We’re increasingly finding new ways to consolidate all manner of components into the already feature-packed chassis of modern notebooks. Projectors certainly aren’t a new addition to the list of devices ripe for inclusion, but until now, a portable and to be frank, not-ugly design, has eluded manufacturers. That’s until ASUS came up with this intriguing approach.
You just put it into the hinge. “Anti-skid” strips placed strategically on the long outer edges of the keyboard and screen prevent the notebook from shifting and you can adjust the height by opening or closing the notebook more.
Easy as.
Patent Bolt notes the projector itself would be powered by “liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) projection module” or the more typical “digital light processing projection module (DLP)”, Sadly, no further details are provided. The patent itself popped up earlier this year, but was filled about a year ago.
This isn’t the ASUS’s first go around; it presented an unsightly attempt at the fusion back in 2008 at Computex. As you can guess, it didn’t really set the world — or even a nearby wall — on fire. Apple’s also investigated the possibility, but we’ve yet to see a product. (To be fair, ASUS hasn’t produced one either.)
It makes perfect sense really, so much so it’s surprising no one’s struck upon the idea until now. If someone has, well, they certainly didn’t file a patent for it.
[Patent Bolt, via Lilputing]