Electronic devices with sidewall displays

• US 9,791,949 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2015
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Myers, Scott A., Lynch, Stephen Brian, Montevirgen, Anthony S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US14/602,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20150130767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• 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 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0268 including a flexible display panel
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0269 mounted in a fixed curved configuration, e.g. display curved around the edges of the telephone housing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0283 for providing a decorative aspect, e.g. customization of casings, exchangeable faceplate
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/236 including keys on side or rear faces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

Electronic devices may be provided that contain flexible displays that are bent to form displays on multiple surfaces of the devices. Bent flexible displays may be bent to form front side displays and edge displays. Edge displays may be separated from front side displays or from other edge displays using patterned housing members, printed or painted masks, or by selectively activating and inactivating display pixels associated with the flexible display. Edge displays may alternately function as virtual buttons, virtual switches, or informational displays that are supplemental to front side displays. Virtual buttons may include transparent button members, lenses, haptic feedback components, audio feedback components, or other components for providing feedback to a user when virtual buttons are activated.

Claims

1. An electronic device having a front region and a side region, comprising:

a flexible display layer having an array of display pixels;

a touch-sensitive layer having an array of touch sensor electrodes that detect touch input on the front region of the electronic device and on the side region of the electronic device; and

a transparent cover layer having a first portion that covers the flexible display layer on the front region and a second portion that covers the flexible display layer on the side region, wherein the first portion of the transparent cover layer defines a plane, wherein the second portion of the transparent cover layer is curved out of the plane, wherein the array of display pixels displays images through the transparent cover layer on the front region and the side region, wherein the images on the side region comprise a camera icon for controlling a camera function, wherein the array of display pixels includes a first group of display pixels that displays the camera icon and a second group of display pixels that at least partially surrounds the first group of display pixels; and

control circuitry that selectively activates and inactivates the second group of display pixels, wherein the control circuitry activates the second group of display pixels so that the array of display pixels displays images that span across the front region and the side region.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the transparent cover layer extends continuously between the front region and the side region.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2, wherein the transparent cover layer comprises glass.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the flexible display layer has first and second portions on which the display pixels are formed, wherein the display pixels formed on the first portion display images through the transparent cover layer on the front region, and wherein the display pixels formed on the second portion display images through the transparent cover layer on the side region.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4, wherein the flexible display layer extends continuously between the first and second portions.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the flexible display layer comprises a curved portion.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a layer of adhesive that attaches the flexible display layer to the transparent cover layer.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the transparent cover layer forms an external surface of the electronic device.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the images on the side region comprise a message icon associated with a messaging application.

9. A display, comprising:

a transparent cover layer having a planar portion and a curved portion;

a display substrate having a planar portion and a curved portion;

a plurality of display pixels on the display substrate that display images through the planar portion and the curved portion of the transparent cover layer, wherein the images displayed through the curved portion of the transparent cover layer comprise a calendar icon associated with a calendar application;

a touch-sensitive layer that detects touch input on the planar portion and on the curved portion of the transparent cover layer, wherein the plurality of display pixels comprises a first group of display pixels that displays the calendar icon and a second group of display pixels at least partially surrounding the first group of display pixels; and

control circuitry that selectively activates and inactivates the second group of display pixels, wherein the control circuitry activates the second group of display pixels so that the plurality of display pixels displays images that span across the planar portion and the curved portion.

10. The display defined in claim 9, further comprising:

a layer of adhesive formed on an inner surface of the transparent cover layer that attaches the display substrate to the inner surface of the transparent cover layer.

11. The display defined in claim 9, wherein the planar portion of the display substrate conforms to the planar portion of the transparent cover layer and wherein the curved portion of the display substrate conforms to the curved portion of the transparent cover layer.

12. An electronic device comprising:

a transparent cover layer that forms an exterior surface of the electronic device, wherein the transparent cover layer includes a first portion that defines a plane and a second portion that curves out of the plane;

an array of display pixels having a first portion that displays images through the first portion of the transparent cover layer a second portion that displays graphic icons through the second portion of the transparent cover layer, wherein each of the graphic icons is at least partially surrounded by inactivated display pixels in the array of display pixels;

an array of capacitive touch sensor electrodes that detect touch input on the first portion of the transparent cover layer and on the second portion of the transparent cover layer; and

control circuitry that operates the array of display pixels in first and second modes, wherein the second portion of the array of display pixels displays the graphic icons in the first mode and displays images without the graphic icons in the second mode, and wherein the images displayed in the second mode span across the first and second portions of the array of display pixels.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12, wherein the array of display pixels is formed on a flexible display substrate, wherein the first portion of the array of display pixels is formed on a first portion of the flexible display substrate, and wherein the second portion of the array of display pixels is formed on a second portion of the flexible display substrate.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13, wherein the first portion of the flexible display substrate conforms to the first portion of the transparent cover layer and wherein the second portion of the flexible display substrate conforms to the second portion of the transparent cover layer.