U.S. patent application number 15/177660 was filed with the patent office on 2017-12-14 for dynamic display adjustment on a transparent flexible display.
The applicant listed for this patent is International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Gopal K. Bhageria, Vijay Ekambaram, Sarbajit K. Rakshit.
Application Number | 20170358252 15/177660 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 60572969 |
Filed Date | 2017-12-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170358252 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bhageria; Gopal K. ; et
al. |
December 14, 2017 |
DYNAMIC DISPLAY ADJUSTMENT ON A TRANSPARENT FLEXIBLE DISPLAY
Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, computer
program product, and a computer system for recommending one or more
bend locations on a flexible display. According to one embodiment,
the display is flexible and transparent, and the display includes
at least one sensor. A set of data is received from the at least
one sensor. Based on the received set of data the system detects
whether, ambient light is reflected off the display at an angle
directed at a first user. The system then determines a bend line
location, wherein the bend line is a location to bend the display
to obstruct reflected light from reaching the first user and sends
an alert to the first user identifying the bend line location.
Inventors: |
Bhageria; Gopal K.;
(Kolkata, IN) ; Ekambaram; Vijay; (Chennai,
IN) ; Rakshit; Sarbajit K.; (Kolkata, IN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
International Business Machines Corporation |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
60572969 |
Appl. No.: |
15/177660 |
Filed: |
June 9, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09G 2340/0464 20130101;
G06F 3/013 20130101; G06F 21/00 20130101; G09G 2360/144 20130101;
G06F 3/0484 20130101; G06F 21/84 20130101; G06F 2203/04803
20130101; G06F 1/1652 20130101; G09G 2380/02 20130101; G09G 3/2003
20130101; G06F 21/6245 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G09G 3/20 20060101
G09G003/20; G06F 1/16 20060101 G06F001/16; G06F 3/01 20060101
G06F003/01 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: providing a display, wherein the display is
flexible and transparent, and wherein the display includes at least
one sensor; receiving, by one or more processors, a set of data
from the at least one sensor; detecting, by one or more processors,
from the received set of data that ambient light is reflected off
the display and at an angle directed at a first user; determining,
by one or more processors, a bend line location, wherein the bend
line is a location to bend the display to obstruct reflected light
from reaching the first user; and sending, by one or more
processors, an alert to the first user identifying the bend line
location.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting, by one or
more processors, that a second user is viewing the display, based
in part on a received second set of data; and responsive to
detecting the second user is viewing the display, determining, by
one or more processors, a bend line location which obstructs the
second user from viewing the display.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the bend line location comprises
two or more bend line locations on the display.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: activating, by one or
more processors, an electroactive polymer strip, wherein activating
the electroactive polymer strip automatically bends the display
along the determined bend line location at a determined angle and
magnitude.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting, by one or
more processors, the display is bent along the determined bend line
location; and adjusting, by one or more processors, a level of
transparency on the display, based on the ambient light, wherein a
first portion of the display is a first transparency level and a
second portion of the display is a second transparency level.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: adjusting, by one or
more processors, content on the display to fit within a non-bent
portion of the display, wherein the non-bent portion of the display
comprises a portion of the display other than the location of the
bend line.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: adjusting, by one or
more processors, color contrast on the display based on the measure
of the ambient light, wherein a first portion of the display is a
first color and a second portion of the display is a second
color.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of data from the at least
one sensor comprises at least one of: a viewing angle of the first
user relative to the display; and a distance between the first user
and the display.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert to the first user as to
the bend line location comprises at least one of: visual feedback,
audio feedback, and haptic feedback.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, the bend line
location, comprises: a location of the bend line, a direction of
the bend, a duration of the bend, and a radius of the bend
line.
11. A computer program product comprising: program instructions to
provide a display, wherein the display is flexible and transparent,
and wherein the display includes at least one sensor; program
instructions to receive a set of data from the at least one sensor;
program instructions to detect from the received set of data that
ambient light is reflected off the display and at an angle directed
at a first user; program instructions to determine a bend line
location, wherein the bend line is a location to bend the display
to obstruct reflected light from reaching the first user; and
program instructions to send an alert to the first user identifying
the bend line location.
12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:
program instructions to detect that a second user is viewing the
display, based in part on a received second set of data; and
responsive to detecting the second user is viewing the display,
program instructions to determine a bend line location which
obstructs the second user from viewing the display.
13. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:
program instructions to activate an electroactive polymer strip,
wherein activating the electroactive polymer strip automatically
bends the display along the determined bend line location at a
determined angle and magnitude.
14. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:
program instructions to detect the display is bent along the
determined bend line location; and program instructions to adjust a
level of transparency on the display, based on the ambient light,
wherein a first portion of the display is a first transparency
level and a second portion of the display is a second transparency
level.
15. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:
program instructions to adjust content on the display to fit within
a non-bent portion of the display, wherein the non-bent portion of
the display comprises a portion of the display other than the
location of the bend line.
16. A computer system comprising: one or more computer processors;
one or more computer readable storage media; program instructions
stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for
execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the
program instructions comprising: program instructions to provide a
display, wherein the display is flexible and transparent, and
wherein the display includes at least one sensor; program
instructions to receive a set of data from the at least one sensor;
program instructions to detect from the received set of data that
ambient light is reflected off the display and at an angle directed
at a first user; program instructions to determine a bend line
location, wherein the bend line is a location to bend the display
to obstruct reflected light from reaching the first user; and
program instructions to send an alert to the first user identifying
the bend line location.
17. The computer system of claim 16, further comprising: program
instructions to detect that a second user is viewing the display,
based in part on a received second set of data; and responsive to
detecting the second user is viewing the display, program
instructions to determine a bend line location which obstructs the
second user from viewing the display.
18. The computer system of claim 16, further comprising: program
instructions to activate an electroactive polymer strip, wherein
activating the electroactive polymer strip automatically bends the
display along the determined bend line location at a determined
angle and magnitude.
19. The computer system of claim 16, further comprising: program
instructions to detect the display is bent along the determined
bend line location; and program instructions to adjust a level of
transparency on the display, based on the ambient light, wherein a
first portion of the display is a first transparency level and a
second portion of the display is a second transparency level.
20. The computer system of claim 16, further comprising: program
instructions to adjust content on the display to fit within a
non-bent portion of the display, wherein the non-bent portion of
the display comprises a portion of the display other than the
location of the bend line.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of
displaying content, and more particularly to adjusting a
transparent and flexible display to improve readability.
[0002] Transparent and flexible display screens are becoming more
widespread. Many devices such as laptops, tablets, portable gaming
consoles, TV's and mobile phones are utilizing such display
screens. Devices which utilize a transparent display provide a user
with the ability to view content on the display while maintaining a
transparent nature. Further transparent and flexible displays allow
a user to (1) bend and fold a display screen at different locations
as well as (2) see what is on the display screen while still being
able to see through the screen. Due to the transparent nature of
such a devices, content on the display may become difficult to read
in certain lighting conditions.
SUMMARY
[0003] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a
method for recommending one or more bend lines in a flexible
display is provided. The method may include: providing a display,
wherein the display is flexible and transparent, and wherein the
display includes at least one sensor; receiving, by one or more
processors, a set of data from the at least one sensor; detecting,
by one or more processors, from the received set of data that
ambient light is reflected off the display at an angle directed at
a first user; determining, by one or more processors, a bend line
location, wherein the bend line is a location to bend the display
to obstruct reflected light from reaching the first user; and
sending, by one or more processors, an alert to the first user
identifying the bend line location.
[0004] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a
computer program product for recommending one or more bend lines in
a flexible display, based on the method described above.
[0005] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a
computer system for recommending one or more bend lines in a
flexible display, based on the method described above
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a computing device,
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0007] FIG. 2 depicts flowchart 200, illustrating operational steps
for determining and recommending an optimal bending line on a
flexible display device, in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention;
[0008] FIGS. 3A & 3B depict a prospective view and a cross
sectional view, respectively, of a transparent flexible display,
displaying content with light reflecting off the transparent
flexible display, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0009] FIG. 3C depicts a transparent flexible display displaying an
exemplary recommended bending line, in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0010] FIGS. 3D & 3E depict a prospective view and a cross
sectional view, respectively, of a transparent flexible display,
bending along a bending line, in accordance with an embodiment of
the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 4 depicts a transparent flexible display, preserving
privacy, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
and
[0012] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the internal and external
components of a computer system, in accordance with an embodiment
of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] Transparent display devices allow a user to see what is
shown on the display screen while still being able to see through
the screen. Transparent displays can be used in many places like,
the window of a house and mobile devices. The level of transparency
of transparent displays can be changed programmatically, thereby
allowing a transparent display to be changed from opaque to
transparent, and any level of translucency between. When a
transparent display is used for displaying text, or images in
bright light then a user may have difficulty reading the content,
as a reflection of light may create difficulty in seeing/reading
the content.
