INPUT DEVICE AND INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20120154274A1
• Filed: 12/20/2011
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: IWAMOTO, Akira, FURUJIKU, Masaru, MATSUYAMA, Yoshinari
• Application Number:
  US13/331,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20120154274A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface

Abstract

An input device with improved operability is provided. A first button and a second button are provided so as to extend to an area between a keyboard and a pad portion. With this configuration, when a user operates the first button and the second button while placing his/her both hands on the home positions of the keyboard, only a small amount of movement of fingers (for example, first fingers) is required, and therefore the user can operate the first button and the second button without significantly moving his/her both hands from the home positions. In other words, the user can operate the first button and the second button without stopping an input operation with the keyboard.

Claims

1. An input device comprising;

a pad portion that accepts a touch operation by a user;

a plurality of buttons that are provided at least partially around the pad portion and each have a plurality of displacement portions capable of being displaced by a press operation by the user; and

a switch that is provided under each of the displacement portions of the buttons,

wherein a displacement portion corresponding to a pressed point of the button pressed by the user is displaced, and thereby a conductive state of the switch located under the displacement portion is switched.

2. The input device according to claim 1,

wherein the same function is assigned to the plurality of switches that are located under one of the buttons.

3. The input device according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of buttons include a first button and a second button,

a first switch and a second switch are provided under the first button, at positions opposed to each other across the pad portion,

a third switch and a fourth switch are provided under the second button, at positions opposed to each other across the pad portion,

the same function is assigned to the first switch and the second switch,

the same function is assigned to the third switch and the fourth switch, and

different functions are assigned to the first switch and the third switch.

4. The input device according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of displacement portions of the plurality of buttons are each independently resiliently deformable.

5. The input device according to claim 1, further comprising a supporting portion that supports each of the plurality of buttons,

wherein each of the plurality of buttons includes two displacement portions that are disposed on opposite sides of the supporting portion, and

the button is supported by the supporting portion so as to be capable of being deformed or rotated between a position that makes any one of the switches respectively disposed under the two displacement portions conductive and a position that makes the other switch conductive.

6. An information processing apparatus including:

a keyboard including a plurality of keys; and

a pointing device disposed close to the keyboard,

the pointing device comprising;

a pad portion that accepts a touch operation by a user;

a plurality of buttons that are provided at least partially around the pad portion and each have a plurality of displacement portions capable of being displaced by a press operation by the user; and

a switch that is provided under each of the displacement portions of the buttons,

wherein a displacement portion corresponding to a pressed point of the button pressed by the user is displaced, and thereby a conductive state of the switch located under the displacement portion is switched, and

at least one of the plurality of switches provided under each of the buttons is disposed close to the keyboard.