Method and apparatus for re-sizing an active area of a flexible display

• US 9,423,995 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2007
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Arneson, Theodore R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Awad, Amr
• Assistant Examiner(s): MATTHEWS, ANDRE L
• Application Number:
  US11/752,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20080291225A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,380 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/02 Flexible displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/26 for modifying the character dimensions, e.g. double width, double height

Abstract

A method (400) for resizing an active area of a flexible display or reconfigurable device (100) can include a screen (104 or 210) and a controller (202) coupled to the screen. The controller can initiate (402) a re-sizing program upon detection of an altered shape for the display or device and control (411) the active area of the display based upon the altered shape. The controller can further resize (414) fonts or graphic elements or both in correspondence to the dimensions of the active area. The controller can initiate the resizing program by altering the flexible display away from a flat position to a non-flat position for example. The flexible display can further include a switch (106) that detects the mating of a first end (111) of the flexible display with a second end (112) which initiates the resizing program.

Claims

1. A reconfigurable device, comprising:

a reconfigurable housing, capable of being configured into at least a first shape and a second shape;

a flexible display, coupled to the reconfigurable housing, wherein the flexible display is delineated into an active area that visually displays content and an inactive area with no visual display of content, further wherein when the reconfigurable housing alters from the first shape to the second shape, the flexible display remains fully exposed while a shape of the flexible display alters;

a sensor, for generating a signal indicative of the shape of the flexible display; and

a processor, coupled to the sensor, for changing the delineation of the active area from the inactive area dependent upon the shape of the flexible display.

2. The reconfigurable device according to claim 1, wherein the signal indicates a curvature of the flexible display.

3. The reconfigurable device according to claim 2, wherein the processor is operable to control the active area of the flexible display such that the active area of the flexible display is proportional to the curvature of the flexible display.

4. The reconfigurable device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is operable to control the active area of the flexible display to be a first predetermined area when the reconfigurable housing is in the first shape and to be a second predetermined area when the reconfigurable housing is in the second shape.

5. The reconfigurable device according to claim 4, further including:

a memory, coupled to the processor, for storing the first predetermined area associated with the first shape and the second predetermined area associated with the second shape.

6. The reconfigurable device according to claim 1, wherein the flexible display has a flat configuration, and the processor controls the active area to be the entire flexible display when the flexible display is in the flat configuration.

7. The reconfigurable device according to claim 6, wherein the display has at least a first curved configuration, and the processor controls the active area to be less than half of the entire flexible display when the flexible display is in the first curved configuration.

8. The reconfigurable device according to claim 1, further including:

a display driver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor controls the display driver to change the delineation of the active area from the inactive area.

9. The reconfigurable device of claim 1, wherein the flexible display comprises a touch sensitive screen coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is programmed to:

initiate a re-sizing program for changing the delineation of the active area from the inactive area; and

change the delineation of the active area from the inactive area when the touch sensitive screen detects activation of at least two points on the touch sensitive screen, and

use the at least two points to delineate dimensions of a desired active area.

10. The reconfigurable device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further programmed to resize fonts corresponding to the dimensions of the active area.

11. The reconfigurable device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further programmed to resize graphic elements corresponding to the dimensions of the active area.

12. The reconfigurable device of claim 9, wherein the processor initiates the re-sizing program when the flexible display alters away from a flat configuration.

13. The reconfigurable device of claim 1, wherein the flexible display further comprises:

a switch that detects a mating of a first end of the flexible display with a second end of the flexible display.

14. The reconfigurable device of claim 1, wherein the flexible display is selectively a wrist-worn device or a hand-held device.

15. An electronic product comprising:

a flexible touch sensitive display delineated into an active area that visually displays content and an inactive area with no visual display of content;

a controller coupled to the flexible touch sensitive display, wherein the controller is programmed to;

initiate a re-sizing program for changing the delineation of the active area from the inactive area; and

change the delineation of the active area from the inactive area when the flexible touch sensitive display detects activation of at least two points on the flexible touch sensitive display; and

use the at least two points to delineate dimensions of a desired active area,

wherein the flexible touch sensitive display is fully exposed when the flexible touch sensitive display detects activation of the at least two points on the flexible touch sensitive display.

16. A method of re-sizing an active area of a flexible display comprising:

delineating the flexible display into the active area that visually displays content and an inactive area with no visual display of content;

initiating a re-sizing program upon detection of the flexible display altering from a first shape to a second shape, wherein the flexible display is fully exposed in both the first shape and the second shape;

receiving signals indicative of the second shape of the flexible display; and

changing the delineation of the active area from the inactive area dependent upon the second shape of the flexible display.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

detecting activation of at least two points on the flexible display, and

using the at least two points to delineate dimensions of a desired active area for the flexible display.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the detecting activation comprises:

touch sensing the at least two points on the flexible display.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

re-sizing fonts corresponding to dimensions of the active area; and

re-sizing graphic elements corresponding to the dimensions of the active area.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the initiating the re-sizing program comprises:

recognizing that a first end of the flexible display has mated with a second end of the flexible display.