Touchscreen with a light modulator

• US 9,244,555 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2014
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BBY Solutions Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BBY Solutions Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Huang, Andrew Shane
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US14/263,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20140347292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 345/2.1, 345173-183, 345/211
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels

Abstract

A device with a touchscreen with a light modulator is disclosed herein. The device transitions from a netbook mode to a touchscreen mode. The device comprises a main unit and a touchscreen unit with a transparent display. The touchscreen unit is preferably separated from the main unit when in a netbook mode, and the touchscreen unit communicates wirelessly with the main unit. The touchscreen unit preferably has an outer screen display surface and an inner screen display surface on each side of a light modulating unit. The main unit preferably has a main unit display.

Claims

1. A display screen unit comprising:

a first touchscreen component layer disposed on a first side of the display screen unit, the first touchscreen component layer adapted to allow display of a first displayable keyboard embedded within the first touchscreen component layer when the display screen unit is positioned in a first orientation relative to a display device, wherein when in the first orientation, the first touchscreen component layer is located directly over a display area of the display device;

a second touchscreen component layer disposed on a second side of the display screen unit, the second side being opposite to the first side, and the second touchscreen component layer adapted to provide display of a second displayable keyboard embedded within the second touchscreen component layer when the display screen unit is positioned in a second orientation relative to the display device, wherein when in the second orientation, the second touchscreen component layer is not located directly over the display area of the display device; and

a light modulator unit disposed between the first touchscreen component layer and the second touchscreen component layer, the light modulator unit adapted to cause the first displayable keyboard to be displayed by causing opacity in portions of the first touchscreen component layer and to cause the second displayable keyboard to be displayed by causing opacity in portions of the second touchscreen component layer.

2. The display screen unit of claim 1, wherein the first touchscreen component layer includes a first transparent touchscreen and the second touchscreen component layer includes a second transparent touchscreen, and wherein the first transparent touchscreen of the first touchscreen component layer is modulated to provide display of the first displayable keyboard from the first touchscreen component layer when the display screen unit is positioned in the first orientation relative to the display device.

3. The display screen unit of claim 1, wherein the display screen unit is placed in direct contact with the display device when the display screen unit is positioned in the first orientation relative to the display device, wherein the first side of the first touchscreen component layer is located directly over an active portion of the display area of the display device when the display screen unit is positioned in the first orientation relative to the display device.

4. The display screen unit of claim 3, the display screen unit further adapted to provide information to the display device to determine whether the display screen unit is positioned in the first orientation relative to the display device or the second orientation relative to the display device.

5. The display screen unit of claim 4, the display screen unit further adapted to display, in response to the display device determining that the display screen unit is positioned in the second orientation, the second displayable keyboard on the second touchscreen component layer.

6. The display screen unit of claim 1, the first touchscreen component layer further adapted to display the first displayable keyboard in response to a user input.

7. A device comprising:

a display device, the display device including a touchscreen; and

a display screen unit, the display screen unit positionable to a first orientation when coupled to the display device, the display screen unit including;

a first touchscreen component layer disposed on a first side of the display screen unit, the first touchscreen component layer adapted to allow display of a first displayable keyboard embedded within the first touchscreen component layer when the display screen unit is in the first orientation, wherein when in the first orientation, an entirety of a display portion of the first touchscreen component layer is located directly over the touchscreen of the display device, wherein the first touchscreen component layer is adapted to allow display of a second displayable keyboard embedded within the first touchscreen component layer when the display screen unit is positioned in a second orientation; and

a light modulator unit configured to cause the first displayable keyboard to be displayed by causing opacity in portions of the first touchscreen component layer and cause the second displayable keyboard to be displayed by causing opacity in other portions of the first touchscreen component layer.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the first touchscreen component layer includes a transparent touchscreen, and wherein the transparent touchscreen of the first touchscreen component layer is modulated to provide display of the first displayable keyboard from the first touchscreen component layer when the display screen unit is positioned in the first orientation.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the display screen unit is in direct contact with the display device when the display screen unit is positioned in the first orientation, wherein the first side of the first touchscreen component layer is located directly over an active portion of the touchscreen of the display device when the display screen unit is positioned in the first orientation.

10. The device of claim 9, the display screen unit further adapted to communicate information to the display device, the information used to determine whether the display screen unit is positioned in the first orientation or the second orientation, wherein the entirety of a display portion of the first touchscreen component layer is not located directly over the touchscreen of the display device in the second orientation.

11. The device of claim 10, the display screen unit further adapted to display the second displayable keyboard in response to receiving a command from the display device, and the display device further adapted to transmit the command to the display screen unit in response to determining that the display screen unit is in the second orientation.

12. The device of claim 7, the first touchscreen component layer further adapted to display the first displayable keyboard or the second displayable keyboard in response to a user input.

13. An apparatus comprising:

means for displaying a first embedded displayable keyboard on a first side of the apparatus when the apparatus is positioned in a first orientation relative to a display device, wherein when in the first orientation, the apparatus is located directly over a display area of the display device; and

means for displaying a second embedded displayable keyboard on a second side of the apparatus when the apparatus is positioned in a second orientation relative to the display device, wherein the second side is opposite the first side, and wherein when in the second orientation, the apparatus is not located directly over the display area of the display device;

means for causing the first embedded displayable keyboard to be displayed by causing opacity in portions of a first touchscreen component layer on the first side of the apparatus using a light modulator unit; and

means for causing the second embedded displayable keyboard to be displayed by causing opacity in portions of a second touchscreen component layer on the second side of the apparatus using the light modulator unit.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for causing the first embedded displayable keyboard to be displayed modulates light across a transparent touchscreen on the first side of the apparatus to cause a portion of the transparent touchscreen to provide display of the first embedded displayable keyboard when the apparatus is positioned in the first orientation relative to the display device.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for causing the second embedded displayable keyboard to be displayed modulates light across a transparent touchscreen on the second side of the apparatus to cause a portion of the transparent touchscreen to provide display of the second embedded displayable keyboard when the apparatus is positioned in the second orientation relative to the display device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is in direct contact with the display device when the first side of the apparatus is positioned in the first orientation relative to the display device, wherein the transparent touchscreen is located directly over an active portion of the display area of the display device when the apparatus is in the first orientation relative to the display device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising, means for displaying the second embedded displayable keyboard on the apparatus in response to determining that the apparatus is positioned in the second orientation.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising, means for receiving a user input to control displaying of the first embedded displayable keyboard or the second embedded displayable keyboard.