Multiple display device with rotating display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11249516-B2
Application number	US-201715634952-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2017
Priority date	Jun 27, 2017
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

An apparatus can include a processor; memory accessible by the processor; a first housing that includes a first display operatively coupled to the processor; a second display operatively coupled to the processor and operatively coupled to a mechanism that rotates the second display with respect to the first display; a second housing that includes a keyboard; and a hinge assembly that operatively couples the first housing to the second housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a processor;
memory accessible by the processor;
a first housing that comprises a through opening and a first display operatively coupled to the processor;
a display unit that comprises a second display operatively coupled to the processor wherein the display unit is operatively coupled to a mechanism that rotates the display unit with respect to the through opening of the first housing;
a second housing that comprises a keyboard;
a hinge assembly that operatively couples the first housing to the second housing;
a co-planar orientation of the display unit and the first housing, wherein the first display faces the keyboard and is not viewable and wherein the second display faces away from the keyboard and is viewable; and
a non-co-planar orientation of the display unit and the first housing wherein the display unit is rotated in the through opening.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a display area of the first display is greater than a display area of the second display.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mechanism rotates the second display about an axis.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the mechanism rotates the second display about the axis to a maximum angle with respect to the first display that is greater than approximately 90 degrees with respect to the second housing.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the mechanism comprises axles that define the axis.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mechanism comprises a biasing element that applies a biasing force to the second display that rotates the second display.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the biasing element comprises a torsion spring.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising an open orientation wherein the first display forms a first angle with respect to the keyboard and wherein the second display forms a second, different angle with respect to the keyboard.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the second, different angle is greater than the first angle.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the display unit comprises an edge that forms a contact with the second housing.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the contact determines an angle of the second display with respect to the second housing.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mechanism comprises a biasing element that applies force to the display unit and wherein the display unit applies at least a portion of the force to the second housing.

13. A method comprising:
for an apparatus that comprises a first housing that comprises a through opening and a first display, a display unit that comprises a second display wherein the display unit is operatively coupled to a mechanism that rotates the display unit with respect to the through opening of the first housing, a second housing that comprises a keyboard, and a hinge assembly that operatively couples the first housing to the second housing,
transitioning the first housing and the second housing from a closed orientation wherein the first display faces the keyboard to an open orientation that forms an angle between the first housing and the second housing and, responsive to the transitioning, rotating the display unit from an unrotated orientation in the through opening associated with the closed orientation of the first housing and the second housing to a rotated orientation in the through opening associated with the open orientation that forms the angle between the first housing and the second housing.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mechanism that rotates the display unit with respect to the through opening of the first housing rotates the display unit automatically in response to rotation via the hinge assembly of the first housing with respect to the second housing.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the through opening is adjacent to the hinge assembly.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the through opening comprises an area that is less than an area of the first display.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first housing comprises an area defined at least in part by an area of the through opening and an area of the first display.

Assignees

• Lenovo Singapore Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Perelli Thomas

Classifications

• G06F1/1618

  the display being foldable up to the back of the other housing with a single degree of freedom, e.g. by 360° rotation over the axis defined by the rear edge of the base enclosure · CPC title

• G06F1/1616

  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

• G06F1/1649 Primary

  the additional display being independently orientable, e.g. for presenting information to a second user · CPC title

• G06F1/1681

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

• G06F1/165

  the additional display being small, e.g. for presenting status information · CPC title