Portable electronic equipment

• US 20040072596A1
• Filed: 07/28/2003
• Published: 04/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Inoue, Hiroto, Yamamoto, Tamotsu, Sawada, Masaki, Okada, Hiroyasu, Yokoji, Shigeru
• Application Number:
  US10/627,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20040072596A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display

Abstract

Portable electronic equipment capable of changing the display on a display means so that the display has letters of a desired size, by a simple operation. The portable electronic equipment has (a) a display means for displaying information, (b) a first manipulator means for performing a first screen process on the information displayed on the display means, (c) a second manipulator means for performing a second screen process on the information by operation in a circumferential direction thereof, and (d) a controller means. The controller means controls the first manipulator means, the second manipulator means, and the display means. Thereby, the controller can perform the first screen process of scrolling the screen in an arbitrary direction to select a display position and the second screen process of scaling up, scaling down, and switching the screen with the selected display position as a reference.

Claims

1. Portable electronic equipment comprising:

a first manipulator means for performing a first screen process on an information displayed on a display means;

a second manipulator means for performing a second screen process on the information; and

a controller means, said controller means controlling said first manipulator means, said second manipulator means, and said display means;

wherein, responsive to input from said first manipulator means, said controller means performs the first screen process of scrolling a screen displaying the information and selecting a display position; and

responsive to input in a circumferential direction from said second manipulator means, said controller means performs the second screen process, the second screen process being one of scaling up, scaling down, and switching the screen with the selected display position as a reference.

2. The portable electronic equipment of claim 1, wherein

said second manipulator means includes a ring-shaped manipulator, and

said first manipulator means is provided on a side of one of inner and outer circumferences of said ring-shaped manipulator.

3. The portable electronic equipment of claim 1, wherein said second manipulator means includes a rotatable ring-shaped manipulator, and further includes a rotation detection means for detecting a direction and amount of rotation of said second manipulator means.

4. The portable electronic equipment of claim 3, wherein

said rotation detection means is disposed on a bottom face of said ring-shaped manipulator;

said rotation detection means comprises;

a ring magnet magnetized to a north pole and a south pole alternately at intervals of an equal angle and fixed on the bottom face of said manipulator; and

a pair of magnetic sensors opposed to said ring magnet with a predetermined clearance; and

said rotation detection means detects movement of said ring magnet above said magnetic sensors.

5. The portable electronic equipment of claim 3, wherein

said rotation detection means detects a direction and amount of rotation of said second manipulator means;

and

said controller means performs a screen process, the screen process being one of scaling up, scaling down, and switching a displayed screen.

6. The portable electronic equipment of claim 1, further comprising a circular manipulator, wherein

said circular manipulator includes said first manipulator means and said second manipulator means on a bottom side thereof;

and

said second manipulator means can detect sliding operation of said manipulator in a circumferential direction thereof, and a direction and amount of rotation of said manipulator caused by the sliding operation.

7. The portable electronic equipment of claim 6, wherein

said first manipulator means includes a press button and a self-restoring contact opposed to said press button;

and

actuation of said self-restoring contact by said press button allows the screen on said display means to be scrolled at least vertical and horizontal directions.

8. The portable electronic equipment of claim 6, wherein

said second manipulator means comprises:

a ring-shaped conductive depressing portion; and

a plurality of concentrically disposed second contacts opposed to said depressing portion with a predetermined clearance therebetween; and

a move of said depressing portion on said second contacts is detected as a direction and amount of rotation of the sliding operation.

9. The portable electronic equipment of claim 6, wherein

according to a detected direction and amount of rotation of the sliding operation, said controller means performs a process, the process being one of scaling up, scaling down, switching the displayed screen.

10. The portable electronic equipment of claim 6, including said first manipulator means along an outer circumference of said second manipulator means, wherein said first manipulator means includes a conductive depressing portion and a first contact opposed to said depressing portion.

11. The portable electronic equipment of claim 6, wherein

said second manipulator means detects operation in a circumferential direction of said manipulator;

and

said first manipulator means detects operation within the same plane in a direction different from that of said second manipulator means.

12. The portable electronic equipment of claim 6, wherein said manipulator has an indication means for indicating a position of said first manipulator means.

13. The portable electronic equipment of claim 1, wherein said first manipulator means is a multi-directional switch operated by one of depressing and tilting.

14. The portable electronic equipment of claim 1, wherein said first manipulator means is a track ball.

15. The portable electronic equipment of claim 1 further comprising a built-in display device.