Smartphone with front camera and maximized display screen

• US 20180219987A1
• Filed: 12/28/2017
• Published: 08/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inodyn Newmedia GmbH
• Original Assignee: Inodyn Newmedia GmbH
• Inventors: Pantel, Lothar
• Granted Patent: US 10,324,492 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1605 Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• 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 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/04 Changes in size, position or resolution of an image
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2092 Details of a display terminals using a flat panel, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/003; specific for a CRT G09G1/165
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 OLEDs integrated with touch screens

Abstract

A smartphone device may have thin borders at the left, right, top, and/or bottom edges of the display screen. To accommodate, e.g., a front camera in spite of a border that is too thin for a camera module and lens, at least one corner of the display may be cut out. Optical sensor(s), emitter(s), or the lens of a front camera may be disposed at the location(s) of the cutout(s). A wide-screen movie may be displayed in letterbox mode with horizontal bars above and/or below the movie, wherein the cutout(s) are located, at least partially, in the region(s) of the horizontal bars, thereby avoiding that larger parts of the movie are hidden by the cutout(s). In other embodiments, an uninterrupted status bar may be displayed between a cutout in the upper-left corner and a cutout in the upper-right corner of the display.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method for maximizing the size of a wide-screen movie in relation to the outer dimensions of a smartphone equipped with a front camera, comprising:

a) providing an oblong display, said display being aligned in landscape orientation and having a horizontal screen width, an upper-left corner, and a lower-left corner, wherein said display has an upper-left cutout at said upper-left corner and a lower-left cutout at said lower-left corner, said upper-left cutout having an upper-left cutout area, and said lower-left cutout having a lower-left cutout area,

b) providing at least one front camera and at least one optical emitter,

c) providing an oblong casing with at least a first thin border and a second thin border, said casing being aligned in landscape orientation and having an outer horizontal measurement,

d) configuring said smartphone to display a first screen content on said display, comprising;

i) a wide-screen movie in landscape orientation that seamlessly extends over the entire horizontal screen width of said display, said wide-screen movie having a left side, a right side, and an image width, wherein the left side of said wide-screen movie is displayed between said upper-left cutout and said lower-left cutout,

ii) an upper horizontal matte region located above said wide-screen movie, wherein said upper horizontal matte region extends into said upper-left cutout area, such that said upper-left cutout is accommodated, at least in part, in said upper horizontal matte region,

iii) a lower horizontal matte region located below said wide-screen movie, wherein said lower horizontal matte region extends into said lower-left cutout area, such that said lower-left cutout is accommodated, at least in part, in said lower horizontal matte region,

e) disposing said at least one front camera, at least in part, in said upper-left cutout area or said lower-left cutout area, and disposing said at least one optical emitter, at least in part, in said lower-left cutout area or said upper-left cutout area,

f) disposing said first thin border adjacent to the left side of said wide-screen movie and said second thin border adjacent to the right side of said wide-screen movie, such that the outer horizontal measurement of said casing is nearly equal to the image width of said wide-screen movie.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said upper horizontal matte region and said lower horizontal matte region are empty and contain no content.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said display has a left edge, a right edge, an upper edge, and a lower edge, and wherein said smartphone is further configured to alternately display a second screen content on said display, comprising:

a) a photograph having a visible area, wherein said photograph seamlessly extends to the left edge, the right edge, the upper edge, and the lower edge of said display, and

b) a schematized camera lens symbol located adjacent to said upper-left cutout area or said lower-left cutout area, wherein said schematized camera lens symbol surrounds said upper-left cutout area or said lower-left cutout area substantially in a quarter circle, such that the visible area of said photograph is maximized, said schematized camera lens symbol being animated and being visible, at least if said front camera is active.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said display has a curved surface.

25. A method of making a smartphone with a front camera such that the size of a wide-screen movie is maximized in relation to the outer dimensions of said smartphone, said method comprising:

a) providing an oblong display aligned in landscape orientation, said display having a horizontal screen width and a cutout at least at one corner, said cutout having an area,

b) providing at least one front camera,

c) providing an oblong casing with at least a first thin border and a second thin border, said casing being aligned in landscape orientation and having an outer horizontal measurement,

d) configuring said smartphone to display a wide-screen movie on said display using the entire horizontal screen width, said wide-screen movie having a left side, a right side, and an image width, and said wide-screen movie being displayed in landscape orientation with at least one horizontal matte region above or below said wide-screen movie, wherein said horizontal matte region extends into the area of said cutout, such that said cutout is accommodated, at least in part, in said horizontal matte region,

e) disposing said at least one front camera, at least in part, in the area of said cutout,

f) disposing said first thin border adjacent to the left side of said wide-screen movie and said second thin border adjacent to the right side of said wide-screen movie, such that the outer horizontal measurement of said casing is nearly equal to the image width of said wide-screen movie.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said at least one horizontal matte region above or below said wide-screen movie is displayed in black.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein said display has a curved surface.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein said smartphone is a phablet.

