Portable information processing device having input unit

• US 6,477,040 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2001
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Horiki, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Schuberg, Darren
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUONG, HUNG V
• Application Number:
  US09/842,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20020109965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 557 Days
• Field of Search: 361/683, 361/724-727, 361/684-686, 361/680-681, 312/223--22, 312/223.7, 364/708.1
• US Class Current: 361/679.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1622 with enclosures rotating around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define or with ball-joint coupling, e.g. PDA with display enclosure orientation changeable between portrait and landscape by rotation with respect to a coplanar body enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• 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 1/1679 for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA G06F1/1681 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

Abstract

There comprises a base unit having an information processing circuit and a display unit, an input unit, and a rotary axis disposed in an orthogonal direction to the base unit and the input unit for coupling therebetween. The display unit comes into an unexposed position when the input unit is turned in one direction on the rotary axis, and (ii) it comes into an exposed position when the input unit is turned in another direction on the rotary axis.

Claims

1. A portable information processing device comprising:

a base unit including a display unit;

an input unit;

a rotary axis disposed in an orthogonal direction to said base unit and said input unit, for coupling therebetween,

wherein

said display unit is in an unexposed position when said input unit is turned in one direction on said rotary axis, and

said display unit is in a sufficiently exposed position when said input unit is turned in another direction on said rotary axis; and

a detection element for detecting an exposed position of said display unit, wherein, when said input unit and said display unit are turned on said rotary axis,

said detection element turns on a power supply for said portable information processing device upon detection that said display unit is sufficiently exposed, and

said detection element turns off the power supply for said portable information processing device upon detection that said display unit is not exposed sufficiently.

2. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said detection element comprises a magnet switch.

3. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 1, further having a waterproofing property.

4. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein a surface of said input unit is covered with a flexible and seamless material such as an elastomer.

5. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a wireless communication unit,

wherein said wireless communication unit communicates the information between said input unit and said base unit.

6. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said input unit is provided with a pointing device for shifting positions of at least one of a cursor and a pointer, on a screen of said display unit.

7. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a touch panel in a front surface of said display unit, wherein information is input with any of a finger tip and a pen-like stick tip.

8. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 6, wherein said pointing device comprises a flat pad.

9. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 6, wherein said pointing device comprises a ball-shaped device.

10. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 6, wherein said pointing device comprises a joystick-shaped device.

11. A portable information processing device comprising:

a display unit;

a base unit including an information processing circuit and being operably coupled to said display unit;

an input unit operably coupled to said base unit;

a rotary axis disposed in an orthogonal direction to said display unit and said input unit, for coupling therebetween,

wherein

said display unit is in an unexposed position when said input unit is turned in one direction on said rotary axis, and

said display unit is in a sufficiently exposed position when said input unit is turned in another direction on said rotary axis; and

a detection element for detecting an exposed position of said display unit, wherein, when said input unit and said display unit are turned on said rotary axis,

said detection element turns on a power supply for said portable information processing device upon detection that said display unit is sufficiently exposed, and

said detection element turns off the power supply for said portable information processing device upon detection that said display unit is not exposed sufficiently.

12. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 11, wherein said detection element comprises a magnet switch.

13. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 11, further having a waterproofing property.

14. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 11, wherein a surface of said input unit is covered with a flexible and seamless material such as an elastomer.

15. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 11, further comprising a wireless communication unit,

wherein said wireless communication unit communicates the information between said input unit and said base unit.

16. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 11, wherein said input unit is provided with a pointing device for shifting positions of at least one of a cursor and a pointer, on a screen of said display unit.

17. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said pointing device comprises a flat pad.

18. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said pointing device comprises a ball-shaped device.

19. The portable information processing device as set forth in claim 11, further comprising a touch panel in a front surface of said display unit, wherein information is input with any of a finger tip and a pen-like stick tip.