Patent Application
20250189714
The disclosure relates generally to a frontlight, adapted for various display devices such as a digitizer or a tablet. In particular, embodiments of the present invention relate to an ultra-thin frontlight in which the light source is separated from the lightguide by an optical coupling element.
Mobile telephones, tablet computers, PCs, car entertainment systems, white goods and many other devices are commonly equipped with interactive displays. These interactive displays combine a display screen, such as an LCD, oLED, plasma or electrophoretic display (EPD), with an input system, such as a touch- or pen-stylus-input system. The input system recognizes the presence of an input object such as a pen-stylus touching or in close proximity to the display screen.
The displays screens, such as EPDs, included in these devices are typically passive in that they modulate light but do not produce light in the manner of other types of displays like conventional cathode ray tube displays. As a consequence, when passive displays like EPD displays are placed in darkened environments, users may have difficulty seeing the display. In a completely darkened room, the user might not be able to see the display at all.
As a consequence, passive display devices may be equipped with various lighting means, such as a frontlight that adds light to the display enabling users to see the display in low ambient light conditions.
In conventional designs, the light sources 105a-105h are directly coupled to the lightguide 103. The light sources 105a-105h tend to be substantially thicker than the lightguide 103. As demands grow to make devices (e.g., tablets) thinner, designers have implemented smaller light sources and thinner lightguides. Using conventional equipment, designers may find it somewhat simpler to locate substantially thinner lightguides (e.g., 50 um) than substantially thinner light sources (e.g., LEDs with 300 um emitter height). The height disparity between the lightguide 103 and the light sources 105a-105h causes a substantial leakage of light from the light sources 105a-105h that does not reach the lightguide 103, impairing the overall functional utility of the frontlight. Thus, a conventional solution to the reduced screen brightness calls for an increase in the number of LEDs employed in the frontlight, which itself leads to increased cost, power consumption, and other difficulties.
While great strides have been made in recent years in improving frontlights on passive display devices, further improvements are still warranted. Moreover, specific use cases for passive display devices may compel levels of precision and additional functionality not available in conventional devices.
Embodiments of the invention provide a frontlight in a tablet computing device. The frontlight includes a light source, an optical coupling element that receives light from the light source, and a lightguide that receives light from the light source through the optical coupling element, the light source having an emitter height greater than a thickness of the lightguide.
In at least one embodiment of the invention, light originating from the light source that initially misses the lightguide while traversing the optical coupling element is reflected at surfaces on the optical coupling element and enters the lightguide after undergoing additional reflections within the optical coupling element.
In at least one embodiment of the invention, the optical coupling element has a front surface adjacent to the lightguide that has been mirror coated, wherein light incident on the front surface from within the optical coupling element is reflected back into the optical coupling element, and a rear surface adjoining the light source that has been mirror coated, wherein light incident on the rear surface from within the optical coupling element is reflected back into the optical coupling element.
In at least one embodiment of the invention, the optical coupling element has a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein both the top surface and the bottom surface are optically polished, wherein light having an incident angle below a critical angle for total internal reflection that is incident on at least one of the top surface and the bottom surface is reflected into the body of the optical coupling element.
The disclosed embodiments have other advantages and features which will be more readily apparent from the detailed description, the appended claims, and the accompanying figures (or drawings). A brief introduction of the figures is below.
The figures depict various embodiments of the presented invention for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles described herein.
The Figures (FIGS.) and the following description relate to preferred embodiments by way of illustration only. It should be noted that from the following discussion, alternative embodiments of the structures and methods disclosed herein will be readily recognized as viable alternatives that may be employed without departing from the principles of what is claimed.
Reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures. It is noted that wherever practicable similar or like reference numbers may be used in the figures and may indicate similar or like functionality. The figures depict embodiments of the disclosed system (or method) for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles described herein.
Disclosed is an ultra-thin frontlight that attempts to improve the efficiency in the transfer of light from a light source into a lightguide. As discussed below, the ultra-thin frontlight includes an optical coupling element that aids in the transition of light from a significantly thicker light source into a substantially thinner lightguide. This ultra-thin frontlight is suitable for application with a variety of display devices but is initially intended for application to a tablet device having a passive display.
To provide a context for the implementation of an ultra-thin frontlight into devices of various types, the initial portion of the following disclosure describes a tablet device into which the ultra-thin frontlight could be applied. An ordinary artisan will recognize and appreciate that the ultra-thin frontlight disclosed is amenable to incorporation in a number of different devices and not just the tablet computing device described.
