Alert for display protection

• US 8,912,913 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2013
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Martins, Helio Manuel Mealha
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US13/755,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20140210629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 340/686.1, 340/686.6, 340/546, 340/545.1, 340/545.6, 340/540, 340/568.1, 340/7.58, 340/571, 340/691.1, 340/693.5, 345/168, 345/169, 345/173, 345/175
• US Class Current: 340/686.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• 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 1/1677 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

Abstract

Examples provide mechanisms for detecting an object disposed between a display of a computing device and a base of the computing device. In response to detection of the object between the display of the computing device and the base of the computing device, the computing device may output an alert via a speaker.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

a sensor to detect an object disposed between a display and a base of the computing device; and

a controller coupled to the sensor, wherein the controller is to output an alert in response to detection of the object to protect the display.

2. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second sensor coupled to the display, wherein the second sensor is to detect movement of the display from an open position to a closed position; and

wherein the sensor is to detect the object in response to the detected movement of the display from the open position to the closed position.

3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the second sensor, the sensor, and the controller operate independently of a power state of the computing device.

4. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second sensor coupled to the display, wherein the second sensor is a touch-sensitive sensor to detect user contact with a back portion of the display; and

wherein the sensor is to detect the object in response to the detected user contact with the back portion of the display.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a volumetric sensor.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the controller is to output the alert using a speaker in response to detection of the object and an indication that the display is in transition to a closed position.

7. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a computing device using an output of a first sensor, movement of a display of the computing device or touch of the display by a user;

in response to the detecting of the movement of the display or the touch of the display by the user, identifying, by the computing device using an output of a second sensor, a presence of an object disposed between the display and a base of the computing device; and

outputting, by the computing device, an alert in response to identifying the presence of the object to protect the display.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the detecting of the movement of the display comprises detecting that the display is transitioning between an open position and a closed position.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first sensor includes an accelerometer of the computing device.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the second sensor includes a touch-sensitive sensor of the computing device, the touch-sensitive sensor detecting user contact with a back side of the display, the contact indicating an intent to transition the display between an open position and a closed position.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying the presence of the object comprises comparing a volume between the display and the base with a threshold value, the volume measured by the second sensor.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying the presence of the object comprises utilizing a signal to generate a pattern by the second sensor;

and

analyzing, by the computing device, the pattern to identify the presence of the object.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

reducing, by the computing device, power to one or more processors of the computing device to transition the computing device to a sleep state prior to the identifying.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a basic input output system (BIOS), which if executed by a processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

detect, via a sensor, that an object is disposed between a display of the computing device and a base of the computing device; and

in response to detection of the object, output an alert via the computing device to protect the display.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the BIOS, if executed by the processor of the computing device, further cause the computing device to:

monitor a second sensor for an indication of display movement; and

detect, based on output of the sensor, the object disposed between the display and the base, in response to the indication of display movement.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the BIOS, if executed by the processor of the computing device, further cause the computing device to:

detect, via a second sensor, movement of the display relative to the base of the computing system,

wherein the detecting that the object is disposed between the display and the base is performed in response to the detecting of the movement of the display via the second sensor.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the second sensor includes an accelerometer.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein BIOS, if executed by the processor of the computing device, further cause the computing device to:

detect, via a touch-sensitive sensor, contact of a user with a backside of the display, wherein the contact indicates an intent to move the display relative to the base of the computing system,

wherein the detecting that the object is disposed between the display and the base is performed in response to the detecting of the contact of the user with the backside via the touch-sensitive sensor.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the BIOS, if executed by the processor of the computing device, cause the computing device to:

detect, via a volumetric sensor, a volume between the display and the base of the computing device; and

compare the volume to a threshold to detect that the object is disposed between the display and the base of the computing device.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the BIOS, if executed by the processor of the computing device, cause the computing device to:

generate, via a volumetric sensor, a pattern based on a propagation of a signal to and from the base; and

analyze the pattern to detect that the object is disposed between the display and the base of the computing device.