GB2436039A

GB2436039A - Expandable screens for notebooks and portable DVD players

Info

Publication number: GB2436039A
Application number: GB0711791A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ricardo Cesar Goldsztein
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-06-19
Filing date: 2007-06-19
Publication date: 2007-09-12
Also published as: GB0711791D0

Abstract

This invention relates to notebook/portable DVD player screens that can be extended using additional screens to increase the screen display area so that the image is displayed on the assembled screens with no overlaps or gaps. The additional screens can be connected or disconnected using screen connectors and the additional screens could be removed when the notebook/portable DVD player is not in use. Also provide is a folding mechanism by which the screens can be folded when the notebook/portable DVD player is not in use and unfolded into one large screen when the notebook/portable DVD player is in use. This avoids the need to connect accessory screens every time the user wishes to expand the screen. The whole multiple screen arrangement may be attached to the keyboard via metallic bars with hinges which allows the screen assembly to be moved further away from the keyboard (or removed therefrom) to allow the screens to be folded on top of eachother when not in use or when not required.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

flue: Expandable screens for notebooks and portable DYD players

Background of the invention

This invention relates to screen of notebooks and portable DVD players. In general, notebooks/portable DVD players are small, light and easy to carry. As a result, the screen is generally small and the notebook/portable DVD player user has no option but to make his eyes work hard when reading or watching the screen, in addition, users generally spend long hours in front of the screen which tend to increase the effort their eyes have to make. In particular, the disadvantages of small screens are more significant to people with sight problems or eye sensitivity. In relation to portable DVD players specifically, the typical small size of the screens in many cases prevent users from having an optimal DVD experience.

Currently, there are no notebooks/portable DVD players with expandable screens.

Statement of invention

To overcome this problem, the present invention proposes expanding the screen area by connecting additional individual screens into the original screen of a notebookJportable DVD player.

The proposed solution is to fix individual additional screens to the original screen using screen connectors located on the sides of the screens. in addition, these screen connectors will pennit the individual screens to obtain the energy required to operate and transmit the information to be displayed in each of the screens. When the notebook/portable DVD player is not in use, the additional or accessory screens could be easily removed and stored. When the notebook/portable DVD player is in use, the user could opt to either connect the accessory screens and expand the screen area, or use the original size of the screen, as he requires. This invention provides the user with the flexibility to enlarge the original screen as many times as he requires by connecting additional individual screens to any enlarged set of screens (as long as the user has spare additional and larger accessory screens to connect to the previous layer of screens). The first set of accessory screens could be stored in the notebook/portable DVD player case when they are not in use so that they are available anywhere the user carries his notebook/portable DVD player and case.

Related versions of this invention include a mechanism by which the first set of accessory screens could be folded above the keyboard instead of being removed and then stored when the notebook/portable DVD player is not in use. These related solutions avoid the need to connect accessory screens every time the user would like to use an enlarged screen. A set of adapted hinges, which are later on defined in the detailed description section, located at the back of the individual screens is one of the two proposed mechanisms by which individual screens are kept together and can be folded/unfolded. The set of hinges could be attachable and detachable (i.e. removable) so that the user can opt to return to the removable screen version of this invention, if he wishes to do so. To close the notebook/portable DVD player without removing the additional screens, metallic bars with hinges will be released from the body of the keyboard so that the set of folded screens can be placed at some distance from the keyboard creating some space for this set of screens to be folded above the keyboard.

The second proposed mechanism is a system of mainly rails, wheels and hinges that keeps individual screens together, provides a sliding mechanism for repositioning screens and offers an alternative folding/unfolding mechanism to the use of adapted hinges.

These folding/unfolding mechanisms are applied to the original screen and the first set of accessory screens (i.e. six screens, two of which have the same area as the one of the keyboard and the remaining four have half of that size). When the screens are fully folded, they would be contained in an area equivalent to the one covered by the original screen. When the screens are fully unfolded, the area provided by all the screens would be four times larger than the one of the original screen. The folding and unfolding mechanism avoids the need to connect and remove accessory screens every time the user would like to use an enlarged screen.

For all versions of this invention, a pair of metallic bars with hinges could also be available and released from the body of the keyboard to vary the distance & angle between the original screen and keyboard for best visualisation of the enlarged display.

