WO2014110567A2

WO2014110567A2 - Dual-Sided Display for Mobile Devices

Info

Publication number: WO2014110567A2
Application number: PCT/US2014/011469
Authority: WO
Inventors: C. Lin ANDY
Original assignee: Andy C Lin
Priority date: 2013-01-14
Filing date: 2014-01-14
Publication date: 2014-07-17
Also published as: WO2014110567A3

Abstract

A method and device for providing a dual-sided display device that is viewable on two opposing sides of the display and on one side of the dual-sided display assembly there is a layer that is switchable between a transparent state and an opaque state. Preferably both sides would also have touch sensitive layers to receive touch based input. The side possessing the switchable layer would be capable of being equipped with a keyboard that can close on it with the keys of the keyboard facing the display. The other side instead would be capable of being equipped with a cover that would cover the other side of the display.

Description

Dual-Sided Display for Mobile Devices

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Relates to provisional patent application 61/751,956 filed on January 14, 2013.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR

DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention.

The present invention is in the technical field of electronic devices. More particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of display for mobile devices. 2. Description of the Related Art.

There are many different types of convertible tablets, as in a laptop that can be converted into a tablet and vice-versa, but the most ideal way is a laptop where when you close the lid the closed laptop becomes a tablet, with the back of the laptop screen becoming the display of the tablet. This can be seen in the Asus Taichi, but the Asus Taichi requires the use of two separate liquid crystal displays which leads to increase component costs and product thickness. The present invention will address the shortcomings of the prior art by allowing a convertible tablet have a dual-sided display with minimal components.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a display with a dual-sided display assembly where the display is viewable on two opposing sides of the display and on one side of the dual-sided display assembly there is a layer that is switchable between a transparent state and an opaque state. Preferably both sides would also have touch sensitive layers to receive touch based input. The side possessing the switchable layer would be capable of being equipped with a keyboard that can close on it with the keys of the keyboard facing the dual-sided display. The other side instead would be capable of being equipped with a cover that would cover the other side of the dual-sided display assembly.

With the cover and keyboard whether built into the device or provided as accessories, the resulting device would be able to function as a laptop even if there is only one switchable layer and even if it is between the dual-sided display assembly and the keyboard because the cover would be opaque and when closed would allow the dual-sided display to have better viewability from the keyboard side.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 shows a laptop with a dual-sided display and a built-in hinge that would allow a cover to be attached to it;

Fig. 2 shows how an electrophoretic display layer on the cover behind the dual-sided layer could be used to enhance the viewability from the keyboard side or "laptop side";

Fig. 3 shows the hinge/cover attaching mechanism in detail; Fig. 4 shows a laptop opened with the cover accessory attached in laptop mode;

Fig. 5 shows a laptop closed with the cover accessory folded back propping the device up in tablet mode, the rigid hinge and cover against the groove on the back of the keyboard base allows the device to stand up;

Fig. 6 shows the laptop opened at an acute angle with the cover folded back putting the laptop in tablet "tent mode" when standing up and tablet "stand mode" when laid down; and

Fig. 7 shows the laptop in "share mode" with the keyboard opened and the cover folded back.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention has many embodiments such as a laptop computer capable of having a cover attached to it whether it would be with the use of magnets, Velcro, a built-in hinge with one side capable of attaching a cover, or any other means. In another embodiment the invention is a tablet like device that is capable of having a cover attached to it as previously described but is also capable of having a keyboard attached to it whether it would be a keyboard dock that transforms the device into a laptop or any other type of keyboard accessory.

Importantly, the invention has a dual-sided display assembly that allows it to be viewable on both sides; in the case of the laptop the screen would be viewable from the front facing the keyboard as well as from the back. For simplicity the side facing the keyboard will be referred to as the "laptop side" and the side facing away from the keyboard would be referred to as the "tablet side" as depicted in Fig. 1. Ideally the dual-sided display assembly would utilize a transparent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display and the invention would have at least one layer being switchable between an opaque and transparent state, with said opaque state possibly being reflective, on one side of the dual-sided layer. A switchable layer could be provided to both sides, and multiple layers could be provided to either side as well, but for the most basic embodiment of the invention only one switchable layer would be used and would be placed on the "laptop side". The switchable layer could use, but is not limited to,

electrochromatic or electrophoretic display technologies.

