Patent Publication Number: US-2012032981-A1

Title: Electronic Book With Configurable Display Panels

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to electronic books. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Electronic books (eBooks) are electronic reading devices wherein a person can read electronic book files, electronic journals, electronic magazines, electronic newspapers, and other forms of electronic text and images files, including viewing video, including the ability to listen to audio and music files which are stored on a storage medium in a housing. Multiple electronic books and files are stored on the storage medium. All forms of media within the storage medium within the device can be presented on the display of the housing. The purpose of an electronic book is to allow a user to transport a very large number of books, journals, magazines, newspapers, text, images, video, music, etc., in a very small and lightweight form factor. The ability to add display panels at will, allows users the advantage to view multiple displays and media, such as viewing multiple books at once or multiple pages at once, or view expanded and enlarged images “stretched” across multiple display panels, simultaneously. Display panels can be configured and arranged side by side in a portrait mode, or rotated by signal input. Images can be rotated or stretched or manipulated by user to display across one or multiple displays in various orientations and configurations. Also, with each display panel can vary in size and shape and thickness. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An electronic book display panel includes a housing and a touch screen display panels which is supported on the housing. The “ebook” can be composed of multiple touch screen display panels hinged together. A digital processor in the housing which controls the image and sound presentation on the display panels and wireless connection, communication and synchronization of display panels. A digital storage medium accessible by the processor, which stores all media files. The processor receives a display mode change signal either automatically through the physical rotation which triggers the accelerometer or through the touch screen gestures or physical touch of the screen, or by voice command, thereby changing viewing mode, whether portrait or landscape or “Alarm Clock” mode. 
     The embodiments of the housing of the display panels can hinged on both the right and left sides, and thus multiple display panel housings can be hinged together and folded and viewed in various configurations and display modes. Hinges allow for full 0° degree rotation through 360° rotation. 
     In another aspect, each electronic book display panel includes the same as described in 0003, and can be hinged together and can be remotely accessed by the processor and communicate together over a network. 
     The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and interpretation, can be best understood in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which: 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an example of an electronic book display panel, showing exterior and interior sides, including the labeling of hinges on both right and left side of the panels; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing two display panels of  FIG. 1  in a closed configuration; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing three display panels of  FIG. 1  in a closed configuration; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing four display panels of  FIG. 1  in a closed configuration; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing five plus panels of  FIG. 1  in a closed configuration; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing a display panel of  FIG. 1  in a single portrait orientation; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing two display panels of  FIG. 1  in a book portrait open orientation and configuration; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing three display panels of  FIG. 1  hinged together in a book portrait open orientation and configuration; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view showing four display panels (or more) of  FIG. 1  hinged together in a book portrait open orientation and configuration; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view showing two display panels of  FIG. 1  in an open position along with folding of panels into a closed position; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view showing three display panels of  FIG. 1  in an open position along with folding of panels into a closed position; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view showing four display panels of  FIG. 1  in an open position along with folding of panels into a closed position; 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view showing two display panels of  FIG. 1  in an open landscape “Alarm Clock” orientation and configuration; 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view showing two display panels of  FIG. 1  showing full rotation of a display panel folded from 0° degrees (closed) to a full 360° degrees folded back onto the second panel in an open position and configuration. Display panels can stopped and viewed at any rotational degree the user chooses; 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view showing two display panels of  FIG. 1  in landscape orientation and configuration; 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view showing four display panels of  FIG. 1  in landscape orientation and configuration. Images of two opposing display panels can be viewed arranged degrees to the other two panels. This configuration allows for two or more users. 
