PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-8325309-B2
Application Number: US-23606608-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Display having a plurality of driver integrated circuits

Abstract:
An electronic device is disclosed. In some embodiments, the electronic device includes a liquid-crystal display (LCD) and a plurality of driver integrated circuits (ICs) coupled to the LCD. The driver ICs may be disposed near non-central locations along a side of the LCD, and in some embodiments, one of the driver ICs may be a master driver IC and the other driver IC or driver ICs may be slave driver ICs.

Claims:
1. A device, comprising:
 a liquid-crystal display (LCD); 
 a first driver integrated circuit (IC) coupled to the LCD and disposed near a side of the LCD and near a non-central portion of the side: 
 a second driver IC coupled to the LCD and disposed at a second non-central location along the side of the LCD; and 
 a user interface device disposed between the first driver IC and the second driver IC. 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 , wherein a distance between the first driver IC and the second driver IC is between about 10 mm and about 14 mm. 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the user interface device comprises at least a button, a speaker, a microphone, a camera, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the first driver IC and the second driver IC are generally symmetrically disposed about a longitudinal central axis of the LCD. 
     
     
       5. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the first driver IC and the second driver IC are mounted directly to the LCD without an intervening flex tape. 
     
     
       6. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the first driver IC is a master driver IC and the second driver IC is a slave driver IC. 
     
     
       7. The device of  claim 1 , when the first driver IC is electrically connected to the second driver IC by a plurality of inter-driver bus traces. 
     
     
       8. The device of  claim 7 , wherein the plurality of inter-driver bus traces are formed on the LCD. 
     
     
       9. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the LCD comprises an amorphous silicon LCD. 
     
     
       10. The device of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a processor coupled to the LCD; 
 memory coupled to the processor; 
 a power source coupled to the processor; and 
 a network device coupled to the processor. 
 
     
     
       11. The device of  claim 1 , comprising a second driver IC and a third driver IC both coupled to the first driver IC through an inter-driver bus. 
     
     
       12. The device of  claim 11 , wherein the first driver IC, the second driver IC, and the third driver IC are disposed near the same side of the LCD. 
     
     
       13. A device, comprising:
 an LCD; 
 a master driver IC mounted to the LCD; 
 a slave driver IC mounted to the LCD, wherein the slave driver IC is in communication with the master driver IC through an inter-driver bus, wherein the master driver IC and slave driver IC are disposed near a side of the LCD and near non-central portions of the side; and 
 a user interface device disposed between the master driver IC and slave driver IC. 
 
     
     
