Communications device with extendable screen

• US 9,927,839 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2012
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Kummer, David A., Minnick, Danny J.
• Primary Examiner(s): MISHLER, ROBIN J
• Application Number:
  US13/461,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20120280924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,156 Days
• Field of Search: 345173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/04 Changes in size, position or resolution of an image
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0414 Vertical resolution change
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0421 Horizontal resolution change
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0216 Foldable in one direction, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge
• 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 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit

Abstract

Described herein are apparatuses and mechanisms for providing an extendable screen in a portable communications device. A portable communications device may be provided with a multi-part screen, a portion of which may be extended to provide an expanded viewing display surface or may be retracted to provide a reduced viewing mode and increased portability. In a reduced viewing mode, a graphical display may be provided on a first, visible portion of a multi-part display screen, where one or more other screen portions are retracted and/or obscured from view in order to provide a portable mode for the communications device. In an extended viewing mode, the one or more other screen portions may be extended and/or brought into the same plane as a first portion of the multi-part display in order to provide increased display size and resolution.

Claims

1. A portable communications device, comprising:

a housing;

a graphics processor, that processes data in order to generate a graphical output; and

a display apparatus, which is coupled to the housing, and which comprises a first screen portion and a second screen portion comprised of a single physical display sheet that extends from the first screen portion to the second screen portion, the display apparatus is adjustable to be placed in a first, portable display configuration and a second, expanded display configuration, wherein;

the first screen portion is configured to be placed in a first position in the first, portable display configuration, in which the first screen portion is folded on top of the second screen portion such that a first planar display surface of the first screen portion faces inwardly toward a planar display surface of the second screen portion and a second planar display surface of the first screen portion faces outwardly, the second planar display surface presents the graphical output from the graphics processor when the display apparatus is in the first, portable display configuration, wherein the first planar display surface of the first screen portion and the planar display surface of the second screen portion are inactive when the display apparatus is in the first, portable display configuration;

the first screen portion is further configured to provide the second, expanded display configuration, in which the first screen portion is unfolded from its position in the first, portable display configuration along an axis that comprises an edge of the second screen portion that is coupled to and directly abuts an edge of the first screen portion, wherein in the second expanded display configuration, the first screen portion is collocated next to and coplanar with the second screen portion, such that the first planar display surface faces the same direction as the planar display surface of the second screen portion and forms a single display screen therewith; and

touch interface controls are positioned on the first planar display surface of the first screen portion when the screen is in the second expanded display configuration and the planar display surface of the second screen portion continues to present the graphical output transferred from the second planar display surface in the first, portable display configuration, and the first planar display surface of the first screen portion provides the touch interface controls that permits controlling of the graphical output presented on the planar display surface of the second screen portion, wherein display of the graphical output is disabled on the second planar display surface and transferred to the planar display surface of the second screen portion upon the portable communications device detecting that the first screen portion is unfolded from its position in the first, portable display configuration to its position in the second, expanded display configuration.

2. The portable communications device of claim 1, wherein the first planar display surface and the second planar display surface of the first screen portion are comprised of two different, oppositely-facing display devices that are disposed within the first screen portion.

3. The portable communications device of claim 1, wherein the first planar display surface and the second planar display surface of the first screen portion provide a view of a single display device that is disposed within the first screen portion, wherein the graphics processor is configured to alter the orientation of the single display device based on a detection of whether the communications device is in the first portable display configuration or the second expanded display configuration.

4. The portable communications device of claim 3, wherein the single display device comprises a layer of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) material.

5. The portable communications device of claim 1, wherein the single physical display sheet has multiple layers, wherein the axis between the first and second screen portions comprises a corrugation in the single physical display sheet, along which the single physical display sheet is creased.

6. The portable communications device of claim 5, wherein the single physical display sheet includes a touch screen layer.

7. The portable communications device of claim 1, further comprising a third screen portion, which is configured to be placed in the first, portable display configuration, in which the third screen portion is folded on top of the second screen portion and beneath the first screen portion;

and which is further configured to be placed in the second display configuration, in which the first and third screen portions are unfolded from their positions in the first display configuration along a first and second axis that comprise opposite edges of the second screen portion to which the first and third screen portions are attached, wherein in the second display configuration, the first and third screen portions are collocated next to and coplanar with the second screen portion, such that a planar surface of the third screen portion forms the single display screen with the first planar surface of the first screen portion and the planar surface of the second screen portion, which presents the graphical output from the graphics processor.

