, in no particular order, which update the parameter, the set of rules including;

updating the parameter based on the ambient illumination as measured by a light sensor;

updating the parameter based on an amount of text within the item of content;

updating the parameter based on an amount of color within the item of content; and

updating the parameter based on a charge level obtained from the battery state of the device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the selecting comprises:

selecting the primary display if the parameter is greater than or equal to a first threshold;

selecting the secondary display if the parameter is less than or equal to a second threshold; and

selecting either the primary display or the secondary display, whichever was previously selected, if the parameter is between the first threshold and the second threshold.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the algorithm further evaluates at least one of:

an orientation of the device, whether a surface of the device is adjacent to another surface, and whether the device is controlling another device.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a primary display;

a secondary display; and

a processor configured to communicate with the primary display and the secondary display, the processor further configured to determine a parameter based at least in part on an algorithm that evaluates at least two of;

a battery state of the device, an ambient illumination, an item of content to be displayed, and a setting of the device, the processor further configured to select at least one selected display from among a primary display and a secondary display based at least in part on the determined parameter and to display the item of content on the selected display.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the secondary display consumes less power than the primary display.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein one of the primary display and the secondary display is a transmissive display, an emissive display, a transflective display, or a reflective display.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to scale the item of content for the selected display.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the algorithm comprises:

evaluating the ambient illumination against a light threshold, the ambient illumination as measured by a light sensor;

evaluating a charge level against a charge threshold, the charge level obtained from the battery state of the device; and

evaluating the item of content to obtain a content type based at least in part on whether the item of content is interactive, on an amount of text content relative to an amount of image content in the item of content, on the rate of change of the item of content, or on the resolution of the item of content.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the secondary display is removable.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the secondary display stores user preferences.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the primary display and the secondary display are simultaneously viewable.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the device includes a frontlight to illuminate at least one of the displays.

19. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the algorithm comprises:

evaluating a set of rules, in no particular order, which update the parameter, the set of rules including;

updating the parameter based on the ambient illumination as measured by a light sensor;

updating the parameter based on an amount of text within the item of content;

updating the parameter based on an amount of color within the item of content; and

updating the parameter based on a charge level obtained from the battery state of the device.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the processor selection comprises:

selecting the primary display if the parameter is greater than or equal to a first threshold;

selecting the secondary display if the parameter is less than or equal to a second threshold; and

selecting either the primary display or the secondary display, whichever was previously selected, if the parameter is between the first threshold and the second threshold.

21. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the algorithm further evaluates at least one of:

an orientation of the device, whether a surface of the device is adjacent to another surface, and whether the device is controlling another device.

22. A non-transitory, computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that cause a processing circuit to perform a method comprising:

determining, by a processor of a device, a parameter based at least in part on an algorithm that evaluates at least two of;

a battery state of the device, an ambient illumination, an item of content to be displayed, and a setting of the device;

selecting at least one selected display from among a primary display and a secondary display based at least in part on the determined parameter; and

displaying the item of content on the selected display.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the method further comprises scaling the item of content for the selected display prior to displaying the item of content.

24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the algorithm comprises:

evaluating the ambient illumination against a light threshold, the ambient illumination as measured by a light sensor;

evaluating a charge level against a charge threshold, the charge level obtained from the battery state of the device; and

evaluating the item of content to obtain a content type based at least in part on whether the item of content is interactive, on an amount of text content relative to an amount of image content in the item of content, on the rate of change of the item of content, or on the resolution of the item of content.

25. The computer readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the selecting is also based at least in part on a device setting.

26. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the algorithm comprises:

evaluating a set of rules, in no particular order, which update the parameter, the set of rules including;

updating the parameter based on the ambient illumination as measured by a light sensor;

updating the parameter based on an amount of text within the item of content;

updating the parameter based on an amount of color within the item of content; and

updating the parameter based on a charge level obtained from the battery state of the device.

27. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the selecting comprises:

selecting the primary display if the parameter is greater than or equal to a first threshold;

selecting the secondary display if the parameter is less than or equal to a second threshold; and

selecting either the primary display or the secondary display, whichever was previously selected, if the parameter is between the first threshold and the second threshold.

28. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein the algorithm further evaluates at least one of:

an orientation of the device, whether a surface of the device is adjacent to another surface, and whether the device is controlling another device.