Abstract:
An apparatus ( 300 ) is provided for storing, when not in use, an input device ( 314 ) and a wearable display ( 100 ) that displays text provided by an RF communication device ( 200 ). The apparatus ( 300 ) comprises a soft flexible material ( 302 ) including a main portion ( 304 ) having a soft keyboard including keys ( 313 ) as an integral part thereof, the keyboard capable of providing the text to the RF communication device ( 200 ). A plurality of flaps ( 306, 308, 310, 312 ) integrally attached to the main portion ( 304 ) may be positioned around the wearable display ( 100 ) placed on the main portion ( 304 ).

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention generally relates to a wearable display/keyboard computer system, and more particularly to an apparatus for storing the wearable display and keyboard when not in use. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The computing power of cellular phones increases as technology advances, allowing for more advanced applications which may require extensive text entry. Despite the increased computing power, phone displays and keypads will likely remain small in accordance with typical user preferences for cell phone size, thus limiting text entry applications to short messages. 
         [0003]    However, interfacing a cell phone with wearable displays, e.g., a heads up display, and a traditional QWERTY keyboard would allow users to create reports, send lengthy emails, etc. This interfaced system would give the user freedom from having to carry a heavier, more bulky computer. 
         [0004]    However, this combination of electronic devices (cell phone, heads-up display, and QWERTY keyboard) would require the user to carry multiple items, which would be cumbersome. 
         [0005]    There are many known publications or patents that describe hard keyboards that fold or cover electronic devices. For example, WIPO publication 2000010878 discloses a hard, wired keyboard for a PDA device that closes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,480,377 discloses a hard, integratively connected PDA/keyboard that closes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,477 discloses an attachable, wired, hard keyboard that folds over a PDA. U.S. Patent publication number 2003/0099086 discloses a foldable, hard keyboard (not a case). Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,089 discloses a foldable case for consumer electronics products. However, none of these known documents disclose a method and apparatus for storing heads-up eyewear and keyboard when not in use. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an apparatus for storing a wearable display and a keyboard when not in use. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    An apparatus is provided for storing, when not in use, a keyboard and a wearable display that displays text provided by an RF communication device. The apparatus comprises a soft flexible material including a main portion having a soft keyboard as an integral part thereof, the keyboard capable of providing the text to the RF communication device. For storage, a plurality of flaps integrally attached to the main portion may be positioned around the wearable display situated on the main portion. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a wearable display in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is block diagram of the wearable display of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of an RF communication device in accordance with the first embodiment; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a front view of the soft material including a keyboard; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a back view of the soft material of  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the soft material of  FIG. 4  in a partially closed position around the wearable display of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of back side of the soft material of  FIG. 4  in a closed position and protectively covering the wearable display of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    The following detailed description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background of the invention or the following detailed description of the invention. 
         [0017]    A soft foldable keyboard which transforms into a carrying case for a wearable display is used as a text entry device for a mobile device, e.g., a cellular telephone. The keyboard may be used, for example, to type text messages such as email or business reports. The mobile phone would provide the necessary software, e.g., Microsoft Word®, and computing power. The user would view the text wearing a wearable display, e.g., a binocular display, which would provide a large private viewing area for display of the text. The preferred connection between the devices, including the keyboard, mobile communication device, and wearable display, is wireless; however, a wired connection is also envisioned. The wireless connection could be any known wireless protocol such as Bluetooth. When not in use, the keypad can be folded into a case for storage of the wearable display. 
         [0018]    Wireless keyboards and wearable displays can solve the issues of inconvenient text entry and small displays associated with cell phones; however, they create an additional problem in that the user would need to carry multiple items, e.g., a phone, keyboard, and wearable display. The method and apparatus of the exemplary embodiment described herein solves this problem by conveniently storing both accessories (keyboard and eyewear display) in a case, or container, which is an integral part of the keyboard. This solution limits the number of items which need to be carried along with the phone by providing a compact accessory storage method and apparatus while also providing maximum text entry functionality. 
         [0019]    A heads-up display may include a binocular display such as glasses wherein a virtual image is presented to each eye. The image, usually created by a microdisplay, for example an LCD screen, may be presented to the eye by means of refractive or reflective optics, for example, through a lens system. Ideally the virtual images presented to each eye are perfectly aligned and the user perceives a single image similar to their perception of real images. 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a representative view of a wearable display  100  in the form of glasses. It should be understood the present invention should not be limited by the type of wearable display  100  described herein, and may include, for example, a heads-up display and binocular eyewear.  FIG. 2  is a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of one possible wearable display of  FIG. 1 , a binocular display including a housing  102  comprising an image receiving device  104 , optics system  106 , and display modification system  108 . The image receiving device  104  may, for example, comprise an input (not shown) for wired or wireless coupling or an electronic device for receiving and reading text from a cell phone. The optics system  106  includes a first microdisplay  112  and a first lens  114  for displaying the image to one eye and a second microdisplay  116  and a second lens  118  for displaying the image to the other eye. The optical system  106  may also include backlights  122  and  124  for lighting the microdisplays  112  and  116 . It should be understood that there are many types of optical systems that may include, for example, mirrors and/or waveguides. The display modification system  108  includes a microcomputer  126  and memory  128  coupled to the image receiving device  104 , and a display driver  130  coupled between the microcomputer  126  and the microdisplays  112  and  116 . The microcomputer  126  and/or the memory  128  may be integrated into the binocular display device  100  or may reside in the cell phone and be coupled electronically to the heads-up display  100 . 