As shown in
The input mechanism 220 may refer to any device or object that is compatible with the contact-sensitive screen of the e-paper tablet device 210. In one embodiment, the input mechanism 220 may work with an electronic ink (e.g., E-ink) contact-sensitive screen. For example, the input mechanism 220 may refer to any device or object that can interface with a screen and, from which, the screen can detect a touch or contact of said input mechanism 220. Once the touch or contact is detected, electronics associated with the screen generate a signal which the e-paper tablet device 210 can process as a gesture that may be provided for display on the screen. Upon detecting a gesture by the input mechanism 220, electronics within the contact-sensitive screen generate a signal that encodes instructions for displaying content or updating content previously displayed on the screen of the e-paper tablet device 210 based on the movement of the detected gesture across the screen. For example, when processed by the e-paper tablet device 210, the encoded signal may cause a representation of the detected gesture to be displayed on the screen of the e-paper tablet device 210, for example a scribble. As mentioned, the input mechanism 220 may a pen-stylus or another type of pointing device, including a part of a user's body, such as a finger.
In one embodiment, the input mechanism 220 is an encased magnetic coil. When in proximity to the screen of the e-paper tablet device 210, the magnetic coil helps generate a magnetic field that encodes a signal that communicates instructions, which are processed by the e-paper tablet device 210 to provide a representation of the gesture for display on the screen, e.g., as a marking. The input mechanism 220 may be pressure-sensitive such that contact with the contact-sensitive display causes the magnetic coil to compress. In turn, the interaction between the compressed coil and the contact-sensitive screen of the e-paper tablet device 210, may generate a different encoded signal for processing, for example, to provide for display a representation of the gesture on the screen that has different characteristics, e.g., thicker line marking. In alternate embodiments, the input mechanism 220 includes a power source, e.g., a battery, that can generate an electric field with a contact-sensitive surface. It is noted that the encoded signal is a signal that is generated and may be communicated. The encoded signal may have a signal pattern that may be used for further analog or digital analysis (or interpretation).
In one embodiment, the contact-sensitive screen is a capacitive touchscreen. The screen may be designed using a glass material coated with a conductive material. Electrodes, or an alternate current carrying electric component, are arranged vertically along the glass coating of the screen to maintain a constant level of current running throughout the screen. A second set of electrodes are arranged horizontally. The matrix of vertical active electrodes and horizontal inactive electrodes generates an electrostatic field at each point on the screen. When an input mechanism 220 with conductive properties, for example the encased magnetic coil or a human finger, is brought into contact with an area of the screen of the e-paper tablet device 210, current flows through the horizontally arranged electrodes, disrupting the electrostatic field at the contacted point on the screen. The disruption in the electrostatic field at each point that a gesture covers may be measured, for example as a change in capacitance, and encoded into an analog or digital signal.
In an alternate embodiment, the contact-sensitive screen is a resistive touchscreen. The resistive touch screen comprises two metallic layers: a first metallic layer in which striped electrodes are positioned on a substrate, for example a glass or plastic and a second metallic layer in which transparent electrodes are positioned. When contact from an input mechanism, for example a pen-stylus, finger, or palm, is made on the surface of the touchscreen, the two layers are pressed together. Upon contact, a voltage gradient is applied to the first layer and measured as a distance by the second layer to determine a horizontal coordinate of the contact on the screen. The voltage gradient is subsequently applied to the second layer to determine a vertical coordinate of the contact on the screen. The combination of the horizontal coordinate and the vertical coordinate register an exact location of the contact on the contact-sensitive screen. Unlike capacitive touchscreens which rely on conductive input mechanisms, a resistive touchscreen is configured to sense contact from nearly any input mechanism. Although some embodiments of the e-paper tablet device are described herein with reference to a capacitive touchscreen, one skilled in the art would recognize that a resistive touchscreen could also be implemented.
In an alternate embodiment, the contact-sensitive screen is an inductive touchscreen. An inductive touchscreen comprises a metal front layer that is configured to detect deflections when contact is made on the screen by an input mechanism. Accordingly, an inductive touchscreen is configured to sense contact from nearly any input mechanism. Although some embodiments of the e-paper tablet device are described herein with reference to a capacitive touchscreen, one skilled in the art would recognize that alternative touchscreen technology may be implemented, for example, an inductive touchscreen could also be implemented.
