WO2019245536A1

WO2019245536A1 - Displaying information on displays of digital pens

Info

Publication number: WO2019245536A1
Application number: PCT/US2018/038287
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tony Moon; Derek KANAS; Hung Sung PAN
Original assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Priority date: 2018-06-19
Filing date: 2018-06-19
Publication date: 2019-12-26

Abstract

A method, as disclosed herein, includes providing a digital pen to interact with a first display of an electronic device. The method includes wirelessly receiving, by the digital pen, information that is transmitted by the electronic device. The method further includes displaying, on a second display that is part of the digital pen, the information that is wirelessly received by the digital pen.

Description

DISPLAYING INFORMATION ON DISPLAYS OF DIGITAL PENS

Background

[0001] Digital pens may be used in conjunction with tablet computing devices, or other computing devices, and provide a natural and intuitive way for users to input information into applications running on the computing devices.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0002] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a computing system according to one example.

[0003] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating additional details of the pen shown in Figure 1 according to one example.

[0004] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a perspective view of the pen with display shown in Figure 1 according to one example.

[0005] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating a perspective view of the pen with display shown in Figure 1 according to another example.

[0006] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating internal components of the pen shown in Figure 3 according to one example.

[0007] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating internal components of the pen shown in Figure 4 according to one example.

[0008] Figure 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for displaying information on a display of a digital pen according to one example. Detailed Description

[0009] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the

accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific examples in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that other examples may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims. It is to be understood that features of the various examples described herein may be combined, in part or whole, with each other, unless specifically noted otherwise.

[0010] Examples disclosed herein are directed to a system that includes an electronic device having a first display, and a digital pen to interact with the first display. The digital pen wirelessly (e.g., via Bluetooth) receives information from the electronic device, and includes a second display to display the received information. The system thereby includes multiple displays for the electronic device. The second display may include a projector mechanism to project an image onto a display surface. In one example, the second display displays an image through a proximal end of the digital pen. In another example, the second display displays an image through a side surface of the digital pen.

[0011] If a second smaller display panel were added on, for example, a palm rest of a notebook computer or a backside of main display, such a configuration could increase the thickness and complexity of the system, and adversely affect the cosmetic appearance of the system. In contrast, some examples disclosed herein integrate a small-size near view display, such as one that might be implemented in a wearable display, into a digital pen, to share additional information via a second display without such a system impact, and thereby provide better usability for customers.

[0012] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a computing system 100 according to one example. The computing system 100 includes a digital pen 104 and a tablet computing device 1 10. The pen 104 includes a notification display 106 and a wireless communications module 108. The tablet computing device 1 10 includes a display 1 12, a processor 1 14, a memory 1 16, and a wireless communications module 1 18. Although the example of the computing device 1 10 shown in Figure 1 is a tablet computing device, in other examples, the computing device 1 10 may be a different type of computing device, such as a cellular phone, laptop computer, or other device.

[0013] The digital pen 104 may be any type of elongated device that a user may hold and touch to a surface such as an active area of the tablet computing device 1 10. In one example, the pen 104 is an active stylus or smart pen in that the pen 104 includes elements that communicate with a touchscreen controller on a device such as the tablet computing device 1 10. During use, a user may implement the pen 104 against or near the tablet computing device 1 10 in order to have input received and presented on the display 1 12. The tablet computing device 1 10 may detect the position of the pen 104 as it is touched at an active surface of the tablet computing device 1 10. The position of the pen 104 on the active surface of the tablet computing device 1 10 may be tracked by any of a variety of technologies, including capacitive, electromagnetic (EM), ultrasound, and predetermined dot patterns.

[0014] In some examples, the tablet computing device 1 10 wirelessly transmits information for display to the pen 104 via wireless communications module 1 18. The pen 104 then receives the transmitted information via wireless

communications module 108, and displays the information on display 106.

Examples of such displayed information may include current time of day, current date, quick notes, meeting notifications, new message notifications, calendar information and notifications, quick message review, pen battery level information, Bluetooth connection notifications and instructions, as well as other types of information.

[0015] In one example, the various subcomponents or elements of the system 100 may be embodied in a plurality of different systems, where different modules may be grouped or distributed across the plurality of different systems. To achieve its desired functionality, the computing system 100 may include various hardware components. Among these hardware components may be a number of processing devices, a number of data storage devices, a number of peripheral device adapters, and a number of network adapters. These hardware components may be interconnected through the use of a number of busses and/or network connections. The processing devices may include a hardware architecture to retrieve executable code from the data storage devices and execute the executable code. The executable code may, when executed by the processing devices, cause the processing devices to implement at least some of the functionality disclosed herein.

