Touch-pad technology for use on a portable electronic device

• US 20040106439A1
• Filed: 10/03/2003
• Published: 06/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Technologies (UK) Ltd.
• Original Assignee: NEC Technologies (UK) Ltd.
• Inventors: Garroch, Jamie
• Application Number:
  US10/678,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20040106439A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• 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 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• 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

A portable electronic device 10 comprising a display 100 on a front face of the device on which selectable functions may be displayed and selected by a user and a touch pad provided on a rear face of the device for a user to select the functions.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising a display on a front face of the device on which selectable functions may be displayed and selected by a user and a touch pad provided on a rear face of the device for a user to select the functions.

2. A portable electronic device according to claim 1 in which the touch pad is positioned substantially directly behind the display.

3. A portable electronic device according to claim 1 or 2 in which a cursor is presented on the display and is controlled by the user using the touch pad.

4. A portable electronic device according to claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the function which is available for selection is highlighted.

5. A portable electronic device according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 in which the touch pad has the same dimensions as the display.

6. A portable electronic device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 in which the device includes a selection button to confirm selection of the selected function.

7. A portable electronic device substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.