DUAL CONFIGURATION COMPUTER

• US 20150286359A1
• Filed: 06/26/2013
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Oakley, Nicholas W., Lew, Chee Soon, Soon, Bin Yun
• Granted Patent: US 9,830,068 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display

Abstract

In general, in one aspect, a laptop computer that maintains at least a subset of its operational capability (e.g., some display visibility, some user interface ability) in a closed configuration. The base includes a transparent surface to enable at least part of the display to be visible from the bottom when in the closed configuration. The transparent surface is touch sensitive to enable a touchscreen user interface with the display in the closed configuration and a touchpad user interface with the display in an open configuration. The transparent surface may display varying portions of the user interface device and possibly other images in the open configuration. The laptop computer may function as a tablet in the closed configuration.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first housing; and

a transparent touch sensitive display device supported by the first housing, the transparent touch sensitive display device including;

a first touch screen interface to detect a first touch input;

a second touch screen interface to detect a second touch input; and

a transparent display disposed between the first touch screen interface and the second touch screen interface to present one or more images for the first touch screen interface, wherein at least one of the one or more images is to define one or more regions to receive the first touch input.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first touch screen interface includes a first touch screen surface and a first touch sensor and the second touch screen interface includes a second touch screen surface and a second touch sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transparent display is a transparent liquid crystal display (LCD).

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transparent display is a transparent organic light emitting diode (OLED) display.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a second housing coupled to the first housing, the first housing and the second housing being rotatable between an open configuration and a closed configuration; and

a display device supported by the second housing, wherein the transparent touch sensitive display device is configured such that at least a portion of the display device is visible through the transparent touch sensitive display device when the first housing and the second housing are in the closed configuration.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising logic, the logic at least partially including hardware logic, configured to identify whether the first housing and the second housing are in the open configuration or the closed configuration.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising logic, the logic at least partially including hardware logic, configured to map the second touch input associated with the second touch screen interface to the display device as a touchscreen interaction when the first housing and the second housing are in the closed configuration.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising logic, the logic at least partially including hardware logic, configured to map the first touch input associated with the first touch screen interface to the display device as a touchpad interaction when the first housing and the second housing are in the open configuration.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the transparent display is to present the one or more images for the first touch screen interface when the first housing and the second housing are in the open configuration.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a non-transparent user interface supported by the first housing, wherein a portion of the display device aligned with the non-transparent user interface is not visible when the first housing and the second housing are in the closed configuration.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more images to be presented by the transparent display include one or more user interfaces.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more user interfaces includes a touchpad.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more user interfaces includes a keyboard.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more user interfaces is to be selected based on operations of the apparatus.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more images presented by the transparent display include one or more desktop accessories.

14. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a first housing having a display supported thereby;

a second housing having one or more user interface devices supported thereby, wherein at least one of the one or more user interface devices is to be provided by a transparent touch sensitive display device, wherein the transparent touch sensitive display device is to present one or more images, wherein the second housing is coupled to the first housing such that the first housing and the second housing are rotatable between an open configuration and a closed configuration, and wherein the transparent touch sensitive display device is configured such that at least a portion of the display is visible through the transparent touch sensitive display device when the first housing and the second housing are in the closed configuration; and

logic, the logic at least partially including hardware logic, configured to identify whether the first housing and the second housing are in the open configuration or the closed configuration.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the transparent touch sensitive display device includes

a first touch screen interface to detect a first touch input;

a second touch screen interface to detect a second touch input; and

a transparent display disposed between the first touch screen interface and the second touch screen interface to present the one or more images for the first touch screen interface.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising logic, the logic at least partially including hardware logic, configured to map the second touch input associated with the second touch screen interface to the display as a touchscreen interaction when the first housing and the second housing are in the closed configuration.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising logic, the logic at least partially including hardware logic, configured to reduce power to a portion of the display when the first housing and the second housing are in the closed configuration.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising logic, the logic at least partially including hardware logic, configured to map the first touch input associated with the first touch screen interface to the display as a touchpad interaction when the first housing and the second housing are in the open configuration.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the transparent display is to present the one or more images for the first touch screen interface when the first housing and the second housing are in the open configuration.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the one or more images to be presented by the transparent display include one or more user interfaces.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the one or more user interfaces to be presented is to be selected based on operations of the apparatus.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the one or more images presented by the transparent display include one or more desktop accessories.

20-22. -22. (canceled)

28. (canceled)

31-39. -39. (canceled)

40. An apparatus, comprising:

a first housing having a display supported thereby;

a second housing having a transparent touch sensitive display device supported thereby, wherein the second housing is coupled to the first housing such that the first housing and the second housing are rotatable between an open configuration and a closed configuration, wherein the transparent touch sensitive display device is configured to present one or more user interface devices and to detect a first touch input when the first housing and the second housing are in the open configuration, and wherein the transparent touch sensitive display device is configured such that at least a portion of the display is visible through the transparent touch sensitive display device and to detect a second touch input when the first housing and the second housing are in the closed configuration; and

comprising logic, the logic at least partially including hardware logic, configured to identify whether the first housing and the second housing are in the open configuration or the closed configuration.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the transparent touch sensitive display device includes

a first touch screen interface to detect the first touch input;

a second touch screen interface to detect the second touch input; and

a transparent display disposed between the first touch screen interface and the second touch screen interface to present the one or more user interfaces.

45. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the apparatus operates as a tablet when the first housing and the second housing are in the closed configuration, and further comprising

logic, the logic at least partially including hardware logic, configured to map the second touch input to the display as a touchscreen interaction when the first housing and the second housing are in the closed configuration;

and

logic, the logic at least partially including hardware logic, configured to determine an orientation of the apparatus and to configure the display based on the orientation of the apparatus when the first housing and the second housing are in the closed configuration.

46. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the apparatus operates as a laptop computer when the first housing and the second housing are in the open configuration, and further comprising logic, the logic at least partially including hardware logic, configured to map the first touch input to the display as a touchpad interaction when the first housing and the second housing are in the open configuration.

48. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the one or more user interfaces to be presented by the transparent touch sensitive display device are to be selected based on operations of the apparatus.

49. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the transparent touch sensitive display device is further to present one or more desktop accessories.

42-44. -44. (canceled)

47. (canceled)

50. (canceled)