APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE HAVING A FLEXIBLE DISPLAY

• US 20110183722A1
• Filed: 04/11/2011
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: HJ Laboratories, LLC
• Inventors: Vartanian, Harry
• Granted Patent: US 8,068,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• 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: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03 Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/02 Networking aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/005 Adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/373 for modifying the size of the graphic pattern
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0268 including a flexible display panel
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 : Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing an electronic device having a flexible display is disclosed. The flexible display is adaptively responsive to bending and/or motion. Information may be retrieved over a communications network based on the bending and/or motion of the flexible display.

Claims

1. A computer apparatus comprising:

an organic light emitting diode (OLED) flexible display device;

a first housing member having a processor, a memory device, a network adapter configured for wireless communications, and a rigid display device;

a second housing member configured to store the OLED flexible display device, where the OLED flexible display device is coupled to the first housing member;

the rigid display device and the OLED flexible display device is configured to provide a combined display size, and images displayed on the OLED flexible display device are responsive to at least two sensors that are configured to detect a bend of the OLED flexible display device; and

the computer is configured to transmit a request for information from a server over the wireless communications, where the request is responsive to another bend and motion detected by the at least two sensors of the OLED flexible display device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising the computer is configured to trigger a request for information from the server responsive to a fold or change in shape of the OLED flexible display device and the received requested information is resized to fit the fold or change in shape of the OLED flexible display device.

3. A method provided in a computer, the method comprising:

storing an organic light emitting diode (OLED) flexible display device in a first housing member, where the OLED flexible display device is coupled to a second housing member;

providing a combined display size by the OLED flexible display device and a rigid display device coupled to the second housing member;

displaying images on the OLED flexible display device, where the images are responsive to at least two sensors detecting bending of the OLED flexible display device; and

transmitting a request for information from a server over a wireless communication network, where the request is responsive to detecting another bending and motion by the at least two sensors.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

triggering a request for information from the server responsive to a fold or change in shape of the OLED flexible display device;

receiving the requested information by the computing device; and

resizing the requested information to fit the fold or change in shape of the OLED flexible display device.

5. A system having a computer and a server, the system comprising:

the computer having;

an organic light emitting diode (OLED) flexible display device;

a first housing member having a processor, a memory device, a network adapter configured for wireless communications, and a rigid display device;

a second housing member configured to store the OLED flexible display device, where the OLED flexible display device is coupled to the first housing member;

the rigid display device and the OLED flexible display device is configured to provide a combined display size, and images displayed on the OLED flexible display device are responsive to at least two sensors that are configured to detect a bend of the OLED flexible display device;

the computer is configured to transmit a request for information from the server over the wireless communications, where the request is responsive to another bend and motion detected by the at least two sensors of the OLED flexible display device; and

the server configured to transmit the information over the wireless communications to the computer.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising the computer is configured to trigger a request for information from the server responsive to a fold or change in shape of the OLED flexible display device and the received requested information is resized to fit the fold or change in shape of the OLED flexible display device.