[0014] Flexible display screens allow a user to bend, fold, and/or
roll the display screen. A transparent flexible display has a
flexible transparent structure such that the display is comprised
of elements of a transparent flexible material. For example, when
the substrate is made of a polymer material such as a plastic
having a transparent nature, coupled with a transparent organic
light emitting substance, the display will have a transparent
flexible appearance.
[0015] The transparent flexible display is bendable and can be
deformed by a force applied externally or by various internally
configuration. In one scenario, a flexible display may be bent by
an external force applied by a human. Alternatively, and/or
additionally, bending the transparent flexible display, may be
implement automatically by internal components. Regardless of the
method of bending a transparent flexible display, the display can
be manipulated into various shapes and/or contorted positions. For
example, a flexible display can be folded on top of itself, bent,
crooked, twisted, rolled like a scroll, and the like, all while
maintaining display characteristics and its structural and
electro-mechanical characteristics.
[0016] A transparent flexible display may be implemented with
devices, such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a portable
multimedia player, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet PC,
a navigation system, or wearable technology, such as a smart watch.
Similarly, a transparent flexible display may be implemented with a
stationary display device, such as a monitor, TV, or a kiosk
display.
[0017] Embodiments of the present invention provides systems and
methods for dynamically adjusting the content readability of a
transparent display during bright light, as well as if there is
light reflecting off the display.
[0018] Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and
methods for dynamically adjusting the content readability of a
transparent display by recommending a bending line on the display
to bend the transparent flexible display to reduce glare from a
bright source of light. After the display screen is bent, the
screen may also adjust the (i) content, (ii) color scheme, and/or
(iii) transparency of the screen to improve its readability. For
example the font size, font color, and screen color may change to
restrict the surrounding light. Similar changes (i.e., font size,
font color, and screen color may change) may be acted upon to
accommodate external brightness.
[0019] The present invention will now be described in detail with
reference to the Figures. Reference is now made to FIG. 1. FIG. 1
depicts a functional block diagram illustrating a computing device,
generally designated 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention. Modifications to computing device 100 may be
made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope
of the invention as recited by the claims. In an exemplary
embodiment, computing device 100 includes one or more processor(s)
110, memory 120, transparent flexible display 130 (hereinafter
referred to as display 130), and sensor data analyzing module 140.
Computing device 100 may be any electronic device capable of being
implemented with a transparent flexible display, including, but not
limited to, personal data organizers, handheld gaming platforms,
cameras, mobile devices, and tablets.
[0020] Memory 120 includes information repository 122 and bend
recommendation program 124. Memory 120 may include any suitable
volatile or non-volatile computer readable storage media, and may
include random access memory (RAM) and cache memory (not depicted
in FIG. 1). Bend recommendation program 124 may be stored in a
persistent storage component (not depicted) for execution and/or
access by one or more of processor(s) 110 via one or more memories
of memory 120. Alternatively, or in addition to a magnetic hard
disk drive, the persistent storage component can include a solid
state hard drive, a semiconductor storage device, read-only memory
(ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash
memory, or any other computer readable storage media that is
capable of storing program instructions or digital information.
[0021] Information repository 122 is a repository for data received
from sensors 132. Information repository 122 stores the received
sensor data from a bend in a device display, including display bend
lines, bend radii, bend angles, bend durations, and bend
frequencies, as well as, the pre-determined device bending
thresholds.
[0022] Bend recommendation program 124 recommends an ideal bending
line on the display to reduce and/or eliminate glare when the
display is bent. Bend recommendation program 124 may analyze
received data from sensors 132 to determine a bending line across
display 130. Bend recommendation program 124 may identify the users
viewing direction and angle of view through sensors 132. Further,
bend recommendation program 124 may also identify the direction and
quantity of light reflecting off the display through sensors 132.
Bend recommendation program 124 may then correlate the users
viewing direction with the direction of light to determine the
extent and location of light reflecting off display 130 at the
user. Bend recommendation program 124 may display on display 130 a
recommended bending line for a user to bend display 130 to reduce
and/or remove glare. Utilizing various sensors, bend recommendation
program 124, may instruct display 130 to become opaque stopping
light from directly falling on display 130 when displaying
content.
