Electronic device with wrapped display

• US 9,429,997 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2012
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Myers, Scott A., Wright, Derek, Rothkopf, Fletcher R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Haley, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRANK, EMILY J
• Application Number:
  US13/494,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20130328792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/1694 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 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/02 Flexible displays

Abstract

An electronic device may have a hollow display cover structure. The hollow display cover structure may be formed from a structure having an inner surface. The structure may be an elongated member having a longitudinal axis. A material such as sapphire, other crystalline materials, or other transparent materials may be used in forming the hollow display cover structure. A flexible display layer such as an organic light-emitting diode display layer or other flexible display structure may be wrapped around the longitudinal axis to cover the interior surface of the hollow display cover structure. The electronic device may have a touch sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, and other sensors for gathering input such as user input. The electronic device may use one or more sensors to gather information on rotational motion of the device and can display content on the flexible display layer accordingly.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a hollow curved crystalline display cover structure having a curved interior surface that wraps continuously around a cavity, wherein the hollow curved crystalline display cover structure comprises a single-crystal inorganic material; and

a flexible display layer that conforms to the curved interior surface of the hollow curved crystalline display cover structure and that surrounds the cavity.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the single-crystal inorganic material comprises sapphire.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 further comprising end cap structures on opposing ends of the hollow curved crystalline display cover structure, wherein the end cap structures have a first diameter and wherein the hollow curved crystalline display cover structure has a second diameter that is less than the first diameter.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the hollow curved crystalline display cover structure comprises a hollow cylinder.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a support structure, wherein the flexible display layer has opposing edges and wherein the flexible display layer is configured to wrap around the curved interior surface so that the edges protrude through an opening in the support structure along a seam.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible display layer has opposing edges and wherein the flexible display layer is configured to wrap around the curved interior surface so that the opposing edges abut one another without overlapping.

7. An electronic device, comprising:

a hollow transparent display cover structure having a longitudinal axis and an interior surface that surrounds the longitudinal axis;

a flexible display layer that is wrapped around the longitudinal axis to cover the interior surface of the hollow transparent display cover structure;

an opaque masking layer interposed between the hollow transparent display cover structure and the flexible display layer, wherein the opaque masking layer extends parallel to the longitudinal axis;

a sensor; and

control circuitry that is configured to display content on the flexible display layer based on data from the sensor.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer and wherein the control circuitry is configured to display the content on the flexible display layer based on data from the accelerometer.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the control circuitry is configured to scroll the content on the flexible display layer based on the data from the accelerometer.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the control circuitry is configured to flip pages of the content on the display based on the data from the accelerometer.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 7 further comprising end cap structures on opposing ends of the hollow transparent display cover structure, wherein the control circuitry is configured to continuously scroll content on the display around the longitudinal axis in response to detection with the sensor that the electronic device is resting on one of the end cap structures so that the longitudinal axis is vertical.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the hollow transparent display cover structure comprises a hollow sapphire structure.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the hollow transparent display cover structure has opposing ends and wherein the electronic device further comprises circumferential end bands of the opaque masking layer formed on inner surfaces of the hollow transparent display cover structure at each of the opposing ends.

14. A method of operating an electronic device having a hollow transparent display cover structure that is configured to be rotated about an axis by a user, having a flexible display layer that is wrapped around the axis to cover an interior surface of the hollow transparent display cover structure, and having control circuitry, the method comprising:

with the control circuitry, gathering sensor data indicative of a rate of rotation of the electronic device about the axis; and

changing content that is displayed on the flexible display layer based on the rate of rotation of the electronic device about the axis.

15. The method defined in claim 14 wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer and wherein gathering the sensor data comprises gathering tilt data indicative of a tilt angle for the electronic device.

16. The method defined in claim 15 wherein changing the content comprises adjusting a scroll speed on the flexible display layer based on the tilt angle.

17. The method defined in claim 15 wherein changing the content comprises flipping pages of text based on the tilt angle.

18. The method defined in claim 14 wherein the sensor is configured to measure rotational motion of the electronic device and the flexible display layer about the axis and wherein changing the content comprises displaying some content at a stationary position with respect to the user while simultaneously displaying other content at a stationary position with respect to the flexible display layer.

19. The method defined in claim 14 wherein the sensor is configured to measure rotational motion of the electronic device and the flexible display layer about the axis and wherein changing the content comprises updating text on the display in response to rotation of the electronic device by the user.

20. The method defined in claim 14 further comprising a touch sensor, wherein the electronic device has a front face and a rear face and wherein the control circuitry is configured to display content on the front face based on touch input gathered using the touch sensor on the rear face.

21. The method defined in claim 14 wherein the hollow transparent display cover structure comprises sapphire and wherein the sensor is configured to display scrolling text on the flexible display layer in response to rotation of the hollow transparent display cover structure.