[0016] The data storage devices of computing system 100 may include various types of memory modules, including volatile and nonvolatile memory. For example, the data storage devices may include Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), and Hard Disk Drive (HDD) memory. Many other types of memory may also be utilized, and the present specification contemplates the use of many varying type(s) of memory in the data storage devices as may suit a particular application. In certain examples, different types of memory may be used for different data storage needs. For example, in certain examples, the processing devices may boot from Read Only Memory (ROM), maintain nonvolatile storage in Hard Disk Drive (HDD) memory, and execute program code stored in Random Access Memory (RAM).

[0017] The data storage devices described herein may include a computer readable medium, a computer readable storage medium, or a non-transitory computer readable medium, among others. For example, the data storage devices may be, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical,

electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium may include, for example, the following: an electrical connection having a number of wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store computer usable program code for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. In another example, a computer readable storage medium may be any non-transitory medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0018] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating additional details of the pen 104 shown in Figure 1 according to one example. Pen 104 includes display 106, controller 208, memory 210, wireless communications module 108, battery 212, and USB-C port 214. Display 106 includes active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) 202, lens 204, and prism 206. Some examples of display 106 may not include prism 206. In some examples of display 106, prism 106 may be replaced with a mirror. Battery 212 provides power for various elements of the pen 104, such as elements 108, 202, 208, and 210. Although the example of display 106 shown in Figure 2 includes AMLCD 202, other examples may include another type of display, such as a Digital Light Processing (DLP) display, a Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) display, or other type of display.

[0019] In some examples, display 106 is a near view display, and the AMLCD 202, lens 204, and prism 206 are implemented in a module that may slide in as a module assembly into a digital pen to provide second display functionality for the computing device 1 10. The AMLCD 202 generates images under the control of controller 208 based on information received from computing device 1 10 (Figure 1 ). The images are then passed through lens 204, and directed out of the pen 104 by prism 206, thereby providing displayed images 207 that are visible to a user’s eye 209. In some examples, the AMLCD 202 is about 0.16 to 0.20 inches in diagonal size with a 428x240x3 dot active resolution (i.e.,

308,160 dots), and is positioned at the bottom of the display module first, followed by the placement of the lens 204, and then the prism 206. In some examples, the lens 204 is a plastic aspheric 12x12mm Effective Focal Length (EFL) lens that enlarges the image size, and the prism is a 10x10mm beam splitter that functions similar to an SLR mirror camera prism structure.

[0020] In some examples, the pen 104 and the tablet computing device 1 10 are in continuous wireless communication to provide information to the user via the display 106. Information to be displayed by the pen 104 may be stored in memory 210 so that if the wireless communication connection between the pen 104 and the tablet computing device 1 10 becomes temporarily disconnected, the pen 104 may retrieve information for display from the memory 210. In addition to displaying information provided by the tablet computing device 1 10, the pen 104 may also display information generated from the pen 104 itself, such as pen statistics (e.g., battery level of battery 212, date/time, wireless connection status, and connection instructions). In some examples, to conserve battery power, the display 106 remains in a sleep mode until a user presses a button on the pen 104, which causes the display 106 to exit the sleep mode and begin displaying information. The display 106 may then return to the sleep mode after a threshold period of time or after a threshold period of inactivity.

The USB-C port 214 may be used for charging and updates for pen 104, including updates for the display 106.

[0021] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a perspective view of the pen 104 with display 106 shown in Figure 1 according to one example. The example of the pen 104 shown in Figure 3 is identified by reference number 104(1 ), and the example of the display 106 shown in Figure 3 is identified by reference number 106(1 ). The pen 104(1 ) includes a pen body 306 that contains internal components of the pen 104(1 ), a pen tip 304 at a distal end 302 of the pen body 306, a button 310 extending from a proximal end 312 of the pen body 306, and a clip 308 positioned near the proximal end 312. The display 106(1 ) is positioned near the proximal end 312 on a side of the pen body 306 that is opposite the side on which the clip 308 is positioned, and displays an image perpendicular to or substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the pen 104(1 ). By positioning the display 106(1 ) on a side surface of the pen 104(1 ) as shown in Figure 3, rather than on the proximal end 312 (see, e.g., Figure 4), the proximal end 312 may be used for button 310.

[0022] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating a perspective view of the pen 104 with display 106 shown in Figure 1 according to another example. The example of the pen 104 shown in Figure 4 is identified by reference number 104(2), and the example of the display 106 shown in Figure 4 is identified by reference number 106(2). The pen 104(2) includes a pen body 406 that contains internal components of the pen 104(2), a pen tip 404 at a distal end 402 of the pen body 406, buttons 410 extending from a side of the pen body 406, and a clip 408 positioned near the proximal end 412. The display 106(2) is positioned at the proximal end 412, and displays an image parallel to or substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the pen 104(2). To view the images from display 106(2), a user may look at the proximal end 412 of the pen 104(2) similar to looking down the barrel of a scope. In this manner, private messages may be shared with the user via the scope-like display 106(2), and would not be visible to other nearby people.

