Electronic devices with sidewall displays

• US 8,723,824 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2011
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• 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 J
• Application Number:
  US13/246,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20130076649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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, comprising:

a housing having a sidewall;

a flexible display;

a transparent display cover layer that covers a first portion of the flexible display so that the first portion of the flexible display is visible through the transparent display cover layer, wherein the sidewall has at least one opening and wherein the flexible display is bent so that a second portion of the flexible display is visible through the opening in the sidewall;

a transparent button member in the opening; and

a lens within the opening, wherein the second portion of the flexible display is visible through the transparent button member and the lens.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible display comprises:

a flexible display layer; and

a touch-sensitive layer.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 further comprising a transparent material in the opening, wherein the transparent material in the opening covers the second portion of the flexible display so that the second portion of the flexible display is visible through the transparent material in the opening.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a biasing member that exerts a force on the transparent button member in the opening.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the lens is configured to magnify information displayed on the second portion of the flexible display.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the sidewall is substantially perpendicular to the transparent display cover layer and wherein the transparent display cover layer forms a planar front surface for the electronic device.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the transparent display cover layer comprises a layer selected from the group consisting of:

a clear glass layer and a layer of clear plastic having a thickness of 0.1 mm to 3 mm.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

a flexible display; and

a display cover layer, wherein a first portion of the display cover layer forms a front surface for the electronic device, wherein the display cover layer is bent so that a second portion of the display cover layer forms a sidewall surface for the electronic device, wherein the flexible display is bent to conform to an inner surface of the display cover layer, and wherein the display cover layer comprises a patterned opaque masking layer interposed between at least the second portion of the display cover layer and the flexible display.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the opaque masking layer comprises ink on the inner surface of the display cover layer, wherein the ink has openings that define active display regions in the second portion of the display cover layer.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein at least some of the patterned opaque masking layer is interposed between the first portion of the display cover layer and the flexible display, wherein the patterned opaque masking layer has at least a first opening under the first portion of the display cover layer and at least a second opening under the second portion of the display cover layer, and wherein the flexible display is visible through the first and second openings.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the flexible display comprises:

a flexible display layer; and

a touch-sensitive layer that extends under at least some of the second opening.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the display cover layer comprises clear glass.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the display cover layer comprises a sheet of clear plastic having a thickness of 0.1 mm to 3 mm.

14. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing; and

a flexible touch-sensitive display mounted in the housing, wherein the flexible touch-sensitive display has a bend so that a first portion of the flexible touch-sensitive display forms a planar front surface for the electronic device and so that a second portion of the flexible touch-sensitive display forms a sidewall surface for the electronic device, wherein the flexible touch-sensitive display comprises illuminated pixels and additional circuitry, wherein at least one region of the second portion of the flexible touch-sensitive display is configured to form an illuminated touch-sensitive region that includes at least some of the illuminated pixels, and wherein the illuminated touch-sensitive region is separated from the first portion of the flexible touch-sensitive display by at least some of the additional circuitry.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein a portion of the illuminated touch-sensitive region is configured to form a volume button for adjusting an audio output volume for the electronic device during at least one mode of operation for the electronic device.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the portion of the illuminated touch-sensitive region is configured to form a camera shutter button for activating an image capture process during at least one additional mode of operation for the electronic device.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein a predetermined user input to the illuminated touch-sensitive region triggers a change from the at least one mode of operation to the at least one additional mode of operation.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein a portion of the illuminated touch-sensitive region is configured to form a camera shutter button for activating an image capture process during at least one mode of operation for the electronic device.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18 wherein the camera shutter button includes a camera icon displayed in the portion of the illuminated touch-sensitive region.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the at least some of the additional circuitry comprises unilluminated pixels.

21. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the at least some of the additional circuitry comprises control circuitry for operating the at least some of the illuminated pixels.