Portable graphic computer apparatus

• US 5,670,992 A
• Filed: 09/23/1992
• Issued: 09/23/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Marusawa, Miyuki, Kashii, Masaharu, Iizuka, Yoshio, Murayama, Satoru, Yasuhara, Nae
• Primary Examiner(s): WU, XIAO MIN
• Application Number:
  US07/950,975
• Time in Patent Office: 1,826 Days
• Field of Search: 340/706, 340/709, 340/703, 340/712, 340/711, 340/707, 340/825.19, 340/384 R, 178/18, 178/19, 434/88, 434/169, 434/170, 434/163, 434/164, 434/201, 434/307, 434/765, 434/162, 434/323, 434/165, 273/237, 273/437, 273/DIG. 28, 345/173, 345/174, 345/175, 345/176, 345/177, 345/178, 345/179, 345/182, 345/104, 345/DIG. 901, 345/DIG. 902, 345/DIG. 903, 345/DIG. 905
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• 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 1/1696 the I/O peripheral being a printing or scanning device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L

Abstract

A portable graphic computer apparatus is comprised of a tablet for inputting coordinates data, a detecting circuit for detecting the coordinates data inputted by the tablet, a video image data forming circuit for forming video image data corresponding to input coordinates based on the coordinates data by an output signal from the detecting circuit, a memory for storing the video image data, a video signal generating circuit for generating a video signal from the video image data, a sound source, a speaker connected to the sound source, an output circuit connected to the video signal generating circuit for outputting the video signal, and a cabinet for accommodating therein elements from the tablet to the speaker, wherein musical scale or sound volume of the sound source is varied by an output signal of the coordinates data detecting circuit.

Claims

1. A portable graphic computer apparatus comprising:

(a) a tablet for inputting coordinate data;

(b) tracing means for performing a tracing motion on said tablet;

(c) detecting means for detecting coordinate data inputted by tracing motion of said tracing means on said tablet;

(d) video image data forming means connected to receive an output signal from said detecting means for forming video image data corresponding to input coordinates based on said coordinate data;

(e) a memory connected to said video image data forming means for storing said video image data;

(f) video signal generating means connected to said memory for generating a video signal from said video image data;

(g) a sound source;

(h) a speaker connected to said sound source;

(i) output means connected to said video signal generating means for outputting said video signal;

(j) a cabinet for enclosing at least said tablet and said detecting means, and said cabinet having an aperture aligned with a tracing area of said tablet for tracing said tracing area of said tablet, wherein a musical scale of said sound source is varied by a changing first output signal of said coordinate data detecting means, said changing first output signal being generated in response to movement of said tracing means in one direction relative to said tablet, and a sound volume of said sound source is varied by a changing second output signal of said coordinate data detecting means, said changing second output signal being generated in response to movement of said tracing means in a different direction from said one direction relative to said tablet; and

(k) an executing switch for fixing video image data corresponding to movement of said tracing means.

2. A portable graphic computer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sound volume of said sound source is successively changed in accordance with a change of input coordinates on said tablet in one axial direction, while the musical scale of said sound source is successively changed in accordance with a change of said input coordinates in the other axial direction, whereby said sound volume increases from a low volume to a high volume as said input coordinates change from one end to the opposite end in said one axial direction and the pitch of said sound increases from a low pitch to a high pitch as said input coordinates change from one end to the opposite end in said other axial direction.

3. A portable graphic computer apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a sound button for selectively controlling said coordinate detecting means so that said sound source is driven by an output signal of said coordinate detecting means.

4. A portable graphic computer apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said sound button is provided on said cabinet.

5. A portable graphic computer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cabinet has formed at peripheral portions thereof on said cabinet means for mounting a tracing sheet on said tablet.