Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a phone cover and, more specifically, to a phone cover capable of actively providing visual information.

Background

[0002] Typically, a smart phone is unable to effectively provide visual or textual information over a long period of time because of the high power consumption of the screen. Smart phone users also typically have to pay a lot of attention to their phone or accept to receive intrusive notifications in order to stay connected.

[0003] The present invention provides a solution that aims at addressing these shortcomings.

Summary

[0004] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] A first aspect of the present invention is directed to a smart device cover for a smart device comprising a front cover assembly, a secondary display on the front cover assembly, an attachment mechanism for hingely attaching the front cover assembly to the smart device and a data communication interface for receiving data from the smart device, the received data triggering display of an image on the secondary display.

[0006] Optional features include that the secondary display is an Electronic Paper Display (EPD), that the front cover assembly is positioned over a main display of the smart device when the smart device cover is in a closed position and that the received data comprises the image fully rendered for display on the secondary display. [0007] Optionally, the received data may comprise partial information required to render the image for the secondary display. The partial information may yet optionally comprise visual or textual information and instructions to display the image from the memory module of the smart device cover with the visual or textual information.

[0008] The smart device cover may optionally comprise a back cover assembly that comprises the attachment mechanism, the back cover assembly and the front cover assembly being hingely interconnected by a hinge mechanism. The back cover assembly may further replace a back cover of the smart device.

[0009] The smart device cover may further optionally comprise a battery interface, which may draw power from a battery of the smart device. The battery interface may also further comprise a physical connector compatible with external physical connectors of the smart device or internal connectors accessible through a back cover of the smart device. The battery interface may comprise a proximity charging technology. The battery interface may yet also further comprise a secondary battery, which may only be used to compensate for unequal power delivery from the smart device.

[0010] As an additional option, the data communication interface may be a proximity wireless network interface or a wired interface to the smart phone.The data communication interface may be bidirectional.

[0011] Optionally, a position of the front cover assembly relative to the smart device can be obtained. The position may further be sent to the smart device.

[0012] The front cover assembly may comprise the secondary display on the external surface thereof, in which case the internal surface of the front cover assembly may be a fabric surface. The front cover assembly may comprise the secondary display on the internal surface thereof, in which case complementary images may then be displayed on the main display and the secondary display. The main display and the secondary display may yet further extend to one another.

[0013] As an optional feature, the front cover assembly may comprise the secondary display on the external surface thereof and the front cover assembly may also comprise a tertiary display on the internal surface thereof. [0014] The secondary display may also optionally comprise one or more touch sensors. When the secondary screen is on the external surface of the front cover assembly and the internal surface of the front cover assembly, in the closed position, the secondary screen may also optionally replicate received touch patterns into appropriate corresponding signals towards the smart device's main display. The touch patterns received from the secondary display may be used only by the smart device cover or else be relayed to the data communication interface for communication to the smart device.

[0015] The secondary display may be configured to be active when the main display of the smart device is turned off.

[0016] The smart device cover may optionally comprise a memory module for storing parameters used for properly displaying an image on the secondary display. The stored parameters may include wave form and/or common voltage value.

[0017] The memory module may further stores one or more fully rendered image and/or one or more partial image. The received data may comprise limited visual or textual content and only the one or more partial image from the memory module, complemented with the received data, may be allowed to be displayed on the secondary display.

[0018] The smart device cover may also optionally comprise a processing module for rendering the image for display on the secondary display. The received data may also comprise a partially rendered image, in which case the processing module completes the rendering of the image for display on the secondary display based on the partially rendered image.

[0019] Optionally, the attachment mechanism may comprise a lateral cover assembly that provides a complementary shape in relation to a lateral side of the smart device. Abattery interface may be provided through the lateral cover assembly.

[0020] A second aspect of the present invention is directed to a method for providing a smart device cover to a smart device. The method performed at the smart device cover comprises, pairing with the smart device, receiving at least partial data from the smart device destined to be displayed or to trigger display of an image on a secondary display of the smart device cover, processing the received data into a suitable rendered image for the secondary display and displaying the rendered image on the secondary display. [0021] Optionally, pairing with the smart device may be performed prior to or following attachment of the smart device cover to the smart device.

[0022] The method may optionally further comprise receiving a touch pattern in relation to the displayed image and processing the received touch pattern at the smart device cover and/or sending the touch pattern from the smart device cover to the smart device for processing.

