Cellular phone with built in optical projector for display of data

• US 6,489,934 B1
• Filed: 07/07/2000
• Issued: 12/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Judah Klausner
• Original Assignee: Judah Klausner
• Inventors: Klausner, Judah
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Osorio, Ricardo
• Application Number:
  US09/611,436
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.1, 345/169, 345/32, 345/905, 359/443, 353/122, 353/119, 348/744, 348/751, 455/575, 455/90
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0272 for a projector or beamer module assembly constructional features of projectors per se G03B21/00; constructional details of projectors using electronic spatial light modulators per se H04N9/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones

Abstract

A cellular phone, which is still compact in size and weight, but which also includes a mechanism for displaying received wireless data in its original page format as sent from the original source, thus allowing for the viewing of each original page as a whole page and not as a series of partial pages. The phone also allows the display of received wireless visual data with characters in their true original size, thus allowing for ease of reading and use. The mechanism for displaying data may also be used to display data which is to be transmitted by way of the cellular phone. A cellular phone is provided with an internal optical projector incorporated into the body of the phone so that an original page of visual data can be projected onto a larger surface external to the cellular phone. The external surface is larger than the surface area of the cellular phone'"'"'s own electronic display, and sufficiently large to maintain the original page format and character size. This is accomplished by providing the circuitry inside the cellular phone with the ability to display the received wireless data representing the visual image on the built-in display of the cellular phone using conventional display device drivers, as well as on an external surface utilizing an internal optical projector which then projects the original image onto the external directed surface. An auto focus capability or manual focus dial is provided to allow for sharp imaging on the external surface. A computer mouse or other manipulation device or user input device may be provided on the surface of the cellular phone so that as the projected image is viewed it can be controlled through visual icons or edited as on a regular electronic screen.

Claims

1. A hand held wireless mobile device for displaying received information, comprising:

a display controller operable to format the received information in a first format comprising a plurality of small pages derived from each single original page, and a second format comprising a plurality of original page format pages;

a built-in display operable to receive the first format information and display one at a time, each of the small pages derived from said original page; and

an optical projector display system, independent of said built-in display, for displaying the second format information as original page format pages, the display system displaying information on a surface external to the mobile device, the optical projector display system being controlled by the display controller, the optical projector display system further comprising;

a light source for projecting light whereby an image of the original page format information is projected on the external surface.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 further comprising a switch for activating one or both of the built-in display and the optical projector display system.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises a cellular telephone.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the optical projector display system is operable to provide a color image.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising a light transmissive display screen which operates to provide the original page format information and which is positioned in the vicinity of the light source such that the light source projects light through the light transmissive display screen to thereby project an image of the original page format information provided on the light transmissive display screen onto the external surface for viewing.