Dynamically reconfigurable touch screen displays

• US 8,300,022 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2009
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brenneman, Robert J., Dow, Eli M., Huie, William J., Sheppard, Sarah J.
• Primary Examiner(s): MERCEDES, DISMERY E
• Application Number:
  US12/351,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20100177047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 1/1643 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1654 the display being detachable, e.g. for remote use
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1675 Miscellaneous details related to the relative movement between the different enclosures or enclosure parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode

Abstract

A dynamically reconfigurable touch screen system includes a first display having a first touch screen, a second display having a second touch screen, the second display being operatively connected to the first display, at least one sensor operatively associated with one of the first and second displays. The at least one sensor detects a physical orientation of the one of the first and second touch screens. The dynamically reconfigurable touch screen system further includes a controller linked to the at least one sensor. The controller sets a display of the other of the first and second touch screens based on the physical orientation of the one of the first and second touch screens.

Claims

1. A dynamically reconfigurable touch screen system comprising:

a first display having a first touch screen;

a second display having a second touch screen, the second display being operatively connected to the first display;

at least one sensor operatively associated with one of the first and second displays, the at least one sensor detecting a physical orientation of the corresponding one of the first and second touch screens;

a docking member including a first receiving port for receiving the first display and a second receiving port for receiving the second display; and

a controller arranged within the docking member and linked to the at least one sensor, the controller setting a display orientation of the other of the first and second touch screens based on the physical orientation of the one of the first and second touch screens; and

an articulated hinge member interconnecting the first and second displays, the at least one sensor being arranged at the articulated hinge.

2. The dynamically reconfigurable touch screen system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is an accelerometer.

3. The dynamically reconfigurable touch screen system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is a camera.

4. The dynamically reconfigurable touch screen system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes a first sensor operatively associated with the first display and a second sensor operatively associated with the second display.

5. The dynamically reconfigurable touch screen system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is mounted in the docking member.

6. A method of dynamically reconfiguring touch screens, the method comprising:

mounting a first display in a first receiving portion of a docking member;

mounting a second display in a second receiving port of the docking member;

establishing a physical orientation of the first display relative to the physical orientation of the second display through the docking member;

detecting a physical orientation of a first touch screen of the first display relative to a physical orientation of a second touch screen of the second display; and

adjusting a display orientation of the second touch screen based on the physical orientation of the first touch screen; and

articulating the first touch screen relative to the second touch screen through a hinge provided in the docking member, wherein the hinge establishes the physical orientation of the first touch screen relative to the physical orientation of the second touch screen.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

sensing with a camera mounted to one of the first and second displays an object not associated with either of the first and second touch screen to develop a point of reference, the point of reference establishing the physical orientation of the first touch screen relative to the physical orientation of the second touch screen.

8. A system for dynamically reconfiguring touch screens comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU), said CPU being interconnected functionally via a system bus to;

an input/output (I/O) adapter connecting to at least one of a removable data storage device, a program storage device, and a mass data storage device;

a user interface adapter connecting to one or more computer input devices;

a display adapter connecting to a display device; and

at least one memory device thereupon stored a set of instructions which, when executed by said CPU, causes said system to;

establish a physical orientation of a first display relative to a physical orientation of a second display based on a relative connection to first and second receiving portions provided on a docking member;

detect a physical orientation of a first touch screen of the first display relative to a physical orientation of a second touch screen of the second display;

sensed through a hinge incorporated into the docking member interconnecting the first and second displays; and

adjust a display orientation of the second touch screen based on the physical orientation of the first touch screen.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the set of instructions which, when executed by said CPU, causes said system to:

sense with a camera mounted to one of the first and second displays an object not associated with either of the first and second touch screen to develop a point of reference, the point of reference establishing the physical orientation of the first touch screen relative to the physical orientation of the second touch screen.