[0023] Further, bend recommendation program 124 may utilize sensor
data from either information repository 122 or sensors 132, and
dynamically adjust the content on display 130 to enhance a user's
ability to see and easily view the displayed content. For example,
bend recommendation program 124 may analyze sensor data and
extrapolate data to determine an appropriate adjustment of content
on display 130. Bend recommendation program 124 may receive data
about a bend in a display, analyze the data and then adjust the
screen content accordingly for the best visibility to the user. For
example, content may be readjusted to accommodate a smaller display
size. For instance, content that would have been displayed on the
bent portion of display 130 may be moved to the non-bent portion of
display 130. Bend recommendation program 124 evaluates if display
130 is unreadable due to the bend in display 130. If any portion of
the display is covered, or bent at an angle unreadable to user,
bend recommendation program 124 may determine a new effective
display screen and accordingly adjust the displayed content to fit
the content on the display.
[0024] Additionally, bend recommendation program 124 may also
adjust the level of transparency of the bent portion of display
130. By adjusting the level of transparency, bend recommendation
program 124 restricts incoming light, thereby further improving the
user's readability of display 130. Additionally, and/or
alternatively, multiple portions of display 130 can be changed to a
dark shade thereby limiting the level of transparency.
[0025] Bend recommendation program 124 may determine an ideal bend
location to reduce and/or eliminate glare by displaying a line on
display 130 whereby the user manually bends the display.
Alternatively, and/or additionally, bend recommendation program 124
may determine an ideal bend location to reduce and/or eliminate
glare and automatically bend at the recommended bend line through
electroactive polymer (EAP) strips. For example, after identifying
the ideal line location, bend recommendation program 124 may apply
an appropriate electric field to EAP strips thereby bending display
130 at the determined location and at a determined amount. It is
noted that FIGS. 3A-3E depict display 130 bending in one direction,
however, bend recommendation program 124 may recommend bending in
any direction, or recommend multiple bends in one or more
directions, in order to reduce and/or eliminate glare.
[0026] Display 130 includes sensors 132 and feedback module 134.
Display 130 is a graphical user interface, capable of displaying
images (such as a still image or a moving image) generated by
computing device 100. Display 130 is a display including a flexible
substrate. For example, display 130 may be composed of any suitable
flexible display, such as an organic light-emitting diode (OLED)
display. The flexible characteristic allows for a free curving
movement of display 130. Display 130 is also a transparent
substrate. Display 130 may include touch-sensing capabilities. The
content displayed on display 130 may include, but is not limited
to: text, images, and videos. Additionally, properties of display
130 can vary between different devices, based on the size, shape,
curvature, bendability, foldability and the like. In an exemplary
embodiment, display 130 is entirely flexible. In an alternative
embodiment, display 130 is bendable in only certain directions. In
an alternative embodiment display 130 comprises at least one
bendable display region and at least one non-bendable display
region. Display 130 may have EAP strips built-into its
substrate.
[0027] Sensors 132 are installed in the registers (not depicted in
FIG. 1) of display 130 and are configured to detect (i) a viewing
angle of the user; (ii) a viewing direction of the user; (iii) an
amount of light reflecting off display 130; (iv) a received
direction of light reflecting off display 130; (v) a curved state
of display 130; (vi) an angle of view of a second user viewing
display 130; (vii) a direction of view of a second user viewing
display 130. Sensors 132 detect information about viewing angle(s)
and direction(s) of at least one user viewing display 130. Sensors
132 detect information about viewing angle(s) and direction(s) of
light which may reflect off of display 130 at user(s). Sensors 132
detect information about viewing angle(s) and direction(s) of a
second user viewing display 130 without a user's permission.
Sensors 132 detect information about where the display is bent
including: the direction, the bending, and radius, among other
information. Sensors 132 may be any sensor technology known in the
art with the ability to detect and identify the number of user(s),
viewing angle(s) of each user, and viewing direction of each user
in respect to display 130. For example, sensors 132 may correspond
to a plurality of sensors such as cameras, infrared sensors,
thermal sensors, and the like. Sensors 132 may be any sensor
technology known in the art with the ability to detect any bend and
corresponding information in the display screen, such as pressure
sensors, bending/stress sensors, accelerometers, strain gauges, and
the like. Sensors 132 may also include sensors which can determine
the angular position of display 130. For example sensors 132 may
also include motion sensors, angular position sensors, linear
position sensors, gyroscopes, etc. Sensors 132 may be any sensor
technology known in the art with the ability to detect and measure
external illumination and light, such as photo sensors,
illumination sensors, and the like.