[0023] A third aspect of the present invention is directed to a smart device cover for a smart device comprising a data communication module, a processor module and a secondary display. The data communication module is for pairing with the smart device and receiving at least partial data from the smart device destined to be displayed or to trigger display of an image on a secondary display of the smart device cover. The processor module is for processing the received data into a suitable rendered image for display on the secondary display, The secondary display displays the image in response to the reception of the data from the smart device.

[0024] Optionally, pairing may be performed prior to or following attachment of the smart device cover to the smart device.

[0025] The smart device cover may further comprise a touch sensor module that receives a touch pattern in relation to the displayed image. The processor module may further processes the received touch pattern and /or the data communication module may further send the touch pattern to the smart device for processing.

Brief description of the drawings [0026] Further features and exemplary advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

[0027] Figures 1A, IB and 1C, referred to together as Figure 1, are perspective views of an exemplary smart device cover in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a further exemplary smart device cover in accordance with the teachings of the present invention; [0029] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a further exemplary smart device cover in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a further exemplary smart device cover in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a further exemplary smart device cover in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 is a perspective view of a further exemplary smart device cover in accordance with the teachings of the present invention; and

[0033] Figure 7 is a flow chart of an exemplary method in accordance with the teachings of the present invention; and

[0034] Figure 8 is a modular representation of an exemplary cover in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

Detailed description

[0035] It is possible to provide a dual-display device with a regular display screen on one side of the device and a second display screen such an electronic paper display (EPD), e.g., on the opposite side of the device. The second display screen may be used to provide full display content while still maintaining a lower power consumption. The second display screen may be also provide basic display functionality when the device is not being used and may further enable some additional content to be displayed with minor current consumption. The limited availability of dual-display devices at the present time makes a solution targeting the conventional smart phones desirable. At least some of the advantages provided by the dual- display device may be made available in the context of conventional smart phones or smart devices through the present invention.

[0036] In the context of the present description, a smart device is a portable electronic device with at least one screen and that is capable of receiving notifications over a network connection. For instance, a smart device could be a computer tablet or a mobile phone which may further be equipped with one or more touch sensors. The present invention, while skilled persons will readily acknowledged that it may be adapted to various contexts, is particularly suitable in the context of bar-type (mono block) smart devices. [0037] The present invention is directed to a smart device cover (also referred to hereinafter as cover) that can attach to a smart device to provide a secondary display. The smart device cover, once attached to the smart device, is hingely operable thereover. In a closed position, the secondary display is positioned over the main display of the smart device and may therefore provide protection of the main display. In the opened position, the smart device's main display is accessible. The secondary display is typically an electronic paper display (EPD) that provides the exemplary advantage of consuming less energy than some other display technologies, such as liquid crystal display (LCD) or Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED). The smart device cover may further comprise one or more dedicated touch sensor. The smart device cover provides a data communication interface to receive information to present one or more images on the secondary display. The data communication interface may be unidirectional (e.g., from smart device to cover) or bidirectional (e.g., provides information from the cover to the smart device). For instance, the data communication interface may receive a fully rendered image for display on the secondary display. The data communication interface may also receive partial information required to render the image for the secondary display. For instance, the partial information may comprise instructions to display an image pre-stored in a memory of the smart device cover with other visual or textual information.

[0038] The smart device cover may provide some exemplary advantages that, depending on the embodiment, may include at least some of the expected advantages of a secondary EPD display over a conventional smart device. The EPD display may provide a lower power consumption compared to the main display of the smart device and the EPD display may also provide better user experience in bright light conditions when compared to the main display of the smart device. Other possible advantages of the smart device cover may include the possibility of using the smart device conventionally once the smart device cover is detached and usual advantages of protection the smart device and allowing customizing of the appearance of the smart device.

[0039] Reference is now made to the drawings, in which Figure 1 A, Figure IB and Figure 1C (concurrently referred to as Figure 1) show an exemplary smart device cover 100 in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. In the example of Figure 1 , a back cover assembly 1, a data communication interface 2, a hinge mechanism 3, a front cover assembly 4, a secondary display 5 and a smart device 6 are shown. The smart device cover 100 further comprises an attachment mechamsm (not shown), a memory module (not shown) and a processor module (not shown).

[0040] The back cover assembly 1 may be adapted to replace a back cover of the smart device 6. The back cover assembly 1 may further comprise a battery interface (not shown) that may further draw power from a battery of the smart device 6. For instance, the battery interface may comprise a physical connector (not shown) compatible with external physical connectors of the smart device or internal connectors accessible through the back cover. The battery interface may also be based on proximity charging technology and/or may also comprise a secondary battery (not shown). The secondary battery may only be meant to compensate for unequal power delivery from the smart device 6.

