`US008965449B2
`
`c12) United States Patent
`Alvarez Rivera et al.
`
`(IO) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 8,965,449 B2
`Feb.24,2015
`
`(54) DEVICES AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING
`ACCESS TO INTERNAL COMPONENT
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Felix Jose Alvarez Rivera, San Jose, CA
`(US); Richard Hung Minh Dinh,
`Cupertino, CA (US); Scott A. Myers,
`San Francisco, CA (US)
`
`(73) Assignee: Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`7,215,881 B2
`7,447,772 B2
`2007/0255961 Al*
`
`5/2007 Borngraber et al.
`11/2008 Natsuno et al.
`11/2007 Tracyetal .................... 713/186
`(Continued)
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`10/2007
`1850205
`7 /1999
`20-1999-0025961
`(Continued)
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Sep. 26,
`2012, PCT/US2012/031663, 18 pages.
`(Continued)
`
`John J Lee
`Primary Examiner -
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm - Brownstein Hyatt Farber
`Schreck, LLP
`
`ABSTRACT
`(57)
`Systems, methods, and devices are disclosed for applying
`concealment of components of an electronic device. In one
`embodiment, an electronic device may include a component
`that is disposed behind a window configured to selectively
`become transparent or opaque, such as a polymer-dispersed
`liquid crystal (PLDC) window. The component includes an
`image capture device, a strobe flash, a biometric sensor, a
`light sensor, a proximity sensor, or a solar panel, or a combi(cid:173)
`nation thereof. Additionally, the electronic device includes
`data processing circuitry configured to determine when an
`event requesting that the component be exposed occurs. Fur(cid:173)
`thermore, the electronic device includes a window controller
`that may control the window to become transparent, to expose
`the component upon the occurrence of the event requesting
`that the component be exposed.
`
`18 Claims, 13 Drawing Sheets
`
`,......-36
`
`,......-36
`
`( *) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term ofthis
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 812 days.
`
`EP
`KR
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 13/082,118
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Apr. 7, 2011
`
`(65)
`
`(51)
`
`(52)
`
`(58)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`
`US 2012/0258773 Al
`
`Oct. 11, 2012
`
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2013.01)
`(2013.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2009.01)
`
`Int. Cl.
`H04M 1100
`G06F 1116
`G06F 21132
`G06F 21183
`H04L29/06
`H04W 12/06
`U.S. Cl.
`CPC .............. G06F 111656 (2013.01); G06F 21132
`(2013.01); G06F 21183 (2013.01); G06F
`1/1684 (2013.01); H04L 63/0861 (2013.01);
`H04W 12/06 (2013.01); G06F 2221/2101
`(2013.01)
`USPC ..................... 455/552.1; 455/566; 455/556.2;
`455/550.1
`
`Field of Classification Search
`CPC .......................... H04W 12/00; G06K 9/00006
`USPC ............. 455/556.1, 556.2, 550.1, 566, 552.1,
`455/410, 411,414.1, 418; 370/329, 401;
`345/58, 82,522,589,173, 6,629
`See application file for complete search history.
`
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`
`US 8,965,449 B2
`Page 2
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`WO
`WO
`
`WO 02/103504
`WO 2008/030976
`
`12/2002
`3/2008
`
`2008/0266773 Al* 10/2008 Szolyga et al.
`2009/0273562 Al
`11/2009 Baliga et al.
`2010/0066928 Al
`3/2010 Pelfrey
`
`............... 361/683
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`Korean Office Action dated Sep. 26, 2014, KR 10-2013-7028335, 14
`pages.
`
`KR
`
`10-2003-0014946
`
`2/2003
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`IPR2019-01011 Page 00002
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`Sheet 6 of 13
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`US 8,965,449 B2
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`1
`DEVICES AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING
`ACCESS TO INTERNAL COMPONENT
`
`BACKGROUND
`
`2
`event associated with the component, a window controller
`may make transparent, or "open," the window to expose the
`component. To provide one example, such an event may
`occur when a feature of the electronic device requests expo-
`5 sure of concealed components. For example, when an image
`capture application of the electronic device is not in use, an
`image capture device and/or associated strobe may remain
`hidden behind an electronic window in the enclosure of the
`electronic device. Upon detecting this request, the window
`10 controller may open the window, causing the image capture
`device and/or the associated strobe to suddenly appear from
`out of the enclosure.
