Keyboard and Touchpad Areas

• US 20160202778A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 07/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Su, Gen-Hung
• Granted Patent: US 10,114,485 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• 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 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0213 Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

First and second touchpad areas are located at first and second sides of a keyboard.

Claims

1. A computing device including a display and a base;

wherein the base includes a keyboard and a first touch pad area located at a first side of the keyboard and a second touchpad area located at a second side of the keyboard;

wherein the touchpad areas are to receive a gesture made by a user and convert the gesture to an input to the computer device.

2. The computing device of claim 1 wherein there is a third touch pad area at a third side of the keyboard.

3. The computing device of claim 2 wherein there is a fourth touchpad area at a fourth side of the keyboard.

4. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the keyboard has a first portion having a first width and a second portion having a second width which is less than the first width, and wherein the second touchpad area extends into an area adjacent both the first and second portions of the keyboard.

5. The computing device of claim 4 wherein the keyboard has a T shape or inverted T shape.

6. The computing device of claim 1 wherein a touchpad area extends across an entire length of one side of the keyboard.

7. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the second touchpad area is located at the right or a left side of the keyboard and wherein a touch gesture towards the keyboard is to bring up a menu on the display.

8. The computing device of claim 7 wherein the menu includes a plurality of icons and wherein the computing device is to detect a subsequent touch to the second touchpad area and map the touch to a corresponding position on the menu.

9. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the first and second touchpad areas join seamlessly together.

10. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the at least first and second touchpad areas may be switched on and off independently of each other.

11. The computing device of claim 1 wherein said first and second touchpad areas are on opposite sides of the keyboard and wherein a touch gesture away from the keyboard on the first touchpad area at the same time as a touch gesture away from the keyboard on the second touchpad area, is to cause a zoom in or enlargement operation to a user interface, graphic or item shown on the display.

12. A computing device comprising:

a display and a base connected to the display;

the base including a keyboard and at least first and second touch pad areas located at first and second sides of the keyboard;

wherein the keyboard includes a plurality of depressible keys and wherein the first and second touchpad areas include a touch panel and a sensor arrangement to detect a touch contact to a surface of the touch panel;

said sensor arrangement including any of the following types of sensor;

a capacitive sensor, a resistive sensor, a piezoelectric sensor, a elasto-resistive sensor, a piezo-resistive sensor or an optical sensor.

13. The computing device of claim 12 wherein the touch pad areas are to sense movement of a touch contact made by a user'"'"'s finger moving across a surface of the touch pad area and to translate the sensed movement to an input to the computer device.

14. An external keyboard for a computing device, comprising:

a keyboard area including a plurality of keys;

at least first and second touch pad areas located at first and second sides of the keyboard area;

circuitry in the external keyboard to convert key presses in the keyboard area to output signals corresponding to pressed keys and to detect a direction of movement of a touch contact moving across the first or second touchpad areas and to generate an output signal based on the detected direction of movement; and

an output port to send the output signals to a computing device which is separate from the external keyboard.

15. The external keyboard of claim 14 wherein the output port is a USB port, serial port, PS/2 port, wireless port, Bluetooth port or infrared port.