US 12140998

US Patent 12140998 (US12140998B2) is titled "Flexible display computing devices".

• Assignee: Lepton Computing LLC
• Inventor: Stephen E. Delaporte
• Filing Date: May 22, 2023 (for application US18/200,266)
• Issue Date: November 12, 2024

Abstract:
The patent describes reconfigurable touch screen computing devices with folding designs that incorporate flexible displays made of segments. These devices can transition from a compact, folded state, roughly the size of a handheld phone (with integrated speaker and microphone), to an expanded state, approximately the size of a tablet computer. Both states feature a touch screen display on the front and a protective housing on the back. The devices include sensors to detect the configuration state, as well as mechanisms for folding, alignment, and structural support. Magnets are used to lock the devices in either the folded or unfolded position. A processing module, containing the processor, memory, and communication system, is located within at least one segment and is usable in both states.

Plain-language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1: This claim describes a reconfigurable computing device. It includes multiple display segments, each with a touch screen on the front and a protective housing on the back, connected by a flexible circuit. A processing module (containing a processor, memory, and communications system) is located in at least one segment. The device also has sensors to detect its configuration state. The display segments can switch between a compact phone-sized state and an expanded tablet-sized state. Crucially, the content displayed on the touch screen automatically rescales based on which state the device is in.

• Independent Claim 12: This claim outlines a method for reconfiguring such a computing device. The method involves sensors detecting the device's configuration state (compact or expanded). Based on this detection, the content on the touch screen is rescaled. If the device is in the compact (phone-sized) state, the content is shown on a single screen. If it's in the expanded (tablet-sized) state, the content is displayed across multiple screens.

• Independent Claim 15: This claim describes a reconfigurable computing device featuring a flexible display made of multiple touch screen segments. It includes a processing module within at least one segment (with a processor, memory, and communications system). A key aspect is the presence of alignment mechanisms that connect and lock adjacent touch screen segments when the device is either folded or unfolded. The flexible display can be reconfigured between a folded, phone-sized state and an unfolded, tablet-sized state, with a graphical user interface facilitating the smooth transition of content between these states.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
As of April 26, 2026, there is no information readily available in the CAFC 2026 dockets for US Patent 12140998. Litigation has been filed concerning this patent in the Texas Eastern District Court (case 2:26-cv-00338), but this is a district court case, and it is unlikely to have reached the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) in 2026 given its recent filing.