[0023] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating internal components of the pen 104(1 ) shown in Figure 3 according to one example. As shown in Figure 5, battery 212 is positioned near a center of the pen body 306. The display 106(1 ) is positioned near the proximal end 312 of the pen body 306. The AMLCD 202 is positioned proximal to the battery 212 and projects images parallel or substantially parallel with a longitudinal axis of the pen 104(1 ) toward the proximal end 312 of the pen body 306. The lens 204 is positioned proximal to the AMLCD 202 and directs the projected images parallel or substantially parallel with a longitudinal axis of the pen 104(1 ) onto the prism 206. The prism 206 is positioned proximal to the lens 204 and directs the received images out of the pen 104(1 ) as displayed images 207 perpendicular to or substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the pen 104(1 ) and towards a user’s eye 209.

[0024] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating internal components of the pen 104(2) shown in Figure 4 according to one example. As shown in Figure 6, battery 212 is positioned near a center of the pen body 406. The display 106(2) is positioned near the proximal end 412 of the pen body 406. The AMLCD 202 is positioned proximal to the battery 212 and projects images parallel or substantially parallel with a longitudinal axis of the pen 104(2) toward the proximal end 412 of the pen body 406. The lens 204 is positioned proximal to the AMLCD 202 and directs the received images out of the distal end 412 of the pen 104(2) parallel to or substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the pen 104(2) and towards a user’s eye 209.

[0025] One example is directed to a method for displaying information on a display of a digital pen. Figure 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 700 for displaying information on a display of a digital pen according to one example. In one example, computing system 100 (Figure 1 ) may perform method 700. At 702 in method 700, a digital pen is provided to interact with a first display of an electronic device. At 704, the digital pen wirelessly receives information that is transmitted by the electronic device. At 706, a second display that is part of the digital pen displays the information that is wirelessly received by the digital pen.

[0026] The second display in method 700 may display the information through a proximal end of the digital pen. The second display in method 700 may display the information through a side surface of the digital pen. The second display in method 700 may include a display element that includes one of an active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD), a Digital Light Processing (DLP) display, or a Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) display, and the method 700 may further include projecting images with the display element along a longitudinal axis of the digital pen toward a proximal end of the digital pen. The second display in method 700 may further include a lens, and the method 700 may further include directing the projected images along the longitudinal axis toward the proximal end of the digital pen with the lens. The second display in method 700 may further include a prism, and the method 700 may further include directing the images from the lens out of the digital pen with the prism. The prism may direct the images out of the digital pen perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis.

[0027] Another example is directed to a computing system, which includes a digital pen, and a computing device to receive input via interaction with the digital pen and to wirelessly transmit information for display to the digital pen. The computing device includes a first display, and the digital pen includes a second display to display the information wirelessly transmitted from the computing device. The computing device may be one of a tablet computing device, a laptop computer, or a cellular phone. The second display may be a near view display. The second display may include an active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) and a lens. The second display may further include a prism. The lens may be a plastic aspheric Effective Focal Length (EFL) lens and the prism may be a beam splitter.

[0028] Yet another example is directed to a digital pen, which includes a pen tip to contact a computing device and provide input to display on a first display of the computing device; and a second display to display information wirelessly received from the computing device. The second display may be a near view display.

[0029] Although specific examples have been illustrated and described herein, a variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific examples shown and described without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific examples discussed herein. Therefore, it is intended that this disclosure be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a digital pen to interact with a first display of an electronic device;

wirelessly receiving, by the digital pen, information that is transmitted by the electronic device; and

displaying, on a second display that is part of the digital pen, the information that is wirelessly received by the digital pen.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second display displays the information through a proximal end of the digital pen.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second display displays the information through a side surface of the digital pen.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second display includes a display element that includes one of an active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD), a Digital Light Processing (DLP) display, or a Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) display, and wherein the method further comprises:

projecting images with the display element along a longitudinal axis of the digital pen toward a proximal end of the digital pen.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second display includes a lens, and wherein the method further comprises:

directing the projected images along the longitudinal axis toward the proximal end of the digital pen with the lens.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second display includes a prism, and wherein the method further comprises:

directing the images from the lens out of the digital pen with the prism.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the prism directs the images out of the digital pen perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis.

8. A computing system, comprising:

a digital pen; and

a computing device to receive input via interaction with the digital pen and to wirelessly transmit information for display to the digital pen, wherein the computing device includes a first display, and wherein the digital pen includes a second display to display the information wirelessly transmitted from the computing device.

9. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the computing device is one of a tablet computing device, a laptop computer, or a cellular phone.

10. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the second display is a near view display.

1 1. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the second display includes an active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) and a lens.

12. The computing system of claim 1 1 , wherein the second display further includes a prism.

13. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the lens is a plastic aspheric Effective Focal Length (EFL) lens and the prism is a beam splitter.

14. A digital pen, comprising:

a pen tip to contact a computing device and provide input to display on a first display of the computing device; and a second display to display information wirelessly received from the computing device.

15. The digital pen of claim 14, wherein the second display is a near view display.