Mobile electronic device wrapped in electronic display

• US 9,785,308 B1
• Filed: 12/02/2013
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tseng, Erick
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Hien
• Application Number:
  US14/093,947
• Time in Patent Office: 1,408 Days
• 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 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0268 including a flexible display panel
• 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
• 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

Systems and techniques for substantially wrapping a mobile electronic device in a display are provided. A mobile electronic device is described that includes a primary display, a primary user input mechanism, and a secondary display. The primary display is operable to display user-selectable elements and has a face on a portion of an exterior surface of the mobile electronic device. The exterior surface includes all surfaces visible to a user. The primary user input mechanism is operable to receive user selections in coordination with the primary display of user-selectable elements. The secondary display is operable to display content to a user. The secondary display includes substantially the entire exterior surface of the mobile electronic device excluding the primary display.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for displaying elements on displays of a computing device, the method comprising:

displaying user-selectable elements on a first display that is located on a first side of a mobile electronic device;

displaying content on a second display that comprises a flexible and continuous surface that bends around at least part of an exterior surface of the mobile electronic device to extend;

(i) from the first side of the mobile electronic device to a second side of the mobile electronic device,

(ii) from the second side of the mobile electronic device to a third side of the mobile electronic device that opposes the first side of the mobile electronic device,

(iii) from the third side of the mobile electronic device to a fourth side of the mobile electronic device that opposes the second side of the mobile electronic device, and

(iv) from the fourth side of the mobile electronic device to the first side of the mobile electronic device, such that the first side of the mobile electronic device includes the first display with the second display being located on the first side of the mobile electronic device adjacent to the first display at both a first edge of the first display and a second edge of the first display, with the first edge of the first display opposing the second edge of the first display,

wherein the content displayed on the second display includes a selectable user interface element that is associated with a particular application;

receiving, on the second display, a user input that selects the user selectable interface element that is displayed on the second display and that is related to the particular application; and

in response to receiving the user input on the second display that selects the user selectable interface element, modifying a presentation by the first display to present content that is related to the particular application and that is presented as a result of having received the user input on the second display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input through a first user input mechanism operable to receive user selections in coordination with the display of user-selectable elements on the first display.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user input received on the second display was received through a secondary user input mechanism that comprises a touch sensitive user input mechanism, the method further comprising:

receiving user input through the secondary user input mechanism indicating the user is holding the mobile electronic device;

based on the user input, determining the user is holding the mobile electronic device in a manner consistent with the user using a telephone application; and

automatically activating the telephone application in response to the determination.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying content on the first display at a first time and on the second display at a second time such that the content is displayed continuously scrolling around multiple exterior faces of the mobile electronic device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein content displayed on the first display is presented in color on the first display and content displayed on the second display is presented in greyscale on the second display.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein scrolling content that spans both the first display and the second display is partially displayed in color and partially displayed in grayscale.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing motion of the mobile electronic device; and

changing a manner in which content is displayed on the first display in response to the sensed motion of the mobile electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first display is of a higher resolution than the second display.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein content displayed on the second display does not change unless a user changes one or more settings on the mobile electronic device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, on the second display, a continuous animation that moves continuously from a front surface of the mobile electronic device to a back surface of the mobile electronic device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving the user input on the second display, modifying a presentation by the second display to present additional content that is related to the particular application on the second display while also displaying the content that is related to the particular application on the first display.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the user input that selects the user selectable interface element that is displayed on the second display includes receiving user input that selects a user selectable interface element to activate the particular application; and

modifying the presentation by the first display to present content that is related to the particular application program includes activating a presentation of the particular application.

13. A system comprising:

a first display on a first side of a mobile electronic device;

a second display that comprises a flexible and continuous surface that bends around at least part of an exterior surface of the mobile electronic device to extend;

(i) from the first side of the mobile electronic device to a second side of the mobile electronic device,

(ii) from the second side of the mobile electronic device to a third side of the mobile electronic device that opposes the first side of the mobile electronic device,

(iii) from the third side of the mobile electronic device to a fourth side of the mobile electronic device that opposes the second side of the mobile electronic device, and

(iv) from the fourth side of the mobile electronic device to the first side of the mobile electronic device, such that the first side of the mobile electronic device includes the first display with the second display being located on the first side of the mobile electronic device adjacent to the first display at both a first edge of the first display and a second edge of the first display, with the first edge of the first display opposing the second edge of the first display,

wherein content displayed on the second display includes a selectable user interface element that is associated with a particular application; and

one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors cause user-selectable elements to be displayed on the first display and content to be displayed on the second display, and wherein the one or more processors cause content that is related to a particular program to be displayed on the first display in response to receiving a user input on the second display that is related to the particular program.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a primary user input mechanism operable to receive user selections in coordination with the first display of user-selectable elements; and

a secondary user input mechanism operable to receive user selections in coordination with the second display of content, where the content includes user-selectable elements.

15. The system of claim 14,

wherein the secondary user input mechanism comprises a touch sensitive user input mechanism,

wherein the secondary user input mechanism is operable to receive user input indicating the user is holding the mobile electronic device,

wherein the one or more processors, based on the user input, are operable to determine the user is holding the mobile electronic device in a manner consistent with the user using a telephone application and to automatically activate the telephone application in response to the determination.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the first display is configured to display content at a first time and the second display is configured to display the content at a second time such the content is displayed continuously scrolling around multiple exterior faces of the mobile electronic device.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

one or more motion sensors on the mobile electronic device,

wherein the one or more processors are operable to change a manner in which content is displayed on the first display in response to motion of the mobile electronic device sensed by the one or more motion sensors.

18. The system of claim 13,

wherein the second display comprises a flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) display wrapped a portion of the exterior surface of the mobile electronic device.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the first display is of a higher resolution than the second display.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the first display and the second display are positioned and coordinated so that content flows smoothly from one display to the other.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the second display displays content that is not user-interactive.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein content displayed on the second display does not change unless a user changes one or more settings on the mobile electronic device.

23. A non-transitory recordable media having recorded and stored thereon in tangible form, instructions that, when executed, perform actions comprising:

displaying user-selectable elements on a first display that is located on a first side of a mobile electronic device;

displaying content on a second display that comprises a flexible and continuous surface that bends around at least part of an exterior surface of the mobile electronic device to extend;

(i) from the first side of the mobile electronic device to a second side of the mobile electronic device,

(ii) from the second side of the mobile electronic device to a third side of the mobile electronic device that opposes the first side of the mobile electronic device,

(iii) from the third side of the mobile electronic device to a fourth side of the mobile electronic device that opposes the second side of the mobile electronic device, and

(iv) from the fourth side of the mobile electronic device to the first side of the mobile electronic device, such that the first side of the mobile electronic device includes the first display with the second display being located on the first side of the mobile electronic device adjacent to the first display at both a first edge of the first display and a second edge of the first display, with the first edge of the first display opposing the second edge of the first display,

wherein the content displayed on the second display includes a selectable user interface element that is associated with a particular application;

receiving, on the second display, a user input that selects the user selectable interface element that is displayed on the second display and that is related to the particular application; and

in response to receiving the user input on the second display that selects the user selectable interface element, modifying a presentation by the first display to present content that is related to the particular application and that is presented as a result of having received the user input on the second display.