[0041] The data communication interface 2 allows the smart device cover 100 to receive data from the smart device 6 and, in some further embodiment, may also allow the smart device cover 100 to send data to the smart device 6. The data communication interface 2 may be a proximity wireless network interface, based on technologies such as Near Filed Communication (NFC) or Bluetooth®, or may also comprise a physical connector (not shown). In a further embodiment, the physical connector for the data communication interface 2 and the physical connector of the back cover assembly 1 may be shared (i.e., a single physical connector for both purposes). In the example of Figure 1, the data communication interface 2 is shown located on the back cover assembly. Skilled persons will recognize that the data communication interface 2 may located elsewhere on the smart device cover 100, depending, for instance, on type of interface used and size of hardware components, wiring optimization, etc.

[0042] The exemplary hinge mechanism 3 is shown as a continuous band of flexible material between the back cover assembly 1 and the front cover assembly 4. Skilled persons will readily acknowledge that other types of hinge mechanism could be used without affecting the teachings of the present invention. The hinge mechanism 3 may further be able to detect a relative position of the front cover assembly 4 and the back cover assembly 1 of the smart device cover 100 (e.g., an approximate angle measure, closed position indication, opened position indication, currently closing, currently opening, etc.). The relative position may be used by the smart device cover 100 itself (e.g., to affect what is displayed on the secondary display 5) and may further be relayed to the data communication interface 2 for communication to the smart device 6. [0043] The front cover assembly 4 is illustrated as also comprising the secondary display 5. The internal surface (i.e., facing the smart device 6) of the front cover assembly 4 may present a fabric surface for avoiding damages to the display of the smart device 6. In the example of Figure 1, the external surface of the front cover assembly 4 comprises the secondary display 5. The secondary display 5, as mentioned previously, may be based on EPD technology. In a specific embodiment, the secondary display 5 may comprise one or more touch sensors and the internal surface may yet further, in the closed position, replicate touch patterns received from the secondary display 5 into appropriate corresponding signals towards the smart device 6. The touch patterns received from the secondary display 5 may be used by the smart device cover 100 itself (e.g., to affect what is displayed on the secondary display 5) and may further be relayed to the data communication interface 2 for communication to the smart device 6. The secondary display 5 of the smart cover 100 may be configured to be active when the main display of the smart device 6 is turned off, which may allow application(s) and/or service(s) executing on the smart device to have information displayed without activating its main display.

[0044] A tertiary display (not shown) may also be provided on the internal surface of the front cover assembly 4. The tertiary display may also be based on EPD technology. For instance, the optional position detection of the hinge mechanism 3 may further be used to activated / deactivate the relevant one of the secondary display and tertiary display.

[0045] The attachment mechanism (not shown) may be provided as part of the back cover assembly 1 , especially in the exemplary situation where the back cover the smart device 6 is replaced therewith. The attachment mechanism may further be magnetic or mechanical (e.g., smart device cover 100 can be snapped, clipped or otherwise attached to the smart device 6 or, more specifically, the back cover assembly may snap or clip on the back portion of the smart device 6 or otherwise adapted for fitting into the back cover aperture on the smart device 6).

[0046] The memory module (not shown) is used to store parameters required for properly displaying an image on the secondary display 5. Examples of the stored parameters may include wave form and common voltage value. In some embodiment, the memory module may also be used to store one or more fully rendered image and/or one or more partial image. The partial images (or image representations) may be particularly useful in the context of controlled notifications by which only a limited set of representations would be allowed to be displayed on the secondary display 5. [0047] The processor module (not shown) implements the functions of a secondary display driver required to render the image for display on the secondary display 5. The secondary display driver may be fully integrated in the smart device cover 100 or may also further be shared between the smart device 6 and the smart device cover 5 (e.g., some preprocessing performed by the smart device 6 completed by the smart device cover 100).

[0048] Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a further exemplary smart device cover 200 in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. In comparison to the smart device cover 100, the smart device cover 200 presents a hinge mechanism 3 A that is located on the short axis of the smart device 6. Other elements of the smart device cover 200 (e.g., 1A, 4A and 5A) are adapted accordingly. Skilled persons will recognize that the teachings related to the smart device cover 100 are readily portable to the smart device cover 200.

[0049] Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a further exemplary smart device cover 300 in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. In comparison to the smart device cover 200, the smart device cover 300 presents a secondary display 5B on the internal surface of the front cover assembly 4B. Other elements of the smart device cover 300 (e.g., IB, 3B, 4B) are adapted accordingly. Skilled persons will recognize that the teachings related to the smart device covers 100 and 200 are readily portable to the smart device cover 300. The position of the secondary display 5B on the internal surface of the front cover assembly 4B provides for different use cases of the smart device cover 300. For instance, both the main display of the smart device 6 and the secondary display 5B are available at once, which allows, for instance, complementary images to be displayed thereon and/or for the displays to extend to one another.