       14. The device of  claim 13 , wherein the user interface device comprises at least a button, a speaker, a microphone, a camera, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
       15. The device of  claim 13 , wherein the master driver IC is coupled to a flex cable and the slave driver IC is in communication with the flex cable via the master driver IC.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to displays and, in some embodiments, to displays having a plurality of integrated circuits. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. 
     Liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) are used in a variety of electronic devices, such as televisions, computer monitors for desktop and laptop computers, and specialized equipment like automated teller machines, medical devices, and industrial equipment. LCD panels are also frequently used in portable electronic devices, such as cell phones, global-positioning-satellite (GPS) units, and hand-held media players. 
     Typically, LCDs include an array of pixels for displaying images. The pixels often each include three or more sub-pixels each for displaying a color, e.g., red, blue, green, and in some instances, white light. To display an image, the appropriate sub-pixels on the display are rendered transmissive to light, allowing color-filtered light to pass through each of the transmissive sub-pixels and form an image. 
     Before image data is rendered by an LCD, the data is often passed through a driver integrated circuit (driver IC). Image data often includes pixel locations and pixel intensities. Driver ICs receive image data from other portions of the electronic device, such as a graphics card or graphics controller. Based on the received data, the driver ICs output control signals that change the transmissive state of the appropriate sub-pixels. Often, the signals that convey the image data to the driver IC are weaker (e.g., lower voltage or lower current) than the control signals. The driver ICs often include circuitry to boost the signal strength of the image data and, in some instances, circuitry to convert digital image data signals to analog control signals. Additionally, driver ICs often route image data to the appropriate rows and columns of sub-pixels. The driver ICs interpret the pixel locations and route the pixel intensities to the appropriate rows and columns. 
     Driver ICs often occupy space around an LCD panel that could be put to other uses. Frequently, driver ICs are disposed near the middle of the edges of LCD panels. This is done to reduce the distance that signals travel from the driver ICs to each side of the LCD panel, but as a result, space that might otherwise be used for other components of the electronic device is occupied by driver ICs. In particular, it is often desirable to position certain sensors, buttons, speakers, or other components near the middle of the edge of LCDs, but disadvantageously driver ICs often consume this area. 
     Shifting the position of driver ICs is complicated by the deterioration of control signals over a distance. A driver IC disposed to one side of an LCD&#39;s edge, e.g., near a corner, may transmit signals to pixels near the other side of the LCD. These signals may travel over a longer distance than those from a centrally disposed LCD. The signals may deteriorate over the longer distance due to resistance, capacitive coupling, and inductive coupling. This effect may be particularly prevalent in amorphous silicon LCDs, which may be less expensive to manufacture, but include may include increased numbers of lines between the driver IC and pixels, and increased space needed for routing, when compared to other types of higher cost LCDs. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Systems, methods, and devices are disclosed, including a device having a liquid-crystal display (LCD) panel that includes a plurality of driver ICs. The driver ICs may be mounted along a side of the LCD panel near non-central portions of the side. In some embodiments, the driver ICs have a master-slave relationship with one of the driver ICs distributing power and data to the other driver IC or driver ICs. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Advantages of the invention may become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an LCD in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates additional details of the LCD of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an LCD in accordance with another embodiment of the present technique; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic representation of an LCD in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique; and 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a system in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS 