The cloud server 230 is configured to receive information from the e-paper tablet device 210 and/or communicate instructions to the e-paper tablet device 210. As illustrated in
Interactions between the e-paper tablet device 210 and the cloud server 230 are typically performed via the network 240, which enables communication between the e-paper tablet device 210 and the cloud server 230. In one embodiment, the network 240 uses standard communication technologies and/or protocols including, but not limited to, links using technologies such as Ethernet, 802.11, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), 3G, 4G, LTE, digital subscriber line (DSL), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), InfiniBand, and PCI Express Advanced Switching. The network 240 may also utilize dedicated, custom, or private communication links. The network 240 may comprise any combination of local area and/or wide area networks, using both wired and wireless communication systems.
The input detector module 310 may be configured to recognize that a gesture has been or is being made on the screen of the e-paper tablet device 210. The input detector module 310 refers to electronics integrated into the screen of the e-paper tablet device 210 that are configured to interpret an encoded signal generated by contact between the input mechanism 220 and the screen into a recognizable gesture. To do so, the input detector module 310 may evaluate properties of the encoded signal to determine whether the signal represents a gesture made intentionally by a user or a gesture made unintentionally by a user.
The input digitizer 320 may be configured to convert the analog signal encoded by the contact between the input mechanism 220 and the screen into a digital set of instructions. The converted digital set of instructions may be processed by the e-paper tablet device 210 to generate or update a user interface displayed on the screen to reflect an intentional gesture.
The display system 330 may include the physical and firmware (or software) components to provide for display (e.g., render) on a screen a user interface. The user interface may correspond to any type of visual representation that may be presented to or viewed by a user of the e-paper tablet device 210.
Based on the digital signal generated by the input digitizer 320, the graphics generator 340 may be configured to generate or update graphics of a user interface to be displayed on the screen of the e-paper tablet device. The display system 330 may be configured to present those graphics of the user interface for display to a user using electronics integrated into the screen.
When an input mechanism 220 makes contact with a contact-sensitive screen of a e-paper tablet device 210, the input detector module 310 recognizes a gesture has been made through the screen. The gesture may be recognized as a part of an encoded signal generated by the compression of the coil in the input mechanism 220 and/or corresponding electronics of the screen of the display system 330. The encoded signal is transmitted to the input detector module 310, which evaluates properties of the encoded signal in view of at least one gesture rule to determine whether the gesture was made intentionally by a user. If the input detector module 310 determines that the gesture was made intentionally, the input detector module 310 communicates the encoded signal to the digitizer output. The encoded signal is an analog representation of the gesture received by a matrix of sensors embedded in the screen of the e-paper tablet 210.
In one example embodiment, the input digitizer 320 translates the physical points on the screen that the input mechanism 220 made contact with into a set of instructions for updating what is provided for display on the screen. For example, if the input detector module 310 detects an intentional gesture that swipes from a first page to a second page, the input digitizer 320 receives the analog signal generated by the input mechanism 220 as it performs the swiping gesture. The input digitizer 320 generates a digital signal for the swiping gesture that provides instructions for the display system 330 of the e-paper tablet device 210 to update the user interface of the screen to transition from, for example, a current (or first page) to a next (or second page, which may be before or after the first page).
In one example embodiment, the graphics generator 340 receives the digital instructional signal (e.g., swipe gesture indicating page transition (e.g., flipping or turning)) generated by the input digitizer 320. The graphics generator 340 generates graphics or an update to the previously displayed user interface graphics based on the received signal. The generated or updated graphics of the user interface are provided for display on the screen of the e-paper tablet device 210 by the display system 330, e.g., displaying a transition from a current page to a next page to a user. In the displayed embodiment of the
Further details about structures and functions of e-paper tablets and their graphical displays can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 11,158,097 to Martin Sandsmark and Gunnar Sletta entitled “Generating vector graphics by processing raster graphics” and in U.S. Pat. No. 10,824,274 to Sondre Hoff Dyvik, Martin Sandsmark, and Magnus Haug Wanberg, entitled “Interactive displays,” both of which are incorporated by reference herein.
