Handheld electronic device with touch pad

• US 20020140680A1
• Filed: 03/30/2001
• Published: 10/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• 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
• Granted Patent: US 7,012,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/169
• 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 adjacent said display that simulates a keyboard, said touch pad being pressure sensitive, wherein finger pressure will input textual information upon said display.

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 device further comprises means for adjusting pressure threshold of said touch pad, below which said display is dormant and above which said finger positions are displayed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. 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.

11. A handheld portable electronic device for inputting text in a relatively rapid manner, 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 inputs finger positions and textual information upon said display.

12. The handheld portable electronic device in accordance with claim 11, wherein said device further comprises means for distinguishing thresholds for pressure applied to said touch pad.

13. The handheld portable electronic device in accordance with claim 12, wherein pressure below a predetermined threshold applied to said touch pad by the fingers of a user results in said display indicating positions of said fingers relative to said touch pad and pressure above said predetermined threshold applied to said touch pad by the fingers of a user results in said textual information being entered into said device and displayed on said display.

14. The handheld portable electronic device in accordance with claim 11, wherein said touch pad comprises a keyboard simulated for ergonomic placement of fingers.

15. The handheld portable electronic device in accordance with claim 11, wherein said touch pad comprises a simulated standard keyboard configuration.

16. The handheld portable electronic device in accordance with claim 11, wherein said touch pad comprises a multiplicity of finger sensitive pressure pads.

17. The handheld portable electronic device in accordance with claim 11, wherein said touch pad is positioned behind said display.

18. The handheld portable electronic device in accordance with claim 11, wherein said display comprises an LCD screen.

19. The handheld portable electronic device in accordance with claim 11, wherein said display comprises means for displaying text in a word processing format.

20. The handheld portable electronic device in accordance with claim 11, wherein said touch pad comprises means for adjusting finger pressure necessary for activating said touch pad and inputting text.