     One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers&#39; specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment of an electronic device  10  having an LCD  12  including two driver ICs  14  and  16 . The two driver ICs  14  and  16  may be spaced away from a longitudinal central axis  18  of the LCD  12 . As a result, in some embodiments, an area  20  between the driver ICs  14  and  16  may be occupied by other components of the electronic device  10 , such as a button, a speaker, a microphone, a camera, or other electronic component. Further, because the driver ICs  14  and  16  are positioned closer to the portions of the LCD that they service, the driver ICs may transmit signals to portions of the LCD over relatively short distances relative to a single driver IC. The driver ICs  14  and  16  and the LCD  12  are described in detail below, after describing other aspects of the electronic device  10 . 
     The illustrated electronic device  10  may be a hand-held electronic device, such as a personal media player, a cellular telephone (e.g., a “smart phone”), a GPS unit, a handheld gaming device, a personal digital assistant, or a combination thereof (which is not to suggest that the term “or” is used herein to refer to exclusive alternatives, unless otherwise indicated). Other examples of electronic devices and other systems that may include the LCD  12  are described below with reference to  FIG. 6 . 
     The electronic device  10  may include a body  22 , a power button  24 , and a speaker  26 . The body  22  may be made of metal, plastic, or other appropriate materials. The body  22  may generally shield the interior of the electronic device  10  from electromagnetic noise, moisture, and mechanical contact. The power button  24  may be generally centrally located along the longitudinal central axis  18  along with the speaker  26 . The electronic device  10  may include ports (not shown) for coupling the electronic device  10  to a power supply, a SIM card, a memory card, or other inputs. Additionally, the electronic device  10  may include various interfaces for receiving input from a user, interfaces such as a transparent touch screen (e.g., a mutual capacitance multi-touch sensor) disposed adjacent the LCD  12 , a keypad, an accelerometer, an image sensor, or a microphone. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates additional details of the LCD  12 . The LCD  12  may be any of a variety of types of LCDs, including a twisted nematic (TN) panel, an in-plane switching (IPS) panel, a multi-domain vertical alignment (MVA) panel, a patterned vertical alignment (PVA) panel, or a super patterned vertical alignment (S-PVA) panel, for example. In other embodiments, other types of displays may be used, such as a plasma display, an organic light emitting diode display, an electronic ink display, or other displays having drivers. 
     The LCD  12  may include a polarizer  28 , a color filter  30  and a substrate  32 . The polarizer  28  may be disposed above the color filter  30  and may be configured to selectively transmit light having a particular orientation. The color filter  30  may be made of glass or other appropriate materials, e.g., translucent or transparent plastic. The color filter  30  may include a patterned matrix of color filters arrayed according to the position of sub-pixels on the LCD  12  (examples of which are described below with reference to  FIG. 5 ). For example, the color filter  30  may include a plurality of pixel color filters each having a region that transmits red light and obstructs other frequencies, a region that transmits green light and obstructs other frequencies, and a region that transmits blue light and obstructs other frequencies. 
     The substrate  32  may include a pixel array  34 , first and second groups of fanout traces  36  and  38 , inter-driver bus traces  40 , input traces  42 , and a flex cable  44 . The first group of fanout traces  36  may connect the driver IC  14  to column lines in the left half of the pixel array  34 , and the second group of fanout traces  38  may connect the driver IC  16  to column lines in the right half of the pixel array  34 . The inter-driver bus traces  40  may connect the driver IC  14  to the driver IC  16 , and the input traces  42  may connect the flex cable  44  to the driver IC  14 . 
     Some or all of the fanout traces  36  and  38 , the inter-driver bus traces  40 , and the input traces  42  may be integrally formed on the substrate  32  along with the features of the pixel array  34 . For instance, these features  36 ,  38 ,  40 , and  42  may be formed with semiconductor processing steps, e.g., by thin-film deposition of conductive materials followed by photolithographic patterning and etching. In some embodiments, the illustrated features  36 ,  38 ,  40 , and  42  are formed from a conductive metal film that is deposited on the substrate  32  and selectively etched to form the features  36 ,  38 ,  40 , and  42 , or the features  36 ,  38 ,  40 , and  42  may be formed from doped semiconductive materials, such as doped amorphous silicon or doped low-temperature polysilicon. 
     The features  36 ,  38 ,  40 , and  42  may be formed concurrent with portions of the pixel array  34 . The pixel array  34  may include a plurality of transistors formed from semiconductive materials, such as amorphous silicon or low-temperature polysilicon. Connections between the transistors may be formed from the same conductive film used to form the traces  36 ,  38 ,  40 , and  42 . Examples of the transistors and other features of the pixel array are described below with reference to  FIG. 5 . 
