Ergonomic hand held display

• US 6,937,464 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Issued: 08/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: XYBERNAUT CORPORATION
• Inventors: Gibby, Garth, Heyman, Martin D., Adams, Michael D., Rhoades, Matthew A., Olson, Mark H.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEA EDMONDS, LISA S
• Application Number:
  US10/868,561
• Publication Number:
  US 20040240163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 441 Days
• Field of Search: 361/681, 361/683, 361/686, 349/58, 349/173, 349/905, 349/169, 235/375, 235/462, 235/462.01, 235/472.01, D14/371, D14/374, D14341-343, D14/331, D14/346, D14126-129
• US Class Current: 361/679.3
• 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 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1632 Pen holder integrated in the computer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/905 Display device with housing structure

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of wearable and portable computers. Specifically, the invention is a flat panel display device which is designed with certain ergonomic features which allow the user to operate the display device comfortably for longer periods of time than with previous prior art hand held displays.

Claims

1. A display device, the device comprising:

a single housing,

a touch responsive flat panel display screen disposed on one major face of said housing,

a primary handgrip and a secondary handgrip on said single housing wherein said primary handgrip and said secondary handgrip are disposed on opposing sides of said single housing,

a printed circuit board inside said single housing in electrical contact with said flat panel display to display computer output,

a transceiver for sending and receiving an output signal from a computer said output signal to be displayed on said that panel display,

wherein mass inside said housing is distributed towards the primary handgrip.

2. The display device of claim 1 comprising at least two tactile ridges disposed on each of said handgrips.

3. The display device of claim 1 wherein said primary handgrip is physically larger in surface area than said secondary handgrip.

4. The display device of claim 1 wherein said primary handgrip and said secondary handgrip are contoured to fit a user'"'"'s hand and have only rounded edges to maximize comfort against a user'"'"'s hand.

5. The display device of claim 1 wherein said primary and secondary handgrips are composed of rubber or other suitable shock absorbing friction enhancing material.

6. The display device of claim 1 wherein both of said handgrips are curved inward toward the back of said display device an angle greater than 0 degrees but less than 45 degrees.

7. A display device comprising:

a single display housing, said single display housing containing a touch screen display with an underlying flat panel display disposed on a major front face of said housing, said single display housing further containing a printed circuit board in electrical contact with and for outputting video signals to said flat panel display and for performing computer operations, including at least a microprocessor, volatile and non-volatile storage, and video graphics hardware to provide signal and control to said flat panel display, a primary handgrip and a secondary handgrip on said single display housing wherein said primary handgrip and said secondary handgrip are disposed on opposing ends of said single display housing, both of said handgrips wrapping around said single display housing from the font to the back of said single display housing, both of said handgrips further angled inward towards the back of the display device, and further wherein said primary handgrip surrounds a removable battery, which can be selectively engaged or disengaged from said single display housing, wherein mass inside said single display housing is distributed towards the primary handgrip.

8. The display device of claim 7 wherein said primary handgrip is physically larger in surface area than said secondary handgrip.

9. The display device of claim 7 wherein said primary handgrip and said secondary handgrip are contoured to fit a user'"'"'s hand and have only rounded edges to maximize comfort against a user'"'"'s hand.

10. The display device of claim 7 wherein said device is operable for right handed or left handed use such that a user may always hold the device using at least the primary hand grip.

11. The display device of claim 7 wherein said primary and secondary handgrips are composed or other suitable shock absorbing friction enhancing material.

12. The display device of claim 7 wherein both of said handgrips are curved inward toward the back of said display device an angle greater than 0 degrees but less than 45 degrees.

13. An ergonomic hand held flat panel display device, the device comprising:

a single housing,

a touch screen disposed on one major face of said single housing,

a flat panel display behind said touch screen and responsive to said touch screen,

a primary handgrip and a secondary handgrip on said single housing wherein said primary handgrip and said secondary handgrip are disposed on opposing sides of said single housing, both of said handgrips wrapping around said housing from the front to the back of said single housing, said handgrips further angled inward towards the back of the display device,

a printed circuit board inside said single housing electrically connected to and said flat panel display, wherein said printed circuit board selectively performs independent computer functions, said printed circuit board comprising at least a microprocessor, volatile and non-volatile storage, and video graphics hardware for sending output to and controlling said flat panel display,

a connector for receiving power and output signal from a computer said output signal to be displayed on said flat panel display,

wherein mass inside said single housing is distributed towards the primary handgrip.

14. The display device of claim 13, wherein said display device is operable in a first passive mode of operation and a second active mode of operation, wherein during said first mode of operation the display device performs as a display for another computer and in a second mode of operation the display device performs as an independent computer utilizing its own computer hardware for processing power.

