Patent Application
20080143678
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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'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.
Referring again to
When the keyboard 300 is being used, the flaps 306, 308, 310, 312 are extended as shown in
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.
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.