     The driver ICs  14  and  16  may be connected to the traces  36 ,  38 ,  40 , and  42  through a ball grid array, wire bonding, wave soldering or other techniques known in the art. In some embodiments, the driver ICs  14  and  16  may be mounted directly to the LCD  12 , without an intervening flex tape, or they may be coupled to the LCD  12  with a flex tape or other intervening structure. The flex cable  44  may connect the LCD  12  to other portions of the electronic device  10  ( FIG. 1 ) and convey image data and power to the LCD  12 . 
     While the driver ICs  14  and  16  may be generally similar or identical to each other, in some embodiments, they may have different roles. For example, the driver IC  14  may function as a master driver IC, and the driver IC  16  may function as a slave driver IC. The term “master driver IC” refers to a driver IC that distributes data to other driver ICs, and the term “slave driver IC” refers to driver ICs that receive that data. Commands, image data, and power intended for the driver IC  16  may be transmitted from or through the driver IC  14  by way of the inter-driver bus traces  40 . 
     Each of the driver ICs  14  and  16  may drive (e.g., modulate the transmissive state of) a plurality of pixels. In some embodiments, the pixel array  34  may include about 480 columns of pixels and about 720 rows of pixels. The columns may extend generally parallel to the longitudinal central axis  18 , and the rows may extend generally perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis  18 . Each driver IC  14  and  16  may drive about 240 columns of pixels, with each column of pixels having about three columns of sub-pixels. Each of the fanout traces  36  and  38  may drive one column of sub-pixels, or in some embodiments, the fanout traces  36  and  38  may each be connected to three columns of sub-pixels through a 1 to 3 multiplexer. 
     The inter-driver bus traces  40  may convey image data, power, and commands from the master driver IC  14  to the slave driver IC  16 . The inter-driver bus traces  40  may carry analog signals (e.g., voltage or current signals) that are representative of image data. Or, in some embodiments, the inter-driver bus traces  40  may carry digital signals that are converted to analog signals by the driver IC  16 . 
     The  FIG. 3  illustrates additional details of the LCD  12  including certain dimensions. The polarizer  28  may have a thickness  46  of less than about 0.5 mm, e.g., between about 0.08 mm and about 0.25 mm. The color filter  30  may have a thickness  48  of less than about 0.5 mm, e.g., between about 0.1 mm and about 0.3 mm. The substrate  34  may have a thickness  50  of less than about 0.5 mm, e.g., between about 0.1 mm and about 0.3 mm. The driver ICs  14  ( FIG. 3) and 16  ( FIG. 2 ) may have a width  52  of less than about 25 mm, e.g., between about 12 mm and about 14 mm, and a height  54  of less than about 0.5 mm, e.g., between about 0.1 and about 0.4 mm. The driver ICs  14  and  16  may be spaced away from a top edge  56  of the substrate  34  by a distance  58  that is less than about 2 mm, e.g., between about 0.8 and about 1.5 mm, or about 1.2 mm. The driver ICs  14  and  16  may have a width  60  that is less than about 1.5 mm, e.g., between about 0.5 and about 0.1 mm, or about 0.8 mm. The driver ICs  14  and  16  may be spaced away from a top edge  62  of the color filter  30  by a distance  64  of less than about 1 mm, e.g., between about 0.3 and about 0.7 mm, or about 0.5 mm. The pixel matrix  34  may be spaced less than about 3 mm from the edge  62 , e.g., between about 1 and about 3 mm, or between about 1.7 mm and about 2 mm. The flex cable  44  may have a thickness  66  that is less than about 0.3 mm, e.g., about 0.1 mm. The distance between the driver ICs  14  and  16  may be greater than about 5 mm, e.g., between about 10 mm and about 14 mm or between about 11 mm and about 13 mm. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates another embodiment of an LCD  68 . The illustrated LCD  68  may include three driver ICs  70 ,  72 , and  74 . The driver IC  70  may be characterized as the master driver IC, and the driver ICs  72  and  74  may be characterized as slave driver ICs. In this embodiment, a first portion  76  of an inter-driver bus  78  couples to the driver IC  72  and a second portion  80  of the inter-driver bus  78  couples to the other driver IC  74 . In other embodiments, all of the traces in the inter-driver bus  78  may couple to both of the driver ICs  72  and  74 , and data directed toward each of the driver ICs  72  or  74  may be multiplexed or otherwise addressed to each of the driver ICs  72  and  74 . Other embodiments may include additional driver ICs, e.g., more than three, more than four, more than six, or more than eight. The driver ICs  70 ,  72 , and  74  may be closer to the pixels that they control relative to embodiments with fewer driver ICs, and this shorter distance may reduce signal attenuation. Further, any space between the driver ICs  70 ,  72 , and  74  may be advantageously utilized for additional components or features. 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic representation of the LCD  12  illustrating additional details. In addition to the previously described components  14 ,  16 ,  34 ,  40 , and  44 , the LCD  12  may include a backlight  82  and memory  84  and  86  in the driver ICs  14  and  16 . 
