The US Patent & Trademark Office published today a patent application filled by Google. This application reveals their invention relating to an eBook Reader with Dual E-Ink Displays & Camera. This ebook was designed to ensure superior refresh rate, and will also allow users to connect a keyboard or a mouse to run other apps.
As we known an e-book device often incorporate electronic-ink display technology, which facilitate portability, readability in bright sunlight and a long battery life. Unfortunately, displays based on electronic-ink technology can have slow refresh rates.
This eBook Reader invention submitted by Google relates to a device with dual E-Ink display, with the 2nd display configured to reflect ambient light to create a desired image. It can also include an accelerometer. The electronic ink technology used on these 2 displays could include a variety of technologies such as Gyricon electronic paper, that includes polyethylene spheres.
These displays could be based on Electro-wetting display (EWD) technology, which is based on controlling the shape of a confined water/oil interface by an applied voltage. When there is no voltage applied, the oil can form a film between the water and a hydrophobic, insulating coating of an electrode, resulting in a colored pixel.
Google also notes that a mode module (shown in patent FIG. 5 above) may be configured to trigger deactivation of the first electronic-ink display in response to an indicator that the computing device has changed from a flipping mode to a non-flipping mode. In this way both e-ink displays are refreshed in an alternating fashion when the computing device is in the flipping mode. This Google eBook Reader will be able to work with a keyboard or a mouse.
