EMBEDDED KEYBOARD POINTING DEVICE WITH KEYBOARD UNIT AND INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20010011998A1
• Filed: 07/31/1998
• Published: 08/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: TAKAHASHI, TOMOYUKI, YAMADA, SATORU, AGATA, HIROAKI, YAMAZAKI, KAZUHIKO
• Application Number:
  US09/127,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20010011998A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: 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
• CPC Class Codes: 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

Abstract

An embedded keyboard pointing device is provided to a laptop computer having a TrackPoint device, with an additional input section corresponding to a third button. Keys are arranged in the “QWERTY” key configuration on a keyboard unit. A lever shaped TrackPoint is embedded at a position corresponding to the home position on the keyboard. A palm rest is provided forward of the space bar positioned at the center front of the keyboard, and the first and the second buttons are disposed in the center in front of the space bar. A third button is disposed in front of the first and second buttons, with substantially no intervening gap. The third button has a width equal to the sum of the widths of the first and the second buttons. The first to third buttons have protrusions, at the center of their front edges, that a user can engage with his or her fingers. The protrusion on the third button is so formed that it is lower than the protrusions on the first and second buttons.

Claims

1. An embedded keyboard pointing device comprising:

a pointing portion having a lever shape embedded in keys arranged on a keyboard unit;

adjacently disposed first and second buttons positioned substantially at the center of a palm rest on said keyboard unit; and

a third button disposed in front of said first and said second buttons.

2. An embedded keyboard pointing device comprising:

a pointing portion having a lever shape embedded in a position enclosed by keys “

G,”

“

H” and

“

B”

on a keyboard unit having a QWERTY key configuration including a space bar;

adjacently disposed first and second buttons positioned substantially in the center in front of said space bar; and

a third button disposed in front of said first and said second buttons.

3. The embedded keyboard pointing device according to

claim 2

, wherein the width of said third button is substantially equal to the sum of the widths of said first and second buttons.

4. The embedded keyboard pointing device according to

claim 2

, wherein said first to third buttons additionally comprise protrusions, at the center at the front edges thereof, for engagement by a user.

5. The embedded keyboard pointing device according to

claim 4

, wherein said protrusion on said third button is lower than said protrusions on said first and second buttons.

6. A keyboard unit comprising:

a plurality of keys arranged on a top face;

a palm rest provided in front of an area in which said keys are arranged;

a pointing portion having a lever shape embedded in said key arrangement;

adjacently disposed first and second buttons positioned substantially at the center of said palm rest; and

a third button disposed in front of said first and said second buttons.

7. A keyboard unit comprising:

a plurality of keys arranged on a top face in a QWERTY key configuration including a space bar;

a pointing portion having a lever shape embedded in a location enclosed by keys “

G,”

“

H” and

“

B”

;

adjacently disposed first and second buttons positioned substantially at the center in front of said space bar of said plurality of keys; and

a third button disposed in front of said first and said second buttons.

8. The keyboard unit according to

claim 7

, wherein the width of said third button is substantially equal to the sum of the widths of said first and second buttons.

9. The keyboard unit according to

claim 7

, wherein said first to third buttons additionally comprise protrusions, at the center at front edges thereof, for engagement by a user.

10. The keyboard unit according to

claim 9

, wherein said protrusion on said third button is lower than said protrusions on said first and second buttons.

11. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an apparatus body on the top face of which is mounted a keyboard unit having a plurality of keys;

a lid rotatably supported at a rear edge of said apparatus body;

a display unit embedded in the surface of said lid;

a palm rest provided in front of an area wherein said keys of said keyboard unit are arranged;

a pointing portion having a lever shape embedded in said plurality of keys;

adjacently disposed first and second buttons positioned substantially at the center of said palm rest; and

a third button disposed in front of said first and said second buttons.

12. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an apparatus body on the top face of which is mounted a keyboard unit having a plurality of keys arranged in a QWERTY key configuration including a space bar;

a lid rotatably supported at a rear edge of said apparatus body;

a display unit embedded in the surface of said lid;

a palm rest provided in front of said space bar of said plurality of keys;

a pointing portion having a lever shape embedded in said plurality of keys at a location enclosed by keys “

G,”

“

H” and

“

B”

;

adjacently disposed first and second buttons positioned substantially at the center in front of said space bar; and

a third button disposed in front of said first and said second buttons.

13. The information processing apparatus according to

claim 12

, wherein the width of said third button is substantially equal to the sum of the widths of said first and second buttons.

14. The information processing apparatus according to

claim 12

, wherein said first to third buttons additionally comprise protrusions, at the center at front edges thereof, for engagement by a user.

15. The information processing apparatus according to

claim 12

, wherein said protrusion on said third button is lower than said protrusions on said first and second buttons.