`Various refinements of the features noted above may exist
`in relation to various aspects of the present disclosure. Further
`features may also be incorporated in these various aspects as
`well. These refinements and additional features may exist
`individually or in any combination. For instance, various
`features discussed below in relation to one or more of the
`illustrated embodiments may be incorporated into any of the
`above-described aspects of the present disclosure alone or in
`any combination. Again, the brief summary presented above
`is intended only to familiarize the reader with certain aspects
`and contexts of embodiments of the present disclosure with(cid:173)
`out limitation to the claimed subject matter.
`
`25
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`Various aspects of this disclosure may be better understood
`upon reading the following detailed description and upon
`reference to the drawings in which:
`FIG.1 is a block diagram of an electronic device capable of
`performing the techniques disclosed herein, in accordance
`with an embodiment;
`FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a handheld device
`representing one embodiment of the electronic device of FIG.
`1;
`
`The present disclosure relates generally to the industrial
`design of an electronic device and, more particularly, to tech(cid:173)
`niques for hiding components of an electronic device behind
`a window, such as a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC)
`window, while such components are not in use.
`This section is intended to introduce the reader to various
`aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the
`present techniques, which are described and/or claimed
`below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing
`the reader with background information to facilitate a better 15
`understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure.
`Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are
`to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
`Electronic devices are becoming more and more sophisti(cid:173)
`cated, capable of performing a multitude of tasks from image 20
`capture to identity verification through biometric sensors.
`Providing increased functionality often involves adding com(cid:173)
`ponents to such electronic devices. However, adding more
`components can lead to a cluttered, unattractive electronic
`device.
`Current techniques for incorporating components into an
`electronic device may be limited by the relative sizes of the
`components and the electronic device. The larger the compo(cid:173)
`nents and the smaller the electronic device, the less spatial
`area there may be to incorporate additional components. For 30
`example, a small electronic device where a large display
`covers most of the face of the electronic device may not allow
`for any additional components, such as a fingerprint reader, to
`be added to the electronic device. Furthermore, under the
`current techniques, adding new components may harm the 35
`aesthetic appeal of the device by cluttering the electronic
`device enclosure, even though these additional components
`may be seldom or never used by many users. An electronic
`device that incorporates multiple components may lose its
`aesthetic appeal when covered by visible components, par- 40
`ticularly as compared to a seamless electronic device where
`very few, if any, components of the electronic device are
`visible.
`
`FIG. 3 is a schematic back view of the handheld device
`illustrated in FIG. 2;
`FIG. 4 is an exploded view representing layers of an elec(cid:173)
`tronic device enclosure capable of concealing a component
`behind a window in the enclosure as disclosed herein, in
`accordance with an embodiment;
`FIG. 5 is an exploded view representing layers of an elec(cid:173)
`tronic display capable of concealing a component behind a
`45 window and transparent display as disclosed herein, in accor(cid:173)
`dance with an embodiment;
`FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment
`of a window selectively configured to be opaque, and thus
`capable of concealing a component as disclosed herein, in
`50 accordance with an embodiment;
`FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the window of
`FIG. 6 selectively configured to be transparent, and thus
`capable of exposing a component as disclosed herein, in
`accordance with an embodiment;
`FIG. 8 is a flow chart describing an embodiment of a
`method for controlling the exposure of a component disposed
`behind a window in the electronic device of FIG. 1;
`FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating image capture
`functionality from a forward facing image capture device,
`60 exposed from behind a window, in accordance with an
`embodiment;
`FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating image capture
`functionality from a rear facing image capture device,
`exposed from behind a window, in accordance with an
`65 embodiment;
`FIG. 11 is a flow chart describing an embodiment of a
`method for authenticating a user of an electronic device by
`
`SUMMARY
`
`A s=ary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is set
`forth below. It should be understood that these aspects are
`presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary
`of these certain embodiments and that these aspects are not
`intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Indeed, this
`disclosure may encompass a variety of aspects that may not
`be set forth below.
`The present disclosure generally relates to techniques for
`concealing components of an electronic device behind a win- 55
`dow that can change between opaque and transparent con(cid:173)
`figurations, such as a polymer dispersed liquid crystal
`(PDLC) window. Since such a window may be hidden behind
`a transparent display or color-matched to seamlessly inte(cid:173)
`grate into an enclosure of the electronic device, the compo(cid:173)
`nents may remain hidden from view while not in use. When
`desired, the electronic device may expose the concealed com(cid:173)
`ponents by causing the electronic window to change opacity,
`allowing the components to suddenly appear as from out of
`nowhere. In accordance with one embodiment, an electronic
`device may include a window with a component of the elec(cid:173)
`tronic device disposed behind the window. Upon detecting an
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`using a biometric sensor component disposed behind a win(cid:173)
`dow in the electronic device of FIG. 1;
`FIGS. 12-14 are schematic diagrams representing pro(cid:173)
`cesses for unlocking an electronic device by authenticating a
`user using a concealed biometric sensor of the electronic
`device of FIG. 1, in accordance with embodiments;
`FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram representing a process for
`authenticating a user of an electronic device, using a con(cid:173)
`cealed biometric sensor, during an e-commerce transaction
`on the electronic device of FIG. 1, in accordance with an
`embodiment; and
`FIG. 16 is a schematic front view of a handheld device
`representing one embodiment of the electronic device of FIG.
