Electronic device controlled by flexing

• US 9,158,334 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2012
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Vanska, Anssi I., Kosonen, Matti, Salo, Antti, Myyrylainen, Sami
• Primary Examiner(s): Norris, Jeremy C
• Assistant Examiner(s): MILAKOVICH, NATHAN J
• Application Number:
  US13/657,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20140111549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.15, 361/679.27
• 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 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• 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 1/1675 Miscellaneous details related to the relative movement between the different enclosures or enclosure parts

Abstract

An apparatus comprising: a flexible body comprising an arrangement for limiting flexing of the body, the arrangement comprising: a first part within the body; a second part within the body; a flexible interconnect extending at least between the first part and the second part wherein the arrangement is configured to change between a first configuration, in which a portion of the interconnect between the first part and the second part is of a variable length enabling more and less flexing of the interconnect, and a second configuration, in which the portion of the interconnect between the first part and the second part has a limited length that limits one or both of more flexing and less flexing.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a flexible body comprising an arrangement for limiting flexing of the body, the arrangement comprising;

a first part within the body;

a second part within the body;

a flexible interconnect extending at least between the first part and the second part

wherein the arrangement is configured to change between a first configuration, in which a portion of the interconnect between the first part and the second part is of a variable length configured to enable more and less bending of the interconnect, and a second configuration, in which the portion of the interconnect between the first part and the second part has a limited length that is configured to limit at least less bending of the interconnect.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the arrangement is configured to change from the first configuration to the second configuration in response to user actuation.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the arrangement is configured to change to the first configuration from the second configuration in response to user actuation.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the interconnect is configured to flex by bending.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interconnect is configured to flex by twisting.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first part has a fixed first position within the body and wherein the second part has a fixed second position within the body.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first part has a fixed first position within the body at or towards a first extremity of the body and the second part has a fixed second position within the body at or towards a second extremity of the body, opposing the first longitudinal extremity of the body.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interconnect extends longitudinally between the first part and the second part and wherein the interconnect is stiff longitudinally and flexible transversely.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a lock at the second part that is unlocked in the first configuration and locked in the second configuration, wherein the interconnect is fixed at the first part and is lockable in position at the second part by the lock.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the lock is fixed to the body.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the lock is configured to engage automatically when the apparatus is bent.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a further lock that is unlocked in the first configuration and locked in the second configuration, wherein the interconnect is lockable in position at the further lock.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the lock at the second part prevents movement of the interconnect relative to the body in the second configuration and allows movement of the interconnect relative to the body in the first configuration.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the arrangement is in the second configuration, the portion of the interconnect between the first part and the second part has a fixed length.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the lock at the second part limits movement of the interconnect relative to the body in the second configuration and does not limit movement of the interconnect relative to the body in first configuration.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to enable user control of the apparatus using flexing.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, configured as a hand-portable apparatus.

20. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the second configuration the portion of the interconnect having the limited length is configured to limit more bending.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a flexible body comprising an arrangement for limiting flexing of the body, the arrangement comprising;

a first part within the body;

a second part within the body;

a flexible interconnect extending at least between the first part and the second part

wherein the arrangement is configured to change between a first configuration, in which a portion of the interconnect between the first part and the second part is of a variable length configured to enable more and less flexing of the interconnect, and a second configuration, in which the portion of the interconnect between the first part and the second part has a limited length that is configured to limit at least less flexing,

wherein the apparatus comprises a display and further comprising control circuitry configured to control the display to display images in landscape aspect ratio, in response to a change of configuration of the arrangement to the second configuration.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a flexible body comprising an arrangement for limiting flexing of the body, the arrangement comprising;

a first part within the body;

a second part within the body;

a flexible interconnect extending at least between the first part and the second part

wherein the arrangement is configured to change between a first configuration, in which a portion of the interconnect between the first part and the second part is of a variable length configured to enable more and less flexing of the interconnect, and a second configuration, in which the portion of the interconnect between the first part and the second part has a limited length that is configured to limit at least less flexing,

wherein the apparatus comprises;

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code, the at least one non-transitory memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform;

selecting different operational modes of the apparatus in response to flexing of the apparatus to a particular flex state and locking that flex-state by changing the configuration of the apparatus from the first configuration to the second configuration.