Dynamic device skins

• US 9,075,568 B1
• Filed: 03/21/2012
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gray, Timothy T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhou, Hong
• Application Number:
  US13/425,752
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-173, 345/76, 345/87, 345/107, 345/581, 345588-589, 345/594, 345/690, 345/1.1, 715/744, 715/747, 715/762, 715/763, 715/771, 715/825, 715/761, 715/861, 715/866, 455/566, 455/575.1, 362/561, 34081549-81556, 200310-317
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0283 for providing a decorative aspect, e.g. customization of casings, exchangeable faceplate
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions

Abstract

Themes or other groups of content or settings can be applied to change various aspects of a computing device. In addition to changing aspects of a user interface, additional display elements, lights, and other components can be updated as well to give the appearance of customizable hardware. For example, display elements on the back and/or sides of a device can be updated with colors, graphics, or animations that enable the device to appear as if it has a new skin or casing. The user can customize, create, and/or share these themes, and the themes can be configured to automatically rotate or change over time.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of updating an appearance of a computing device, comprising:

receiving an instruction to activate a theme on the computing device, the theme including one or more images and specifying one or more colors;

updating one or more elements of a user interface displayed on a first display element of the computing device to include at least a first image from the one or more images;

causing at least one second image from the one or more images to be displayed on a second display element of the computing device, the first and second display elements having different refresh rates and being on opposite sides of the computing device, and the at least the first image being different than the at least one second image, the at least the first image being displayed at a different resolution than the at least one second image;

causing at least one third image from the one or more images to be displayed on a side display element of the computing device, the side display element being an electrophoretic display on a side of the computing device different from the opposite sides of the computing device, the at least one third image being different than the at least the first image and the at least one second image; and

updating a display color for a multi-color illumination element of the computing device, wherein the color corresponds to the theme.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first display element is a liquid crystal display (LCD) and the second display element is an electrophoretic display.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is one of a tablet computer, a smart phone, a personal computer, a notebook computer, a smart television, a personal data assistant, and a portable gaming device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first display element is on a front of the computing device and the second display element is on a back of the display element.

5. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions,

receiving a selection of a theme to be used on the computing device, the theme including appearance information including at least one of color information or image information;

determining first capability information for a first display element, second capability information for a second display element and third capability information for a third display element on the computing device, the first display element and the second display element having different refresh rates and being positioned on opposite sides of the computing device, the third display element being positioned on a side of the computing device different from the opposite sides of the computing device;

determining, based at least in part upon the determined first capability information, second capability information and third capability information, a first type of appearance information to be displayed on the first display element, a second type of appearance information to be displayed on the second display element and a third type of appearance information to be displayed on the third display element, the first type of appearance information being different than the second type of appearance information and the third type of appearance information;

causing the first display element to display the first type of appearance information at a first resolution, the second display element to display the second type of appearance information at a second resolution, and the third display element to display the third type of appearance information, the first resolution being different from the second resolution; and

updating a display color for a multi-color illumination element of the computing device, wherein the color corresponds to the appearance information of the theme.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the at least two display elements includes at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode display (OLED), a multi-color light emitting diode, an electrophoretic display.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the at least two display elements includes at least one display element on a front of the computing device and at least one display element on a back of the computing device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the first display element is an LCD on a front of the computing device and the second display element is an electrophoretic display on a back of the computing device, the theme causing the at least one of color information or image information to be displayed on the electrophoretic screen while a user is using with an interface displayed on the LCD.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein an appearance of one or more elements in the interface displayed on the LCD screen is updated to include the at least one of color information or image information for the theme.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the capability information includes at least one of a refresh rate, a type of display, a display size, a color depth, or a resolution.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the theme corresponds to an electronic book (e-book), and wherein a display element on a front side of the computing device is configured to display a cover image of the book while a display element on a back side of the computing device is configured to display content of the e-book.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the theme is configurable by the user.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the theme includes information causing the computing device to change selections of at least one of the color information or the image information over time.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the image information includes at least one of image content, video content, or animation content.

15. A computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a first display screen on a first side of the computing device;

a second display element on a second side of the computing device;

a third display element on a third side of the computing device;

a multi-color illumination element; and

memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to;

receive a theme to be installed on the computing device, the theme including one or more images and specifying one or more colors;

update one or more elements of a user interface displayed on the first display screen to include at least a first image from the one or more images;

cause at least one second image from the one or more images to be displayed on the second display element of the computing device at a different resolution than the first image, the first display screen and the second display element being associated with different refresh rates, and the at least the first image being different than the at least one second image;

cause at least on third image from the one or more images to be displayed on the third display element of the computing device, the at least one third image being different than the at least one first and second images; and

update a display color for the multi-color illumination element, wherein the color corresponds to the theme.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the first display screen is a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic light emitting diode display (OLED), and wherein the second display element includes an electrophoretic display element.

17. The computing device of claim 15, wherein one or more third display elements is configured to display one of the images or specified colors in order to adjust an appearance of an exterior of the computing device.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the appearance of the exterior of the computing device remains even when the computing device is not in an active state.

19. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the images include at least one of image, video, or animation content.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

receive a selection of a theme for the computing device, the theme including appearance information including at least one of color information or image information;

determine first capability information for a first display element, second capability information for a second display element of the computing device and third capability information for a third display element of the computing device, the first and second display elements having different refresh rates and being positioned on opposite sides of the computing device, the third display element being positioned on a side of the computing device different than the opposite sides of the computing device;

determine a first type of appearance information to be displayed on the first display element, a second type of appearance information to be displayed on the second display element and a third type of appearance information to be displayed on the third display element based at least in part upon the determined first capability information, second capability information and third capability information, the first type of appearance information being different than the second type of appearance information and the third type of appearance information;

cause the first display element to display the first type of appearance information at a first resolution, the second display element to display the second type of appearance information at a second resolution, and the third display element to display the third type of appearance information, the first resolution being different from the second resolution; and

update a display color for a multi-color illumination element of the computing device, wherein the color corresponds to the one or more colors specified by the theme.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the first display element includes an LCD on a front of the computing device and the second display element includes an electrophoretic display on a back of the device, the theme causing the at least one of color information or image information to be displayed on the electrophoretic display while the user is using an interface displayed on the LCD.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein an appearance of one or more elements in the interface displayed on the LCD is adjusted corresponding to the at least one of the color information or the image information for the theme.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the capability information includes at least one of a refresh rate, a type of display, a display size, a color depth, or a resolution.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the theme corresponds to an electronic book (e-book), and wherein a display element on a front side of the computing device is configured to display a cover image of the book while a display element on opposite back side of the computing device is configured to display content of the e-book.