Adjustable data processing display

• US 7,224,373 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2000
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Danger Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Duarte, Matias, Palmer, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz; Sumati
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kumar; Srilakshmi K
• Application Number:
  US09/714,320
• Time in Patent Office: 2,386 Days
• Field of Search: 361/729, 361/681, 345/126, 345/204, 345156-184, 345/659, 343/703
• US Class Current: 345/659
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/162 changing, e.g. reversing, the face orientation of the screen with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, e.g. for folding into tablet PC like position or orienting towards the direction opposite to the user to show to a second user
• 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 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 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: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1683 for the transmission of signal or power between the different housings, e.g. details of wired or wireless communication, passage of cabling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/022 The hinge comprising two parallel pivoting axes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0233 Including a rotatable display body part
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0245 using open/close detection

Abstract

An apparatus comprising: a data processing device; and a display coupled to the data processing device at a pivot point and rotatable around the pivot point from a closed position to an open position, wherein the display is viewable in both the closed and the open positions.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a data processing device;

a first group of control elements and a second group of control elements integrated directly on said data processing device;

a display comprising a display area for rendering images generated by said data processing device, said display coupled to said data processing device at a pivot point and rotatable around said pivot point from a first position to a second position, wherein said display is viewable in both said first position and said second position and wherein both said first and second groups of control elements are exposed when said display is in said second position, and wherein only said second group of control elements are exposed when said display is in said first position,

wherein said first group of control elements are covered by said display when said display is in said first position and said second group of control elements are not covered by said display when said display is in said first position; and

wherein said second group of control elements comprise a control knob and a set of control buttons; and

a switch configured to trigger when said display is rotated from said second position to said first position.

2. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said first group of control elements comprise a keyboard.

3. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said display is inverted when in said second position relative to said first position.

4. The apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising:

image inversion logic to invert images on said display responsive to said switch triggering.

5. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the control knob is configured to scroll between menu items and/or data and the control buttons are configured to select the menu items and/or data when said display is in both said first position and said second position.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a data processing device having a first group of control elements and a second group of control elements; and

a display having a display area defining a plane, the display rotatably coupled to said data processing device and configured to rotate around an axis of rotation within said plane from a first position to a second position, said axis of rotation being substantially perpendicular to said plane for at least a portion of said rotation of said display, wherein images displayed on said display are viewable in both said first position and said second position,

wherein said first group of control elements are covered by said display when said display is in said first position and said second group of control elements are not covered by said display when said display is in said first position; and

wherein said first group of control elements comprise a keyboard and said second group of control elements comprise a control knob and a set of control buttons; and

a switch configured to trigger when said display is rotated from said first position to said second position.

7. The apparatus as in claim 6 further comprising:

image inversion logic to invert images on said display responsive to said switch triggering.

8. The apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said control knob is configured to scroll between items within a list.

9. The apparatus as in claim 8 wherein one of said control buttons is configured to select items within said list.

10. The apparatus as in claim 9 wherein one of said control buttons is configured to back out of selected items.

11. The apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said control buttons and control knob are user-programmable.

12. The apparatus as in claim 6 wherein the control knob is configured to scroll between menu items and/or data and the control buttons are configured to select the menu items and/or data when said display is in both said first position and said second position.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a data processing device;

a first group of control elements and a second group of control elements integrated directly on said data processing device; and

a display having a viewable area for viewing images generated by said data processing device, said display cooperatively engaged with said data processing device to move from a first position to a second position, wherein images are viewable within said viewable area when said display is in said first position and said second position,

wherein both said first group of control elements and said second group of control elements are exposed when said display is in said second position, and wherein only said second group of control elements are exposed when said display is in said first position,

wherein said first group of control elements comprises a keyboard and wherein said second group of control elements comprises a control knob,

wherein said second position is inverted with respect to said first position; and

a switch configured to trigger when said display is rotated from said second position to said first position.

14. The apparatus as in claim 13 wherein said display is rotatably coupled to said data processing device and configured to rotate within a plane substantially perpendicular to said display'"'"'s axis of rotation between said first position and said second position.

15. The apparatus as in claim 13 wherein images displayed on said display are inverted relative to said display when said display is moved between said first position and said second position.

16. The apparatus as in claim 15 further comprising image inversion logic to invert images on said display responsive to said switch triggering.

17. The apparatus as in claim 13 wherein the control knob is configured to scroll between menu items and/or data, the apparatus further comprising control buttons configured to select the menu items and/or data when said display is in both said first position and said second position.