[0028] Feedback module 134 communicates to a user on display 130
indicating where display 130 should be bent to reduce and/or
eliminate glare. Feedback module 134 may include visual, audio,
and/or haptic feedback sensors to display and/or transmit an alert
to a user where and how much display 130 is to be bent. For
example, feedback module 134 may display a line across display 130
indicating a user is to bend the display at the indicated location
to reduce glare.
[0029] Sensor data analyzing module 140 analyzes sensor data
accessed from sensors 132 and/or information repository 122 to
extrapolate data, along with the display manufacturer
specifications and/or thresholds. It is noted, that embodiment 100
depicts sensor data analyzing module 140 for explanatory purposes
only, in other embodiments (not shown) sensor data analyzing module
140 may be integrated with bend recommendation program 124.
[0030] FIG. 2 depicts a flowchart illustrating the operational
steps for determining and recommending an optimal bending line on a
flexible display device, in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0031] Prior to step 210, bend recommendation program 124 may
receive an indication initiate bend recommendation program 124
(i.e., button, gesture, predetermined movement of display 130,
automatic detection of glare, etc.). For instance, if a user of
computing device 100 finds difficulty in viewing content on display
130, the user may trigger the bend recommendation program 124.
Alternatively, bend recommendation program 124 may upon detecting a
glare and/or light reflecting off of display 130, automatically
activate to determine an ideal bend line location to improve
readability.
[0032] In step 210, bend recommendation program 124 receives sensor
data from sensors 132, information repository 122 and/or sensor
data analyzing module 140. In an embodiment, bend recommendation
program 124 may receive and identify a user's viewing direction as
well as the direction and amount of light through sensors 132. In
an embodiment, bend recommendation program 124 may receive and
identify a user's viewing direction as well as the direction and
amount of light by analyzing data within information repository 122
by sensor data analyzing module 140. Thereafter, bend
recommendation program 124 receives such information from sensor
data analyzing module 140.
[0033] In step 220, bend recommendation program 124 analyzes the
received sensor data, and determines the location of the
recommended bending line. Bend recommendation program 124 analyzes
the (i) direction of light, (ii) viewing direction, in order to
determine the location of a bending line, to reduce and/or
eliminate glare on display 130. Bend recommendation program 124 may
determine if the incoming light is reflecting towards a user's eye.
If it is determined that incoming light is reflecting towards the
user's eye, then bend recommendation program 124 may determine a
location to bend display to prevent reflection of light towards the
user's eyes. For example, bend recommendation program 124 will
determine a bending line to improve the readability of display 130
by considering the direction of incoming light and the user's
viewing direction.
[0034] In an exemplary embodiment, sensors 132 include one or more
cameras as well as illumination sensors installed on display 130.
Cameras (Sensors 132) installed on display 130 may track a user's
eye direction as well as a user's viewing direction. Cameras may be
used to detect facial direction as well as the angle between the
facial plane and display 130 surface plane. Similarly, illumination
sensors (Sensors 132) installed on display 130 may track the
direction, intensity and amount of light on display 130. The
illumination sensors may allow bend recommendation program 124 to
determine the direction of the incoming light as well as the
direction of the reflected light. Therefore, based on the exemplary
sensors 132, bend recommendation program 124 may determine if the
incoming light is reflecting off display 130's surface towards the
user's eye.
[0035] In an exemplary embodiment, bend recommendation program 124
may analyze the amount, and angle of incoming light as well as
analyze the direction the user is viewing display 130. Thereafter,
bend recommendation program 124 may determine if the incoming light
is being reflected off of display 130 and directed towards a user's
eye(s), based on the (i) analyzed incoming light; (ii) user
direction; and (iii) the dimensions of display 130. Upon bend
recommendation program 124 determining the incoming light is
reflected off of display 130 towards the user's eye(s), bend
recommendation program 124 may determine a location to bend display
130 to block and/or reduce light reflecting towards the user.
[0036] In an exemplary embodiment, bend recommendation program 124
may utilize facial recognition software. Facial recognition
software may identify a person from sensors 132. For example,
facial recognition software may detect if a person is squinting due
to light reflecting off of display 130. Alternatively, and/or
additionally, facial recognition software may detect if a person is
struggling to read the content on display 130. In the previous
example, bend recommendation program 124 may automatically analyze
the incoming light and the user's direction, to determine if light
is reflecting off of display 130 towards the user's eye.