As mentioned, Electrophoretic displays (EPDs) 405 have utilized many aspects of LCD production infrastructure and driving mechanisms. The driving electronics typically consist of a gate driver (GD) 309 and a source driver (SD) 411. The display 405 has multiple rows of pixels. Pixel values within a row may be changed, e.g., logic high voltage may be a “black” pixel and a logic low voltage or “ground” may be a no colour pixel. The pixels in the EPD 405 function similarly to small capacitors that persist over long time intervals. An EPD pixel contains a large number of charged particles that are suspended in a liquid. If a charge is applied, the particles will move to a surface where they become visible. White and black particles have opposite charges such that a pixel's display may change from white to black by applying an opposite charge to the pixel. Thus, the waveforms applied to an EPD comprise long trains of voltages to change from black to white or vice versa. The EPD arts are also known to have the ability to apply variable voltage levels that mix the white and black particles to produce various shades of gray. Voltage levels in a pixel also may be tiered between to provide shades between no colour and black (e.g., levels of grey). Groups of pixels around each other may form a region that provides some visible characteristic to a user, e.g., an image on a screen, e.g., of the display system 330 of the e-paper tablet device 210.
To change pixel values in a region, a scan of a display 405 will conventionally start at a top row, e.g., row 0 421, and apply voltages to update pixels within a particular row where pixels need to be changed to correspond with the image that is displayed. In this example, a start pulse (GDSP) 103 can be used to reset the driver 411 to row 0 421. A row-by-row selection is made by driving the driver gate 309 to select a row, e.g., active row 413. All pixels in one row are addressed concurrently using data transferred to the display. Latch 425 receives from the shift register 423 the next set of voltages to be applied to a row of pixels. When the scan of the active row is completed and, if necessary, pixels changed or updated, a clock pulse (GDCLK) 415 is issued to the driver gate 309 to change to the next row 417 for a scan.
The source driver 411 is used to set the target voltage for each of the pixels/columns for the selected row. It consists of a shift register 423 for holding the voltage data, a latch circuit 425 for enabling pixel data transfer while the previous row is being exposed, and a voltage selector (multiplexer) 427 for converting the latched voltage selection into an actual voltage. For all rows to be updated all the voltage values have to be shifted into the register 423 and latched for the voltages to be available.
The reader can appreciate that the e-paper tablet device 210 described in
The lightguide sheet 504 is described in
As discussed in the background section, a conventional solution for providing a lightguide in a display stack on a passive display device comprises coupling a light source (e.g., LEDs) directly to the lightguide in the display stack. However, as display stacks have been forced to become thinner, the difference in height between the light sources and lightguides has grown significantly. As a consequence, a substantial amount of light provided by the light source in such thin devices fails to enter the lightguide, thus impairing the overall functionality of the frontlight.
As mentioned, embodiments of the ultra-thin frontlight include an optical coupling element, an additional optical element, intended to improve coupling from the light source (e.g., LEDs) to the lightguide. The disclosed configuration differs from the conventional approach shown in
Embodiments of the invention attempt to solve to the problem of coupling efficiency in thin frontlights (e.g., as described in
In the absence of an additional optical coupling element, light from the source is only coupled into the lightguide if it is both within the area of the source that is adjacent to the lightguide, and within the range of acceptance angles for the lightguide. (Light at higher angles may initially enter the lightguide but will exit it within a short distance.) A large proportion of the light emitted by the source is outside the acceptance angle and/or area of the lightguide and is therefore wasted. The intent of the additional optical coupling element is to cause this unused light to undergo multiple reflections which ultimately lead to it entering the lightguide rather than being lost. The reflecting surfaces of the optical coupling element act to confine the light until it is incident on the lightguide.
If present, the recess 601 may include small gaps 605a, 605b shown at either side of the LED 606h. The gaps 605a, 605b are not necessary for the optical functioning of the frontlight 600 but may be included to allow for manufacturing tolerances. The optical coupling element 602 has a height that is greater than or equal to the height of the light source (e.g., LEDs 606a-606h). The optical coupling element 602 is typically comprised of the same material (e.g., a polycarbonate) as the lightguide 603. The optical coupling element 602 has the same refractive index as the lightguide 603. The optical coupling element 602 does not have to be perfectly index matched to the lightguide 603; preferably, the optical coupling element 602 is index matched to the lightguide 603, otherwise the efficiency is likely reduced. In the frontlight 600, the light source (e.g., LEDs 606a-606h) rests on a circuit board 604 (e.g., a flex PCB) which also supports the optical coupling element 602. The lightguide 603 is supported by other layers of the display stack above or below it which are not shown in
The optical coupling element 602 comprises a solid transparent element with some reflective faces, which improves the efficiency of coupling light into the light guide (e.g., the lightguide 603 shown in
In a representative embodiment of the invention, rather than light transiting from a roughly 300 micron LED emitting face and into a narrow face (e.g., 50 microns) of the lightguide 603, because of the intervening optical coupling element 602, much of the light now enters on a lower portion of the lightguide 603. This connection may be particularly advantageous because the surface quality of the top and bottom portions of a lightguide 603 are typically superior to the edge portions of the lightguide 603 which would be the portions receiving light in a direct connection (see, e.g.,
The performance of the frontlight 600 depends to a large degree on the specific materials selected for the lightguide 603 and the optical coupling element 602. For the lightguide, materials having a higher refractive index have a larger acceptance angle and so will be able to couple more light through the structure of the frontlight 600. So, for example, polycarbonate lightguides have a larger acceptance angle than those made of Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). The optical absorption properties are also important—for example, Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) may be employed but is more highly absorbing of blue light and can cause a yellowing colour shift which may be undesirable for some applications, such as when a “cooler” colour tone is desired. The materials employed for the optical coupling element 602 are essentially materials conventionally employed in lightguides, and a unique material does not appear to be necessary for the optical coupling element 602.