     The LCD  12  may include a plurality of devices that are formed on the substrate  32  ( FIG. 2 ), e.g., a glass substrate, including pixel array  34 . The illustrated pixel array  34  may include a plurality of sub-pixels  88 , and a plurality of gate-line transistors  89 , all formed on the substrate  32  ( FIG. 2 ). The illustrated sub-pixels  88  may be generally arranged in rows and columns with each sub-pixel  88  in a row coupled to a source line  90  and each sub-pixel  88  in a column coupled to a gate line  92 . The illustrated sub-pixels  88  are generally arranged in a rectangular lattice, but in other embodiments they may be arranged differently, e.g., in a hexagonal lattice. 
     Each of the illustrated sub-pixels  88  may include an access transistor  94 , a light switch  96 , and a capacitor  98 . The access transistors  94  may be formed on the substrate  32  ( FIG. 2 ) by depositing a semiconductor, such as amorphous silicon or polycrystalline silicon, on the substrate  32  ( FIG. 2 ) and patterning the semiconductive material with lithography, e.g., photolithography. The semiconductive material may be selectively doped to form a source, a drain, and a channel in each of the access transistors  94 , and an insulator, such as silicon dioxide, and a conductive material may be patterned on the substrate  32  ( FIG. 2 ) to form a gate adjacent the channel in each of the access transistors  94 . The light switch  96  may include a liquid crystal disposed between two conductive transparent or translucent electrodes and two generally orthogonally-oriented light-polarizing layers. Biasing the electrodes may orient the liquid crystal such that light may be selectively transmitted through the light-polarizing layer  28  ( FIG. 2 ) according to the electrical state of the electrodes. The color filter  30  ( FIG. 2 ) may include colored translucent regions disposed across each sub-pixel  88  to selectively transmit a particular frequency of light, e.g., red, blue, or green, such that applying a voltage to the sub-pixel  88  renders the sub-pixels  88  generally transparent or translucent to certain frequencies of light. The capacitor  98  may include a plate coupled to one of the electrodes in the sub-pixel  88  and another plate coupled to a common voltage source, e.g. ground, or an adjacent gate line  92 . The capacitor  98  may generally maintain a voltage across the electrodes in the sub-pixel  88  when the sub-pixel  88  is not being addressed. 
     The gates of each of the access transistors  94  may be connected to one of the gate lines  92 , which may be generally integrally formed with the gate of the access transistors  94 , or it may be formed in a different step. The illustrated gate lines  92  couple to a plurality of sub-pixels  88  disposed in a given column. In some embodiments, the gate lines  92  are coupled at one end to a load circuit that tends to render the access transistors  94  conductive and at the other end to a pull-down voltage source  100  that tends to render the access transistors  94  nonconductive. The source and drain of the illustrated gate-line transistors  89  may be coupled in series between the pull-down voltage source  100  and the gate lines  92 , such that the gate-line transistors  89  control whether the access transistors  94  on a given gate line  92  are conductive or nonconductive. A gate of each of the gate-line transistors  89  may be coupled to one of the driver ICs  14  or  16 . 
     The sources of the access transistors  94  on a given row may be connected to a source line  90 , which like the other features on the substrate  16 , may be formed by deposition, lithography, and etching. The source lines  90  may connect to the driver IC  14  through a source-line bus  102 . Image data, such as the degree to which a given light switch  96  in a given sub-pixel  88  should transmit light, may be transmitted from the driver IC  14  to the sub-pixels  88  via the source-line bus  102  and the appropriate source line  90 . The image data may be in the form of a voltage that when formed across the electrodes in one of the light switches  96 , allows the appropriate amount of light through the light switch  96 . 
     The backlight  82  may be configured to supply light to one side of the sub-pixels  88 . In some embodiments, the backlight  82  includes one or more fluorescent lights or one or more light-emitting diodes, e.g. white-light emitting diodes. A light-guide and a reflective layer may distribute light from the backlight  82  generally evenly among the sub-pixels  88 , which may selectively transmit this light. In some embodiments, the sub-pixels  88  are transflective sub-pixels that have a reflective portion that selectively reflects ambient light and a transmissive portion that selectively transmits light from the backlight  82 . 