[0037] In step 230 bend recommendation program 124 instructs the
user as to the location of the recommendation bend of display 130
to prevent and/or minimize incoming light reflecting off of the
display. For example, bend recommendation program 124 may display a
recommended bend line on display 130 in consideration of the
direction of incoming light and the user's viewing direction (see
step 220). The user may then bend the display along the recommended
line.
[0038] Alternatively, in step 230, if display 130 comprises EAP
strips, bend recommendation program 124 may automatically bend
itself at the determined location. For example, bend recommendation
program 124 may automatically bend display 130 at the determined
location (per step 220) by electronically deforming EAP strip (or
other known means in the art) fixed at the backside of computing
device 100, thereby bending display 130 at the recommended line,
independent of a user's action.
[0039] Generally, EAP strips may change size or shape when
stimulated by an electric field. Thereby, bend recommendation
program 124 may accurately control the location, direction and
degree of a bend in display 130 by simply activating and
controlling the intensity of an electric field.
[0040] In step 240, bend recommendation program 124 may adjust
various aspects of display 130 to further improve the readability
of content. One aspect bend recommendation program 124 may adjust
is the level of transparency of a portion of the display. For
example, bend recommendation program 124 may turn the bent portion
of display 130 opaque to restrict incoming light, allowing the user
to read the content more easily. Bend recommendation program 124
may control the level of transparency of the bent portion of
display 130 limiting incoming light. Accordingly, the bent portion
of display 130 will be a determined dimmable level of opaque, thus
blocking and/or absorbing incoming light. Further, the bent portion
may provide a shadow on display 130, further providing improved
content readability. For example, once display 130 is bent on the
determined bend line, the level of transparency of the bent portion
of display 130 will be changed to restrict incoming light, thereby
improving the user's readability during bright light.
[0041] Bend recommendation program 124, may adjust the color
contrast of display 130 to improve readability of content. For
example, bend recommendation program 124 may determine an
appropriate color contrast to display content on display 130. Based
on sensors 132, bend recommendation program 124 may determine a
content specific contrast to improve readability on display 130.
For example, content may be displayed in dark portion with
appropriate color contrast for text based on ambient and incoming
light, in relation to the user's viewing angle. Alternatively,
and/or additionally, a user may predefine a preferred contrast
setting to be activated upon bending display 130.
[0042] Further, bend recommendation program 124 may determine the
remaining portion of display 130, and then adjust the content
within the remaining portion of display 130. The remaining portion
of display 130 may be known as the effective display, as it is the
portion of display 130 viewable to a user, after a bend is made.
Bend recommendation program 124 may realign content on the
transparent flexible display, based upon a detected bend in the
display, if the bend obstructs or covers a portion of content. In
an exemplary embodiment, content may be re-aligned, shifted, and/or
adjusted on display 130, adapting to the bend or curvature of the
device to enable easy readability of content on display 130.
Further, bend recommendation program 124 may analyze the current
information and content depicted on display 130, including, but not
limited to, font, alignment, and images. Thereafter, to accommodate
the new effective viewing area of display 130, bend recommendation
program 124, may reduce and/or realign any text, images, video,
etc.
[0043] Following step 240, in an embodiment, sensors 132 may become
inactive to preserve battery life. In an alternative embodiment,
sensors 132 will remain active in order to automatically analyze
the readability of the content on display 130.
[0044] Reference is now made to FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D and 3E. FIGS.
3A & 3B depict a perspective view and a cross sectional view,
respectively, of a transparent flexible display, displaying content
with light reflecting off the transparent flexible display. FIG. 3C
depicts a transparent flexible display, with a recommended bending
line. FIGS. 3D & 3E depict a perspective view and a cross
sectional view, respectively, of a transparent flexible display,
bending along a bending line.
[0045] FIG. 3A depicts environment 300A, portraying how reflection
and/or glare from a light source may create difficulty for a user
while reading any content in transparent display. It is noted, that
device 310 is not bent, therefore, incoming light 320 reflects off
device 310 into user's eye 330. Similarly. FIG. 3B portrays a cross
sectional view device 310 of FIG. 3A. Direct incoming light 320,
from a light source (not shown) reflects off device 310 altering
its angle and thereby reflecting light 325 into a user's eye 330.