To illustrate the invention we will focus on embodiments where the keyboard is built into the device itself, such as a laptop computer. Fig. 1 shows a laptop with a built-in hinge mechanism that would allow a cover accessory to be attached to it, and the laptop itself has a dual-sided display. It is possible to allow a cover accessory to attach with other means with the absence of the built-in hinge, one such method is to use magnets for the cover accessory to attach, however this method has proven to be unreliable in many consumer products as the cover would detach when unintended due to the magnetic force not being strong enough to overcome frictional forces which resulted in users dropping the device.

Ideally the hinge would have a seam to allow it to fold and clear the thickness of the keyboard base when being folded back; it is also ideal for the hinge to be sized to end prior to reaching the display border when closed yet be substantially wide enough to prop up the device like a stand. It is also ideal for the cover to have no folds or seams to provide a substantially uniform reflective surface on the side facing the display. The side of the cover that would face the "tablet side" when closed should be opaque in nature and possibly reflective to enhance the viewing experience when using the device as a laptop. This would be done passively and would be an economical solution. However it is also possible to have this side of the cover be equipped with an electrophoretic layer that would be dynamic in enhancing the viewing experience when the device is used as a laptop. The electrophoretic layer could use a white colored solvent with black colored charged pigments, or a black colored solvent with white colored charged pigments, but the invention is not limited to such, a colored electrophoretic layer could also be employed or any other display technologies capable of similar results such as, but not limited to, a switchable layer using electrochromatic display technology overlaid on top of a substantially black layer or a substantially reflective layer.

To dynamically enhance the viewing experience when the device is used as a laptop, the electrophoretic layer on the cover would display black when pixels on the dual-sided layer are to be black or dark, and white when pixels on the dual-sided layer are to be colored or bright, in this way the transparent OLED viewing experience is enhanced for the user when using the device in laptop mode as illustrated in Fig. 2. When white content is to be displayed this dynamic enhancement could even conserve power by displaying white on the electrophoretic layer that is on the cover while the OLED is made transparent for those regions. It is also possible to provide a cover that has only a switchable layer with a touch sensitive layer in order for the device to function as a tablet even when the cover is closed, but that will not be the focus of this disclosure. For aesthetic reasons the cover could also have a colored electrophoretic layer on its exposed side, the side not facing the display. This would allow the device to customize the color of the cover or even display different images or logos that do not require power to maintain its state. To support a cover with an electrophoretic layer or any other display technology, the attachment mechanism would provide a power connection to power the cover accessory as well as a data communication connection to control it; ideally the connections would be away from sight. Of course the two connections could also be combined. An example of an attaching mechanism and where the connections would be located is illustrated in Fig. 3.

The invention would also ideally have sensors to distinguish if the cover is closed or opened and if the display is closed against the keyboard or not and perhaps even to discern the angle at which it is opened. Sensors could be, but not limited to, ambient light level sensors, hall-effect sensors, and rotary position sensors. The sensors could be located on the primary device, the cover, and even on a detachable keyboard, wherever the sensors are located there will be a means for communication with the central processing unit whether through a physical link or through wireless communication methods. If the device is a laptop, the central processing unit would ideally be located in the keyboard base. If the device is a tablet with an attachable keyboard, the central processing unit would of course be on the tablet but could also be on the keyboard as well if it has its own central processing unit capable of off-loading tasks for the tablet or taking over completely.

If the device senses the cover is closed but the lid is open it would be capable of determining that it is in laptop mode as depicted in Fig. 4. When in laptop mode the switchable layer between the dual-sided layer and the keyboard would be switched to a transparent state so that there would be better viewability on the "laptop side".