8. A method for displaying a graphical output on a communications device, the method comprising

detecting that a communications device has been placed in a first display configuration, wherein a first screen portion of the communications device has been folded upon a second screen portion of the communications device, the first screen portion and the second screen portion are comprised of a single physical display sheet that extends from the first screen portion to the second screen portion;

displaying a first graphical output from a graphics processor of the communications device at a first surface of the first screen portion;

detecting that the communications device has been placed in a second display configuration, wherein the first screen portion has been unfolded with respect to the second screen portion, such that a second surface of the first screen portion, which is opposite the first surface, is in the same plane and facing the same direction as a surface of the second screen portion, the second surface of the first screen portion and the surface of the second screen portion forming a single, combined display screen;

transferring display of the first graphical output from the first surface of the first screen portion to the surface of the second screen portion;

displaying, on the second surface of the first screen portion, touch interface controls for controlling the first graphical output displayed on the surface of the second screen portion, such that the first graphical output and the touch interface controls are displayed on the single, combined display screen; and

disabling display of the first graphical output on the first surface of the first screen portion upon detecting by the portable communications device that the first screen portion is unfolded from its position in the first display configuration to its position in the second display configuration.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first screen portion includes a single display device, which provides a display that is visible at both the first and the second surfaces of the first screen portion, the method further comprising:

displaying the first graphical output from the graphics processor of the communications device to be displayed in a first orientation by the first screen portion when the communications device is in the first display configuration; and

upon detection that the communications device has been placed in the second display configuration, inverting the first orientation of the first screen portion in order to provide a second orientation to display the first portion of the second graphical output in the second display configuration.

10. A display device, comprising:

a graphics processor, that processes data in order to generate a graphical output; and

a display apparatus which comprises a first screen portion and a second screen portion comprised of a single integrated physical display sheet that extends from the first screen portion to the second screen portion as a single contiguous member, the display apparatus is adjustable to be placed in a first, portable display configuration and a second, expanded display configuration, wherein;

the first screen portion is configured to be placed in a first position in the first, portable display configuration, in which the first screen portion of the single integrated physical display sheet is folded on top of the second screen portion of the single integrated physical display sheet such that a first planar display surface of the first screen portion of the single integrated physical display sheet faces inwardly toward a planar display surface of the second screen portion of the single integrated physical display sheet and a second planar display surface of the first screen portion faces outwardly, the second planar display surface presents the graphical output from the graphics processor when the display apparatus is in the first, portable display configuration, wherein the first planar display surface of the first screen portion of the single integrated physical display sheet and the planar display surface of the second screen portion of the single integrated physical display sheet are inactive when the display apparatus is in the first, portable display configuration; and

the first screen portion further configured to provide the second, expanded display configuration, in which the first screen portion is unfolded from its position in the first, portable display configuration along an axis that comprises an edge of the second screen portion that is coupled to and directly abuts an edge of the first screen portion, wherein in the second expanded display configuration, the first screen portion is collocated next to and coplanar with the second screen portion, such that the first planar display surface faces the same direction as the planar display surface of the second screen portion and forms a single display screen therewith; and

touch interface controls positioned on the first planar display surface of the first screen portion when the screen is in the second expanded display configuration and the planar display surface of the second screen portion continues to present the graphical output transferred from the second planar display surface in the first, portable display configuration, and the first planar display surface of the first screen portion provides the touch interface controls that permits controlling of the graphical output presented on the planar display surface of the second screen portion, wherein display of the graphical output is disabled on the second planar display surface and transferred to the planar display surface of the second screen portion upon the display device detecting that the first screen portion is unfolded from its position in the first, portable display configuration to its position in the second, expanded display configuration.

11. The display device of claim 10, wherein the first planar display surface and the second planar display surface of the first screen portion are comprised of two different, oppositely-facing display devices that are disposed within the first screen portion.

12. The display device of claim 10, wherein the first planar display surface and the second planar display surface of the first screen portion provide a view of a single display device that is disposed within the first screen portion, wherein the graphics processor is configured to alter the orientation of the single display device based on a detection of whether the display device is in the first portable display configuration or the second expanded display configuration.

13. The display device of claim 12, wherein the single integrated physical display sheet comprises a layer of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) material.

14. The display device of claim 10, wherein the single integrated physical display sheet has multiple layers, wherein the axis between the first and second screen portions comprises a corrugation in the single integrated physical display sheet, along which the single integrated physical display sheet is creased.

15. The display device of claim 14, wherein the single integrated physical display sheet includes a touch screen layer.

16. The display device of claim 10, further comprising a third screen portion, which is configured to be placed in the first, portable display configuration, in which the third screen portion is folded on top of the second screen portion of the single integrated physical display sheet and beneath the first screen portion of the single integrated physical display sheet;

and which is further configured to be placed in the second display configuration, in which the first and third screen portions are unfolded from their positions in the first display configuration along a first and second axis that comprise opposite edges of the second screen portion to which the first and third screen portions are attached, wherein in the second display configuration, the first and third screen portions are collocated next to and coplanar with the second screen portion, such that a planar surface of the third screen portion forms the single display screen with the first planar surface of the first screen portion of the single integrated physical display sheet and the planar surface of the second screen portion of the single integrated physical display sheet.