Electronic apparatus and method and program of controlling the same

• US 20030132928A1
• Filed: 12/26/2002
• Published: 07/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kori, Takayuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,071,917 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/204
• 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 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0245 using open/close detection

Abstract

An electronic apparatus includes a keyboard unit fixed to the vicinity of the bottom of a display unit. The electronic apparatus also includes a detecting unit for detecting whether a portion of a display area of the display unit is covered by the keyboard unit and a display control unit for controlling a display mode for an uncovered portion, which is not covered by the keyboard unit, of the display area of the display unit while the detecting unit detects that a portion of the display area of the display unit is covered by the keyboard unit.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

an input device;

a display unit;

fixing means for fixing the input device to the vicinity of the bottom of the display unit;

detecting means for detecting whether a portion of a display area of the display unit is covered by the input device; and

display control means for controlling a display mode for an uncovered portion, which is not covered by the input device, of the display area of the display unit while the detecting means detects that a portion of the display area of the display unit is covered by the input device.

2. An electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a keyboard unit, and

wherein, in the display mode, a display appears on the uncovered portion, which is not covered by the keyboard unit.

3. An electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display includes at least one of the current date and the current time.

4. An electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, while a predetermined application program is being executed in the electronic apparatus, the display has a format corresponding to the application program.

5. A method for controlling an electronic apparatus including an input device fixed to the vicinity of the bottom of a display unit, comprising:

a detecting step for detecting whether a portion of a display area of the display unit is covered by the input device; and

a display control step for controlling a display mode for an uncovered portion, which is not covered by the input device, of the display area of the display unit while processing in the detecting step detects that a portion of the display area of the display unit is covered by the input device.

6. A method for controlling an electronic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the input device comprises a keyboard unit, and

wherein, in the display control step, a cursor is located on the uncovered portion, which is not covered by the keyboard unit, while the processing in the detecting step detects that a portion of the display area of the display unit is covered by the keyboard unit.

7. A program for causing a computer to execute a predetermined processing function, wherein the processing function includes:

a detecting step for detecting whether a portion of a display area of a display unit is covered by an input device fixed to the vicinity of the bottom of the display unit; and

a display control step for controlling a display mode for an uncovered portion, which is not covered by the input device, of the display area of the display unit while processing in the detecting step detects that a portion of the display area of the display unit is covered by the input device.

8. A program according to claim 7, wherein the input device comprises a keyboard unit, and

wherein, in the display control step, a cursor is located on the uncovered portion, which is not covered by the keyboard unit, while the processing in the detecting step detects that a portion of the display area of the display unit is covered by the keyboard unit.