Handheld electronic device with touch pad

• US 7,012,595 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2001
• Issued: 03/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Lu, Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US09/822,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20020140680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 345/168, 178 1801- 1809, 178/18.11, 178 1901- 1906, 340/712, 341/26, 341/29
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

An ergonomically held portable electronic device having a touch pad with a pressure sensitive simulated keyboard. The user places his or her fingers upon the touch pad in positions representing the keys of the keyboard. One quickly adjusts to the use of this improvised keyboard and is able to sense where to place one'"'"'s fingers. Very quickly, an average user can be rapidly entering lengthy textual messages with ease.

Claims

1. A handheld device for rapidly and easily inputting text, comprising:

a display for showing the input of text; and

a touch pad disposed anywhere on said handheld device except over said display, said touch pad being pressure sensitive, wherein finger pressure on said touch pad will input textual information upon said display, and further comprising means for adjusting a first pressure threshold of said touch pad, below which said display is dormant and above which finger positions on said touch pad are displayed, wherein said means for adjusting the first pressure threshold further comprises means for selecting the first pressure threshold from a predetermined set of discrete pressure thresholds.

2. The handheld device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said device further comprises means for indicating finger positions on said touch pad.

3. The handheld device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said touch pad comprises a keyboard for placement of fingers.

4. The handheld device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said touch pad comprises a standard keyboard configuration.

5. The handheld device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said touch pad comprises a multiplicity of finger sensitive pressure zones.

6. The handheld device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said touch pad is positioned behind said display.

7. The handheld device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said display comprises an LCD screen.

8. The handheld device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said display comprises means for displaying text in a word processing format.

9. The handheld device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said touch pad comprises means for adjusting finger pressure necessary for activating said keyboard and inputting text.

10. The handheld device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said means for adjusting the first pressure threshold of said touch pad comprises a slider bar.

11. The handheld device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said means for adjusting the first pressure threshold of said touch pad comprises means for selecting the first pressure threshold from a predetermined set of three discrete pressure thresholds.

12. The handheld device in accordance with claim 1, wherein below a second pressure threshold of said touch pad said textual information will not be displayed upon said display, wherein above the second pressure threshold of said touch pad said textual information will be displayed upon said display, and wherein said second pressure threshold exceeds said first pressure threshold.

13. A handheld device for rapidly and easily inputting text, comprising:

a display for showing the input of text; and

a touch pad disposed adjacent said display that simulates a keyboard, said touch pad being pressure sensitive, wherein finger pressure on said touch pad will input textual information upon said display, and further comprising means for adjusting a first pressure threshold of said touch pad, below which said display is dormant and above which finger positions on said touch pad are displayed, wherein said means for adjusting the first pressure threshold comprises means for selecting the first pressure threshold from a predetermined set of discrete measure thresholds.

14. The handheld device in accordance with claim 13, wherein said means for adjusting the first pressure threshold of said touch pad comprises a slider bar.

15. The handheld device in accordance with claim 13, wherein said means for adjusting the first pressure threshold of said touch pad comprises means for selecting the first pressure threshold from a predetermined set of three discrete pressure thresholds.

16. The handheld device in accordance with claim 13, wherein below a second pressure threshold of said touch pad said textual information will not be displayed upon said display, wherein above the second pressure threshold of said touch pad said textual information will be displayed upon said display, and wherein said second pressure threshold exceeds said first pressure threshold.

17. A handheld portable electronic device for inputting text in a relatively rapid manner, comprising:

a display for showing the input of text, comprising;

a display for showing the input of text; and

a touch pad disposed anywhere on said handheld device except over said display, said touch pad being pressure sensitive, wherein finger pressure inputs finger positions and textual information upon said display, and further comprising means for adjusting a first pressure threshold of said touch pad, below which said display is dormant and above which finger positions on said touch pad are displayed, wherein said means for adjusting the first pressure threshold comprises means for selecting the first pressure threshold from a predetermined set of discrete pressure thresholds.

18. The handheld portable electronic device in accordance with claim 17, wherein said touch pad comprises a keyboard for placement of fingers.

19. The handheld portable electronic device in accordance with claim 17 wherein said touch pad comprises a standard keyboard configuration.

20. The handheld portable electronic device in accordance with claim 17, wherein said touch pad comprises a multiplicity of finger sensitive pressure pads.

21. The handheld portable electronic device in accordance with claim 17, wherein said touch pad is positioned behind said display.

22. The handheld portable electronic device in accordance with claim 17, wherein said display comprises an LCD screen.

23. The handheld portable electronic device in accordance with claim 17, wherein said display comprises means for displaying text in a word processing format.

24. The handheld portable electronic device in accordance with claim 17, wherein said touch pad comprises means for adjusting finger pressure necessary for activating said touch pad and inputting text.

25. The handheld device in accordance with claim 17, wherein said means for adjusting the first pressure threshold of said touch pad comprises a slider bar.

26. The handheld device in accordance with claim 17, wherein said means for adjusting the first pressure threshold of said touch pad comprises means for selecting the first pressure threshold from a predetermined set of three discrete pressure thresholds.

27. The handheld device in accordance with claim 17, wherein below a second pressure threshold of said touch pad said textual information will not be displayed upon said display, wherein above the second pressure threshold of said touch pad said textual information will be displayed upon said display, and wherein said second pressure threshold exceeds said first pressure threshold.