Electronic device and method of controlling the same

• US 20060209022A1
• Filed: 02/17/2006
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Hosoda, Masakazu
• Application Number:
  US11/356,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20060209022A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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

Abstract

In an electronic device and control method therefor according to the invention, a stick is used to operate a pointer controlled by an OS. A touch wheel is used not to operate the pointer displayed on an LCD panel but to perform an operation controlled by application software. For example, the touch wheel is used for page-up and page-down (also called scroll) of the window of application software that is displayed on the LCD panel, and fast forward and rewind in playing back an audio file or moving image. Further, another operation can be controlled by operating the touch wheel while pressing a function key attached to a keyboard.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a main body having a keyboard;

a display which is pivotally connected to the main body and has display means;

a first pointing device which is attached to the main body and configured to operate a pointer controlled by an operating system; and

a second pointing device which is configured to operate an application program that runs on the operating system.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first pointing device and the second pointing device are arranged on substantially the same plane as a plane of the main body on which the keyboard is arranged.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the first pointing device includes stick type input means, and the second pointing device includes planar input means.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the second pointing device has a ring shape, and the first pointing device is arranged in the ring.

5. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a predetermined key attached to the keyboard, wherein when the second pointing device is operated while the predetermined key is pressed, a second operation different from an operation of the application program can be implemented.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first pointing device includes stick type input means, the second pointing device includes planar input means, and the second pointing device is arranged at a level different from a plane of a case of the main body.

7. An electronic device comprising:

a main body having a keyboard on an upper surface;

a display which is pivotally connected to the main body and has display means;

a ring-like touch panel which is arranged in front of the keyboard of the main body; and

a stick type pointing device which is arranged in the ring-like touch panel.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein the ring-like touch panel is used for an operation of a first function of an application program which runs on an operating system under which the electronic device operates.

9. A device according to claim 7, wherein when the ring-like touch panel is operated while a predetermined key attached to the keyboard is pressed, an operation of a second function different from the first function can be implemented.

10. A method of controlling input of an electronic device having a first pointing device and a second pointing device, comprising:

controlling, in accordance with information input from the first pointing device, a pointer which is operated on an operating system under which the electronic device operates; and

performing, in accordance with information input from the second pointing device, an operation of a first function of an application program which runs on the operating system.

11. A method according to claim 10, in which the electronic device has a keyboard, and which further comprises determining whether a predetermined key attached to the keyboard has been pressed, and when the predetermined key is determined to have been pressed and an input from the second pointing device is detected, performing an operation of a second function different from the operation of the first function.