If the device senses that the cover has been lifted open and that the lid is closed it would be capable of determining that it is in tablet mode as depicted in Fig. 5. When in tablet mode the switchable layer between the dual-sided layer and the keyboard would be switched to an opaque state so as to provide better viewability to the user on the "tablet side". Fig. 5 shows the tablet propped up where the cover is at an angle with the hinge and pressed up against a groove or edge on the back of the keyboard base and could be further secured using magnetic components or other methods. If the device senses that the cover has been lifted open and that the lid is also open and is below a reference angle, in this case an acute angle for example 75 degrees, it can assume it is either in "tent mode" or "stand mode" as depicted in Fig. 6. When in these modes the switchable layer between the dual-sided layer and the keyboard is made opaque just like in tablet mode because these two modes are special modes of the tablet mode. Other settings could be implemented, such as if below 45 degrees it could assume it to be in "tent mode" and if 45 degrees and above that it is to be in "stand mode" and reorient the screen as needed or this could be further verified through the use of accelerometers.

If the device senses that the cover has been lifted open and that the lid is also open and is above and equal to a reference angle, for example 75 degrees, it can assume it is in "share mode" rather than in "stand mode" as depicted in Fig. 7. The reference angle for "stand mode" and "share mode" should be the same so modes for all angles are defined. In "share mode" the switchable layer between the dual-sided layer and the keyboard is made transparent allowing the dual-sided display to be viewable on both sides simultaneously. "Share mode" reduces the viewing quality but allows both sides to be viewed even though one side would be a mirror reflection. "Share mode" would be ideal for watching a movie in a dark setting or watching a sports event, where viewers on the mirrored side could still enjoy on some level the content especially when there is not enough space for everyone to be situated on only one side of the display, since "share mode" would allow viewers to sit at any angle.

The disclosed invention allows a highly capable and versatile tablet convertible device with minimal components to achieve the many features described. The specific embodiments and examples described above have been shown by way of example, and it should be understood that these embodiments and examples may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. It should be further understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

Examples of modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure found in the provisional patent application will now be provided in the following paragraphs: Even though the invention is described to work even with only one switchable layer when a cover is provided it is obvious that the invention would also work with no switchable layers when a cover is provided. When there isn't a switchable layer or anything else in-between the dual-sided display assembly and the keyboard then the keyboard would simply be visible when used in "tablet mode" though of course having a substantially dark keyboard would help with the viewing experience. Of course the attachment does not necessary have to be a keyboard, but could also be a simple backing, power source, a docking station with processing power, a peripheral hub, a housing for an optical drive, a housing for additional storage, or any

combinations so far mentioned. Of course if no cover is present then the same would also hold true for having only one switchable layer on the "tablet side". In short, the invention could have no switchable layers within the dual-sided display assembly, have exactly one switchable layer on either side of the dual-sided display assembly, have one switchable layer on each side of the dual-sided display assembly, or even have a multiple of switchable layers preferably utilizing different technologies on one side or both sides of the dual-sided display assembly.

It is also possible to reposition the cover to be in-between the dual-sided display assembly and the keyboard, such repositioning could be achieved using grooves or sliding mechanisms to slide the cover through and in-between the joining side of the dual-sided display assembly and the keyboard. The grooves or sliding mechanism could even keep the cover firmly against the dual-sided display assembly even when the device is in "stand mode" or "tent mode" rather than being closed. When the cover is repositioned it could enhance the viewing experience in regular and special tablet modes in the same ways that were mentioned for "laptop mode".

A variety of sensors have been discussed, but of course the invention is not so limited. Other sensors that could be employed would include any other types of gravity sensors besides an accelerometer which was already mentioned, magnetic field sensors, a camera for sensing the orientation of the device relative to a user's facial features or for simply sensing rotational changes to a subject in view of the camera, or a combination of such sensors and detection means including those already discussed.