Advantages This invention presents a solution to those notebook/portable DVD player users who find the size of the screen too small for easy and convenient reading or watching, and/or who suffer from eye related problems (e.g. headaches, tiredness, dizziness, etc.).

By removing key factors that cause exhaustion to users when using the notebook for long hours, this invention could also assist on improving the productivity of notebook workers.

in addition, this invention presents a solution to those users who prefer notebooks/portable DVD players of small size (because either the accessory screens are removed or they are folded when the notebook/portable DYD player is closed), but with screens of typical size (which is achieved by connecting or adding additional screens).

Moreover, big screens also facilitate teamwork in one same notebook and may improve user experience for multipurpose activities such as playing games, watching films, etc., in notebooks/portable DVD players.

Introduction to djawings

The present invention can be fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description with references made to the accompanying drawings. These drawings and descriptions relate to expandable screens for notebooks. The drawings and descriptions for portable DVD players are not herein presented because the concepts and principles of this invention are applicable to both notebooks and portable DVD players in the same way.

The following figures show the drawings related to the expansion of the original display area by adding removable screens: Fig I -The solution of enlarging the original screen with additional removable screens Fig 2 -The notebook with the individual screens connected building the enlarged screen Fig 3 -An alternative screen configuration for enlarging the screen area Fig 4-An additional layer of screens to further enlarge the screen area shown in fig 2 or 3 Fig 5 -The metallic bars with hinges connecting the keyboard to the original screen are released (initially hidden into the keyboard) in order to vary the distance between the keyboard and the lower centre screen Fig 6 -The hinges connecting the metallic bars pennitting to vary the angle between the enlarged screen and keyboard The following figures show the drawings related to the version of this invention which allows screens to be folded and unfolded using a set of hinges: Fig 7 -The details of the adapted hinge which permits screens to be kept together and to be folded or unfolded Fig 8 -The adapted hinges inserted at the back of the screens when these screens are flilly unfolded and connected using the screen connectors (leaving no space between screens) Fig 9 -The screen connectors of the right and left screens are disconnected Fig 10 -The right & left screens are folded in front of the centre screens Fig 11 -The upper and lower screens are disconnected so that the upper screens can be folded Fig 12 -The upper screens are folded in front of the lower screens Fig 13 -The metallic bars with hinges (connecting the keyboard to the original screen) are released (initially hidden into the keyboard) so that the set of folded screens is positioned at certain distance of the keyboard and is then accommodated above the keyboard Fig 14-The screens are fully folded above the keyboard The following figures show the drawings related to the version of this invention which allows screens to be unfolded and folded using a system of rails and wheels (back view of the notebook): Fig 15 -The screens are fully folded above the keyboard Fig 16 -The set of folded screens are positioned at 90 degrees against the keyboard Fig 17 -The lower right and left screens are moved sideways using the tracks fitted in at the top and bottom of the lower right, left and centre screens Fig 18 -The lower right and left screens are aligned to the lower centre screen Fig 19-The lower right and left screens are connected to the lower centre screen Fig 20The upper right and left screens are moved sideways using the tracks fit in at the top and bottom of the upper right, left and centre screens Fig 21 - The upper right and left screens are aligned to the upper centre screen Fig 22-The upper right and left screens are connected to the upper centre screen Fig 23 -The upper centre screen, which carries the upper right and left screens, is lifted along the direction of the rails located at the back of the upper centre screen Fig 24 -The lower centre screen, which carries the lower right and left screens1 is moved along the direction of the rails located at the bottom of the lower centre screen and towards the line of the upper centre screen Fig 25-The upper centre screen is moved down and connected to the lower centre screen

Detailed description

Following the version of the invention related to adding additional removable screens to the original screen is described. Figures Ito 6 refer to this version of the invention.

