Display with interlockable display modules

• US 7,719,480 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Aufranc, Richard E. Jr., Devos, John A., Howard, P. Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdulselam; Abbas I
• Application Number:
  US10/698,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20050093768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,391 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.3, 345/1.1, 345/1.2, 345/4, 345/9, 345/204, 455/550.1, 455/466, 348/51, 348/52, 348/53, 709/209, 709/210, 709/211, 349/73
• US Class Current: 345/1.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls

Abstract

A display of an embodiment of the invention includes a number of display modules that are interlockable to form the display. Each display module includes at least one user-viewable display element, at least one connector, and at least one receptor, which are disposed in the display module. Each of a number of pixels of the display corresponds to at least one of the display elements of each display module. The connectors of each display module at least receive power from and/or provide power to adjacent display modules. The receptors of each display module are receptive to connectors of other adjacent display modules.

Claims

1. A display comprising:

a plurality of display modules interlockable to form the display, each display module comprising;

at least one user-viewable display element disposed in the display module, each of a plurality of pixels of the display corresponding to at least one of the display elements;

at least one connector disposed in the display module to at least one of receive power from and provide power to a first adjacent display module; and

, at least one receptor disposed in the display module and receptive to a connector of a second adjacent display module, wherein one of the plurality of display modules is a master display module and other of the plurality of display modules are slave display modules, the master display module communicating display information to each of the slave display modules that the at least one display element of the slave display module is to display, and wherein the master display module determines a configuration of each slave display module relative to other of the plurality of display modules, to determine the display information to be communicated to the slave display module that the at least one display element of the slave display module is to display.

2. The display of claim 1, wherein each display module of the plurality of display modules is at least partially self-powered, such that remaining power needed by the display module is received from other of the plurality of display modules.

3. The display of claim 2, wherein each display module is solar powered.

4. The display of claim 2, wherein each display module is battery powered.

5. The display of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of display modules is hot pluggable, such that the at least one display module is disconnectable from and connectable to other of the plurality of display modules while power is being provided to the plurality of display displays.

6. The display of claim 1, wherein each display module is rectangular in shape.

7. The display of claim 1, wherein the display is three-dimensional.

8. The display of claim 1, wherein the display has a shape that is independent of a shape of each display module.

9. A display comprising:

a plurality of display modules interlockable to form the display, each display module comprising;

at least one user-viewable display element disposed in the display module, each of a plurality of pixels of the display corresponding to at least one of the display elements;

at least one connector disposed in the display module to at least one of receive power from and provide power to a first adjacent display module;

at least one receptor disposed in the display module and receptive to a connector of a second adjacent display module; and

, a power mechanism to partially self-power the display module, such that remaining power needed by the display module is received from other of the plurality of display modules, wherein one of the plurality of display modules is a master display module and other of the plurality of display modules are slave display modules, the master display module communicating display information to each of the slave display modules that the at least one display element of the slave display module is to display, and wherein the master display module determines a configuration of each slave display module relative to other of the plurality of display modules, to determine the display information to be communicated to the slave display module that the at least one display element of the slave display module is to display.

10. The display of claim 9, wherein the power mechanism of each display module is a solar power mechanism.

11. The display of claim 9, wherein the power mechanism of each display module is a battery mechanism.

12. A display comprising:

a plurality of display modules interlockable to form the display, each display module having a front, at least one first side, and at least one second side, and comprising;

at least one display element viewable from the front of the display module, each of a plurality of pixels of the display corresponding to at least one of the display elements;

at least two connectors mounted on the first sides of the display module to at least one of receive power from and provide power to first adjacent display modules; and

, at least two receptors mounted on the second sides of the display module and receptive to connectors of second adjacent display modules, wherein one of the plurality of display modules is a master display module and other of the plurality of display modules are slave display modules, the master display module communicating display information to each of the slave display modules that the at least one display element of the slave display module is to display, wherein the master display module determines a configuration of each slave display module relative to other of the plurality of display modules, to determine the display information to be communicated to the slave display module that the at least one display element of the slave display module is to display.