When a user is using the device in "laptop mode", "tent mode", or "stand mode" it would be wise to keep the display in a landscape orientation. One can assume the device should be locked in the landscape orientation if the dual-sided display assembly is detected to not be in a closed position against the keyboard or that an angle is formed between the dual-sided display assembly and the keyboard that is not or not nearly zero degrees.

It is also possible to disallow a reorientation of the display upon detection of a change in gravitation if the orientation of the device relative to a user's facial features have been detected to correspond to either the current portrait or landscape orientation; or if no rotational changes of a subject have been detected. The reason to not allow reorientation especially in "tablet mode" if no rotational changes of a subject have been detected is because it is common for someone to be using their tablet sitting down and then lay down on their side while continuing to look at the screen, so from the perspective of a built-in camera the background rotates but the subject is staying still.

There are numerous modifications, equivalents, and alternatives that would fall within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. It would also be wise to provide a detachable keyboard and mouse to enhance the user experience for "tent mode". The actual keyboard portion of the keyboard base could be undocked and be used as a wireless keyboard and the touchpad could also be undocked to function as a wireless mouse.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a dual-sided display assembly with a transparent display layer viewable on either sides of the assembly is provided with at least one layer capable of providing substantial opacity where when substantial opacity is provided on one side causes only the opposite side to be viewable.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one layer capable of providing substantial opacity is built into the dual-sided display assembly and is a switchable layer capable of switching between a transparent state and an opaque state where said opaque state could either be consistently absorptive or reflective or dynamically be absorptive in certain areas and reflective in other areas, where being dynamic is in response to the pixel values and

corresponding positions on the transparent display layer.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, where the dual-sided display assembly has a panel attached to it and said panel is at least able to function as either one of the following or a combination of the following: a touchpad, a keyboard, a power source, or a substantially dark and consistent backing to provide substantial contrast for the transparent display layer.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, where the panel is either permanently attached to the dual- sided display device or is a removable panel that allows the dual-sided display device be docked onto it.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, where the panel is a base comprising both a keyboard and a touchpad, where the actual keyboard portion of the panel could be undocked from the panel base and be used as a wireless keyboard and the touchpad could also be undocked from the panel to function as a wireless mouse.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, where at least one touch sensitive layer is built into the dual- sided display assembly functional on either side or when a touch sensitive layer is provided on each side of the dual-sided display assembly being functional on both sides of the assembly and said touch sensitive layer can always be on or be deactivated based on the following:

1) the touch sensitive layer between the dual-sided display assembly and the attached panel if present can be deactivated when regular or special "tablet modes" are detected; and

2) the touch sensitive layer on the side opposite that of the attached panel can be deactivated when a "laptop mode" is detected.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, where detection means are provided to detect one of the following or a combination of any of the following conditions:

1) the dual-sided display assembly being closed against the attached panel,

2) the angle between the dual-sided display assembly and the attached panel,

3) acceleration in space including gravity,

4) the orientation of the dual-sided display assembly relative to facial features,

5) the orientation of the dual-sided display assembly relative to facial features upon detection of a change in acceleration, and

