ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH FLEXIBLE DISPLAY

• US 20160334836A1
• Filed: 01/29/2014
• Published: 11/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: HONG, Insun, MEHANDJIYSKY, Dimitre, SENATORI, Mark David
• Granted Patent: US 10,013,020 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera

Abstract

An electronic device is provided in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, The electronic device includes a cover and a flexible display, The cover includes a first section, a second section connected to the first section by a first connection mechanism, and a third section connected to the second section by a second connection mechanism. The flexible display is attached to at least a portion of the first section and a portion a he third section. The flexible display is positioned h a first orientation when the first and the third sections are in a plane and in a second orientation when the sections are in different planes.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a cover including

a first section,

a second section connected to the first section by a first connection mechanism, and

a third section connected to the second section by a second connection mechanism; and

a flexible display attached to at least a portion of the first section and a portion of the third section, the flexible display positioned in a first orientation when the first and the third sections are in a plane and in a second orientation when the first and the third sections are in different planes.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first connection mechanism and the second connection mechanism are synchronized to rotate along two parallel axes to transition the flexible display between at least the first orientation and the second orientation.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein in the first orientation the flexible display is substantially flat, and wherein in the second orientation a first portion of a top surface of the flexible display is in contact with a second portion of the top surface of the flexible display.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 wherein the connection mechanisms are further synchronized to position the first and the third sections at matching acute angles in relation to the second section, and to transition the flexible display to a plurality of different third orientations where the first portion of the top surface of the flexible display is not in contact with the second portion of the top surface.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein in the second orientation flexible display is transitioned into two approximately equal halves, and wherein a diagonal length of each of the halves is substantially half of a diagonal length of the flexible display when the display is in the first orientation.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the flexible display is seamless, and wherein the flexible display curves along an axis to transition into the two halves when the display is in the second orientation or the display is in the plurality of third orientations.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a battery embedded in at least one of the sections of the cover, at least one port embedded in one of the sections of the cover, a printed circuit board extending through the sections of the cover, and at least one camera positioned in the second section between the first connection mechanism and the second connection mechanism.

8. A portable computing device comprising:

a seamless flexible display;

a first section supporting at least first portion of the flexible display;

a second section connected to the first section by a first connection mechanism; and

a third section supporting at least a second portion of the flexible display, the third section connected to the second section by a second connection mechanism,

wherein the connection mechanisms are synchronized to adjust positions of at least the first section and the second section and to convert the seamless flexible display between different orientations such as the flexible display transitions between a closed position, where the display forms two approximately equal halves, into an open position where a diagonal length of the flexible display is approximately double a diagonal length of each of the halves.

9. The portable computing device claim 8, wherein the different orientations of the flexible display include a first orientation when the first and second sections are in a plane, a second orientation where the first and the second sections are in different planes and a first portion of a top surface of the flexible display is in contact with a second portion of the top surface, and a plurality of third orientations where the first and the second sections are in different planes and the first portion of the top surface of the flexible display is not in contact with the second portion of the top surface.

10. The portable computing device claim 9, wherein the flexible display is curved along an axis parallel to axes of rotation of the connection mechanisms to form a two halves when the display is in the second orientation or the display is in the plurality of third orientations.

11. The portable computing device of claim 10, wherein the first, second, and sections include removable outer surfaces that can be replaced.

12. An electronic device cover comprising:

a first section;

a second section connected to the first section by a first connection mechanism; and

a third section connected to the second section by a second connection mechanism,

wherein the connection mechanisms are synchronized to rotate along two parallel axes to adjust positions of at least the first section and the third section from a first orientation, where an internal surface of the first section is in contact with an internal surface of the third section, to at least a second orientation where the internal surface of the first section is in not in contact with the internal surface of the third section. cm 13. The electronic device cover of claim 12, further comprising at least one attachment mechanism to attach a flexible display to at least a portion of the first section and a portion the third section, the flexible display positioned in a first orientation when the first and the third sections are in a plane and in a second orientation when the sections are in different planes.

14. The electronic device cover of claim 12, further comprising a battery embedded in at least one of the sections of the cover, at least one port embedded in one of the sections of the cover, a printed circuit board extending through the sections of the cover, and at least one camera positioned in the second section between the first connection mechanism and the second connection mechanism.

15. The electronic device cover of claim 12, wherein the first, second, and third sections include removable outer surfaces that can be replaced.