`1, illustrating concealment of a display of the handheld 15
`device.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`One or more specific embodiments of the present disclo- 20
`sure will be described below. These described embodiments
`are only examples of the presently disclosed techniques.
`Additionally, in an effort to provide a concise description of
`these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation
`may not be described in the specification. It should be appre(cid:173)
`ciated that in the development of any such actual implemen(cid:173)
`tation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous
`implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve
`the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with sys(cid:173)
`tem-related and business-related constraints, which may vary
`from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be
`appreciated that such a development effort might be complex
`and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine
`undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those
`of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.
`When introducing elements of various embodiments of the
`present disclosure, the articles "a," "an," and "the" are
`intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements.
`The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are
`intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be addi(cid:173)
`tional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it
`should be understood that references to "one embodiment" or
`"an embodiment" of the present disclosure are not intended to
`be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional
`embodiments that also incorporate the recited features.
`The present disclosure generally provides techniques for
`enhancing the functionality and aesthetic appeal of an elec(cid:173)
`tronic device by concealing components of the electronic
`device behind a window (e.g., a PDLC window). To avoid
`cluttering the enclosure of an electronic device with various
`seldom-used components, many different electronic device
`components may be concealed behind one or more window(s)
`in the electronic device. Perhaps most noteworthy are com(cid:173)
`ponents that have traditionally required external exposure to
`light or that emit light. For example, these "visually-depen(cid:173)
`dent components" may include a fingerprint scanner, an
`image capture device, a strobe, a light sensor, a proximity
`sensor, or a solar panel. Each of these components depend on
`light input or output and thus have traditionally had at least a
`visual input or output portion of the component externally
`exposed when incorporated into an electronic device. Using
`the current techniques, these visually-dependent components
`may be configured to be exposed only when desired, and
`otherwise may remain hidden from view. These visually(cid:173)
`dependent components may remain hidden while the window
`is "closed," meaning to be controlled to be substantially
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`US 8,965,449 B2
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`4
`opaque. These components may become exposed when the
`window is "opened," meaning to be controlled to be substan(cid:173)
`tially transparent.
`Disposing components of an electronic device behind a
`5 window may provide an aesthetic benefit to the electronic
`device by allowing the components to remain unseen and
`hidden behind the window until access to the component is
`desired, creating a more seamless electronic device. Further(cid:173)
`more, the current techniques provide for exposure of compo-
`10 nents behind a transparent display of the electronic device,
`providing aesthetic value by allowing exposure to the com(cid:173)
`ponent from areas that a user would traditionally not expect,
`such as behind an electronic device display. Moreover, by
`increasing the potential areas where a component may be
`disposed, it may be possible to add additional components to
`an electronic device that otherwise would not fit.
`With the foregoing in mind, a general description of suit-
`able electronic devices for performing the presently disclosed
`techniques is provided below. In particular, FIG. 1 is a block
`diagram depicting various components that may be present in
`an electronic device suitable for use with the present tech-
`niques. FIGS. 2 and 3 represent one example of a suitable
`electronic device, which may be, as illustrated, a handheld
`electronic device having component concealment capabili-
`25 ties.
`Turning first to FIG. 1, an electronic device 10 for perform(cid:173)
`ing the presently disclosed techniques may include, among
`other things, one or more processors 12, memory 14, non(cid:173)
`volatile storage 16, a display 18, image capture device(s) 20,
`30 a window controller 22, one or more window(s) 24, an I/O
`interface 26, a network interface 28, input structures 30, a
`strobe 32, and a biometric sensor 34 (e.g., a fingerprint
`reader). As will be discussed further below, the window con(cid:173)
`troller 22 may be configured to open a window 24 disposed
`35 above certain of these components, such as image capture
`device(s) 20, a strobe 32, and/or a biometric sensor 34. The
`various functional blocks shown in FIG. 1 may include hard(cid:173)
`ware elements (including circuitry), software elements (in(cid:173)
`cluding computer code stored on a computer-readable
`40 medium) or a combination of both hardware and software
`elements. Further, FIG. 1 is only one example of a particular
`implementation and is merely intended to illustrate the types
`of components that may be present in the electronic device 10.