6) a rotational change of the subject in view after a change in acceleration has been detected compared to prior to or to the start of the detection in the change of acceleration.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, where when the dual-sided display assembly is detected to be closed against the attached panel a regular or special "tablet mode" is activated and any switchable layers between the transparent display layer and the attached panel are made to be in an opaque state and any switchable layers on the opposite side are made to be in a transparent state; conversely when the dual-sided display assembly is detected to not be in a closed position against the attached panel a "laptop mode" is activated and any switchable layers between the transparent display layer and the attached panel are made to be in a transparent state and any switchable layers on the opposite side are made to be in an opaque state.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, where when the dual-sided display assembly is detected to be at an acute angle with the attached panel below a reference angle a regular or special "tablet mode" is activated and any switchable layers between the transparent display layer and the attached panel are made to be in an opaque state and any switchable layers on the opposite side are made to be in a transparent state; conversely when the dual-sided display assembly is detected to be at an obtuse angle with the attached panel beyond a reference angle a "laptop mode" is activated and any switchable layers between the transparent display layer and the attached panel are made to be in a transparent state and any switchable layers on the opposite side are made to be in an opaque state.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, where the tablet mode is determined to be a regular "tablet mode" if the dual-sided display assembly is detected to be closed against the attached panel or if the angle between the two is detected to be at or nearly at zero degrees; where the tablet mode is determined to be in a "stand mode" if the angle is detected to be substantially greater than zero degrees but below a first reference angle; where the tablet is determined to be in a "stand mode" if the angle is detected to be greater than the first reference angle but less than a second reference angle; and where proper orientation of the screen is provided based on such detections alone or in coordination with the detection of acceleration in space.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, where when the dual-sided display assembly is detected to be at a substantially normal angle or falling in between the values of two reference angles with the attached panel a "share mode" is activated and all switchable layers are made transparent.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, disabling screen reorientation or forcing display orientation to be in a landscape mode if the dual-sided display assembly is detected to not be closed against the attached panel or to be at a substantially greater than zero degree angle with the attached panel.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, suppressing reorientation upon detection of a change in a when one of the following or the combination of the following is observed: 1) the orientation of the dual-sided display assembly relative to the user's facial features corresponds to the current screen orientation and

2) no rotational change of the subject in view either prior to or to the start of the detection in change of acceleration in space.

14. The apparatus of claim 6, where the dual-sided display assembly has a cover attached to it or the means to have a cover be attached to it where the surface of the cover that makes contact with the dual-sided display assembly enhances the display of contents on the other side of the transparent display layer by providing at least one of the following:

1) a surface substantially dark and consistent in texture and color;

2) a substantially and consistently flat surface, lacking in folds and seams, in the area that covers the displayable portion of the dual-sided display assembly;

3) a built-in layer capable of providing a surface that is either consistently absorptive or reflective or dynamically absorptive in certain areas and reflective in other areas, where being dynamic is in response to the pixel values and corresponding positions on the transparent display layer.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, where the cover has an electrophoretic layer on the exposed side to allow customization of the cover design.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, where the cover has electrical connections to power electrical components.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, where detection means are provided to detect one of the following or a combination of any of the following conditions:

1) the presence of the cover covering the side of the dual-sided display assembly opposite that of the attached panel,

2) the presence of the cover covering the side of the dual-sided display assembly facing the attached panel,

3) the dual-sided display assembly being closed against the attached panel, 4) the angle between the dual-sided display assembly and the attached panel,

5) acceleration in space including gravity,

6) the orientation of the dual-sided display assembly relative to facial features,

7) the orientation of the dual-sided display assembly relative to facial features upon detection of a change in acceleration, and

8) a rotational change of the subject in view after a change in acceleration has been detected compared to prior to or to the start of the detection in the change of acceleration.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, where the cover can be positioned and repositioned to be either covering the side opposite of the attached panel or covering the side between the dual- sided display assembly and the attached panel.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, where repositioning the cover to be in-between the dual- sided display assembly and attached panel utilizes grooves or sliding mechanisms to slide the cover between the joined side of the dual-sided display assembly and the attached panel.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, where the grooves or sliding mechanisms allows the cover to be substantially attached to the screen on the side between the dual-sided display assembly and the attached panel even if the mobile device is not closed against the attached panel.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, where when the dual-sided display assembly is detected to be not be covered on the side opposite that of the attached panel or detected to be covered on the side facing the attached panel angle a regular or special "tablet mode" is activated and any switchable layers between the transparent display layer and the attached panel are made to be in an opaque state and any switchable layers on the opposite side are made to be in a transparent state; conversely when the dual-sided display assembly is detected to be covered on the side opposite that of the attached panel a "laptop mode" is activated and any switchable layers between the transparent display layer and the attached panel are made to be in a transparent state and any switchable layers on the opposite side are made to be in an opaque state.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one layer capable of providing substantial opacity is a cover attached, whether being permanent or removable, to the dual-sided display assembly which enhances the display of contents on the other side of the transparent display layer by providing at least one of the following:

