Portable electronic light intensity controlling device and method having an accessory housing removably coupled to at least a portion of an exterior profile of a device housing

• US 9,678,653 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Manyam, Vijay
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Que T
• Application Number:
  US12/973,582
• Time in Patent Office: 2,367 Days
• Field of Search: 250205, 250239, 250221, 250216, 25022711, 25022714, 2502272, 25022721, 25022724, 250214 A L, 315307, 315308, 315291, 315149-156, 315158, 315159, 362800, 345156, 345173, 345175, 345176, 345204, 345207, 345690-697, 345211, 345212, 345 32, 345 48, 345 63, 345 76- 82
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• 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: G09G 2320/041 Temperature compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/342 using several illumination sources separately controlled corresponding to different display panel areas, e.g. along one dimension such as lines
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/344 based on particles moving in a fluid or in a gas, e.g. electrophoretic devices electrophoretic devices per se G02F1/167

Abstract

Various front light accessories are disclosed that may be used with or coupled to an electronic device to provide light to an outward surface of a reflective light display. A front light accessory may include a light sensor to measure an intensity of ambient light and then control an amount of light emitted by the front lights based on the measured ambient light. In some instances, the front light accessories may share resources such as hardware and software from the electronic device to control an amount of light emitted from the front lights, to provide power to the front lights, and/or for other reasons.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an accessory housing having a recessed region that is complementary to an exterior profile of a device housing that encloses an electronic device, the accessory housing configured to removably couple to at least a portion of the exterior profile of the device housing, wherein the accessory housing is independent of the electronic device and independent of the device housing;

a plurality of lights coupled to a perimeter of the accessory housing;

a light controller coupled to the accessory housing, the light controller being communicatively coupled to the plurality of lights, the light controller to receive a signal from the electronic device to turn on a subset of the plurality of lights and incrementally adjust an intensity of light emitted from the subset of the plurality of lights; and

light piping coupled to the accessory housing and proximate to the plurality of lights, the light piping including a plurality of cavities, the plurality of lights being proximate to, or within, the plurality of cavities, the light piping to, in response to the accessory housing being removably coupled to the device housing;

receive light from one or more of the plurality of lights through one or more of the plurality of cavities; and

disperse the light from the one or more of the plurality of lights over a reflective light display of the electronic device.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a light sensor coupled to the accessory housing to measure a light intensity of ambient light as a measured light intensity, and wherein the intensity of light emitted from the subset of the plurality of lights is selectively controlled based at least in part on the light intensity measured by the light sensor.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein the light controller is configured to selectively control the intensity of light emitted from the subset of the plurality of lights by dimming or intensifying the subset of the plurality of lights based at least in part on the light intensity measured by the light sensor.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the light controller is configured to control the intensity of light emitted from the subset of the plurality of lights based at least in part on user input.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the accessory housing is formed as a sleeve that removably couples to the device housing associated with the electronic device, wherein coupling the sleeve to the device housing comprises inserting the device housing into the sleeve, and wherein the light piping associated with the sleeve aligns adjacent to the reflective light display of the electronic device in response to the sleeve being removably coupled to the device housing.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the accessory housing removably couples to at least the portion of the exterior profile of the device housing using an accessory attachment.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising at least one of a power connector to connect the plurality of lights to a power port of the electronic device or a power supply within the accessory housing to provide power to the plurality of lights.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the reflective light display of the electronic device is visible through the light piping in response to the accessory housing removably coupling to at least the portion of the exterior profile of the device housing.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the accessory housing forms a clamshell casing that attaches to at least the portion of the exterior profile of the device housing, and wherein the light piping aligns with the reflective light display of the electronic device in response to the clamshell casing being placed over at least the portion of the exterior profile of the device housing.

