Portable computer and a keyboard therefor

• US 5,708,562 A
• Filed: 06/18/1996
• Issued: 01/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ogawa, Tetsuo, Agata, Hiroaki, Mori, Shigeki, Anzai, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FEILD, LYNN DIANA
• Application Number:
  US08/665,656
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 361/680, 361/681, 361/683, 400/490, 400/492, 400/682, 400/479, 400/488, 345/157, 345/160, 345/161, 345/163, 345/164, 345/167, 345/168, 345/169, 364/708.1, 364/709.11, 364/709.01, 364/709.12
• US Class Current: 361/679.11
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 9/047 the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks for switches H01H25/04
• 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 1/1666 Arrangements for reducing the size of the integrated keyboard for transport, e.g. foldable keyboards, keyboards with collapsible keys G06F1/1664 takes precedence
• 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 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks

Abstract

A portable PC is provided with a mechanism for elevating and lowering a pointing device in the keyboard of the PC. The elevating and lowering mechanism elevates and lowers the pointing device in response to the opening and closing of the cover of the computer to provide a proper operating height to the pointing device when the cover is open while reducing the thickness of the PC with the cover closed.

Claims

1. A portable computer comprising:

a system body;

a cover attached by pivot joints to said system body so that it can be freely opened and closed;

a keyboard on the top face of said system body;

a pointing device having an operated end which pointing device is located among a plurality of input keys in the keyboard;

an elevating and lowering means for raising said operated end higher than said plurality of input keys when said portable computer is to be operated, and for lowering said operated end when the portable computer is not to be operated wherein said elevating and lowering means includes means which interacts with opening and closing of said cover to elevate and lower said operated end including;

a base portion supporting said pointing device, that is coupled to said keyboard by a hinge and secures a base end of said pointing device; and

an arm portion means that moves in response to the opening and closing of the cover to elevate and lower said base portion.

2. A portable computer according to claim 1 wherein said means which interacts with the opening and closing of said cover includes cam means coupled to one of said pivot joints to drive the arm means in response to the opening and closing of said cover.

3. The portable computer of claim 2 including:

a) a cam on one of said pivot joints of the cover;

b) a spring loaded cam follower that moves laterally along the back edge of the system body as the cover is raised and lowered; and

c) means coupling the arm portion means to the spring loaded cam follower to cause said means of the arm portion.

4. The portable computer of claim 3 wherein said arm portion means includes two interacting lever arms and a slide positioned under the base portion one lever arm coupled to said cam follower and the other lever arm coupled to said slide so that the base moves in response to the opening and closing of the cover to raise and lower the operated end of the pointing device.

5. The portable computer of claim 4 wherein

a) each of the lever arms rotate around a pivot fixed to the base so that the arms rotate in planes parallel to one another;

and

b) said slide moves in a plane parallel to lever arms under the base portion to raise and lower the operated end of the pointing device.

6. The portable computer of claim 5 wherein a surface of the slide is canted relative to the parallel planes to cause the base portion to pivot on the hinge and move the operated end of the pointing device above and below the keys on the keyboard as the cover is opened and closed.

7. A portable computer comprising:

a system body;

a cover attached by pivot joints to said system body so that it can be freely opened and closed;

a keyboard on the top face of said system body;

a pointing device having an operated end which pointing device is located among a plurality of input keys in the keyboard; and

an elevating and lowering means for raising said operated end higher than said plurality of input keys when said portable computer is to be operated and for lowering said operated end when the portable computer is not to be operated wherein said elevating and lowering means includes means which interacts with opening and closing of said cover to elevate and lower said operated end including;

a carrier to which a base end of said pointing device is fixed;

a sloped portion for supporting said carrier so that it can freely slide along the sloped portion; and

interacting means for interacting with said opening and said closing of the cover to elevate and lower said carrier by movement along said sloped portion.

8. A portable computer according to claim 7 wherein said interacting means includes cam means coupled to one of said pivot joints.

9. The portable computer of claim 8 wherein said cam means includes:

a) a cam on one of said pivot joints of the cover;

b) a spring loaded cam follower that moves laterally along the back edge of the system body as the cover is raised and lowered.

10. The portable computer of claim 9 wherein said interacting means includes two interacting lever arm means and a slide that contains said sloped portion, one of said lever arms coupled to said cam follower and the other of the lever arms coupled to said slide to move the sloped portion under the carrier to raise and lower the operated end of the pointing device above and below the keys on the keyboard as the cover is opened and closed.

11. The portable computer of claim 10 wherein

a) each of the lever arms rotate around a pivot fixed to the base so that the arms rotate in planes parallel to one another;

and

b) said slide moves parallel to lever arms under the base portion to move it into and out of its functioning position.

12. A portable computer comprising:

a system body;

a cover attached by pivot points to said system body so that it can be freely opened and closed;

a keyboard on the top face of said system body which

keyboard is divided into a plurality of keyboard sections that shift into and out of their functioning position;

a pointing device having an operated end is locating among a plurality of input keys in the keyboard;

an elevating and lowering means for raising said operated end higher than said plurality of input keys when said portable computer is to be operated, and for lowering said operating end when the portable computer is not to be operated wherein said elevating and lowering means includes means which interacts with opening and closing of said cover to elevate and lower said operated end including;

a base portion that is coupled with one of said plurality of keyboard sections by a hinge and secures a base end of a pointing device; and

a sloped portion for supporting said base portion so that it can freely slide along the sloped portion, wherein said base portion interacts with a movement of said keyboard section and is elevated and lowered by movement along said sloped portion.