Multiple displays for a portable electronic device and a method of use

• US 9,864,401 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2015
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Village Green Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Village Green Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Ebey, Tina, Bishop, Peter B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Watko, Julie Anne
• Application Number:
  US14/589,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20150116188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 345715, 345156, 455566, 382128, 361680
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1622 with enclosures rotating around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define or with ball-joint coupling, e.g. PDA with display enclosure orientation changeable between portrait and landscape by rotation with respect to a coplanar body enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1431 using a single graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A multiple display system having at least two mechanical arrangements such that in one of the at least two arrangements one of the multiple displays is stowed, out of the way mechanically and visually, when only a first display is in use; and one of the other of the at least two arrangements wherein the other of the multiple displays is substantially coplanar and adjacent to the one screen when both screens are in use. The other display in the one of the other of the at least two arrangements also runs the graphical user interface of an application, permitting the multiple display system to offer at least two programs running simultaneously, each with its own visual user-interface operating on its own display.

Claims

1. A portable device comprising:

a primary display and a secondary display;

wherein the secondary display is integrated with the portable device;

the secondary display is physically protected when stowed;

the secondary display runs a second application, while the primary display runs a first application in at least one of a plurality operating modes;

wherein the primary display and the secondary display are both visible at the same time by the user of the device during the at least one of a plurality of operating modes;

wherein the act of deploying the secondary display causes a second software application to launch, and the second software application displays a graphical user interface on the deployed secondary display

wherein a second screen display stack is created when the secondary display is deployed, and the graphical user interface for the second software application creates a first screen displayed on the secondary display using in the second screen stack;

wherein as subsequent applications are opened on the secondary display following the first application, the subsequent applications are added to the second screen display stack and displayed on the secondary display.

2. The portable device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of operating modes of the device include:

(a) both displays off,

(b) only primary display on,

(c) both primary and secondary display on;

wherein the secondary display is generally out of sight, or stowed, in said operating modes (a) and (b).

3. The portable device of claim 2 wherein:

the secondary display is mechanically moved from said stowed position to a deployed position at the initiation of the operator of the device, in order to initiate operating mode (c).

4. The portable device of claim 2 wherein:

the secondary display is moved from said stowed position to a deployed position by a manual mechanical motion of the operator of the device, in order to initiate operating mode (c).

5. The portable device of claim 1 wherein:

the secondary display is moved via a folding mechanism.

6. The portable device of claim 1 wherein:

the secondary display is moved via a sliding mechanism.

7. The portable device of claim 1 wherein:

the secondary display is moved via a rotating mechanism.

8. The portable device of claim 1 wherein:

the secondary display is approximately the same size as the said primary display.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein:

the secondary display is approximately coplanar with the primary display when deployed.

10. The portable device of claim 1 wherein:

the act of deploying the secondary displays causes the second software application to launch, using the secondary display as the graphical user interface for the second software application, and not disrupting the appearance of a first application running on the said primary display; and

the second application is determined by the first application.

11. The portable device of claim 10 wherein:

the second application contains user instructions, a user manual, or help screens for the first application.

12. The portable device of claim 10 wherein:

the first application is an email program; and

the second application displays an attachment to an email selected in the primary display.

13. The portable device of claim 10 wherein:

the first application displays a link in the world wide web (www); and

the second application displays the target of said link.

14. The portable device of claim 10 wherein:

the first application displays the name, location, email address, phone number, image, advertisement or other identifying information about an individual, address, event, company or product; and

the second application displays additional information about said individual, address, event, company or product.

15. The portable device of claim 10 wherein:

the first application displays information about an event, company or product; and

the second application displays information regarding the purchase of ticket(s) for the said event, or information regarding the purchase of product(s) s from the company, or information regarding the purchase of the said product.

16. The portable device of claim 10 wherein:

the first application displays the name, location, email address, phone number, image, advertisement or other identifying information about an individual, address, event, company or product; and

the second application displays information about the location of said individual, address, event, company or nearby product.

17. The portable device of claim 1 wherein:

the act of deploying the secondary displays causes the second software application to launch, using the secondary display as the graphical user interface for the second application, and not disrupting the first application running on the primary display; and

content of the graphical user interface displayed by the second application is determined by information displayed by the first application on the primary display.

18. The portable device of claim 1 wherein:

when the user of the device selects or identifies via an action a piece of information in the primary display that action causes the secondary display to provide additional or more detailed information about piece of information, without disrupting the information in the primary display.

19. The portable device of claim 18 wherein:

when the user of the device selects or identifies via an action a piece of information in the secondary display that the action causes the primary display to provide additional or more detailed information about the piece of information, without disturbing the information in the secondary display.

20. The portable device of claim 1 wherein:

when new information arrives at or in the device, such as an email, an instant message, a text message, a phone call, or an error, that details about said new information display on the secondary display, without disturbing the information in the primary display.