Electronic document reader system

• US 8,228,323 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: FlexEnable Limited (Plastic Logic JSC)
• Original Assignee: Plastic Logic Limited (Plastic Logic JSC)
• Inventors: Bandel, Carano, Hauser, Hermann, Hayton, Carl, Jones, Simon, Mills, John, Sirringhaus, Henning
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nitin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards, Carolyn R
• Application Number:
  US12/139,011
• Publication Number:
  US 20090219271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-175, 345/81, 345/82, 345/206, 345/169
• US Class Current: 345/211
• 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 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• 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

Abstract

We describe an electronic document reader system for viewing electronic documents, in which the electronic documents are viewable on a removable electronic document reader display that is useable whilst removed from an electronic document reader display holder. The system comprises: a removable non-volatile display for viewing electronic documents thereon, the display having a display portion on which electronic documents are viewable; a display holder for receiving the removable display, the display holder comprising a back, and an open front shaped to receive the removable display, each of the display and the holder having an electrical interface, wherein, when the removable display is received in the open front, the removable display and holder form an electrically connected combined unit to enable the display to receive document data from the holder for display, and wherein the removable display is useable to read electronic documents when removed from the display holder.

Claims

1. An electronic document reader system for viewing electronic documents, comprising:

a removable non-volatile display for viewing electronic documents thereon, the display having a display portion on which electronic documents are viewable;

a portable display holder for receiving the removable display, the display holder comprising a back, and an open front shaped to receive the removable display, each of the display and the holder having an electrical interface,

wherein, when the removable display is received in the open front, the removable display and holder form an electrically connected combined unit to enable the display to receive document data from the holder for display,

and wherein the removable display is useable to read electronic documents when removed from the display holder, wherein;

said open front of said display holder comprises a recess in a front surface of the display holder, said recess having an aperture to receive said display, said recess being sized to just contain said removable display;

the display holder comprises retaining means to releasably retain the received removable display flush in the display holder so as to give the removable display and display holder a generally laminar shape;

the removable display is receivable in the display holder recess in a forward position in which the removable display is readable by a user through said aperture when the display is received in the display holder; and

the open front of the display holder has a bottom surface and wherein the removable display is receivable in the display holder in a storage position in which the display portion of the removable display faces towards the bottom surface so as to protect the display portion and the back of the display portion is substantially flush with the surrounding front part of the holder;

wherein the system has a thickness of less than 10 mm.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the retaining means further comprises one or more protrusions along a first inside edge of the open front of the display holder and one or more spring-loaded protrusions along a second inside edge of the open front of the display holder opposing the first inside edge, the protrusions along at least one of the first and second inside edges being shaped so as to engage with a correspondingly shaped recess in respective edges of the removable display.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the display holder further comprises a display releasing means to release the removable display from the display holder, the display releasing means comprising a flap on the one or more spring-loaded protrusions positioned in a base of the open front so as to sit under the removable display when the display is received in the holder, and the flaps being operable to push the removable display from the display holder.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein, when the removable display is received in the open front, the display holder protects and/or mechanically supports the removable display.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the display holder substantially matches the removable display so as to give the appearance that the display holder is an extension of the removable display when the display is received in the open front.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein, when the removable display is received in the open front of the display holder, the display is connected to the display holder to receive power.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the display holder comprises an electrical connector along a portion of an inside edge of the open front, the electrical connector comprising a row of electrical contacts shaped and positioned along the inside edge so as to contact a correspondingly shaped and positioned electrical connector in an edge of the removable display when the display is received in the display holder.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the display holder further comprises an external electrical connector for connection to one or more of external peripherals and/or external power sources.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the display holder further comprises a wireless interface to transmit data to and/or receive data from external peripherals.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the wireless interface comprises one or more of Bluetooth, 3G and Wifi.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the external peripherals, when connected to the display holder, are accessible by the removable display when the display is in connection with the display holder.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein the display holder contains a CPU, memory storage and application software that generates documents for display on the removable display.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein each of the removable display and display holder are portable and have a separate rechargeable power source.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the rechargeable power source of the display holder provides power to the display and/or recharges the rechargeable power source of the removable display when the display is received within the display holder.

15. A system according to claim 1, wherein the display portion of the removable display comprises an electroactive display.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein the electroactive display comprises an electrophoretic display.

17. A system according to claim 1, wherein the removable display comprises one or more touch sensitive regions in one or more regions of the display portion.

18. A system according to claim 1, wherein the removable display comprises a wireless interface for transmitting data to and/or receiving data from the display holder and/or one or more external peripherals.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein the wireless interface comprises Bluetooth.

20. A system according to claim 1, wherein the display comprises an electrical connector along an edge of the display, the connector comprising a row of contacts shaped and positioned so as to contact a correspondingly shaped and positioned electrical connector on an inside edge of the open face of the display holder when the display is received in the display holder.

21. A system according to claim 1, wherein the removable display comprises a recess along one or more edges of the display for receiving a correspondingly shaped protrusion of the display holder for retaining the display in the display holder.

22. A method of providing a portable electronic document, the method comprising:

using an electronic document reader system according to claim 1, said use comprising using a removable electroactive non-volatile display for displaying electronic documents in said electronic document reader system, the display comprising a memory store for storing electronic documents;

writing one or more electronic documents to the memory store of the display;

removing the removable display from the electronic document reader system; and

using the removable display to display the electronic documents remote from the electronic document reader system;

wherein the system has a thickness of less than 10 mm.

23. An electronic document reader system according to claim 1 for viewing electronic documents, comprising:

a removable non-volatile display for viewing electronic documents thereon, the display having a display portion on which electronic documents are viewable;

a portable display holder for receiving the removable display, the display holder comprising a back, and an open front shaped to receive the removable display;

wherein, when the removable display is received in the open front, the removable display and holder form a flush, combined unit so as to give the removable display and display holder a generally laminar shape,

and wherein the removable display is useable to read electronic documents when removed from the display holder.

24. An electronic document reader system according to claim 1 for viewing electronic documents, comprising:

a removable non-volatile display for viewing electronic documents thereon, the display having a display portion on which electronic documents are viewable;

a portable display holder for receiving the removable display, the display holder comprising a back, and an open front shaped to receive the removable display;

wherein, when the removable display is received in the open front, the display holder protects and/or mechanically supports the removable display,

and wherein said removable display is able to receive electronic documents from the display holder; and

wherein the removable display is useable to read electronic documents when removed from the display holder.

25. An electronic document reader system according to claim 1 for viewing electronic documents, comprising:

a removable non-volatile display for viewing electronic documents thereon, the display having a display portion on which electronic documents are viewable;

a portable display holder for receiving the removable display, the display holder comprising a back, and an open front shaped to receive the removable display;

wherein the display holder substantially matches the removable display so as to give the appearance that the display holder is an extension of the removable display when the display is received in the open front,

and wherein the removable display is useable to read electronic documents when removed from the display holder.

26. An electronic document reader system according to claim 1 for viewing electronic documents, comprising:

a removable non-volatile display for viewing electronic documents thereon, the display having a display portion on which electronic documents are viewable;

a display holder for receiving the removable display, the display holder containing a CPU, memory storage and application software, and the display holder comprising a back, and an open front shaped to receive the removable display, each of the display and the holder having an electrical interface,

wherein, when the removable display is received in the open front, the removable display and holder form an electrically connected combined unit to enable the display to receive document data from the holder for display,

wherein the application software generates documents for display on the removable display,

and wherein the removable display is useable to read electronic documents when removed from the display holder.