         [0021]    When an image, which typically would comprise a page of text, is received by the image receiving device  104 , it is transmitted to the microcomputer  126  via first connector  132 . The image is then transmitted to the display driver  130  via second connector  134 , and to first and second microdrivers  112  and  116  via third connector  136  and fourth connector  138 , respectively, for viewing. 
         [0022]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a cell phone in accordance with the exemplary embodiment, though any type of mobile communication device is envisioned as an embodiment. The cellular telephone  200  comprises a transceiver  202 , a processor  204 , an analog to digital converter (A/D)  206 , a input decoder  208 , a memory  212 , a display driver  214 , a digital to analog converter (D/A)  218  coupled together through a digital signal bus  220 . The transceiver module  202  is coupled to an antenna  201 . Carrier signals that are modulated by data, e.g., digitally encoded voice audio, pass between the antenna  201 , and the transceiver  202 . 
         [0023]    A microphone  222  is coupled to the A/D  206 . Audio, including spoken words, is input through the microphone  222  and converted to a stream of digital samples by the A/D  206 . The input device  209  is coupled to the input decoder  208 . The input decoder  208  serves to identify depressed keys, for example, and provide information identifying each depressed key to the processor  204 . The display driver  214  is coupled to a display  226 . 
         [0024]    The D/A  218  is coupled through an audio amplifier  232  to a speaker  234  and, optionally, a vibratory motor  235 . The D/A  218  converts decoded digital audio to analog signals and drives the speaker  234  and vibratory motor  235 . The audio amplifier  232  may comprise a plurality of amplifiers with each driving a separate speaker/vibratory motor combination. 
         [0025]      FIGS. 4 and 5  are a front and back view of an input device  300  including a soft material  302  containing a keyboard  314  in accordance with the exemplary embodiment. The input device  300 , comprises the soft material  302  including a main portion  304 , side flaps  306 ,  308 , a main flap  310  and a bottom flap  312 . The keyboard  314  includes “keys”  313 , preferably a QWERTY keyboard, located on the front side of the main portion  304 , keys  316  located on the front side of the side flap  306 , keys  318  located on the front side of the side flap  308 , and keys  320  located on the front side of the bottom flap  312 . The keys  313 ,  316 ,  318 ,  320  are actually pressure points. 
         [0026]    The technology for the keys and the soft material may comprise, for example, the material technology developed by Peratech LTD, of Great Britain, known as Quantum Tunneling Composites (QTC). QTC&#39;s rely on quantum tunneling of metallic particles in metal-filled polymers, and as pressure is applied to the QTC, the metallic particles get close enough to each other that quantum tunneling occurs, causing a transformation from insulator to conductor in which the resistance drops exponentially. This technology is described in World Intellectual Property Organization publications WO9833193, WO9938173, and WO0079546 assigned to Peratech, LTD. 
         [0027]    Referring again to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the side flaps  306 ,  308  and the main flap  310  each have a tab  322 ,  324 , and  326 , respectively. The back side  328  of the main portion  304  contains material  332 ,  334 ,  336  for attachably receiving the tabs  322 ,  324 , and  326 , respectively. The respective tabs provide an attraction that can be broken by pressure applied by the user. Velcro® is an example of the material that may be used for the tabs. 
         [0028]    When the keyboard  300  is being used, the flaps  306 ,  308 ,  310 ,  312  are extended as shown in  FIG. 4 . When not in use, the heads-up display  100  may be placed on the keyboard  314  of the main portion  304 . The bottom flap  312  and side flaps  306 ,  308  are folded up as shown in  FIG. 6 . The tab  322  is mated with the material  332  and tab  324  is mated with material  334 . The main flap  310  is then pulled down ( FIG. 7 ) over the heads-up display  100  and tab  326  is mated with material  336  to enclose the heads-up display  100  within the soft material  302 . 
         [0029]    In summary, a soft, foldable keyboard and a wearable heads-up display electronically integrated with a mobile communication device overcome problems of inconvenient text entry and small displays associated with cell phones. When not in use, the keyboard may be folded to provide a soft case for the heads-up display. The cell phone optionally may be stored in a pouch in the soft keyboard. This method of storage prevents the user from having to carry multiple devices. 
         [0030]    While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description of the invention, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the invention, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.