Computer interface device

• US RE38,419 E1
• Filed: 03/15/2001
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Paley, Steven J., OʼLeary, Sean E., Castagno, Daniel L., Auer, Carol M., Haley, Allen W. Jr., Rutt, Thomas E., Moore, Harry J. IV
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, KENT WU
• Application Number:
  US09/808,917
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/104, 345/76, 345/810-813, 345/817-820, 178/18.01, 178/18.1
• 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 1/1656 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 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• 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

A computer terminal device includes a flat screen display element and a touch-sensitive element. Simulated keyboards can be displayed on the display element and, in response to the touching of the simulated keys, generate appropriate control signals. The same flat screen display can also be used to display computer output, either the result of calculations or the result of information retrieval requests. The slim silhouette of this terminal makes it ideal for hostile environments such as the factory floor or the hospital room.

Claims

1. A terminal comprising:

a touch-sensitive electroluminescent display surface for simultaneously displaying information and for accepting input information through a touch-responsive area in said display surface, and

means for coupling said surface to a digital computer for controlling said displaying and for storing and processing said input information, and including means for defining in said touch responsive area an essentially arbitrary pattern A of primary information subareas of said touch-responsive area for providing information, with each defined subarea developing a preselected signal for said computer when touched, a first subarea B for recalling a previously displayed pattern of primary information subareas, and second subareas C for calling up for display preselected other patterns of primary information subareas.

2. The terminal of claim 1 wherein said first subarea B and said second subareas C direct said computer to carry out the respective functions when touched.

3. A method of simulating a typewriting keyboard on a touch-sensitive display surface comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a typewriter keyboard arrangement on said display surface,

(b) responding to the touching of any of the key areas of said keyboard display by generating the electric code corresponding to the character assigned to the touched key area, and

(c) altering the labels on the key areas in response to the touching of a special key area corresponding to a shift or control key to assign different electric codes to these key areas corresponding to the altered labels.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of displaying includes correlating of the key areas of the display corresponding to specific keyboard labels with electric signals generated by said areas.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said specific keyboard labels include alphabetic labels.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprises the following steps:

8. The method of claim 7 wherein at least one label is the same on each of said numeric and alphabetic keyboards.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprises the following steps:

10. The method of claim 5 wherein the specific keyboard labels comprise capital letters.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said electric signals comprise ASCII codes.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said ASCII codes are transmitted to a computer.

13. The method of claim 5 wherein the specific keyboard labels comprise lower case letters.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said electric signals comprise ASCII codes.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said ASCII codes are transmitted to a computer.

16. The method of claim 5 wherein said electric signals comprise ASCII codes.

17. The method of claim 3 wherein the typewriter keyboard arrangement is a standard “

q-w-e-r-t-y”

typewriter keyboard.

18. The method of claim 3 wherein the altering step includes erasing current labels on the keys and replacing the current labels corresponding to the altered labels of said keys.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the current labels are lower case letters and altered labels are capital letters.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the altering step is effected in response to the touching of the special key area corresponding to a shift key.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of displaying is carried out on said display surface comprising a flat display and a touch-sensitive screen.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein an output is produced in response to the touching of the touch-sensitive screen, wherein the key areas of said keyboard including the special key area have associated x-y coordinates, and wherein the responding step includes:

translating the output from the touch-sensitive screen into touched x-y coordinates;

comparing the touched x-y coordinates to the x-y coordinates associated with the special key area;

producing an electric code associated with the special key if the touched x-y coordinates match the x-y coordinates of the special key area; and

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the delivering step is carried out inside a hand-held terminal.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the delivering step is carried out using a cord.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the cord is flexible and retractible.

26. The method of claim 22 wherein the delivering step is carried out using wireless technology.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the delivering step is carried out using sonic communications links.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the delivering step is carried out using radio communication links.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the delivering step is carried out using infrared communication links.

30. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of responding includes:

4. A terminal comprising:

a touch-sensitive plasma display surface for simultaneously displaying information and for accepting input information through a touch-responsive area in said display surface, and

means for coupling said surface to a digital computer for controlling said displaying and for storing and processing said input information, and including means for defining in said touch responsive area (a) an essentially arbitrary pattern of primary information subareas of said touch-responsive area for providing information, with each defined subarea developing a preselected signal for said computer when touched, (b) a subarea for recalling a previously displayed pattern of primary information subareas, and (c) subareas for calling up for display preselected other patterns of primary information subareas.