Patent ID: 7868905
Filing Date: 2011-01-11
Classification: G06F,G09G,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method for illuminating a housing of a general purpose computer system, said method comprising: providing a housing for enclosing a device of the general purpose computer system, the housing being separated into a plurality of independent illuminable zones, the housing also enclosing a plurality of light elements each of which is positioned proximate to an associated illuminable zone and arranged to transmit light through the housing and illuminate substantially only the associated illuminable zone; monitoring events associated with the computer system, wherein at least one of said monitored events includes providing a display on a display screen of the computer system, wherein the display may include a moving image, said display screen being proximate to the housing; sampling a plurality of regions of the display on the display screen to acquire color indicators for the plurality of regions; associating particular events with corresponding particular illuminable zones; determining driving signals for the light elements in accordance with the monitored events, wherein one or more of the driving signals is determined based on the color indicators of one or more sampled regions of the display on the display screen; and controlling the light elements using the driving signals such that each light element illuminates an associated particular illuminable zone of the housing proximate to a sampled region in order to significantly affect the ornamental appearance of the illuminable zone of the housing such that the feel of the display on the display screen is extended to the illuminable zone of the housing proximate to the screen display by illuminating an associated particular illuminable zone such that it exudes a light effect similar to the moving image of the display as the image moves into the associated sampled region proximate to the associated illuminable zone.