Device 310 is a transparent flexible display similar to that of
computing device 100. Device 310 displays content 315. Reflected
light 325 may cause difficulty for user eye 330 to see the content
315 on device 310.
[0046] FIG. 3C depicts step 230, whereby bend recommendation
program 124 recommends a bending line 340 to restrict incoming
light 320. Per step 220, bend recommendation program 124, analyzes
the direction and angle of incoming light 320, as well as viewing
direction and angle of user 330, to determine and recommend bend
line 340 to restrict incoming light 320. In an exemplary
embodiment, bend recommendation program 124 may recommend the
location of bend line 340 to block incoming light 320 and prevent
reflected light 325.
[0047] FIG. 3D portrays device 310 bent along bend line 340 in
order to restrict incoming light 320. Similarly, FIG. 3E, portrays
a cross sectional of device 310 of FIG. 3D. FIGS. 3D and 3E may be
bent manually, for example, by a user or may be bent automatically
by EAP strips. The bent portion of display 345, may be opaque (per
step 240) in order to restrict incoming light 320. It is noted that
in FIG. 3E, incoming light 320 is significantly reduced and/or
eliminated as depicted by line 322 as from device 310 to user's eye
330. In one exemplary embodiment content may be shifted to fit on
be on bent portion of display 345. In one exemplary embodiment,
bent portion of display 345 may display content. In this scenario,
content 315 may be dynamically changed to maintain readability
ease. For example, bent portion of display 345 background may be
black with white text. It is noted that in FIG. 3E device 310' is
the original location of device 310, above bend line 340, prior to
becoming bent portion of display 345. When incoming light 320, is
no longer an issue, bent portion of display 345 may be laid flat,
over 310', whereby device 310 is flat again.
[0048] Reference is now made to FIG. 4 depicting another embodiment
of the present invention. FIG. 4 depicts a transparent flexible
display, preserving privacy, in accordance with an embodiment of
the present invention. In an exemplary embodiment, FIG. 4 portrays
a transparent flexible display detecting and thereby preventing an
intruder from viewing the screen. Utilizing sensors 132, bend
recommendation program 124 (or sensor data analyzing module 140)
may determine eye vector 420 (the line of sight) of intruder 430.
In this scenario, bend recommendation program 124 may suggest an
appropriate bend line 440 and block readability of the display from
intruder 430. For example, an embodiment may, detect an intruder by
comparing the eye-vector 420 of intruder 430 to that of user's
viewing direction (not shown), and determine that intruder 430 is
viewing content 415. Bend recommendation program 124 may then
activate and prevent intruders from viewing content 415 on device
410. Based on eye-vector of intruder 430 capture, appropriate bend
line(s) 440 could be generated similar to the aforementioned bend
lines to restrict incoming light (similar to step 230). Thereafter,
device 410 may be manually bent along bend line and/or
automatically bent along bend line 440, using, for example, EAP
strips. Thereafter bent portion 445 of device 410 may become opaque
thereby preventing intruder 430 from viewing content 415.
[0049] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of internal and external
components of a computer system 500, of FIG. 1, in accordance with
an embodiment of the present invention. It should be appreciated
that FIG. 5 provides only an illustration of one implementation and
does not imply any limitations with regard to the environments in
which different embodiments may be implemented. In general, the
components illustrated in FIG. 5 are representative of any
electronic device capable of executing machine-readable program
instructions. Examples of computer systems, environments, and/or
configurations that may be represented by the components
illustrated in FIG. 5 include, but are not limited to, personal
computer systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thick
clients, laptop computer systems, wearable computing devices,
tablet computer systems, cellular telephones (e.g., smart phones),
multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, network PCs,
minicomputer systems, mainframe computer systems, and distributed
cloud computing environments that include any of the above systems
or devices.
[0050] Computer system 500 includes communications fabric 502,
which provides for communications between one or more processors
504, memory 506, persistent storage 508, communications unit 512,
and one or more input/output (I/O) interfaces 514. Communications
fabric 502 can be implemented with any architecture designed for
passing data and/or control information between processors (such as
microprocessors, communications and network processors, etc.),
system memory, peripheral devices, and any other hardware
components within a system. For example, communications fabric 502
can be implemented with one or more buses.
