Electronic devices with sidewall displays

• US 8,976,141 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2014
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• 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:
  US14/273,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20140240289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 306 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 having opposing front and rear surfaces that are joined by a sidewall surface, comprising:

a first array of display pixels configured to display images on the front surface;

a second array of display pixels configured to display images on the sidewall surface; and

an opaque masking material that separates the first array of display pixels from the second array of display pixels, wherein the opaque masking layer is formed on a curved surface between the first and second arrays of display pixels.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a flexible substrate having a first portion that lies in a plane and a second portion that is bent out of the plane, wherein the first array of display pixels is formed on the first portion of the flexible substrate and wherein the second array of display pixels is formed on the second portion of the flexible substrate.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the flexible substrate comprises a flexible sheet of polymer.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a cover layer formed over the first and second array of display pixels, wherein the opaque masking material is formed on an inner surface of the cover layer.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the second array of display pixels is configured to display at least one virtual button and wherein the opaque masking material surrounds the at least one virtual button.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 further comprising capacitive touch sensor electrodes that overlap the at least one virtual button.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the first array of display pixels comprises organic light-emitting diode display pixels.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the second array of display pixels comprises organic light-emitting diode display pixels.

9. An electronic device having first and second exterior surfaces, wherein the first and second exterior surfaces are non-parallel to each other, comprising:

an organic light-emitting diode display having a substrate on which an array of display pixels is formed, wherein the substrate has a first portion parallel to the first exterior surface and a second portion parallel to the second exterior surface; and

a transparent cover layer formed over the organic light-emitting diode display, wherein the transparent cover layer has a first portion that forms the first exterior surface of the electronic device and a second portion that forms the second exterior surface of the electronic device.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the array of display pixels is formed on the first portion of the substrate and is configured to display images on the first exterior surface.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 further comprising additional display pixels formed on the second portion of the substrate.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the additional display pixels are configured to form reconfigurable virtual buttons on the second exterior surface.

13. An electronic device having a front surface and a sidewall surface, comprising:

an array of display pixels configured to display images on the front surface of the electronic device; and

a plurality of touch-sensitive virtual buttons on the sidewall surface of the electronic device, wherein each of the touch-sensitive virtual buttons comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes and wherein the touch-sensitive virtual buttons are separated from each other by inactive regions that do not emit light.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 further comprising display control circuitry configured to alter the images displayed by the array of display pixels in response to activation of the touch-sensitive virtual buttons.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 13 further comprising opaque masking material formed in the inactive regions.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 further comprising a cover layer formed over the touch-sensitive virtual buttons, wherein the opaque masking material is formed on an inner surface of the cover layer.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the opaque masking material separates the array of display pixels from the plurality of touch-sensitive virtual buttons.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein at least one of the touch-sensitive virtual buttons comprises a tactile indicator for indicating the location of the touch-sensitive virtual button.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the touch-sensitive virtual buttons comprise capacitive touch sensor electrodes.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 13 further comprising a flexible substrate having a first portion that lies in a plane and a second portion that is bent out of the plane, wherein the array of display pixels is formed on the first portion of the flexible substrate and wherein the plurality of light-emitting diodes is formed on the second portion of the flexible substrate.

21. An electronic device having a front surface and a sidewall surface, comprising:

an array of display pixels configured to display images on the front surface of the electronic device; and

a touch-sensitive virtual button on the sidewall surface of the electronic device, wherein the touch-sensitive virtual button comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes; and

a transparent cover layer that covers the display pixels on the front surface and the touch-sensitive virtual button on the sidewall surface.

22. The electronic device defined in claim 21 further comprising an opaque masking material in the inactive area having an opening that aligns with the touch-sensitive virtual button.

23. The electronic device defined in claim 21 further comprising a housing sidewall in the inactive area having an opening that aligns with the touch-sensitive virtual button.

24. The electronic device defined in claim 21 wherein the touch-sensitive virtual button comprises capacitive touch sensor electrodes.

25. The electronic device defined in claim 21 further comprising a flexible substrate having a first portion that lies in a plane and a second portion that is bent out of the plane, wherein the array of display pixels is formed on the first portion of the flexible substrate and wherein the plurality of light-emitting diodes is formed on the second portion of the flexible substrate.