29. A smartphone having a front-facing optical sensor, said smartphone being made for maximizing the size of a wide-screen movie in relation to the outer dimensions of said smartphone, comprising:

a) an oblong display aligned in landscape orientation, said display having a horizontal screen width and a cutout at least at one corner, said cutout having an area,

b) a computer system configured to display a wide-screen movie on said display using the entire horizontal screen width, said wide-screen movie having a left side, a right side, and an image width, and said wide-screen movie being displayed in landscape orientation with at least one horizontal matte region above or below said wide-screen movie, wherein said horizontal matte region extends into the area of said cutout, such that said cutout is accommodated, at least in part, in said horizontal matte region,

c) at least one optical sensor disposed, at least in part, in the area of said cutout,

d) an oblong casing with at least a first thin border and a second thin border, said casing being aligned in landscape orientation and having an outer horizontal measurement, wherein said first thin border is disposed adjacent to the left side of said wide-screen movie and said second thin border is disposed adjacent to the right side of said wide-screen movie, such that the outer horizontal measurement of said casing is nearly equal to the image width of said wide-screen movie.

30. The smartphone of claim 29, wherein said optical sensor is a front camera module with at least one lens.

31. The smartphone of claim 29, wherein said at least one horizontal matte region above or below said wide-screen movie is displayed in black.

32. The smartphone of claim 29, wherein said display has a curved surface.

33. The smartphone of claim 29, wherein said smartphone is a phablet.

34. A smartphone having a front-facing optical sensor, said smartphone being made for maximizing the size of a wide-screen movie in relation to the outer dimensions of said smartphone, comprising:

a) an oblong display, said display being aligned in landscape orientation and having a horizontal screen width, at least an upper corner, and at least a lower corner, wherein said display has an upper cutout at said upper corner and a lower cutout at said lower corner, said upper cutout having an upper cutout area, and said lower cutout having a lower cutout area,

b) a computer system configured to be at least able to display a first screen content on said display, comprising;

i) a wide-screen movie in landscape orientation that seamlessly extends over the entire horizontal screen width of said display, said wide-screen movie having a left side, a right side, and an image width, wherein said wide-screen movie is displayed horizontally between said upper cutout and said lower cutout,

ii) an upper horizontal matte region located above said wide-screen movie, wherein said upper horizontal matte region extends into said upper cutout area, such that said upper cutout is accommodated, at least in part, in said upper horizontal matte region,

iii) a lower horizontal matte region located below said wide-screen movie, wherein said lower horizontal matte region extends into said lower cutout area, such that said lower cutout is accommodated, at least in part, in said lower horizontal matte region,

c) at least one optical sensor disposed, at least in part, in said upper cutout area or said lower cutout area, and at least one optical emitter disposed, at least in part, in said lower cutout area or said upper cutout area,

d) an oblong casing with at least a first thin border and a second thin border, said casing being aligned in landscape orientation and having an outer horizontal measurement, wherein said first thin border is disposed adjacent to the left side of said wide-screen movie and said second thin border is disposed adjacent to the right side of said wide-screen movie, such that the outer horizontal measurement of said casing is nearly equal to the image width of said wide-screen movie.

35. The smartphone of claim 34, wherein said upper horizontal matte region and said lower horizontal matte region are empty and contain no content.

36. The smartphone of claim 35, wherein said upper horizontal matte region and said lower horizontal matte region are displayed in black.

37. The smartphone of claim 34, wherein said optical sensor is a front camera module with at least one lens.

38. The smartphone of claim 37, wherein said computer system is further configured to alternately display a second screen content on said display, comprising:

a) an image having a visible area, and

b) a schematized camera lens symbol located adjacent to said upper cutout area or said lower cutout area, wherein said schematized camera lens symbol surrounds said upper cutout area or said lower cutout area substantially in a quarter circle, such that the visible area of said image is maximized, said schematized camera lens symbol being visible, at least if said front camera module is active.

39. The smartphone of claim 34, wherein said display has a curved surface.

40. The smartphone of claim 34, wherein said smartphone is a phablet.