`Before continuing, it should be understood that the system
`45 block diagram of the electronic device 10 shown in FIG. 1 is
`intended to be a high-level control diagram depicting various
`components that may be included in such an electronic device
`10. That is, the illustrated connection lines between each
`individual component shown in FIG. 1 may not necessarily
`50 represent paths or directions through which data flows or is
`transmitted between various components of the electronic
`device 10. Indeed, as discussed below,
`the depicted
`processor( s) 12 may, in some embodiments, include multiple
`processors, such as a main processor (e.g., CPU), and dedi-
`55 cated image and/or video processors.
`The processor(s) 12 and/or other data processing circuitry
`may be operably coupled with the memory 14 and the non(cid:173)
`volatile storage 16 to perform various algorithms for carrying
`out the presently disclosed techniques. Such programs or
`60 instructions executed by the processor( s) 12 may be stored in
`any suitable manufacture that includes one or more tangible,
`computer-readable media at least collectively storing the
`instructions or routines, such as the memory 14 and the non(cid:173)
`volatile storage 16. In example, non-volatile storage 16 may
`65 include ROM, CD-ROM, or RAM. Also, programs (e.g., an
`operating system) encoded on such memory 14 or non-vola(cid:173)
`tile storage 16 may also include instructions that may be
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`executed by the processor(s) 12 to enable the electronic
`device 10 to provide various functionalities, including those
`described herein.
`The display 18 may be a touch-screen display that may
`enable users to interact with a graphical user interface of the 5
`electronic device 10. The display 18 may be any suitable type
`of display, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma
`display, or a transparent organic light emitting diode (OLED)
`display, for example. The I/O interface 26 may enable the
`electronic device 10 to interface with various other electronic 10
`devices, as may the network interface 28. The network inter(cid:173)
`face 28 may include, for example, an interface for a personal
`area network (PAN), such as a Bluetooth network, for a local
`area network (LAN), such as an 802.1 lx Wi-Fi network,
`and/or for a wide area network (WAN), such as a 3G or 4G 15
`cellular network.
`The image capture device(s) 20 may include a digital cam(cid:173)
`era configured to acquire still and/or moving images (e.g.,
`video). The image capture device(s) 20 may include a lens
`and one or more image sensors configured to capture and 20
`convert light into electrical signals. By way of example, the
`image sensor may include a CMOS image sensor ( e.g., a
`CMOS active-pixel sensor (APS)) or a CCD ( charge-coupled
`device) sensor. Generally, the image sensor in the image
`capture device( s) 20 may include an integrated circuit having 25
`an array of pixels, wherein each pixel includes a photodetec-
`tor for sensing light from an image scene. The functionality of
`the image capture device(s) 20 may be enhanced by the use of
`a strobe 32. The strobe 32 may include a light emitting diode
`(LED) light source configured to illuminate the subject of the 30
`image capture device(s) 20.
`The biometric sensor 34, such as a fingerprint reader, may
`be configured to take an optical scan of a subject and compare
`the scanned image to a stored image. The stored image data
`may be retrieved from the memory 14 and/or non-volatile 35
`storage 16. Based on the scan by the biometric sensor 34, the
`electronic device 10 may verify the identity of the user. Iden(cid:173)
`tity verification may provide a more secure electronic pur(cid:173)
`chase method as well as a more secure unlocking method for
`the electronic device 10.
`Rather than clutter the electronic device 10, certain com(cid:173)
`ponents such as the image capture device(s) 20, strobe 32, and
`biometric sensor 34 may be disposed behind one or more
`window(s) 24, hidden from view when not in use. The win(cid:173)
`dow(s) 24 may be tailored to any shape or size suitable for
`concealing the underlying components. The window(s) 24,
`when closed, are opaque. When opened, the window(s) 24
`become transparent, exposing these components disposed
`behind the window 24. For example, as shown by a handheld
`device 36 of FIGS. 2 and 3, which represents one embodiment 50
`of the electronic device 10 of FIG. 1, a window 24A may
`conceal the image capture device 20A, a window 24B may
`conceal a biometric sensor 34, a window 24C may conceal an
`image capture device 20B, and a window 24D may conceal a
`strobe 32. These windows 24A, 24B, 24C, and 24D may be 55
`opened only around the components over which they are
`disposed. That is, although the windows 24A, 24B, 24C, and
`24D are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 to be rectangular in shape,
`these windows 24A, 24B, 24C, and 24D may be designed to
`open in a shape corresponding to the components that they 60
`conceal.
