ELECTRONIC APPARATUS

• US 20090322683A1
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Client Solutions CO., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Oonuma, Kazuhito, Tsuji, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,999,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• 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 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus includes a coordinate input device which inputs coordinate data, a disabling range setting module which sets a disabling range in which the coordinate data, which is input by the coordinate input device, is disabled, a determination module which determines whether the coordinate data, which is input by the coordinate input device, is included in the disabling range which is set by the disabling range setting module, and a process module which executes a process corresponding to the coordinate data, which is input by the coordinate input device, in accordance with a determination result of the determination module.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a coordinate input device which inputs coordinate data;

a disabling range setting module which sets a disabling range in which the coordinate data, which is input by the coordinate input device, is disabled;

a determination module which determines whether the coordinate data, which is input by the coordinate input device, is included in the disabling range which is set by the disabling range setting module; and

a process module which executes a process corresponding to the coordinate data, which is input by the coordinate input device, in accordance with a determination result of the determination module.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a keyboard which is provided on a top surface of a casing,

wherein a coordinate input surface of the coordinate input device is disposed on a front side of the keyboard on the top surface of the casing, and the coordinate input surface has a size of a range including a position of the hand at a time when the hand is placed at a home position on the keyboard.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 2, wherein the disabling range setting module comprises:

a range detection module which detects a range of contact of the hand with the coordinate input surface of the coordinate input device; and

a setting module which sets the disabling range on the basis of the range detected by the range detection module.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

an elapsed time determination module which determines an elapsed time from a time when the disabling range is set by the disabling range setting module; and

a setting canceling module which cancels the setting of the disabling range in a case where the elapsed time determination module determines that a preset predetermined time has passed.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 4, wherein the disabling range setting module sets the disabling range in association with key input on the keyboard, and

the setting canceling module cancels the setting of the disabling range after a predetermined time has passed since the key input.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 2, wherein the disabling range setting module comprises:

a designation input module which inputs designation of an area, which corresponds to the disabling range, on the coordinate input surface of the coordinate input device, which is divided in advance into a plurality of areas; and

a setting module which sets the disabling range in accordance with the designation input by the designation input module.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

an elapsed time determination module which determines an elapsed time from a time when the disabling range is set by the disabling range setting module; and

a setting canceling module which cancels the setting of the disabling range in a case where the elapsed time determination module determines that a preset predetermined time has passed.

8. The electronic apparatus of claim 7, wherein the disabling range setting module sets the disabling range in association with key input on the keyboard, and

the setting canceling module cancels the setting of the disabling range after a predetermined time has passed since the key input.

9. The electronic apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

a range memory module which stores data on a contact range at a time of an input operation on the coordinate input device; and

a contact pattern setting module which sets, on the basis of the data on the contact range that is stored in the range memory module, a contact pattern for determining contact/non-contact of the hand by the range detection module,

wherein the range detection module determines the range of contact of the hand in a case where an input range on the coordinate input surface is broader than the contact pattern, and

the setting module sets the disabling range on the basis of the range detected by the range detection module, in a case where the range detection module determines the range of contact of the hand.

10. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display module which effects display for indicating the disabling range which is set by the disabling range setting module.

11. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sound producing module which produces sound in accordance with the coordinate data that is input by the coordinate input device, on the basis of a determination result of the determination module.