         FIG. 17  is a schematic diagram showing two or more display panels of  FIG. 1  in a portrait mode orientation with images viewed side by side in parallel or image is stretched across two or more displays; 
         FIG. 18  is a schematic diagram showing two or more display panels of  FIG. 1  in a landscape mode orientation with images viewed in a “stacked” one over the other in parallel, while the image can be stretched across two or more displays; 
         FIG. 19  is a schematic diagram showing two or more display panels of  FIG. 1  in an “Alarm Clock” mode orientation with one or more image being rotated 180° degrees from the opposing image or images. Images can be stretched across multiple displays or displayed in individual display panels independently from one another; 
         FIGS. 20-22  are schematic diagrams showing various display panel configurations, including various sizes and shapes of display panels; 
         FIG. 23  is a block diagram of an example electronic book and some internal components thereof; 
         FIG. 24  is a flow chart showing some of the logic outlined in  FIG. 23  for manipulation and control over orientation and presentation of media on each display. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , and example of an electronic book display panel  16  is shown that can have, in one embodiment, a foldable configuration and, by hinging together additional display panels  17 - 19 +, can be folded and arranged in various configurations. Specifically, the electronic book  16  may have a rigid lightweight metal or plastic housing  22  which can be hinged on either the right or left side of the panel housing  21  to additional display panels  17 ,  18 . Display panel  16  can hinged to an additional display panel  17 , which panel  16  or  17  can be rotated a full 0° degrees closed ( FIG. 2 ) to a full 360° degree open position ( FIG. 14 ) and can be stopped at any degree location in between. Wherein the touch screen display  11  can be viewed when open ( FIGS. 7-9 ) and not when in a closed position ( FIGS. 2-5 ). Additional display panels  17 - 19 + can be hinged to original display panel  16  and can communicate wirelessly to these other adjoining display panels  17 - 19 + or over a network. 
       FIG. 23  shows some internal components of the electronic book display panel  16 , comprising various ports and connectors  38 , optional solar collectors  30 , solar charge circuitry  31 , one or more DC batteries, one or more processors  33 , electronic storage medium  34 , Accelerometer  35 , video accelerators to display components and connections  11 - 14 +, and other auxiliary components such as speakers, mic, cameras, network cards, GPS, etc.  36 . 
     The battery  32  powers one or more processors  33  within the housing  22 . The processor accesses the electronic storage medium within the storage component  34 . The electronic storage component  34  can be comprised but not limited to either a solid state storage or a disk-type storage. The storage medium can also be accessed remotely over a network. 
     If desired, the housing  22  may contain integrated solar panel collectors  30  which are connected to the solar charging circuitry  31  that has appropriate conversion, amplification, and filtering circuitry which is then connected to one or more rechargeable DC batteries  32 , all components which are contained within the house  22 . 
       FIG. 1  shows components consisting of a lightweight housing  22  of either plastic or metal wherein a display  11  is fastened. The display  11  may be, but not limited to, a back-lit liquid crystal display (LCD), or light emitting diode display (LED), or organic light emitting diode (OLED), or any other appropriate display technology. 
     Electronic files for books, journals, magazines, newspapers, text, image, video, music, as well as software programs, can be stored on the medium within the electronic storage component  34 . The processor  33  controls and communicates with all components  32 - 36  and displays  11 - 15 +, and communicates through signal input by user through a touch screen  23 . 
     The accelerometer  35  within the housing  22  may provide signals to the processor  33  of angular acceleration. The purpose of angular acceleration is to rotate images within display  11  from a starting 0° degrees to either a 90° degree position or a 180° degree position by physical rotation of electronic book display panel by user in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction. 
       FIGS. 2-5  show folding of two or more display panels  16 - 19 + in folded closed positions, while  FIGS. 6-9  show the various combinations of display panels  16 - 19 + folding in open “book” portrait display modes and orientations. 
       FIGS. 10-12  show folding and rotation of multiple display panels  16 - 19  from open positions to closed positions, where each display panel  16 - 19  can either extended and laid out flat for viewing and user interaction, or be folded back on one another for storing and ease in carrying the device. 
