IP Library Granted Patent US 12706036
Granted Patent B2
US 12706036 · App. 17/377,198 · Granted Aug 11, 2026

Devices and methods for providing access to internal component

Inventors: Benjamin Mark Rappoport (Santa Barbara, CA); Christopher J. Stringer (Woodside, CA); Fletcher R. Rothkopf (Los Altos, CA); Jeremy C. Franklin (San Francisco, CA); John Patrick Ternus (Los Altos Hills, CA); Julian Hoenig (Lisbon, PT); Richard P. Howarth (San Francisco, CA); Scott Andrew Myers (Saratoga, CA); Stephen Brian Lynch (Portola Valley, CA)
G09G3/3225G06F3/0481G06F3/0412G06F2203/04804G09G2300/0456G09G2300/046G09G2320/0626G09G2320/0686G09G2330/022G09G2354/00G09G2360/14G09G2360/144H10K59/40
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12706036
App. No.
17/377,198
Granted
Aug 11, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

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 display (e.g., a transparent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display) that is configured to selectively become transparent at certain transparency regions. Additionally, the electronic device includes data processing circuitry configured to determine when an event requesting that the component be exposed occurs. The data processing circuitry may control portions of the display to become transparent, to expose the component upon the occurrence of the event requesting that the component be exposed.

Claims (13)

1 . An electronic device comprising:

a display having a substrate, a polarizer, and an array of pixels on the substrate, wherein the array of pixels includes a first group of pixels and a second group of pixels and wherein the polarizer has a gap overlapping the first group of pixels;

a light sensor behind the display that detects light through an active area of the display, wherein the first group of pixels is interposed between the gap of the polarizer and the light sensor and is configured to emit light through the gap; and

processing circuitry that selectively controls the first group of pixels to generate a transparent region that overlaps the light sensor while the second group of pixels displays an image.

2 . The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the light sensor comprises a proximity sensor.

3 . The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the light sensor comprises a camera.

4 . The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the transparent region includes a portion of the array of pixels that is not emitting light.

5 . The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the array of pixels is configured to display an image that hides the light sensor from view.

6 . The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the light sensor is located behind the substrate.

7 . The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to generate the transparent region in response to touch input on the display.

8 . The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the array of pixels comprises organic light-emitting diode pixels.

9 . The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the gap overlaps the light sensor.

10 . The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the polarizer comprises a circular polarizer.