Physical keyboards for multi-display computing devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11455016-B2
Application number	US-202117173485-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2021
Priority date	Dec 11, 2018
Publication date	Sep 27, 2022
Grant date	Sep 27, 2022

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, articles of manufacture, and methods are disclosed for physical keyboards with multi-display computing devices. An example keyboard includes a plurality of keys and a translucent backplate having a first side and a second side. The example keyboard also includes a coating between the first side of the backplate and the plurality of keys, the coating to pass light to illuminate the plurality of keys, and the coating to obscure the plurality keys when viewed from the second side of the backplate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a first housing;
a first display carried by the first housing;
a second housing;
a second display carried on a first side of the second housing;
a hinge to rotatably couple the first housing and the second housing;
a physical keyboard removably positionable on the second display, the physical keyboard removably attachable to a second side of the second housing;
at least one magnet to releasably couple the physical keyboard to the first side of the second housing when the physical keyboard is on the second display and to releasably couple the physical keyboard to the second side of the second housing;
instructions; and
processor circuitry to execute the instructions to:
present a first user interface on the second display when the physical keyboard is not positioned on the second display, and
present a second user interface on a first portion of the second display when the physical keyboard is positioned on a second portion of the second display, the second user interface including a plurality of emotion icons.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the physical keyboard includes a plurality of keys, the keys to face the second side of the second housing when the keyboard is coupled to the second side of the second housing.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one magnet is to releasably couple a bottom side of the physical keyboard to the electronic device.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one magnet is to releasably couple a top side of the physical keyboard to the electronic device.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , further including a sensor to detect a position of the physical keyboard.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the processor circuitry is to determine an operation mode of the electronic device based on the position of the physical keyboard.

7. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the processor circuitry is to determine an operation mode of the physical keyboard device based on the position of the physical keyboard.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the hinge defines an axis of rotation between the first housing and the second housing, the axis having a center, the hinge including a first link on a first side of the center and a second link on a second side of the center.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the first link is spaced from the center a first distance, and the second link is spaced from the center a second distance, the second distance corresponding in magnitude to the first distance.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the second user interface is determined based on a distance between the physical keyboard and the hinge.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the physical keyboard includes a plurality of keys, wherein the at least one magnet includes a plurality of magnets to releasably couple a top side of the physical keyboard to the second side of the second housing where the plurality of keys are covered by the electronic device, the plurality of magnets to releasably couple a bottom side of the physical keyboard to the first side of the second housing to expose the plurality of keys to a user.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein a mode of the physical keyboard is set by the electronic device.

13. An electronic device comprising:
a first housing;
a first display carried by the first housing;
a second housing;
a second display visible on a first side of the second housing;
a hinge to rotatably couple the first housing and the second housing;
one or more magnets to releasably couple a physical keyboard to the first side of the second housing when the physical keyboard is on the second display and to releasable couple the physical keyboard to the second side of the second housing;
instructions; and
processor circuitry to execute instructions to:
present a first user interface on the second display when the physical keyboard is not positioned on the second display, and
present a second user interface on a first portion of the second display when the physical keyboard is positioned on a second portion of the second display, the second user interface including a plurality of emotion icons.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the one or more magnets are to couple the electronic device to a top side of the physical keyboard.

15. The electronic device of claim 13 , further including a sensor to detect a position of the physical keyboard.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the processor circuitry is to determine a mode of the electronic device based on the position of the physical keyboard.

17. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the processor circuitry is to determine a mode of the physical keyboard device based on the position of the physical keyboard.

18. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the hinge defines an axis of rotation between the first housing and the second housing, the axis having a center, the hinge including a first link on a first side of the center and a second link on a second side of the center.

19. The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein the first link is spaced from the center a first distance, and the second link is spaced from the center a second distance, the second distance equal in magnitude to the first distance.

20. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the second user interface is determined based on a distance between the physical keyboard and the hinge.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Ku Jeff
• Liu Tim
• Lai Yihua
• Lin Lance
• Sung Gavin

Classifications

• G06F3/0213 Primary

  Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick (for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033) · CPC title

• G06F3/03547

  Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface · CPC title

• G06F1/1677

  for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment · 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

• G06F1/1662 Primary

  Details related to the integrated keyboard · CPC title