13. The display of claim 12, wherein display information conveying information to be displayed by the at least one display element of each display module is superimposed over power signals communicated among the plurality of display modules via the at least two connectors of each display module.

14. The display of claim 12, wherein each display module further comprises a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and/or receiver to send and/or receive display information to be displayed by the at least one display element of the display module.

15. The display of claim 12, wherein each display module further comprises an optical transmitter and/or receiver to send and/or receive display information to be displayed by the at least one display element of the display module.

16. The display of claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of display modules is hot pluggable, such that the at least one display module is disconnectable from and connectable to other of the plurality of display modules while power is being provided to the plurality of display displays.

17. A display module for a multiple-display module display comprising:

a housing having a front, at least two first sides, and at least two second sides;

at least one display element viewable from the front of the housing, each of a plurality of pixels of the display corresponding to at least one of the display elements;

at least two connectors mounted on the first sides of the display module to at least receive power from and send power to first adjacent display modules of the display, the display module interlockable with the first adjacent display modules;

at least two receptors mounted on the second sides of the display module and receptive to connectors of second adjacent display modules of the display, the display module interlockable with the second adjacent display modules; and

, a communication mechanism to at least one of receive display information and send display information, wherein the display module is a master display module to communicate the display information to each of other display modules of the multiple-display module display to be displayed by the other display modules, the other display modules being slave display modules, and wherein the master display module determines a configuration of each slave display module to the other of the plurality of display modules, to determine the display information to be communicated to the slave display module that the at least one display element of the salve display module is to display.

18. The display module of claim 17, wherein the display information is superimposed over power signals on the at least two connectors.

19. The display module of claim 17, further comprising at least two additional connectors mounted on one of the first sides and the second sides of the display module to at least receive display information to be displayed by the at least one display element.

20. The display module of claim 17, wherein the communication mechanism is one of:

a radio frequency (RF) receiver, and an optical receiver.

21. The display module of claim 17, further comprising a control mechanism to at least automatically self-determine a configuration of the display module relative to other display modules of the multiple-display module display.

22. The display module of claim 17, wherein the housing is rectangular in shape.

23. A system comprising:

a display information source to generate display information; and

, a plurality of modular, interlocking means for displaying the display information, wherein the display information is distributed among the means and power is distributed among the plurality of modular, interlocking means, wherein one of the plurality of modular, interlocking means is a master means and other of the plurality of modular, interlocking means are slave means, the master means communicating display information to each of the slave means that the display means is to display, and wherein the master means determines a configuration of each slave means relative to other of the plurality of display modules, to determine the display information to be communicated to the slave means that the at least one display element of the means is to display.

24. A method comprising:

receiving display information from a display information source by a designated master display module of a plurality of interlockable display modules of a display;

conveying a portion the display information to each of other of the plurality of display modules by the designated master display module, the other of the plurality of display modules being slave display modules;

displaying the portion of the display information by of display modules;

distributing power among the plurality of interlockable display modules of the display, wherein conveying the display information to each of the other of the plurality of display modules by the designated display module comprises determining by the designated display module the portion of the display information to be displayed by each of the other of the plurality of display modules, the other of the plurality of display modules being salve display modules, and wherein the master display module determines a configuration of each display module relative to the other of the plurality of display modules, to determine the display information to be communicated to the slave display module that the at least one display element of the slave display module is to display.

25. A method:

providing a plurality of interlockable display modules, each having at least two connectors mounted on sides thereof to at least receive power from and provide power to adjacent display modules, and at least two receptors mounted on sides thereof that are receptive to connectors of the adjacent display modules; and

, connecting the plurality of interlockable display modules together to form a display having a configuration, wherein one of the plurality of display modules is a master display module and other of the plurality of display modules are slave display modules, the master display module to communicate display information to each slave display module that each slave display module is to display, and wherein the master display module determines a configuration of each slave display module relative to other of the plurality of display modules, to determine the display information to be communicated to the slave display module that the at least one display element of the slave display module is to display.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising providing power to a designated one of the plurality of display modules, such that other of the plurality of display modules receive and provide power over the connectors thereof.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising providing display information to be displayed by the display, each display module displaying a portion of the display information.