The number, size and shape of individual screens are the following (see figure 1): -Lower left screen 2 -Upper left screen 3 - Upper centre screen 4 -Upper right screen 5 -Lower right screen 6 -Lower centre screen 7 (which is the conventional screen connected to the keyboard 1) The screen connectors that allow the additional screens to be connected to the original screen, obtain the energy required to operate and receive the information to be displayed in the screen are the following (see figure 1): -Screen connectors 8 connect the lower right screen to the lower centre screen -Screen connectors 9 connect the upper right screen to the upper centre screen -Screen connectors 10 connect the upper left screen to the upper centre screen -Screen connectors II connect the lower left screen to the lower centre screen -Screen connectors 12 connect the upper centre screen to the lower centre screen Figure 2 shows the additional screens connected to the original screens using the screen connectors. The entire set of screens presents the full image of the display of the notebook/portable DVD player with no image overlaps or gaps.

The number, size and shape of this set of screens and connectors will provide the base for developing other (but not all) versions of this invention and there will be a reference to those screens and connectors when describing other versions of this invention. One version of this invention with different number and size of screens is presented in figure 3.

A removable system of screens provides great flexibility in terms of size, number, shape and layers of accessory screens that could be used for display expansion because any layer of screens could be built on the previous layer. This feature permits enlarging the original screen several times without building a bulky notebook because the accessory screens are attachable and detachable (i.e. removable). For example, figure 4 shows how an additional layer of accessory screens could be connected to the first layer of accessory screens.

This invention proposes the possibility to release metallic bars 15 (see figure 5), initially hidden in the body of the keyboard. The release of these bars will permit the user to vary the distance between the keyboard 1 and the lower centre screen 7 for best visualisation of the enlarged screen. The hinges 16 pennit the user to vary the angle of the enlarged screen to the keyboard (see figure 6), if he wishes to do so.

Following the version of this invention that allows screens to be folded and unfolded using a set of hinges is described. Figures 7 to 14 relate to this version of the invention.

It is proposed that a hinge welded or connected into metallic cylinders be the key part of the mechanism permitting each pair of screens to be folded and/or unfolded and kept together (see figure 7) ("adapted hinge"). Each of the two metallic cylinders 17 will contain two narrower additional cylinders at each base (i.e. 18 and 19). If the user exercises some manual pressure on the cylinder 18 towards the direction of the cylinder 17, it will be compressed in that direction. As the cylinder 18 will be fixed to the cylinder 19, respectively, whenever the first cylinder is compressed, the second cylinder will accompany that movement but will not be compressed.

To insert (or remove) the adapted hinge into (or from) the holes created at the back of the screens, the user will compress cylinders 18. Once the user inserts (or removes) the cylinder into (or from) the holes at the back of the screens and no further pressure is exercised on the cylinders, they will return to their original length, fixing (or releasing) therefore the adapted hinges to (or from) the screens.

A total of five adapted hinges are required for this invention and figure 8 shows the notebook once the adapted hinges are inserted at the back of the enlarged screen. The walls next to where the adapted hinges are inserted prevent the sheet of metals 20 (and therefore the adapted hinges) from leaning towards the front of the screens, which would impede bringing the individual screens together when they are not connected to the original screen (figure 9).

Therefore, when the user brings the screens together by connecting the screen connectors of the screens, the body of the adapted hinges will always automatically lean towards the back of the screens and will never interfere in the connection of screens.

For commencing the folding process of the screens, first the screen connectors of the right and left screens are disconnected (see figure 9). Then, the user will proceed to fold the tight and left screens towards the centre screens (see figure 10). Afterwards, the user will disconnect the screen connectors connecting the upper and lower centre screens (see figure 11) and will then fold the upper screens into the lower screens (see figure 12).

Finally, metallic bars 15 with hinges 16 will be released from the body of the keyboard so that the set of folded screens can first be positioned at certain distance from the keyboard (figure 13) and can then be accommodated above the keyboard (figure 14) and stored. Alternatively and for easy storage, the user could remove the set of adapted hinges from the screens & store each accessory screen and adapted hinge individually. By removing the adapted hinges, the user returns to the version of this invention related to removable screens.

Following the version of this invention that uses tracks and wheels to reposition individual screens to build the enlarged screen is described. Figures 15 to 25 relate to this version of the invention.

