Electronic devices with sidewall displays

• US 9,411,451 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2015
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• 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:
  US14/692,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20150227227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 a front region and a side region, comprising:

a flexible display layer having an array of display pixels including a first group of display pixels, a second group of display pixels, and a third group of display pixels between the first and second groups;

a transparent cover layer having a first portion that covers the flexible display layer on the front region and a second portion that covers the flexible display layer on the side region,

wherein the first portion of the transparent cover layer defines a plane,

wherein the second portion of the transparent cover layer is curved out of the plane, and

wherein the first group of display pixels displays images through the transparent cover layer on the front region and the second group of display pixels displays images through the transparent cover layer on side region; and

control circuitry that selectively activates and inactivates the third group of display pixels.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic device is a cellular telephone.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the transparent cover layer comprises glass.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic device is configured for cellular communications and wherein the transparent cover layer comprises glass.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the transparent cover layer extends continuously between the front region and the side region.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5, wherein the transparent cover layer comprises a curved portion between the front region and the side region.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the flexible display layer has a first portion on which the first group of display pixels are formed and a second portion on which the second group of display pixels are formed.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7, wherein the flexible display layer extends continuously between the first and second portions.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8, wherein the flexible display layer comprises a curved portion between the first and second portions.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the transparent cover layer forms an external surface of the electronic device.

10. An electronic device having a front region and a side region, comprising:

a flexible display layer having an array of display pixels including a first group of display pixels that is bordered by a second group of display pixels;

a transparent cover layer having a planar portion that covers the flexible display layer on the front region and a curved portion that covers the flexible display layer on the side region, wherein the first group of display pixels displays images through the curved portion of the transparent cover layer on the side region;

a layer of adhesive that attaches the flexible display layer to the transparent cover layer; and

control circuitry that selectively activates and inactivates the second group display pixels.

12. A display, comprising:

a transparent cover layer having an inner surface, wherein the transparent cover layer has a flat portion and a curved portion;

a flexible display substrate that conforms to the inner surface of the transparent cover layer;

a plurality of display pixels formed on the flexible display substrate including a first group of display pixels that displays images through the flat portion of the transparent cover layer, a second group of display pixels that displays images through the curved portion of the transparent cover layer, and a third group of display pixels between the first and second groups;

a layer of adhesive formed on the curved inner surface of the transparent cover layer that attaches the flexible display substrate to the curved inner surface of the transparent cover layer; and

control circuitry that selectively activates and inactivates the third group of display pixels.

13. The display defined in claim 12, wherein the plurality of display pixels displays images through the inner surface of the transparent cover layer.

14. The display defined in claim 12, wherein the inner surface of the transparent cover layer has a planar portion, and wherein the flexible display substrate conforms to the planar portion of the inner surface.

15. The display defined in claim 12, further comprising:

a flexible touch- sensitive layer that conforms to the inner surface of the transparent cover layer.

16. An electronic device comprising:

a transparent cover layer that forms an exterior surface of the electronic device, wherein the transparent cover layer includes a first portion that defines a plane and a second portion that curves away from the plane, and wherein the transparent cover layer extends continuously between the first portion and the second portion;

an array of display pixels having a first portion that displays images through the first portion of the transparent cover layer a second portion that displays images through the second portion of the transparent cover layer; and

control circuitry that selectively activates and inactivates a third portion of the array of display pixels between the first and second portions.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16, wherein the transparent cover layer comprises a curved portion between the first and second portions of the transparent cover layer.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17, wherein the array of display pixels displays images through the curved portion of the transparent cover layer.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 17, wherein the first portion of the transparent cover layer is planar.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 16, wherein the array of display pixels is formed on a flexible display substrate, wherein the first portion of the array of display pixels is formed on a first portion of the flexible display substrate, and wherein the second portion of the array of display pixels is formed on a second portion of the flexible display substrate.

21. The electronic device defined in claim 16, wherein the first portion of the flexible display substrate conforms to of the first portion of the transparent cover layer and wherein the second portion of the flexible display substrate conforms to the second portion of the transparent cover layer.