Image display and touch input integration module

• US 20080252609A1
• Filed: 04/16/2007
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Getac Technology Company Limited (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Getac Technology Company Limited (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Chen, Kuei-Hsiung, Lu, Yan-Zhi
• Application Number:
  US11/785,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20080252609A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 1/1692 the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders

Abstract

An image display and touch input integration module includes a keyboard microcontroller connected to an image memory, a touch module, and a display module, and selectively operable in a touch mode or a display mode. The image memory has at least one image data stored thereon. The touch module defines a touch area therein. The display module is integrated with the touch module and defines a display area therein for displaying image data read by the keyboard microcontroller from the image memory. When the keyboard microcontroller operates in the touch mode, the touch module functions as an input device of a computer apparatus; and when the keyboard microcontroller operates in the display mode, image data read by it from the image memory is displayed in the display area of the display module.

Claims

1. An image display and touch input integration module, comprising:

a keyboard microcontroller selectively operable in a touch mode or a display mode;

an image memory connected to the keyboard microcontroller for storing at least one image data;

a touch module connected via a touch module interface to the keyboard microcontroller, and defining a touch area therein; and

a display module integrated with the touch module, and connected via a display module interface to the keyboard microcontroller, and defining a display area therein for displaying image data read by the keyboard microcontroller from the image memory;

whereby when the keyboard microcontroller operates in the touch mode, the touch module is adapted to detect a touch signal from the touch area and send the detected touch signal to a computer apparatus, and thereby functions as an input device of the computer apparatus; and

when the keyboard microcontroller operates in the display mode, image data may be read by the keyboard microcontroller from the image memory and displayed in the display area of the display module via the display module interface.

2. The image display and touch input integration module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image memory includes at least an animated image databank, in which a plurality of animated image sequences are stored.

3. The image display and touch input integration module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image memory includes at least a background image databank, in which a plurality of background images are stored.

4. The image display and touch input integration module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch area defined by the touch module and the display area defined by the display module overlaps each other.

5. The image display and touch input integration module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch area defined by the touch module and the display area defined by the display module are two independent areas without overlapping each other.

6. An image display and touch input integration module, which is connected to a computer apparatus via a connection interface, and the computer apparatus including a central processing unit (CPU), a bus, and a data storage device, and the CPU being operable in a touch mode or a display mode;

the integration module comprising;

at least one image databank stored on the data storage device for storing at least one image data;

a touch module connected via a touch module interface to the bus, and defining a touch area therein; and

a display module integrated with the touch module and connected via a display module interface to the bus, and defining a display area therein for displaying image data read by the CPU from the data storage device via a data storage device interface;

whereby when the CPU operates in the touch mode, the touch module is adapted to detect a touch signal from the touch area and send the detected touch signal to the CPU, and thereby functions as an input device of the computer apparatus; and

when the CPU operates in the display mode, image data may be read by the CPU from the data storage device via the data storage device interface and displayed in the display area of the display module via the display module interface.

7. The image display and touch input integration module as claimed in claim 6, wherein the image databank includes at least an animated image databank, in which a plurality of animated image sequences are stored.

8. The image display and touch input integration module as claimed in claim 6, wherein the image databank includes at least a background image databank, in which a plurality of background images are stored.

9. The image display and touch input integration module as claimed in claim 6, wherein the touch area defined by the touch module and the display area defined by the display module overlaps each other.

10. The image display and touch input integration module as claimed in claim 6, wherein the touch area defined by the touch module and the display area defined by the display module are two independent areas without overlapping each other.