[0050] Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a further exemplary smart device cover 400 in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. In comparison to the smart device cover 100, the smart device cover 400 shows a secondary display 5C on the internal surface of the front cover assembly 4C. Other elements of the smart device cover 400 (e.g., 1C, 3C) are adapted accordingly. Skilled persons will recognize that the teachings related to the smart device covers 100, 200 and 300 are readily portable to the smart device cover 400.

[0051] Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a further exemplary smart device cover 500 in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. In comparison to the smart device cover 100, the smart device cover 500 presents a lateral cover assembly ID in lieu of a back cover assembly and a secondary display 5D on the internal surface of the front cover assembly 4D. The battery interface provided through the back cover assembly is provided, mutatis mutandis, through the lateral cover assembly ID. The secondary display 5D may also be provided on the external surface of the front cover assembly 4D. The lateral cover assembly ID is shown with a complementary shape in relation to a lateral side of the smart device 6 acting as an attachment mechanism 7D. The attachment mechanism 7D may be a magnetic or mechanical mechanism. Other elements of the smart device cover 500 (e.g., 3D) are adapted accordingly. Skilled persons will recognize that the teachings related to the smart device covers 100, 200, 300 and 400 are readily portable to the smart device cover 500.

[0052] Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a further exemplary smart device cover 600 in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. In comparison to the smart device cover 200, the smart device cover 600 presents a lateral cover assembly IE in lieu of a back cover assembly. The secondary display 5E may also be provided on the external surface of the front cover assembly 4E. The lateral cover assembly IE is shown with a complementary shape in relation to a lateral side of the smart device 6 acting as an attachment mechanism 7E. The attachment mechanism 7E may be a magnetic or mechanical mechanism. Other elements of the smart device cover 600 (e.g., 3E) are adapted accordingly. Skilled persons will recognize that the teachings related to the smart device covers 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 are readily portable to the smart device cover 600.

[0053] Figure 7 shows a flow chart of an exemplary method 700 in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. The method 700 begins with a first step 710 of pairing the smart device cover with the smart device, which could be performed prior of following attachment thereto. The method 700 then follows with the step 720 of receiving at least partial data from the smart device destined to be displayed or to trigger display of an image on the secondary display of the smart device cover. The smart device cover then processes the received data 730 into a suitable rendered image for the secondary display and displays the rendered image 740 accordingly. A touch pattern may thereafter be received 750 in relation to the displayed image from step 740. The received touch pattern may then further be sent 760 to the smart device in order, for instance, to be further processed thereby. Additional processing may also take place in the smart device cover itself, in addition or in replacement for the smart device's processing.

[0054] Figure 8 shows a modular representation of an exemplary cover 800 in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. The cover 800 comprises a data communication module 840, a processor module 810, a memory module 820 and a secondary display 850. The secondary display 850 may further be associated with an optional touch sensor module 855. The cover 800 acts in accordance with the teachings as previously introduced in relation to the smart device covers 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600. Dotted arrows indicate optional data flows while solid lines indicate expected data flows, even though the expected data flows are not mandatory in all aspects of the present invention.

[0055J The processor module 810 may represent a single processor with one or more processor cores or an array of processors, each comprising one or more processor cores. The memory module 820 may comprise various types of memory (different standardized or kinds of Random Access Memory (RAM) modules, memory cards, Read-Only Memory (ROM) modules, programmable ROM, etc.). The data communication interface module 840 represents at least one physical interface that can be used to communicate with the smart device. The data communication interface module 840 may be made visible to the other modules of the cover 800 through one or more logical interfaces. The actual stacks of protocols used by the physical network interface(s) and/or logical network interface(s) of the data communication interface module 840 do not affect the teachings of the present invention. The variants of processor module 810, memory module 820 and data communication interface module 840 usable in the context of the present invention will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art. Likewise, even though explicit mentions of the memory module 820 and/or the processor module 810 are not made throughout the description of the present examples, persons skilled in the art will readily recognize that such modules are used in conjunction with other modules of the cover 800 to perform routine as well as innovative steps related to the present invention.

[0056] A method is generally conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. These steps require physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It is convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, parameters, items, elements, objects, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. It should be noted, however, that all of these terms and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities.

[0057] The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiments were chosen to explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention in order to implement various embodiments with various modifications as might be suited to other contemplated uses.