15. The display device of claim 13 wherein said primary handgrip is physically larger in surface area than said secondary handgrip.

16. The display device of claim 13 comprising at least two tactile ridges disposed on each of said handgrips.

17. The display device of claim 13 wherein said primary handgrip and said secondary handgrip are contoured to fit a user'"'"'s hand and have only rounded edges to maximize comfort against a user'"'"'s band.

18. The display device of claim 13 wherein said primary handgrip surrounds a battery which powers said display device, wherein said battery may be selectively engaged or disengaged by a user.

19. The display device of claim 13 wherein said primary and secondary handgrips are composed of rubber or other suitable shock absorbing friction enhancing material.

20. The display device of claim 13 wherein both of said handgrips are curved inward toward the back of said display device an angle greater than 0 degrees but less than 45 degrees.

21. The display device of claim 13, wherein said display device is operable in a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation, wherein during said first mode of operation the display device is enabled to display video signals from another computer and in a second mode of operation the display device performs as an independent computer including a personal digital assistant and thin client computer utilizing its own computer hardware for processing power.

22. An ergonomic hand held flat panel display device, the device comprising:

a single housing,

a touch screen disposed on one major face of said housing,

a flat panel display behind said touch screen and responsive to said touch screen,

a primary handgrip and a secondary handgrip on said display housing wherein said primary handgrip and said secondary handgrip are disposed on opposing ends of said housing, both of said handgrips wrapping around said housing from the front to the back of said housing, said handgrips further angled inward towards the back of the display device,

a printed circuit board inside said housing in electrical contact with and enabling said flat panel display to display computer output,

wherein mass inside said housing is distributed towards the primary handgrip.

23. The device of claim 22 wherein said handgrips are angled towards the back of the display device at an angle greater than 0 degrees but less than 45 degrees.

24. The device of claim 22 wherein at least two tactile ridges are disposed on each of said handgrips.

25. The device of claim 22 further comprising a wireless receiver inside said single housing and in electrical communication with said circuit board for communicating and selectively receiving information from another computer wirelessly.

26. A hand held flat panel computer display unit comprising in combination:

a single display housing comprising at a front and back side;

a touch screen disposed on one major face of said housing;

a primary and a secondary handgrip on opposing terminal sides of said housing, both of said handgrips wrapping in a rounded configuration around said terminal sides of said housing, each of said handgrips being electrical insulating and substantially non-skid,

a printed circuit board inside said housing in electrical contact with said touch screen,

wherein said flat panel display displays computer output,

wherein mass inside said housing is distributed towards the primary handgrip.

27. The flat panel display of claim 26 wherein said handgrips are angled inward toward the back side of said housing at an angle greater than 0 and less than 45 degrees.

28. The flat panel display of claim 26 wherein said primary handgrip is physically larger in surface area than said secondary handgrip.

29. The flat panel display of claim 26 wherein both of said handgrips are composed of rubber or other suitable shock absorbing friction enhancing material.

30. The flat panel display of claim 26 wherein at least one of said terminal sides has an electrical cable connected thereto.

31. The flat panel display of claim 26 having at one of said terminal sides a removable power supply which is also part of a handgrip.

32. The flat panel display of claim 26 having a connector to be connected to a computer.

33. An ergonomic flat panel computer display device, the device comprising:

a single housing,

a touch responsive flat panel display screen disposed on one major face of said housing,

a pair of handgrips on opposing ends of said housing, said handgrips wrapping around from the display screen face of said housing to the opposing face of said housing and said handgrips further angled inward toward said opposing face, wherein mass inside said housing is distributed towards the primary handgrip.

34. The display device of claim 33 wherein said display device is an external display for a computer.

35. The display device of claim 33 wherein said display device is functional as an independent computer.

36. The display device of claim 33 wherein internal components in of said device is distributed nearer to one of said handgrips than the other handgrip.

37. The display device of claim 33 wherein said handgrips are angled inward toward the back side of said housing at an angle greater than 0 and less than 45 degrees.

38. The display device of claim 33 wherein said handgrips are composed of a shock absorbing, non-skid, electrically insulating material.

39. The display device of claim 33 having at one side a removable power supply which is also part of a handgrip.

40. An ergonomic flat panel computer display device, the device comprising:

a means for inputting data on said display device,

a first means for holding and a second means for holding said display device, wherein

a means for enclosing components for said display device, such that a mass of said components is distributed towards said first means for holding.

41. A hand held flat panel computer display unit comprising in combination:

a means for housing said computer display unit;

a means for inputting data on said computer display unit;

a first and second means for holding said computer display unit,

a means for displaying computer signals on said computer display unit,

a means for distributing mass inside said computer display unit, wherein said mass is distributed toward either the first or second means for holding.