Mobile information terminal having operation keys and a display on opposite sides

• US 7,801,566 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2004
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Oga, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHEDRICK, CHARLES TERRELL
• Application Number:
  US10/566,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20070063976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,248 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566
• US Class Current: 455/566
• 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 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A mobile information terminal has a front surface on which a display surface of a display device is arranged and a rear surface on which a plurality of operation keys are arranged. The mobile information terminal further has a half-depressing sensor for detecting that each of the operation keys is half-depressed and/or a touch sensor for detecting that each of the operation keys is touched. A control section executes a processing operation to cause the display device to display an image showing the arrangement of said operation keys and to change an icon which corresponds to a key of operation keys when a control section determines, according to an input signal from the half-depressing sensor or the touch sensor, that the finger of the operator is placed on this key of operation keys.

Claims

1. A mobile information terminal comprising:

a display device having a display surface disposed on a front surface;

a plurality of operation keys operable to detect that each of said operation keys is frilly depressed, said operation keys being disposed on a rear surface located on a reverse side of the front surface on which the display surface of said display device is disposed;

a plurality of finger position detecting mechanisms for detecting that a finger of an operator is placed on one of said operation keys even if none of said operation keys is fully depressed, and

a control section to which signals from said operation keys and said finger position detecting mechanisms are entered and which can control the operation of said display device,

wherein said control section executes a processing operation to cause said display device to display an image showing the arrangement of said operation keys and to change an icon which is included in the image of said arranged operation keys and which corresponds to one of said operation keys on which the operator placed his/her finger when the control section determines, according to an input signal from said finger position detecting mechanisms, that the finger of the operator is placed on said one of operation keys.

2. The mobile information terminal according to claim 1, wherein each of said finger position detecting mechanisms includes a half-depressing sensor for detecting that each of said operation keys is half-depressed and/or includes a touch sensor for detecting that the finger of the operator touches each of said operation keys.

3. The mobile information terminal according to claim 1, wherein executing the processing operation to change the icon that corresponds to one of said operation keys on which the finger of the operator is placed, is executed by changing at least one of a display color, a display figure, a display brightness, and a flickering pattern in the displayed icon.

4. The mobile information terminal according to claim 1, wherein said control section executes a processing operation to start or stop a predetermined program stored in advance when said control section determines, according to a signal from said finger position detecting mechanisms, that the finger of the operator is placed on a predetermined key of said operation keys, or when said control section determines, according to a signal from said finger position detecting mechanisms, that the finger of the operator is sequentially placed on some of said operation keys in a predetermined order.

5. The mobile information terminal according to claim 4, wherein at least one processing operation to display a predetermined image on said display device or to stop the display, to display predetermined selection information on said display device, to turn the light of an illuminator on or off or to cause the illuminator to flicker, to generate or to halt a vibration of a predetermined pattern, to generate or stop a sound having a predetermined pattern, to connect the mobile information terminal to another information processing apparatus, to which the mobile information terminal can be connected through a network, or to disconnect the connection, is executed by starting or by stopping said predetermined program.

6. The mobile information terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a gravity sensor for detecting whether gravity is applied in a direction from said front surface to said rear surface or in a direction from said rear surface to said front surface, wherein said control section executes a processing operation to change the assignment of key codes to said operation keys, in response to an input signal from said gravity sensor.

8. The mobile information terminal according to claim 6, wherein the arrangement of the key codes assigned to said operation keys when gravity is applied in a direction from said front surface to said rear surface is a mirror image of the arrangement of the key codes assigned to said operation keys when gravity is applied in a direction from said rear surface to said front surface.

7. A mobile information terminal comprising:

a display device having a display surface disposed on a front surface;

a plurality of operation keys disposed on a rear surface located on a reverse side of the front surface on which the display surface of said display device is disposed,

a gravity sensor operable to detect whether gravity is applied in a direction from said front surface to said rear surface, or in a direction from said rear surface to said front surface, and

a control section to which signals from said operation keys and said gravity sensor are entered and which can control the operation of said display device, wherein said control section is operable to execute a processing operation to cause said display device to display an image showing the arrangement of said operation keys and a processing operation to change the assignment of key codes to said operation keys in response to an input signal from said gravity sensor.

9. The mobile information terminal according to claim 7, wherein the arrangement of the key codes assigned to said operation keys when gravity is applied in the direction from said front surface to said rear surface is a mirror image of the arrangement of the key codes assigned to said operation keys when gravity is applied in the direction from said rear surface to said front surface.