When the screens are fully folded and the notebook is closed, the screens are arranged in four layers as shown in figure 15. In order to build the enlarged screen, the user will first open the notebook and position the set of screens at 90 degrees against the keyboard (figure 16) using the hinges 21 (figure 15). Afterwards, the user will proceed to move the lower right and lower left screens (6 and 2, respectively) sideways along the track and wheels fitted in at the top and bottom sides of the lower centre screen (figure 17). The metallic catches 22 at the top and at the bottom of the screens will kept the screens together and will ensure the sideways movement of the right and left screens. Then, the user will align the lower right and lower left screens (6 and 2, respectively) towards the lower centre screen line (figure 18) and connect them to the lower centre screen 7 (figure 19). The metallic catches 22 at the top and at the bottom of the screens will then be pushed and fitted into in the space provided for that purpose at the border of the screens so that the upper and lower screens could come together without leaving any space between screens. The steps already described to reposition lower screens as shown in figures 17, 18 and 19 would then also be applied to the upper screens as shown in figures 20, 21 and 22.

The user will then move up the upper centre screen 4 (which carries the upper left 3 and upper right 5 screens). When he does so, the metallic rails 23 Will move together with the upper centre screen 4 because they will be fixed to this screen. As a result, space will be created to reposition and align the lower with the upper screens (figure 23).

Once there is enough space to accommodate the lower centre screen 7 below the upper centre screen 4, the user will move the lower centre screen 4 (which itself carries the lower left 2 and lower right 6 screens) along the metallic rails 24 towards and up to the line of the upper centre screen (figure 24). The wheels in the metallic rails 24 will be connected to the lower centre screen 7 using small hinges. Then, the user will proceed to move the lower centre screen 7 along the metallic rails 24 and towards the line of the upper centre screen 4. Once they are aligned, the user will connect the upper centre screen 4 to the lower centre screen 7 (figure 25). As in previous versions, the user will have the option to adjust the distance and angle of the enlarged screen to the keyboard using metallic bars and hinges as described in figure 5 and 6.

Claims

CLAIMS

I claim: I. A notebook/portable DVD player whose original screen can be extended using a set of additional individual screens, in which the entire set of screens presents the full image of the display of the notebook/portable DVD player with no image overlaps or gaps
2. A notebook/portable DVD player whose original screen can be extended according to claim 1, in which the additional individual screens are directly or indirectly connected to the original screen using screen connectors to build an enlarged screen and are directly or indirectly disconnected from the original screen when the notebook/portable DVD player is not in use or when the user prefers to use the notebook/portable DVD player with the original screen size
3. A notebook/portable DVD player whose screen can be extended using additional individual screens and screen connectors according to claim 2, in which metallic bars with hinges could be released from the body of the keyboard and used as an adjusting mechanism to vary the distance and angle between the keyboard and the original screen for best visualisation of the enlarged screen
4. A notebook/portable DVD player whose original screen can be extended using additional individual screens and screen connectors, and positioned at certain distance and angle for best visualisation according to claim 3, in which any layer of additional screens could be added to any existing layer of connected screens, further enlarging therefore the display area of the original screen
5. A notebook/portable DVD player whose screen can be extended using additional individual screens and screen connectors, and positioned at certain distance and angle for best visualisation according to claim 3, in which adapted hinges (located at the back of the screens) could keep pairs of screens together and peimit the individual screens to be unfolded when the user opens the notebook/portable DVD player or to be folded (after the screen connectors are disconnected) when the user closes the notebook/portable DVD player
6. A notebook/portable DVD player whose enlarged screen can be folded and unfolded using adapted hinges according to claim 5, in which the metallic bars with hinges mentioned in claim 3 could be released from the body of the keyboard when the screens are folded so that the set of folded screens can be placed at some distance from the keyboard and then accommodated above the keyboard when the user decides to close the notebook/portable DVD player
7. A notebook/portable DVD player whose enlarged screen can be folded and unfolded using adapted hinges according to claim 5, in which these adapted hinges could be removed (inserted) from (to) the notebook/portable DYD player when the user decides not to use (use) the folding/unfolding mechanism
8. A notebook/portable DVD player whose screen can be extended using additional individual screens and screen connectors, and positioned at certain distance and angle for best visualisation according to claim 3, in which a system of mainly rails, wheels and hinges keeps individual screens together, provides a sliding mechanism for repositioning screens & offers an alternative folding/unfolding mechanism to the use of adapted hinges