Portable electronic device

• US 9,120,015 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2014
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sakakibara, Kenji, Sogabe, Takashi, Wakabayashi, Kazuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Pandya, Sunit
• Application Number:
  US14/166,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20140141885A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463 30- 32, 463/34, 463/37, 463 40- 42, 463 44- 46, 345156-179, 345/418, 345/419, 345/430, 345/467, 345/503
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• 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 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• 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 1/169 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: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033

Abstract

An electronic device (1) has hold parts (1R, 1L) constituting respective right and left side parts of the electronic device 1 and being available to be held by a user. Operating sticks (3R, 3L) are provided on the respective hold parts (1R, 1L). A rear touch panel (21) is provided on the rear surface of the electronic device (1). The rear touch panel (21) is provided in at least an area located further upward than a positions P opposite from the operation sticks (3R, 3L). This layout of the rear touch panel (21) allows a user to smoothly operate the rear touch panel (21) while holding the hold parts of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

an area defined in a front surface of the electronic device and provided with a touch panel; and

a first operative stick projecting from the front surface of the electronic device on a first lateral side of the touch panel;

at least a first operative button disposed proximate to the first operative stick;

a second operative stick projecting from the front surface of the electronic device on a second, opposite, lateral side of the touch panel;

at least a second operative button disposed proximate to the second operative stick;

wherein;

the front surface of the electronic device includes an upper flat surface continuing upward from the area and flush with at least a part of the area, and

a lower flat surface continuing downward from the area and flush with at least a part of the area.

2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the upper flat surface reaches an upper edge of the front surface of the electronic device.

3. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the lower flat surface reaches a lower edge of the front surface of the electronic device.

4. The portable electronic device according to claim 1 further comprising a front cover panel covering the touch panel and forming the front surface of the electronic device.

5. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the upper flat surface is flush with at least the part of the area between the first operative stick and the second operative stick.

6. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the lower flat surface is flush with at least the part of the area between the first operative stick and the second operative stick.