Providing information in a multi-screen device

• US 20070120762A1
• Filed: 11/30/2005
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Gorman, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,636,071 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/1.100
• 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 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 17/006 with audible presentation of the material to be studied audio and audio-visual teaching apparatus in general G09B5/04, G09B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied

Abstract

A method of displaying information in an information display device may include retrieving an information file from storage media accessible from an information display device, displaying a first portion of the retrieved file in a first electronic display screen based on a first value from a sensor, displaying a second portion of the retrieved file in a second electronic display screen based on a second value from the sensor, and subsequently displaying either the first portion or a third portion of the retrieved file in the first electronic display screen based on a third value from the sensor. The information display device may include a first panel and a second panel connected to the first panel, two or more electronic display screens disposed on the first and second panels, and a sensor that provides a value representative of an angle of the first panel relative to the second panel.

Claims

1. An information display device comprising:

a plurality of panels comprising at least a first panel and a second panel, each of the panels having a front side and back side and being hingedly connected to the other panels;

a plurality of electronic display screens disposed on the plurality of panels, comprising at least a first screen, a second screen and a third screen;

an information storage device;

a sensor operable to detect when panels are moved relative to each other; and

a controller operable to display in one or more of the electronic display screens information that is stored in the information storage device in response to the sensor detecting movement of panels relative to each other.

2. The information display device of claim 1, wherein the first screen is disposed on the front side of the first panel, the second screen is disposed on the back side of the first panel, and the third screen disposed on the front side of the second panel.

3. The information display device of claim 1, further comprising a third panel and a fourth screen, wherein the first screen is disposed on the back side of the first panel, the second screen is disposed on the front side of the second panel, the third screen is disposed on the back of the second panel, and the fourth screen is disposed on the front of the third panel.

4. The information display device of claim 1, wherein the first panel rotates about an axis that is parallel to the length of the hinged connection between the first panel and the second panel.

5. A computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

obtaining an information file to display in an information display device, the information display device comprising two or more panels and two or more electronic display groups, each electronic display group comprising one or more electronic display screens that display information and that are disposed on the two or more panels, the information display device further comprising one or more sensors that generate signals indicating at least one of an angle between two of the two or more panels or movement of one of the two or more panels relative to another of the two or more panels;

receiving a first signal from the one or more sensors; and

displaying a first portion of the obtained information file in a first electronic display group in response to the received first signal.

6. The computer program product of claim 5 wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a second signal from the one or more sensors; and

in response to the second signal, prefetching a second portion of the obtained information file for display in a second electronic display group.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a third signal from the one or more sensors; and

in response to the third signal, displaying the second portion of the obtained information file in the second electronic display group.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the first portion and the second portion are displayed simultaneously.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a fourth signal from the one or more sensors; and

in response to the fourth signal, powering down the first electronic display group.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a fifth signal from the one or more sensors; and

in response to the fifth signal, displaying the first portion in the first electronic display group and simultaneously displaying the second portion in the second electronic display group.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a fifth signal from the one or more sensors; and

in response to the fifth signal, prefetching a third portion of the obtained information file for display in the first electronic display group.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a sixth signal from the one or more sensors; and

in response to the sixth signal, displaying the third portion of the obtained information file in the first electronic display group.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a control signal and a sixth signal from the one or more sensors; and

in response to the control signal and the sixth signal, displaying the first portion of the obtained information file in the first electronic display group.

14. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying a menu of information files; and

receiving user input in response to the menu,

wherein the information file is obtained in response to the user input.

15. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein at least one of the two or more electronic display groups comprises a touch-sensitive screen operable to receive touch-screen input.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving touch-screen input associated with the first portion;

storing customization data associated with the first portion in response to the touch-screen input; and

displaying customized information with the first portion that corresponds to the stored customization data, wherein the customized information is selected from the group consisting of highlighting, a bookmark, or an annotation.

17. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the information file is obtained from at least one of storage media in the information display device, a storage medium coupled to a storage media reader in the information display device, and networked storage media accessible to the information display device by a direct network connection or by a wireless network connection.

18. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise providing sensory output corresponding to the first portion, the sensory output selected from the group consisting of image output, auditory output, light output and tactile output.

19. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the information file comprises words, and the operations further comprise successively highlighting one or more words at a time, at a specific words-per-minute rate.

20. A method of displaying information in an information display device, the method comprising:

retrieving an information file from storage media accessible from an information display device, the information display device comprising a first panel and a second panel hingedly connected to the first panel, two or more electronic display screens disposed on the first panel and the second panel, and a sensor that provides a value representative of an angle of the first panel relative to the second panel;

displaying a first portion of the retrieved information file in a first electronic display screen based on a first value from the sensor;

displaying a second portion of the retrieved information file in a second electronic display screen based on a second value from the sensor; and

subsequently displaying either the first portion or a third portion of the retrieved information file in the first electronic display screen based on a third value from the sensor.