     The driver ICs  14  and  16  may each include memory  84  or  86 . The memory  84  and  86  may be non-volatile in order to store configuration settings for the LCD  12 . For example, the memory  84  and  86  may store gamma levels or other image parameters and panel calibrations. The configuration settings in the memory  84  and the memory  86  may be used to tune the driver ICs  14  and  16  so that the sub-pixels  88  that they control output generally similar light intensities in response to generally similar image data. Values in the memory  84  and  86  may be used to match the performance of the driver ICs  14  and  16 . 
     As illustrated by  FIG. 5 , the driver IC  14  communicates with the driver IC  16  through the inter-driver bus traces  40 . To transmit signals on these traces  40 , the driver IC  14  may include an output referred to as a “cascade output” that couples to the inter-driver bus traces  40 , and the driver IC  16  may include an input referred to as a “cascade input” that couples to the other end of the inter-driver bus traces  40 . In some embodiments, the driver ICs  14  and  16  may be generally similar or identical and may both have a cascade input on one side and a cascade output on the other side. The cascade input may remain unused on the master driver IC  14  and the cascade output may remain unused on the slave driver IC  16 . 
     In operation, the driver ICs  14  and  16  receive image data and, based on this data, output signals that adjust the sub-pixels  88 . The image data may be received from other components of an electronic device including the LCD  12 . The image data may indicate which sub-pixels  88  should be rendered transmissive and the degree to which they should be rendered transmissive to form an image conveyed by the image data, such as a frame in a video. The image data and power may be delivered through the flex cable  44  to the master driver IC  14 . The master driver IC  14  may then determine whether the image data addresses one of the sub-pixels  88  coupled to the master driver IC  14  or one of the sub-pixels  88  coupled to the slave driver IC  16 . The data directed to the slave driver IC  16  may be routed along with electrical power through the inter-driver bus traces  40  to the slave driver IC  16 . Prior to transmitting the image data to the appropriate sub-pixels  88 , the driver ICs  14  and  16  may process the image data based on configuration values stored in the memory  84  or  86 , e.g., by changing the gamma values of the image data to reduce artifacts from having separate driver ICs  14  and  16 . 
     To display the image, the driver ICs  14  and  16  may generally individually access each column of sub-pixels  88  to which they are coupled and adjust the voltage across the electrodes in each of the light switches  96  in those sub-pixels  88 . To access a column of sub-pixels  88 , in this embodiment, the driver ICs  14  and  16  may turn off the gate-line transistor  89  associated with the column of sub-pixels  88  being addressed. Turning off the gate-line transistor  89  may impede or prevent the pull-down voltage source  100  from holding down the voltage of the gate line  92 , and the voltage of the addressed gate line  92  may rise in response to the gate-line transistor  89  being turned off, as current flowing between the gate line  92  and a load circuit may increase the voltage of the gate line  92 . This change in voltage may render the access transistors  94  on the addressed column conductive. Image data appropriate for the addressed column may be transmitted from the driver IC  14  to each of the source lines  90 . The voltages of the source lines  90  may drive current between the source lines  90  and both the capacitor  98  and the electrodes in the light switches  96 , thereby updating the light-conductive state of the light switches  96  according to the image data. After the sub-pixels  88  in a column are adjusted, the gate-line transistor  89  for that column may turn back on, and the pull-down voltage source  100  may lower the voltage of the gate line  92  and turn off the access transistors  94  on that column, thereby impeding the sub-pixels  88  from changing until the next time that they are addressed. The driver ICs  14  and  16  may repeat this process for each of the gate lines  92  to produce an image. In some embodiments, groups of sub-pixels  88  each having a filter of a different color may together form a single pixel of the resulting image. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an example of an electronic device  104  that may include the LCD  12  of  FIG. 2  or the LCD  68  of  FIG. 4 , or variations thereof. The electronic device  104  may also include a user interface  106 , a power source  108 , input/output ports  110 , memory  112 , a processor  114 , storage  116 , an expansion card  118 , and a network device  120 . 
     The user interface  106  may include one of the user interfaces described above, such as a layer responsive to a contact from, or close proximity of, a finger or a stylus, such as a digitizer. In some embodiments, this layer may be responsive to multiple areas of contact, e.g., a multi-touch digitizer. Or, the user interface  106  may include a keypad (e.g. a slide-out keypad or a keyboard), a microphone, a camera, a stylus, or an accelerometer. 