8. A front light accessory comprising:

an accessory housing having an accommodating portion that is complementary to an exterior profile of a device housing that encloses an electronic device, the accommodating portion configured to removably couple to at least a portion of the exterior profile of the device housing, wherein the accessory housing is independent of the electronic device;

a light sensor coupled to the accessory housing to measure a light intensity of ambient light as a measured light intensity, the light sensor being communicatively coupled to a display driver of the electronic device;

a plurality of lights coupled to a perimeter of the accessory housing, the plurality of lights to be selectively controlled by the display driver of the electronic device by the display driver turning on a subset, but not all, of the plurality of lights, based at least in part on the measured light intensity from the light sensor; and

light piping coupled to the accessory housing, the light piping including a plurality of recesses, a first light of the plurality of lights being proximate to, or within, a first recess of the plurality of recesses, a second light of the plurality of lights being proximate to, or within, a second recess of the plurality of recesses, the light piping to, in response to the accessory housing being removably coupled to the device housing;

receive light from one or more of the plurality of lights through one or more of the plurality of recesses; and

disperse the light over a display of the electronic device.

9. The front light accessory as recited in claim 8, wherein the display comprises a reflective light display, and wherein the light piping aligns with the reflective light display in response to the accessory housing being removably coupled to the device housing.

10. The front light accessory as recited in claim 8, further comprising a display controller in communication with the plurality of lights and the light sensor to adjust an amount of light emitted from the subset of the plurality of lights based at least in part on the measured light intensity from the light sensor.

11. The front light accessory as recited in claim 8, wherein the light sensor is integrated in the accessory housing, the front light accessory further comprising a data connector integrated in the accessory housing and configured to facilitate exchange of data with the electronic device via the data connector, wherein the measured light intensity is transmitted to the display driver of the electronic device via the data connector, and wherein the subset, but not all, of the plurality of lights are turned on, or an amount of light emitted from the subset of the plurality of lights is controlled, based at least in part on a signal from the display driver received via the data connector.

12. The front light accessory as recited in claim 8, wherein the accessory housing forms a sleeve that attaches to the device housing by placing the sleeve over at least the portion of the exterior profile of the device housing, and wherein light piping aligns with the display of the electronic device in response to the sleeve being placed over at least the portion of the exterior profile of the device housing.

13. The front light accessory as recited in claim 8, wherein the plurality of lights are configured to be selectively controlled by the display driver at least one of turning on, turning off, intensifying, or dimming, the subset of the plurality of lights.

18. The front light accessory as recited in claim 8, wherein the light sensor is configured to measure a first light intensity of the ambient light at a first point in time and a second light intensity of the ambient light at a second point in time, and wherein the front light accessory is further configured to:

determine an average measured light intensity value based at least in part on the first light intensity and the second light intensity; and

transmit a signal to the electronic device to adjust a contrast of the display of the electronic device based at least in part on the average measured light intensity value.

20. The front light accessory as recited in claim 8, wherein the display driver of the electronic device is further configured to adjust at least one of a contrast of content or a size of the content that is displayed on the display of the electronic device, based at least in part on the measured light intensity from the light sensor.

14. An apparatus comprising:

an accessory housing configured to removably couple to an exterior profile of a device housing that encloses an electronic device, the accessory housing being independent of the electronic device;

a light sensor coupled to the accessory housing to measure a light intensity of ambient light as a measured light intensity;

one or more lights coupled to a perimeter of the accessory housing, the one or more lights to be selectively controlled based at least in part on the measured light intensity from the light sensor; and

light piping coupled to the accessory housing, the light piping including one or more recesses, the one or more lights being proximate to, or within the one or more recesses, the light piping to, in response to the accessory housing being removably coupled to the device housing;

receive light emitted from the one or more lights through the one or more recesses; and

disperse the light over an outward facing side of a reflective light display of the electronic device.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the one or more lights are located around at least a portion of the accessory housing.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the accessory housing includes an adjustment feature to enable adjustment of a location of the one or more lights with respect to the reflective light display.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the light sensor is integrated in the accessory housing, the apparatus further comprising:

a data connector integrated in the accessory housing and configured to facilitate exchange of data with the electronic device via the data connector, wherein the measured light intensity is transmitted to the electronic device via the data connector, and wherein the one or more lights are selectively controlled based at least in part on a signal from the electronic device received via the data connector.