Information processing apparatus

• US 5,900,848 A
• Filed: 04/09/1997
• Issued: 05/04/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Haneda, Isamu, Isoe, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kovalick, Vincent E.
• Application Number:
  US08/827,609
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1, 345/3, 345/5, 345/102, 345/104, 361/681, 364/708.1, 364/709.01, 364/709.1
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/162 changing, e.g. reversing, the face orientation of the screen with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, e.g. for folding into tablet PC like position or orienting towards the direction opposite to the user to show to a second user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• 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 2200/1632 Pen holder integrated in the computer

Abstract

An information processing apparatus having a main body and a lid body is configured so that the lid body can be switched between a closed state, a stacked state, a double screen state and an inverted state. Each of the main body and the lid body has a display section for displaying information and an input section composed of a transparent tablet and provided on the display section. As a sensor or the like detects the lid body in one of the four states, a control section of the information processing apparatus controls the display section so that a screen on the display section is appropriate to the detected state of the lid body. The control section also controls the lighting section for lighting the display section appropriately to the detected state of the lid body. This realizes appropriate display in accordance with usages of the information processing apparatus and offers an easy-to-operate and easy-to-use information processing apparatus. Besides, the lighting section is turned on/off according to needs, and therefore it is possible to prevent heat generation and to restrain power consumption.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus including a main body and a lid body,

each of the main body and the lid body having a display section for displaying information and a lighting section for lighting the display section,

said information processing apparatus comprising:

connecting means for connecting the lid body to the main body so that the lid body can be switched between three states;

a closed state where the lid body serves as a lid to cover the main body with the display section of the lid body facing downward, a stacked state where the lid body is stacked on the main body with the display section of the lid body facing upward, and a double screen state where both the display sections are visible;

lid body detecting means for detecting in which of the three states the lid body is; and

control means for controlling a lighting state of the lighting section of the main body and a lighting state of the lighting section of the lid body according to a result detected by said lid body detecting means;

wherein if said lid body detecting means detects that the lid body is in the stacked state, said control means controls so that the lighting section of the main body goes into an OFF state.

2. An information processing apparatus as defined in claim 1,

said information processing apparatus further comprising:

input means, composed of a transparent tablet, for allowing pen input and touch input on the display section of the main body and on the display section of the lid body;

location detecting means for detecting a first location, on one of the display sections, at which an instruction is inputted through said input means; and

means for controlling, when said lid body is in the inverted state, so that a second location, on the other display section, corresponding to the first location is displayed in a special manner.

3. The information processing apparatus as defined in claim 2, further comprising

translation means for translating a first language to a second language,

wherein the first and second languages are displayed on the respective display sections, and said control means controls so that a word having the same meaning with a word at the first location is displayed in a special manner.

4. An information processing apparatus including a main body and a lid body,

each of the main body and the lid body having a display section for displaying information and a lighting section for lighting the display section,

said information processing apparatus comprising:

connecting means for connecting the lid body to the main body so that the lid body can be switched between three states;

a closed state where the lid body serves as a lid to cover the main body with the display section of the lid body facing downward, a stacked state where the lid body is stacked on the main body with the display section of the lid body facing upward, and a double screen state where both the display sections are visible;

lid body detecting means for detecting in which of the three states the lid body is; and

control means for controlling a lighting state of the lighting section of the main body and a lighting state of the lighting section of the lid body according to a result detected by said lid body detecting means;

wherein if said lid body detecting means detects that the lid body has been switched into the double screen state, said control means controls so that the lighting section of the display section of the main body goes into an ON state.

5. An information processing apparatus including a main body and a lid body,

each of the main body and the lid body having a display section for displaying information and a lighting section for lighting the display section,

said information processing apparatus comprising:

connecting means for connecting the lid body to the main body so that the lid body can be switched between three states;

a closed state where the lid body serves as a lid to cover the main body with the display section of the lid body facing downward, a stacked state where the lid body is stacked on the main body with the display section of the lid body facing upward, and a double screen state where both the display sections are visible;

lid body detecting means for detecting in which of the three states the lid body is; and

control means for controlling a lighting state of the lighting section of the main body and a lighting state of the lighting section of the lid body according to a result detected by said lid body detecting means;

wherein if said lid body detecting means detects that the lid body has been switched into the double screen state, and input is made through said input means,

said control means controls so that the lighting section of the display section of the main body goes into an ON state.

