Digital display devices having communication capabilities

• US 8,704,777 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2009
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Small, Andrea, Goulart, Valerie, Ungari, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Young, Wayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): FISCHER, MARK L
• Application Number:
  US12/358,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20090256780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,916 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 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• 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 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/166 related to integrated arrangements for adjusting the position of the main body with respect to the supporting surface, e.g. legs for adjusting the tilt angle
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00129 with a display device, e.g. CRT or LCD monitor with a television apparatus H04N1/00283; arrangements for control of display devices G09G
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00442 Simultaneous viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. using a mosaic display arrangement of thumbnails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00453 arranged in a two dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00458 Sequential viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. browsing or scrolling

Abstract

A digital display device having two or more displays that are coupled at angles to each other for displaying content associated with multiple sets of sources of content is described herein. Each display has one or more display regions in which content is displayed. A first display region on one display may be merged with a second display region on the same or a different display to form a merged display region in which content is displayed. The displays may be touch-sensitive. Display regions may be merged by, for example, receiving a first touch from a user of a first touch-sensitive display region and a second touch of a second touch-sensitive display region. In some embodiments, the digital display device has the form of a cube with six displays.

Claims

1. A digital display device for the display of content associated with at least one source of content, the digital display device comprising:

a touchscreen display configured to provide multiple distinct display regions for the display of content,

wherein, in response to a user command, two or more of the multiple distinct display regions are merged to form a merged display region for the display of content;

a communication component configured for two-way communication, via a telecommunications network, with respect to one or more sources of content,

wherein the two-way communication comprises receiving signals containing content associated with a source of content and transmitting signals to an individual associated with that source of content;

a storage component configured to store associations between each source of content and at least one of the multiple distinct display regions,

wherein an association is created between one source of content and one of the distinct display regions and/or between one source of content and the merged display region;

a routing component coupled to the communication component, the storage component, and the display, the routing component;

analyzing received content to identify a source of the received content;

accessing the storage component to determine the distinct display region and/or the merged display region associated with the identified source of the received content; and

routing the received content to the determined distinct display region or the determined merged display region for display,

wherein the received content is displayed automatically within the determined distinct display region and/or the merged display region associated with the identified source of the received content; and

in response to a user selection of the determined distinct display region or determined merged display region displaying the received content;

accessing the storage component to identify an individual associated with the identified source of the received content; and

initiating a two way communication session with the identified individual through the communication component.

2. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein an association is created between a source of content and all of the multiple distinct display regions.

3. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein the merged display region includes all of the multiple distinct display regions.

4. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein the merged display region is defined by a dual user selection of a first distinct display region and a second distinct display region.

5. The digital display device of claim 4, wherein the merged display region is further defined by a user selection of a third distinct display region.

6. The digital display device of claim 4, wherein the display is touch sensitive and the dual user selection is made by a user touching the first distinct display region and touching the second distinct display region.

7. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein the display is further configured to display an interface that enables a user to merge two or more of the multiple distinct display regions to form the merged display region and to create an association between the one source of content and one of the distinct display regions and/or between the one source of content and the merged display region.

8. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications network is a wireless network.

9. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein the merged display region is further defined by all of the multiple distinct display regions on the display, and wherein the merged display region displays content associated with a single individual.

10. The digital display device of claim 1, further comprising an accelerometer configured to detect a movement of the digital display device, wherein when the accelerometer detects the movement, at least one association between the one or more sources of content and a distinct display region is changed.

11. A digital display device for the display of content associated with at least one source of content, the digital display device comprising:

a touch-sensitive display configured to provide multiple distinct display regions for the display of content,

wherein, in response to a user command, two or more of the multiple distinct display regions are merged to form a merged display region for the display of content;

a communication component configured for two-way communication, via a telecommunications network, with one or more sources of content,

wherein the two-way communication comprises receiving signals containing content associated with a source of content and transmitting signals to an individual associated with that source of content;

a storage component configured to store associations between each source of content and at least one of the multiple distinct display regions, wherein an association is created between one source of content and one of the distinct display regions and/or between one source of content and the merged display region; and

a routing component coupled to the communication component, the storage component, and the display, the routing component;

analyzing received content to identify a source of the received content;

accessing the storage component to determine the distinct display region and/or the merged display region associated with the identified source of the received content;

routing the received content to the determined distinct display region or the determined merged display region for display,

wherein the received content is displayed automatically within the determined distinct display region and/or the determined merged display region associated with the identified source of the received content; and

in response to a user selection of the determined distinct display region or determined merged display region displaying the received content;

accessing the storage component to identify the individual associated with the identified source of the received content; and

initiating a two-way communication session with the identified individual through the communication component.

12. The digital display device of claim 11, wherein the two or more of the multiple distinct display regions are merged by receiving from a user a first touch of a first distinct display region and a second touch of a second distinct display region.

13. The digital display device of claim 11, wherein content displayed in a first distinct display region is switched with content displayed in a second distinct display region by receiving from a user a first touch of the first distinct display region and a second touch of the second distinct display region.

14. The digital display device of claim 11, wherein the merged display region is further defined by all of the multiple distinct display regions on the touch-sensitive display, and wherein the merged display region displays content associated with a single individual.

15. The digital display device of claim 11, further comprising an accelerometer configured to detect a movement of the digital display device, wherein when the accelerometer detects the movement, at least one association between the one or more sources of content and a distinct display region is changed.

16. An electronic display device for the display of content associated with at least one source of content, the electronic display device comprising:

means for two-way communication with one or more sources of content via a telecommunications network,

wherein the two-way communication comprises receiving signals containing content associated with a source of content and transmitting signals to an individual associated with that source of content;

means for providing multiple distinct display regions for the display of content,

wherein, in response to a user command, two or more of the multiple distinct display regions are merged to form a merged display region for the display of content;

means for storing associations between each source of content and at least one of the multiple distinct display regions,

wherein an association is created between one source of content and one of the multiple distinct display regions and/or between one source of content and the merged display region;

means for analyzing received content to identify a source of the received content;

means for determining the distinct display region and/or the merged display region associated with the identified source of the received content; and

means for routing the received content to the determined distinct display region or the determined merged display region for display,

wherein, the received content is displayed automatically within the determined distinct display region and/or the determined merged display region associated with the identified source of the received content; and

in response to a user selection of the determined distinct display region or the determined merged display region displaying the received content, the routing means;

accesses the storage component to identify an individual associated with the identified source of the received content; and

initiates a two-way communication session with the identified individual through the two-way communication means.

17. The electronic display device of claim 16, wherein the received content includes at least one of a still image, a moving image, and text.

18. The electronic display device of claim 16, wherein the merged display region is further defined by all of the multiple distinct display regions on the means for providing multiple distinct display regions, and wherein the merged display region displays content associated with a single individual.

19. The electronic display device of claim 16, further comprising means for detecting a movement of the digital display device, wherein when the means for detecting a movement detects a movement, at least one association between a source of content and a distinct display region is changed.