Active screen protection for electronic device

• US 9,715,257 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2014
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Manullang, Tyson B., Lynch, Stephen B., Sanford, Emery A.
• Primary Examiner(s): WILSON, BRIAN P
• Application Number:
  US14/256,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20150301565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: 340 31, 340 51
• 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 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/182 with special features, e.g. for use in industrial environments; grounding or shielding against radio frequency interference [RFI] or electromagnetical interference [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/185 Improving the rigidity of the casing or resistance to shocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

An electronic device includes one or more screens, multiple screen protectors moveable between a retracted position and extended position where they extend above the screen to create a gap, and one or more sensors. When the sensor detects a drop event, the screen protectors move from the retracted to extended position, functioning as a shock absorber and preventing the screen from connecting with a surface that the electronic device contacts. In some implementations, the screen protectors may be multiple tabs that may be moved between the retracted and extended positions by one or more motors and/or other actuators coupled to one or more pinions. Such tabs may be formed of various flexible and/or rigid materials such as plastic, plastic film, polyethylene terephthalate or other polymers, metal, thin film metal, combinations thereof, and/or other such materials.

Claims

1. A system for active screen protection for an electronic device including at least one screen, the system comprising:

multiple screen protectors rotationally moveable between at least an extended position and a retracted position below the at least one screen, wherein the multiple screen protectors extend above and overlap the at least one screen in the extended position to create at least one gap between the at least one screen and the multiple screen protectors, and wherein the at least one screen overlaps the multiple screen protectors when the multiple screen protectors are in the retracted position; and

at least one sensor that detects when the electronic device is subject to a drop event;

wherein the multiple screen protectors rotationally move from the retracted position to the extended position when the at least one sensor detects that the electronic device is subject to the drop event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a first portion of each of the multiple screen protectors is flush with the at least one screen in the retracted position and a second portion of each of the multiple screen protectors is positioned below the at least one screen in the retracted position.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiple screen protectors comprise multiple tabs.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the multiple tabs comprise at least one of plastic, plastic film, polyethylene terephthalate, a polymer, thin metal, or metal.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the multiple tabs comprise at least one tab positioned at each corner of the at least one screen.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiple screen protectors absorb shock when the electronic device impacts a surface as a result of the drop event.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one gap is positioned between ends of the multiple screen protectors and the surface after the drop event.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one accelerometer, gyroscope, inertial sensor, camera, altitude sensor, global positioning system sensor, or motion sensor.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiple screen protectors rotationally move from the extended position to the retracted position when at the at least one sensor detects that the drop event is over.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one motor that rotationally moves the multiple screen protectors between the extended position and the retracted position.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one motor rotationally moves the multiple screen protectors by moving at least one pinion.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one pinion mates with multiple slots coupled to the multiple screen protectors.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one motor comprises multiple motors and each of the multiple screen protectors is rotationally moved by a different one of the multiple motors.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one motor comprises multiple motors and at least one of the multiple motors rotationally moves at least two of the multiple screen protectors.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of apertures in the electronic device, wherein each of the multiple screen protectors passes through a respective one of the apertures to move from the retracted position to the extended position.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiple screen protectors rotationally move from the extended position to the retracted position in response to at least one user input.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiple screen protectors rotationally move from the extended position to the retracted position upon expiration of at least one timer after detection of the drop event.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiple screen protectors rotationally move from the extended position to the retracted position when at the at least one sensor detects that the electronic device is retrieved after the drop event.

19. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing that separates an interior of the housing from an exterior of the housing;

at least one screen mounted in the housing;

a plurality of apertures in the housing around the periphery of the at least one screen;

multiple screen protectors moveable between at least an extended position and a retracted position, the multiple screen protectors extend above the at least one screen in the extended position to create at least one gap, wherein the multiple screen protectors are located entirely within the interior of the housing when the multiple screen protectors are in the retracted position; and

at least one sensor that detects when the electronic device is subject to a drop event;

wherein each of the multiple screen protectors passes through a respective one of the apertures to move from the interior of the housing in the retracted position to the exterior of the housing in the extended position when the at least one sensor detects that the electronic device is subject to the drop event.

20. A method for active screen protection, the method comprising:

detecting when an electronic device that includes at least one screen is subject to a drop event utilizing at least one sensor; and

rotationally moving multiple screen protectors from a retracted position below the at least one screen to an extended position in response to detection of the at least one drop event, wherein the multiple screen protectors extend above the at least one screen in the extended position to create at least one gap, and wherein the at least one screen overlaps the multiple screen protectors when the multiple screen protectors are in the retracted position.