The optical coupling element 602 performs its intended function more effectively the closer its refractive index is matched to that of the lightguide 603. Optically an ideal situation is for the optical coupling element 602 and the lightguide 603 to appear (and function) as essentially a single contiguous piece having a uniform refractive index. The optical coupling element 602 and the lightguide 603 can likely not be fabricated as a single piece because different processes are typically employed to manufacture each component. However, if these components could be manufactured as one integral piece, such a combined piece would also be suitable.
The optical coupling element 602 may have a number of overall shapes.
The height of the optical coupling element 602 should approximately match or exceed the height of the light source (e.g., the LEDs 606a-606h). Thus, the minimum size of the optical coupling element 602 is essentially constrained (or governed) by the height of the LED emitting surface. If the LED employed were to be smaller than the approximately 300 micron LED emitter height contemplated for insertion into the recess 601 in the embodiment of the invention shown in
The benefit of the optical coupling element 602 depends on the disparity between the height of the lightguide 603 and the height of the light source (the LEDs 606a-606h). As the disparity increases (i.e., the light source becomes taller compared to the thickness of the lightguide), the benefit of the optical coupling element 602 increases. As the disparity decreases, and the light source becomes comparable in height to the thickness of the lightguide, the benefit of the optical coupling element 602 becomes negligible, and the coupling efficiency is similar to that which can be achieved in the direct coupling case. In such embodiments where the height of the source is the same as the thickness of the lightguide, the optical coupling element 602 would likely not be needed, unless other manufacturing or assembly considerations made this configuration more advantageous. The mathematical form of the dependence of efficiency improvement on height ratio is not defined exactly and may depend on the coupling element geometry, but for some embodiments this is seen to be a straight-line relationship followed by an asymptotic decline as the height ratio approaches 1:1.
Table 1 illustrates the performance of one embodiment of the optical coupling element 602 based on simulation data. Table 1 shows the optical coupling efficiency simulated for optical coupling element designs for 50 μm and 150 μm light guides and an approximately 300 μm LED, neglecting the effects of adhesives. The optical coupling element efficiency figures in Table 1 assume that the front face of the LED acts as a Lambertian reflector for any rays which are reflected back onto it. Any absorption by the LED face will reduce the coupling efficiency with the optical coupling element from the values shown.
Table 2 illustrates the alignment sensitivity of the optical coupling element 602 for one embodiment of the invention. The sensitivity of the coupling efficiency to different spatial misalignments between the LED and the optical coupling element 602 has been assessed in simulation. It is assumed the LED emits light at the boundary of the package, and there in a nominal 5 μm air gap between the LED emissive surface and the optical coupling element 602 when the two components are aligned.
The coupling efficiency does not appear to be very sensitive to tilts but is strongly affected by displacements in the vertical and longitudinal directions. The displacements corresponding to a reduction in efficiency by a factor of 0.8 are smaller than in the direct coupled case, in at least one embodiment of the invention. However, the optical coupling element and LED hole 601 can act as a datum feature, and the alignment tolerance is likely to be easier to achieve (this assumes the PCB 604 has some flexibility to slight changes in LED position). To maintain efficiency within 80% of the maximum value the displacements should likely be kept within the limits shown in Table 2, at least for one embodiment of the invention.
