Electronic device with flexible display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10013020-B2
Application number	US-201415109908-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2014
Priority date	Jan 29, 2014
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

An electronic device is provided in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. The electronic device includes a cover and a flexible display. The cover includes a first section, a second section connected to the first section by a first connection mechanism, and a third section connected to the second section by a second connection mechanism. The flexible display is attached to at least a portion of the first section and a portion of the third section. The flexible display is positioned in a first orientation when the first and the third sections are in a plane and in a second orientation when the sections are in different planes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a cover including
a first section,
a second section connected to the first section by a first connection mechanism, and
a third section connected to the second section by a second connection mechanism;
a flexible display attached to a portion of the first section and a portion of the third section, the flexible display positioned in a first orientation when the first and the third sections are in a plane and in a second orientation when the first and the third sections are in different planes, wherein the first connection mechanism and the second connection mechanism are synchronized to rotate along two parallel axes to transition the flexible display between the first orientation and the second orientation, and wherein in the first orientation the flexible display is substantially flat, and wherein in the second orientation a first portion of a top surface of the flexible display is in contact with a second portion of the top surface of the flexible display; and
a battery embedded in one of the sections of the cover, a communication port embedded in the second section between the first connection mechanism and the second connection mechanism, a printed circuit board extending through the first, second, and third sections of the cover, and a camera positioned in the second section between the first connection mechanism and the second connection mechanism.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second connection mechanisms are further synchronized to position the first and the third sections at matching acute angles in relation to the second section, and to transition the flexible display to a plurality of different third orientations where the first portion of the top surface of the flexible display is not in contact with the second portion of the top surface.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein in the second orientation the flexible display is transitioned into two approximately equal halves, and wherein a diagonal length of each of the halves is substantially half of a diagonal length of the flexible display when the display is in the first orientation.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the flexible display is seamless, and wherein the flexible display curves along an axis to transition into the two halves when the flexible display is in the second orientation or the flexible display is in one of the plurality of third orientations.

5. A portable computing device comprising:
a seamless flexible display;
a first section supporting a first portion of the flexible display;
a second section connected to the first section by a first connection mechanism;
a third section supporting a second portion of the flexible display, the third section connected to the second section by a second connection mechanism,
wherein the first and second connection mechanisms are synchronized to rotate along two parallel axes to adjust positions of the first section and the second section and to convert the seamless flexible display between different orientations to transition the flexible display between a closed position where a first part of the flexible display is folded over a second part of the flexible display such that a first portion of a top surface of the flexible display is in contact with a second portion of the top surface of the flexible display, an open position where the flexible display is flat, and an angled position where the first part of the flexible display is angled with respect to the second part of the flexible display;
a communication port embedded in the second section between the first connection mechanism and the second connection mechanism; and
a flexible circuit board extending through the first section, the second section, and the third section.

6. The portable computing device of claim 5 , wherein when the flexible display is in the open position the first and the third sections are in a plane, and when the flexible display is in the closed position the first and the third sections are in different planes.

7. The portable computing device claim 6 , wherein the flexible display is curved along an axis parallel to the two parallel axes of rotation of the first and second connection mechanisms when the flexible display is in the angled position.

8. The portable computing device of claim 7 , wherein the first, second, and third sections include removable outer surfaces that are replaceable.

9. The portable computing device of claim 5 , wherein the flexible printed circuit board is curved when the first and third sections are in different planes.

10. An electronic device cover comprising:
a first section;
a second section connected to the first section by a first connection mechanism;
a third section connected to the second section by a second connection mechanism,
wherein the first and second connection mechanisms are synchronized to rotate along two parallel axes to adjust positions of the first section and the third section from a first position where the first section is folded over the third section, to a second position where the first section is flat relative to the third section;
a flexible display attached to a portion of the first section and a portion of the third section, the flexible display positioned in a first orientation when the first and the third sections are in the second position and in a second orientation when the first and the third sections are in the first position, wherein the first connection mechanism and the second connection mechanism are to transition the flexible display between the first orientation and the second orientation, and wherein in the first orientation the flexible display is substantially flat, and wherein in the second orientation a first portion of a top surface of the flexible display is in contact with a second portion of the top surface of the flexible display;
a communication port embedded in the second section between the first connection mechanism and the second connection mechanism; and
a printed circuit board extending through the first, second, and third sections.

11. The electronic device cover of claim 10 , further comprising an attachment mechanism to attach a flexible display to a portion of the first section and a portion of the third section, the flexible display being flat when the first and the third sections are in a plane and curved when the first and the third sections are in different planes.

12. The electronic device cover of claim 10 , further comprising a battery embedded in one of the first, second, and third sections of the electronic device cover.

13. The electronic device cover of claim 10 , wherein the first, second, and third sections include removable outer surfaces that are replaceable.

14. The electronic device cover of claim 10 , wherein the printed circuit board is a flexible printed circuit board.

15. The electronic device cover of claim 14 , wherein the flexible printed circuit board is curved when the first second and third section are in the first orientation.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Hong Insun
• Mehandjiysky Dimitre
• Senatori Mark David

Classifications

• G06F1/1681

  Details related solely to hinges (hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683) · CPC title

• G06F1/1652

  the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable · CPC title

• G06F1/1686

  the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera · CPC title

• G06F1/1616 Primary

  with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position · CPC title