Apparatus and associated methods

• US 8,832,574 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Ostergard, Toni Patrik, Hyytiainen, Ilkka, Davidson, Brian, Richardson, Nigel
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): NABI, REZA U
• Application Number:
  US12/459,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20100333006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,897 Days
• Field of Search: 715/768
• US Class Current: 715/768
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/005 based on electrowetting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1615 with several enclosures having relative motions, each enclosure supporting at least one I/O or computing function constructional details of portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts H04M1/0206
• 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 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• 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 1/1647 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 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An apparatus including a first display configured to be able to display user content and to have an active display state in which said user content can be stably displayed via active powering of the display, and a second display configured to be able to display user content and to have a passive display state in which said user content can be stably displayed without active powering of the display. The apparatus is configured such that the first display is positioned to at least partially overlie and cover the second display to provide a covered region of the second display. The apparatus is also configured such that the content on the second display in the covered region can be viewed through the first display.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first display configured to be able to display user content and to have an active display state in which said user content can be stably displayed via active powering of the display;

a second display configured to be able to display user content and to have a passive display state in which said user content can be stably displayed without active powering of the second display,

wherein the apparatus is configured such that the first display is positioned to at least partially overlie and cover the second display to provide a covered region of the second display and is also configured such that the content on the second display in the covered region can be viewed through the first display; and

a processor connected to the first and second displays, where, when there has been an absence of user input to the apparatus for a period of time, the processor is configured to provide a mode of operation to cease providing the user content to the first display and to leave the user content displayed on the second display, and the processor is configured to restore a different mode of operation when the processor determines that a user input has occurred,

where the apparatus comprises a first closed configuration defined by the positioning of the first display to at least partially overlie and cover the second display, and wherein the apparatus also comprises a second open configuration, the apparatus being configured such that, when in the second open configuration, the first display is positioned to be moved away from the second display to provide a revealed region of the second display to allow the content of the second display in the revealed region to be directly viewable.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first display is configured to be transparent/translucent to thereby allow the content in the covered region of the second display to be viewable through the first display.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that user content of the second display in the covered region is viewable through the first display, the user content of both displays thereby being viewable together to provide for composite user content.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the user content of the second display in the covered region contrasts/is complementary to the user content of the first display to improve the viewability of the composite user content.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the composite user content comprises substantially dynamic user content and substantially static user content, the first display being configured to be able to provide at least the substantially dynamic user content, the second display being configured to be able to provide the substantially static user content.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5,

wherein the first display is configured to provide at least substantially dynamic user content selected from the list of:

colour images, videos, motion clips, and/or information tickers, and

wherein the second display is configured to provide substantially static user content selected from the list of;

unchanging images, text, backgrounds, textures, a clock face or display, e-book pages, and/or web browsers.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the apparatus is configured to comprise a hybrid active display mode in which:

the dynamic content is displayed via the first display in its active state to thereby provide for active updating of the dynamic user content to be displayed, and

the static content is displayed via the second display in its passive display state to also save power.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the first and second displays are configured such that they can be moved away from one another by one or more of:

relative sliding, rotation, folding, or separation.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that:

in the first closed configuration, the first display is also configured to be able to receive touch user input; and

in the second configuration, the second display is also configured to be able to receive touch user input.

10. A portable electronic device for displaying user content comprising the apparatus of claim 1.

11. An e-book device for displaying text-based user content comprising the apparatus of claim 1.

12. A method of assembly of an apparatus, the method comprising:

assembling the apparatus to provide for a position where a first display at least partially overlies a second display to provide a covered region of the second display such that the content on the second display in the covered region, having a passive display state in which said user content is stably displayed without active powering of the second display, can be viewed through the first display,

where the first and second displays are movably connected to each other between a first closed configuration and a second open configuration, where in the first closed configuration the first display at least partially overlies and covers the second display, and the apparatus is configured such that, when in the second open configuration the first display is at least partially moved away from the second display to provide a revealed region of the second display to allow the content of the second display in the revealed region to be directly viewable, and

connecting a processor to the first and second displays, where, when there has been an absence of user input to the apparatus for a period of time, the processor is configured to provide a mode of operation to cease providing the user content to the first display and to leave the user content displayed on the second display, and the processor is configured to restore a different mode of operation when the processor determines that a user input has occurred wherein the apparatus comprises the first display configured to be able to display user content and to have an active display state in which said user content can be stably displayed via active powering of the display; and

the second display configured to be able to display user content and to have the passive display state in which said user content can be stably displayed without active powering of the second display, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the first display is positioned to at least partially overlie the second display to provide the covered region of the second display and is also configured such that the content on the second display in the covered region can be viewed through the first display.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable computer code stored thereon, the code being configured to, when run, perform a method of controlling the user content to be displayed on displays of an apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a first display configured to be able to display user content and to have an active display state in which said user content can be stably displayed via active powering of the display; and

a second display configured to be able to display user content and to have a passive display state in which said user content can be stably displayed without active powering of the second display, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the first display is positioned to at least partially overlie the second display to provide a covered region of the second display and is also configured such that the content on the second display in the covered region can be viewed through the first display, the method comprising;

controlling the user content to be displayed on the first and second displays including the second display having the passive display state in which said user content can be stably displayed without active powering of the second display,

where the first and second displays are movably connected to each other between a first closed configuration and a second open configuration, where in the first closed configuration the first display at least partially overlies and covers the second display, and the apparatus is configured such that, when in the second open configuration the first display is at least partially moved away from the second display to provide a revealed region of the second display to allow the content of the second display in the revealed region to be directly viewable,

where a processor of the apparatus is connected to the first and second displays, where, when there has been an absence of user input to the apparatus for a period of time, the processor is configured to provide a mode of operation to cease providing the user content to the first display and to leave the user content displayed on the second display, and the processor is configured to restore a different mode of operation when the processor determines that a user input has occurred.

14. A method comprising:

displaying first user content on a first display via an active display state in which the first user content is displayed by an active powering of the first display;

displaying second user content on a second display via a passive display state in which the second user content is stably displayed without active powering of the second display,

where the first display at least partially overlies the second display, and where the first display is transparent and the second user content is displayed on the second display such that the second user content displayed on the second display in the passive display state is viewable by a user through the first display,

where the first and second displays are movably connected to each other between a first closed configuration and a second open configuration, where in the first closed configuration the first display at least partially overlies and cover the second display, and the apparatus is configured such that, when in the second open configuration the first display is at least partially moved away from the second display to provide a revealed region of the second display to allow the content of the second display in the revealed region to be directly viewable where a processor of the apparatus is connected to the first and second displays, where, when there has been an absence of user input to the apparatus for a period of time, the processor is configured to provide a mode of operation to cease providing the user content to the first display and to leave the user content displayed on the second display, and the processor is configured to restore a different mode of operation when the processor determines that a user input has occurred.

15. A method as in claim 14 where the second user content is displayed on the second display as a first static content, and the method further comprises changing the second user content to a second static content, and then displaying the second static content on the second display in the passive display state in which the second static content is stably displayed without active powering of the second display.