1) a surface substantially dark and consistent in texture and color;

23. The apparatus of claim 22, where the cover has an electrophoretic layer on the exposed side to allow customization of the cover design.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, where the cover has electrical connections to power electrical components.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, where the dual-sided display assembly has a panel attached to it and said panel is at least able to function as either one of the following or a combination of the following: a touchpad, a keyboard, a power source, a backing with a groove on the side opposite that of the dual-sided display assembly to help the cover prop the assembly to stand up in tablet mode, or a substantially dark and consistent backing to provide substantial contrast for the transparent display layer.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, where the panel could either be permanently attached to the dual-sided display device or be a removable panel that allows the dual-sided display device be docked onto it.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, where the panel is a base comprising both a keyboard and a touchpad, where the actual keyboard portion of the panel could be undocked from the panel base and be used as a wireless keyboard and the touchpad could also be undocked from the panel to function as a wireless mouse.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, where at least one touch sensitive layer is built into the dual-sided display assembly functional on either side or when a touch sensitive layer is provided on each side of the dual-sided display assembly being functional on both sides of the assembly and said touch sensitive layer can always be on or be deactivated based on the following:

29. The apparatus of claim 28, where detection means are provided to detect one of the following or a combination of any of the following conditions:

3) the dual-sided display assembly being closed against the attached panel,

4) the angle between the dual-sided display assembly and the attached panel,

5) acceleration in space including gravity,

6) the orientation of the dual-sided display assembly relative to facial features, 7) the orientation of the dual-sided display assembly relative to facial features upon detection of a change in acceleration, and

30. The apparatus of claim 25, where the cover can be positioned and repositioned to be either covering the side opposite of the attached panel or covering the side between the dual- sided display assembly and the attached panel.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, where repositioning the cover to be in-between the dual- sided display assembly and attached panel utilizes grooves or sliding mechanisms to slide the cover between the joined side of the dual-sided display assembly and the attached panel.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, where the grooves or sliding mechanisms allows the cover to be substantially attached to the screen on the side between the dual-sided display assembly and the attached panel even if the mobile device is not closed against the attached panel.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, where when the dual-sided display assembly is detected to be closed against the attached panel a regular or special "tablet mode" is activated; conversely when the dual-sided display assembly is detected to not be in a closed position against the attached panel a "laptop mode" is activated.

34. The apparatus of claim 29, where when the dual-sided display assembly is detected to be at an acute angle with the attached panel below a reference angle a regular or special "tablet mode" is activated; conversely when the dual-sided display assembly is detected to be at an obtuse angle with the attached panel beyond a reference angle a "laptop mode" is activated.

35. The apparatus of claim 29, where when the dual-sided display assembly is detected to be not be covered on the side opposite that of the attached panel or detected to be covered on the side facing the attached panel a regular or special "tablet mode" is activated; conversely when the dual-sided display assembly is detected to be covered on the side opposite that of the attached panel a "laptop mode" is activated.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, where the tablet mode is determined to be a regular "tablet mode" if the dual-sided display assembly is detected to be closed against the attached panel or if the angle between the two is detected to be at or nearly at zero degrees; where the tablet mode is determined to be in a "stand mode" if the angle is detected to be substantially greater than zero degrees but below a first reference angle; where the tablet is determined to be in a "stand mode" if the angle is detected to be greater than the first reference angle but less than a second reference angle; and where proper orientation of the screen is provided based on such detections alone or in coordination with the detection of acceleration in space.

37. The apparatus of claim 29, disabling screen reorientation or forcing display orientation to be in a landscape mode if the dual-sided display assembly is detected to not be closed against the attached panel or to be at a substantially greater than zero degree angle with the attached panel.