[0051] Memory 506 and persistent storage 508 are computer readable
storage media. In this embodiment, memory 506 includes random
access memory (RAM) 516 and cache memory 518. In general, memory
506 can include any suitable volatile or non-volatile computer
readable storage media. Software (e.g., bend recommendation program
124) is stored in persistent storage 508 for execution and/or
access by one or more of the respective processors 504 via one or
more memories of memory 506.
[0052] Persistent storage 508 may include, for example, a plurality
of magnetic hard disk drives. Alternatively, or in addition to
magnetic hard disk drives, persistent storage 508 can include one
or more solid state hard drives, semiconductor storage devices,
read-only memories (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memories
(EPROM), flash memories, or any other computer-readable storage
media that is capable of storing program instructions or digital
information.
[0053] The media used by persistent storage 508 can also be
removable. For example, a removable hard drive can be used for
persistent storage 508. Other examples include optical and magnetic
disks, thumb drives, and smart cards that are inserted into a drive
for transfer onto another computer readable storage medium that is
also part of persistent storage 508.
[0054] Communications unit 512 provides for communications with
other computer systems or devices via a network. In this exemplary
embodiment, communications unit 512 includes network adapters or
interfaces such as a TCP/IP adapter cards, wireless Wi-Fi interface
cards, or 3G or 4G wireless interface cards or other wired or
wireless communication links. The network can comprise, for
example, copper wires, optical fibers, wireless transmission,
routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge
servers. Software and data used to practice embodiments of the
present invention can be downloaded to through communications unit
512 (e.g., via the Internet, a local area network or other wide
area network). From communications unit 512, the software and data
can be loaded onto persistent storage 508.
[0055] One or more I/O interfaces 514 allow for input and output of
data with other devices that may be connected to computer system
500. For example, I/O interface 514 can provide a connection to one
or more external devices 520 such as a keyboard, computer mouse,
touch screen, virtual keyboard, touch pad, pointing device, or
other human interface devices. External devices 520 can also
include portable computer readable storage media such as, for
example, thumb drives, portable optical or magnetic disks, and
memory cards. I/O interface 514 also connects to display 522.
[0056] Display 522 provides a mechanism to display data to a user
and can be, for example, a computer monitor. Display 522 can also
be an incorporated display and may function as a touch screen, such
as a built-in display of a tablet computer.
[0057] The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a
computer program product. The computer program product may include
a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer
readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to
carry out aspects of the present invention.
[0058] The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible
device that can retain and store instructions for use by an
instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium
may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage
device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an
electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or
any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of
more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium
includes the following: 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 static
random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only
memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a
floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or
raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon,
and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable
storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being
transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely
propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves
propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g.,
light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical
signals transmitted through a wire.
[0059] Computer readable program instructions described herein can
be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a
computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or
external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a
local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network.
The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical
transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls,
switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter
card or network interface in each computing/processing device
receives computer readable program instructions from the network
and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage
in a computer readable storage medium within the respective
computing/processing device.
[0060] Computer readable program instructions for carrying out
operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions,
instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine
instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware
instructions, state-setting data, or either source code or object
code written in any combination of one or more programming
languages, including an object oriented programming language such
as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural
programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or
similar programming languages. The computer readable program
instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on
the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on
the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on
the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote
computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type
of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area
network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external
computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet
Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry
including, for example, programmable logic circuitry,
field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays
(PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by
utilizing state information of the computer readable program
instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to
perform aspects of the present invention.
[0061] Aspects of the present invention are described herein with
reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of
methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products
according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood
that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block
diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations
and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable
program instructions.
[0062] These computer readable program instructions may be provided
to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose
computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to
produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via
the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts
specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in
a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a
programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to
function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable
storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an
article of manufacture including instructions which implement
aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block
diagram block or blocks.
[0063] The computer readable program instructions may also be
loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing
apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps
to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or
other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that
the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable
apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified
in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0064] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate
the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible
implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products
according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this
regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent
a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one
or more executable instructions for implementing the specified
logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the
functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in
the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in
fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may
sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the
functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of
the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations
of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can
be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that
perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations
of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
[0065] The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present
invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are
not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments
disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to
those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope
and spirit of the invention. The terminology used herein was chosen
to best explain the principles of the embodiment, the practical
application or technical improvement over technologies found in the
marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to
understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
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