6. The information processing apparatus as defined in claim 5, further comprising

input means composed of a transparent tablet, provided on the display section of the main body and on the display section of the lid body.

7. An information processing apparatus including a main body and a lid body,

each of the main body and the lid body having a display section for displaying information,

said information processing apparatus comprising:

connecting means for connecting the lid body to the main body so that the lid body can be switched between three states;

a closed state where the lid body serves as a lid to cover the main body with the display section of the lid body facing downward, a stacked state where the lid body is stacked on the main body with the display section of the lid body facing upward, and a double screen state where both the display sections are visible;

lid body detecting means for detecting in which of the three states the lid body is; and

control means for controlling a display state of the display section of the main body and a display state of the display section of the lid body according to a result detected by said lid body detecting means;

wherein if said lid body detecting means detects that the lid body has been switched into the stacked state, said control means controls so that information displayed on the display section of the main body is displayed on a part of the display section of the lid body section.

8. The information processing apparatus as defined in claim 7, further comprising

input means composed of a transparent tablet, provided on the display section of the main body and on the display section of the lid body.

9. An information processing apparatus including a main body and a lid body,

each of the main body and the lid body having a display section for displaying information,

said information processing apparatus comprising:

connecting means for connecting the lid body to the main body so that the lid body can be switched between three states;

a closed state where the lid body serves as a lid to cover the main body with the display section of the lid body facing downward, a stacked state where the lid body is stacked on the main body with the display section of the lid body facing upward, and a double screen state where both the display sections are visible;

lid body detecting means for detecting in which of the three states the lid body is; and

control means for controlling a display state of the display section of the main body and a display state of the display section of the lid body according to a result detected by said lid body detecting means;

cursor location detecting means for detecting a location of a cursor,

wherein if said lid body detecting means detects that the lid body is in the stacked state, said control means controls so that information of one of the display sections where presence of the cursor is detected by said cursor location detecting means is displayed on the display section of the lid body section.

10. An information processing apparatus including a main body and a lid body,

each of the main body and the lid body having a display section for displaying information,

said information processing apparatus comprising:

connecting means for connecting the lid body to the main body so that the lid body can be switched between three states;

a closed state where the lid body serves as a lid to cover the main body with the display section of the lid body facing downward, a stacked state where the lid body is stacked on the main body with the display section of the lid body facing upward, and a double screen state where both the display sections are visible;

lid body detecting means for detecting in which of the three states the lid body is; and

control means for controlling a display state of the display section of the main body and a display state of the display section of the lid body according to a result detected by said lid body detecting means;

wherein if said lid body detecting means detects that the lid body has been switched into the stacked state, said control means displays on the display section of the lid body a character recognition area through which a character can be inputted.

11. An information processing apparatus including a main body and a lid body,

each of the main body and the lid body having a display section for displaying information,

said information processing apparatus comprising:

connecting means for connecting the lid body to the main body so that the lid body can be switched into an inverted state where the display section of the main body is visible and the display section of the lid body is inverted on the backside of the main body;

lid body detecting means for detecting that the lid body is in the inverted state; and

control means for, when said lid body detecting means detects that the lid body is in the inverted state, controlling so that the display section of the main body and the display section of the lid body display the same information and so that the display section of the lid body displays the information upside down.

12. The information processing apparatus as defined in claim 11, further comprising

input means composed of a transparent tablet, provided on the display section of the main body and on the display section of the lid body.

13. The information processing apparatus as defined in claim 12, further comprising

location detecting means for detecting a first location, on one of the display sections, at which an instruction is inputted through said input means,

wherein said control means controls so that a second location, on the other display section, corresponding to the first location is displayed in a special manner.

14. The information processing apparatus as defined in claim 13, further comprising

translation means for translating a first language to a second language,

wherein the first and second languages are displayed on the respective display sections, and said control means controls so that a word having the same meaning with a word at the first location is displayed in a special manner.