     The power source  108  may include a portable power source, such as a lithium-ion battery, a nickel-metal-hydride battery, or a fuel cell. In some embodiments, the power source  108  may include a transformer configured to condition grid power for use by the electronic device  104 . 
     The input/output ports  110  may include ports compliant with a variety of different communications standards. For example, the input/output ports  110  may include a universal serial bus (USB) port, a FireWire port, a serial port, a parallel port, a headphone port, a microphone port, a video graphics array port, a digital visual interface port, or various other ports. 
     The memory  112  may include solid state memory, such as a solid-state drive or ROM memory, or a disc drive. The memory  112  may store software for execution on the processor  114 . For example, the memory  112  may store a basic input/output system (BIOS), an operating system and various applications, such as an office productivity suite, a browser, a media player, or an e-mail application. This software may be stored on a machine readable medium, such as one of those mentioned above. 
     The processor  114  may be configured to control the operation of the electronic device  104  by interfacing with each of its components  106 ,  12 ,  108 ,  110 ,  112 ,  116 ,  118 , and  120 . The processor  114  may be configured to execute the software stored in the memory  112  and coordinate movement of data through the electronic device  104 . 
     The storage  116  may include volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or static random access memory (SRAM), or nonvolatile memory, such as NAND or NOR flash memory. In some embodiments, the storage  116  may include space on a hard drive or a solid-state drive or an optical media. In some embodiments, the storage  116  may include machine readable media storing music or video data, such as music or video data encoded in Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) or other compression format, such as MP3, MP4, OGG, WAV, FLAC, or Apple Lossless format. 
     The expansion card  118  may include a variety of types of expansion cards or slots for expansion cards. For example, the expansion card  118  may include memory or a slot for memory, such as solid state memory card. In some embodiments, the expansion card  118  may include a card or a slot for a card that adds functionality, such as a GPS unit, a cable card, or a data acquisition card. 
     The network device  120  may be a wired or wireless network device configured to transmit and receive data over a network, such as the Internet, a local area network, a wireless area network, a personal area network, or a sensor area network. In some embodiments, the network device  120  includes a wireless network device, such as a Bluetooth transceiver, a WiFi transceiver, a cellular data or voice signal transceiver, or an infrared transceiver. In some embodiments, the network device  120  includes a wired network device, such as an Ethernet card or modem. 
     Other embodiments may include other types of electronic devices  104 . In some embodiments, the electronic device  104  may include a GPS module, and the memory  112  may store maps for displaying GPS position data on the LCD  12 . The electronic device  104  may also be one of a variety of types of displays, such as a television, a dynamically updated photo frame, a monitor of a laptop, palmtop, or desktop computer, or one of a variety of types of equipment, such as an automated teller machine, a point-of-sale terminal, a medical device, or a manufacturing device. In some embodiments, the electronic device  104  is a hand-held gaming device, and the memory  112  stores one or more video games. The electronic device may also be a display module in a vehicle that displays information about the state of the vehicle, e.g., position, velocity, or an image from a vehicle-mounted camera.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20080923
Publication Date: 20121204
Grant Date: 20121204
Priority Date: 20080923
Inventors: GETTEMY SHAWN R.
VIERI CARLIN J.
LEE YONGMAN
YAO WEI H.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G02F1/13452", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02F1/13452", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02F1/136277", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02F2202/103", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G3/3666", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G2300/0417", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G2300/0426", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G2320/0223", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02F1/136277", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G3/3666", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G2300/0426", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G2300/0417", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G2320/0223", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02F2202/103", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 41055264