`The handheld device 3 6 of FI GS. 2 and 3 may represent, for
`example, a cellular phone, a portable phone, a media player,
`a personal data organizer, a handheld game platform, a tablet
`computer, a notebook computer, or any combination of such 65
`devices. By way of example, the handheld device 36 may be
`a model ofan iPad®, iPod®, iPhone®, or Macbook® avail-
`
`6
`able from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. FIG. 2 depicts the
`front ofhandheld device 36, while FIG. 3 depicts the back of
`handheld device 36.
`The handheld device 36 may include an enclosure 38 to
`protect interior components from physical damage and to
`shield them from electromagnetic interference. The enclo(cid:173)
`sure 38 may include windows 24A and 24B configured to
`conceal components such as an image capture device 20 and
`biometric sensor 34, respectively. By concealing the image
`capture device 20 and the biometric sensor 34 behind the
`enclosure 38, these components may remain unseen when not
`in use. For example, when the image capture device 20 and
`the biometric sensor 34 are not in use, they may be concealed
`by selectively causing the windows 24A and 24B to be
`opaque, or "closed." Since the windows 24A and 24B may be
`color-matched so as to be indistinguishable from the enclo-
`sure 38, the enclosure 38 may appear seamless when the
`windows 24A and 24B are closed. When a concealed com(cid:173)
`ponent is to be in use, such as image capture device 20 and/or
`biometric sensor 34, they may be exposed from beneath the
`enclosure 38 by selectively causing the windows 24A and/or
`24B to become transparent, or "open." Components such as
`the image capture device 20 and the biometric sensor 34 may
`be exposed for as long as desired.
`In some embodiments, components of the handheld device
`36, such as the image capture device 20 and the biometric
`sensor 34, may be selectively exposed when certain compo(cid:173)
`nent-using features of the handheld device 36 are activated.
`By way of example, an image capture feature of the handheld
`device 36, which may employ the image capture device 20,
`may become activated when a user elects to run a camera
`application selectable via a graphical user interface (GUI) 40.
`In general, the GUI 40 may include one or more icons 42 for
`providing access to features of the handheld device 36 (e.g.,
`applications, features of an operating system of the handheld
`device 36, features of firmware of the handheld device 36, and
`so forth). At times during the use of such features, the features
`may utilize components of the handheld device 36 that may
`be hidden behind a window 24 ( e.g., the image capture device
`40 20 hidden behind the window 24A or the biometric sensor 34
`hidden behind the window 24B). Thus, in some embodi(cid:173)
`ments, when the handheld device 36 detects that a feature
`(e.g., a camera application) that is expected to use a hidden
`component (e.g., the image capture device 20) has been
`45 selected via the GUI 40, the window controller 22 of FIG. 1
`may open the associated window 24 (e.g., the window 24A).
`When the handheld device 3 6 detects that the utilization of the
`component (e.g., the image capture device 20) is no longer
`desired by the feature of the handheld device 36 (e.g., the
`camera application is closed), the window controller 22 may
`close the window 24, hiding the component.
`The technique of exposing concealed components is not
`limited to dynamically changing window 24 opacity upon the
`launch of applications within the electronic device 10. For
`example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the back of the handheld
`device 36 may have two windows 24C and 24D disposed
`above an image capture device 20 and a strobe 32, respec(cid:173)
`tively. Other embodiments may include more or fewer win(cid:173)
`dows 24 and corresponding concealed components. Initially,
`the windows 24C and 24D may conceal the image capture
`device 20 and the strobe 32. In one embodiment, the window
`24C disposed above the image capture device 20 may be
`opened by the window controller 22 upon selection of the
`icon 42 of FIG. 2 linking to the camera application. The
`window 24D disposed above the LED strobe 32 may remain
`closed until the camera application determines that increased
`illumination is desired. Upon such a determination, the cam-
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`era application may provide some indication to the window
`controller 22 that the window 24D disposed above the LED
`strobe 32 should be opened. The window controller 22 may
`"open" the window 24D disposed above the LED strobe 32 by
`making the window 24D transparent, exposing the LED 5
`strobe 32 for use. Upon determining that the strobe 32 is no
`longer desired for use, the camera application may provide
`some indication to the window controller 22 that the window
`24D should be c