# US 8,539,705 B2 · Crossfold electronic device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,539,705 B2 - Document ID: US8539705B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/190,720 - Filed: 2008-08-13 - Published: 2010-02-18 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2008-08-13 - Applicants: Edward Bullister - Inventors: Edward Bullister - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8539705B2 ## CPC - G06F 1/1641: {the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components (G06F1/1647 takes precedence)} - G06F 1/1615: {with several enclosures having relative motions, each enclosure supporting at least one I/O or computing function (constructional details of portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts H04M1/0206)} - G06F 1/1616: {with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position} - G06F 1/1622: {with enclosures rotating around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define or with ball-joint coupling, e.g. PDA with display enclosure orientation changeable between portrait and landscape by rotation with respect to a coplanar body enclosure} - G06F 1/165: {the additional display being small, e.g. for presenting status information} - G06F 1/1652: {the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable} - G06F 1/1666: {Arrangements for reducing the size of the integrated keyboard for transport, e.g. foldable keyboards, keyboards with collapsible keys (G06F1/1664 takes precedence)} - G06F 1/1679: {for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA (G06F1/1681 takes precedence)} - G06F 1/1683: {for the transmission of signal or power between the different housings, e.g. details of wired or wireless communication, passage of cabling} - G06F 1/169: {the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes (G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033)} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A computing device with a keyboard and display is configurable to fold from a compact and protective pocket sized closed configuration to other computing configurations. An embodiment of the device includes dispersed or interspersed hinge mechanisms to enable a cross folding mechanism to configure the device to multiple configurations using only simple hinges. An embodiment of the device further unfolds to a fully flat configuration supported by interspersed feet. Keys of reduced aspect ratio can reduce the footprint of a folded device without reducing the key's sideways spacing. A rotating input pad can supplement the keyboard input without increasing the footprint of the folded pocked sized configuration. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A transformable display device, comprising: a. a first display module; b. a second display module; c. a third display module; d. a fourth display module; e. a first hinge connecting said first and second display modules, said first hinge having at least two axially spaced apart rotatable components; f. a second hinge connecting said first and third modules; g. a third hinge connecting said second and fourth modules; and i. a fourth hinge connecting said third and fourth display modules, said fourth hinge having at least two axially spaced apart rotatable components; wherein, when said first, second, third and fourth display modules are in a collapsed configuration, said at least two rotatable components of the first hinge are positioned between the rotatable components of the fourth hinge. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1 wherein said first hinge includes at least two spaced apart rotatable components. ### Claim 3 A transformable display device, comprising: a. a first display module; b. a second display module; c. a third display module; d. a fourth display module; e. a first hinge connecting said first and second display modules; f. a second hinge connecting said first and third modules; g. a third hinge connecting said second and fourth modules; and h. an alignment mechanism for aligning said third and fourth modules; wherein said alignment mechanism facilitates engagement and disengagement of said third and fourth modules without an elastic material spanning said alignment mechanism, wherein the device: a. is expandable in a cross-fold manner in which the hinge mechanisms locally align the third and fourth displays to ensure that the alignment mechanism engagement is properly started, and b. is collapsible such that the cross-folding of the first hinge causes disengagement and separation of the alignment mechanism. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The device of claim 3 wherein said alignment mechanism permits separation of said third and fourth modules and said third and fourth modules have no direct connection along an edge of the third and fourth modules in a collapsed condition. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The device of claim 3 wherein said alignment mechanism comprises a first mating surface on the third module that can engage with a second mating surface on the fourth module. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The device of claim 5 wherein said alignment mechanism comprises a tongue-in-groove interface. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The device of claim 3 that is expandable to an extended configuration in which the four modules are in an adjacent coplanar configuration and collapsible to a collapsed configuration in which the four modules are in a stacked parallel configuration. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The device of claim 3 wherein the alignment mechanism comprises a tongue-in-groove mechanism and wherein the alignment mechanism engagement comprises a tongue-in-groove mechanism engagement.