Portable information processing apparatus

• US 7,843,436 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2007
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jo, Whan-haeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis; David L
• Application Number:
  US11/741,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20080174556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 36167901-67961
• US Class Current: 345/168
• 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 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• 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 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device

Abstract

A portable information processing apparatus including a main body including a display opening and a front panel surface surrounding the display opening, a display unit to display an image through the display opening, a key button input unit oppositely arranged across the display unit in a first portion of the front panel surface and an additional input unit including at least one additional input unit in a second portion of the front panel surface.

Claims

1. A portable information processing apparatus, comprising:

a main body including a display opening and a front panel surface surrounding the display opening, the display opening being provided in a center portion of the front panel surface;

a display unit to display an image through the display opening, the display unit comprising a base line that extends in a horizontal direction across a width therein;

a key button input unit oppositely arranged across the display unit in a first portion of the front panel surface, the key button input unit including a left key group and a right key group, each group comprising a plurality of rows of input keys, each of the plurality of rows of input keys being arranged in a respective outwardly direction from the display opening proximate to the display opening; and

an additional input unit including at least one additional input unit in a second portion of the front panel surface,

wherein each respective outwardly direction forms a respective angle with respect to the base line, and the angles within each group gradually increase or decrease in a direction from the upper portion of the front panel surface to the lower portion of the front panel surface along the edge of the display opening.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the left key group and the right key group comprises:

a plurality of letter input keys; and

a plurality of character input keys.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the opposite sides of the front panel surface is provided with a function input unit to selectively input one or more functions.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the function input unit comprises a Hall mouse disposed below one of the first key group and the second key group on the front panel surface and used to select at least one of a mouse function and a multi-arrow key function.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the Hall mouse is disposed in a center region of one of the opposite sides of the main body.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the function input unit, further comprises:

a mouse function unit disposed in the other one of the first key group and the second key group on the front panel surface and operably corresponding to the mouse function.

7. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the function input unit, further comprises:

a function-setting unit disposed in the other one of the opposite sides of the main body and used to selectively set a function.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the function-setting unit is disposed in a center region of the other one of the opposite sides of the main body.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the additional input unit comprises at least one of a camera unit disposed in the main body to photograph an object;

an information reader to read external information; and

a microphone unit to input sound.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the microphone unit includes array microphones arranged in a front portion of the front panel surface at predetermined intervals.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the main body comprises:

a rounded surface extending around at least a portion of an outside perimeter of the main body, and the speaker unit is disposed on the rounded surface.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the camera unit comprises:

a first camera disposed on the front panel surface; and

a second camera disposed on a rear surface of the main body.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a speaker unit disposed in a third portion of the front panel surface.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit comprises a touch screen function.

15. A portable information processing apparatus, comprising:

a front panel surface having a left panel surface, a right panel surface, an upper portion and a lower portion;

a display unit to display an image disposed between the left panel surface, the right panel surface, the upper portion and the lower portion;

a first key group having a first set of key buttons arranged in an outwardly direction from the display unit disposed in one of the left panel surface and the right panel surface; and

a second key group having a second set of key buttons arranged in an outwardly direction, the second key group disposed below the first key group and in the one of the left panel surface and the right panel surface;

wherein the first key group and the second key group each form an angle in a direction from the upper portion to the lower portion of the front panel surface with a base line that extends horizontally across a width of the display unit, and the angle formed by the first key group is different than the angle formed by the second key group.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the angle formed by the first key group is greater than the angle formed by the second key group.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the angle formed by the first key group is less than the angle formed by the second key group.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

a third key group having a third set of key buttons arranged in an outwardly direction from the display unit disposed on the other one of the left panel surface and the right panel surface; and

a fourth key group having a fourth set of key buttons arranged in an outwardly direction, the fourth key group disposed below the third key group and in the other one of the left panel surface and the right panel surface;

wherein the third key group and the fourth key group each form an angle in the direction from the upper portion to the lower portion of the front panel surface with the base line that extends horizontally across the width of the display unit, and the angle formed by the third key group is different than the angle formed by the fourth key group.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the angle formed by the third key group is greater than the angle formed by the fourth key group.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the angle formed by the third key group is less than the angle formed by the fourth key group.

21. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein:

the angle formed by the third key group corresponds to the angle formed by the first key group; and

the angle formed by the fourth key group corresponds to the angle formed by the second key group.

22. A portable information processing apparatus, comprising:

a front panel surface having a left panel surface, a right panel surface, an upper portion and a lower portion;

a first set of key groups arranged vertically to each other and disposed on the left panel surface; and

a second set of key groups arranged vertically to each other and disposed on the right panel surface,

each of the first set and the second set of key groups having a plurality of key buttons, the plurality of key buttons of the first set and the second set of key groups are arranged in an outwardly direction opposite from each other;

wherein each of the first set of key groups and each of the second set of key groups forms an angle in a direction from the upper portion to the lower portion of the front panel surface with a base line that extends horizontally across a width of the display unit, and the angles formed by each of the first set of key groups are not all equal to each other.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the angles formed by each of the second set of key groups are not equal to each other.

24. The apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising:

a display unit to display an image disposed between the left panel surface, the right panel surface, the upper portion and the lower portion.