       FIG. 13  shows display panels  16 ,  17  in a landscape orientation and open to approximately 270° degrees, with images of displays  11 ,  12  opposing each other in a 180° degree rotation from one another.  FIG. 14  shows display panels  16 ,  17 , while display panel  17  has free and full rotation around the hinge axis  21  from 0° degrees, which is in a closed position with displays  11 ,  12  facing each other, to a full 360° degrees folded back onto the display panel  16  in an open position and configuration. Display panels  16 ,  17  can stopped and viewed at any rotational degree the user chooses. 
       FIG. 15  shows schematic diagram of display panels  16 ,  17  in landscape open mode, while  FIG. 16  shows four display panels  16 ,  17 , hinged together in landscape mode to display panels  18 ,  19 , being set in landscape mode while the images on displays  13 ,  14  are oriented 180° degrees from images on displays  11 ,  12 , or opposing views. This configuration allows for two or more users to operate the electronic book at the same time and interact together, for instance in a game-like fashion or for a teacher-student interaction. 
     In  FIGS. 17-19 , are schematic diagrams showing examples in which display panels  16 ,  17 , plus additional display panels  18 + which can be arranged with their respective hinges  21  connected together, and display images on their respective display screens  11 ,  12 +, depending on input signals by user or accelerometer. For example,  FIG. 17  shows display panels  16  and  17  (plus any additional panels) which present images of respective media on display screens  11 ,  12 . Images on displays  11 ,  12 , can be “stretched” across multiple displays, thus enlarging the overall image. Or, if for example four display panels  16 - 19  are hinged and connected wirelessly, each display  11 - 14  can present one large image “stretched” across (or span across) all the displays  11 - 14 , or each display can present a single page of an electronic book file, thus the user can see four total pages of an electronic book at once, or the user can have two or more electronic book files open at the same time, thus providing the viewer with two or more “open” electronic book files to read and view at the same time. The user, through software and input signal can determine how the images are viewed, manipulated, and orientated. Display panels  16 - 19 + do not have to be hinged to communicate with one another and can communicate and be connected wirelessly. 
       FIGS. 20-22  show various possible configurations of display panels  16 +, and these configurations are not limited to by the number of display panels connected together by hinge or network, or by the orientation or configuration of the display panels themselves. For instance, a user, say a student, can do research on multiple display panels  16 + with each display panel  16  showing a separate page or image from an electronic book file or electronic journal file (or any other files or videos) thus providing the ability to view multiple image and video files all at once. For example, in a classroom setting, a teacher can communicate wirelessly through a network from one or more of his/her electronic book display panels  16 , to one or more of each student&#39;s electronic book display panels  16 . 
     A single image can be “stretched” across multiple displays  11 +, thus enlarging the single image; or multiple electronic files of books, journals, magazines, text, video, etc., can be opened and viewed at the same time on as many individual display panels  16 + and in any combination or orientation that the user determines; and each and every display panel  16 + can communicate together with other display panels over a network. 
       FIG. 24  represents an example of logic  40 - 42  where the user is presented with options to signal the rotation of the image on the display  11  (and each individual display  11 - 15 +) and to orient itself in a portrait orientation  FIG. 17 , or landscape orientation  FIG. 18 , or landscape “Alarm Clock” orientation  FIG. 19 . Signaling occurs through physical finger touch gestures directly onto the touch screen display  11 , or by virtual electronic icons on the display  11  interface, or by physical rotation of the display panel(s) by the user which triggers the accelerometer  35  to rotate the image on the display  11 . Each successive signal can change the image orientation. 
     It is to be understood that clockwise rotation may be used in lieu of counterclockwise rotation to reconfigure the display panels from  FIG. 17  to either  FIG. 18  or  FIG. 19 ; or from  FIG. 18  to either  FIG. 17  or  FIG. 19 ; or  FIG. 19  to either  FIG. 18  or  FIG. 17 . 
     While the particular ELECTRONIC BOOK WITH CONFIGURABLE DISPLAY PANELS is herein shown and described in detail, and it is understood that the subject matter which is encompassed by the present invention is limited only by the claims.