In operation, light exits the LED 705 and enters a face on the optical coupling element 702. Once the light has entered the optical coupling element 702, from an optical perspective, the connection between the optical coupling element 702 and the light guide (e.g., the lightguide 603 shown in
Light which does not reach the lightguide directly in this way instead hits one of the reflecting surfaces of the optical coupling element 702 (see, the discussion of reflecting surfaces shown in
The optical coupling element 902 is typically adhered to the lightguide 903 using an index matching optical adhesive or with a solvent that creates a bond between these components. The optical adhesive may be easy to employ in manufacturing. Similarly, there is likely to be adhesive between the LED 905 and the optical coupling element 902. The adhesive will likely be pressed in place and then cured. Alternatively, there may be a small air gap between the light source and the optical coupling element 902.
Graph 1 below illustrates how the coupling efficiency degrades with refractive index mismatch for an embodiment of the invention having adhesive thicknesses of 5 μm and 25 μm.
Thus, the adhesive employed should have the same (or at least a similar) refractive index as the material (e.g., polycarbonate) employed in the lightguide 903 and the optical coupling element 902. The inventors have observed that conventional adhesives and manufacturing processes appear to be somewhat tunable to a given material. In any event overall performance of the frontlight 900 will be improved the closer the refractive indices of the adhesives employed match the materials of the lightguide 902 and the optical coupling element 902.
In this example,
While the embodiments described herein are in the context of the e-paper tablet system 210, it is noted that the principles may apply to other touch sensitive devices. In those contexts, the machine of
The example computer system 1200 includes one or more processors 1202 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), one or more graphics processing units (GPU), one or more digital signal processors (DSP), one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), or any combination of these), a main memory 1204, and a static memory 1206, which are configured to communicate with each other via a bus 1208. The computer system 1200 may further include visual display interface 1210. The visual interface may include a software driver that enables displaying user interfaces on a screen (or display). The visual interface may display user interfaces directly (e.g., on the screen) or indirectly on a surface, window, or the like (e.g., via a visual projection unit). For ease of discussion the visual interface may be described as a screen. The visual interface 1210 may include or may interface with a touch enabled screen, e.g., of the e-paper tablet system 210 and may be associated with the display system 330. The computer system 1200 may also include an input device 1212 (e.g., a pen-stylus, a keyboard or touch screen keyboard), a cursor control device 1214 (e.g., a mouse, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointing instrument), a storage unit 1216, a signal generation device 1218 (e.g., a speaker), and a network interface device 1220, which also are configured to communicate via the bus 1208.
The storage unit 1216 includes a machine-readable medium 1222 on which is stored (or encoded) instructions 1224 (e.g., software) embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 1224 (e.g., software) may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 1204 or within the processor 1202 (e.g., within a processor's cache memory) during execution thereof by the computer system 1200, the main memory 1204 and the processor 1202 also constituting machine-readable media. The instructions 1224 (e.g., software) may be transmitted or received over a network 1226 via the network interface device 1220.
While machine-readable medium 1222 is shown in an example embodiment to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, or associated caches and servers) able to store instructions (e.g., instructions 1224). The term “machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing instructions (e.g., instructions 1224) for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies disclosed herein. The term “machine-readable medium” includes, but not be limited to, data repositories in the form of solid-state memories, optical media, and magnetic media.
The computer system 1200 also may include the one or more sensors 1225. Also note that a computing device may include only a subset of the components illustrated and described with
This disclosed configuration provides additional precision and options for users as they go about erasing portions of drawings on an e-paper tablet. This should improve the efficiency of users interacting with e-paper tablets while also enabling them with more precise functional capabilities.
It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the present disclosure have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the present disclosure, while eliminating, for the purpose of clarity, many other elements found in a typical system. Those of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that other elements and/or steps are desirable and/or required in implementing the present disclosure. However, because such elements and steps are well known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present disclosure, a discussion of such elements and steps is not provided herein. The disclosure herein is directed to all such variations and modifications to such elements and methods known to those skilled in the art.
Some portions of above description describe the embodiments in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on information. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are commonly used by those skilled in the data processing arts to convey the substance of their work effectively to others skilled in the art. These operations, while described functionally, computationally, or logically, are understood to be implemented by computer programs or equivalent electrical circuits, microcode, or the like. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient at times, to refer to these arrangements of operations as engines, without loss of generality. The described operations and their associated engines may be embodied in software, firmware, hardware, or any combinations thereof.
As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).
In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the invention. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.
While particular embodiments and applications have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are not limited to the precise construction and components disclosed herein. Various modifications, changes, and variations, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the method and apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope defined in the appended claims.
