Coordinate input device and portable information apparatus equipped with coordinate input device

• US 6,788,288 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2001
• Issued: 09/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ano, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M.
• Application Number:
  US09/845,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20020030665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 345/157, 345/156, 345/159, 345/169, 345/163, 345/184, 345/172, 345/160, 345/27, 345/419, 345/823, 345/858, 348/734, 455/566
• US Class Current: 345/157
• 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 3/03549 Trackballs G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars

Abstract

A coordinate input device has

a keyboard;

a rotary dial annular in shape and mounted in substantially the same plane as the keyboard, the rotary dial being rotatable within the plane; and

a rotation detector for detecting the amount and direction of rotation of the rotary dial, and wherein:

the rotary dial is disposed below the keyboard.

Claims

1. A coordinate input device comprising:

a keyboard;

a rotary dial annular in shape and having a substantially flat upper surface mounted flush with the same plane of said keyboard, said upper surface of said rotary dial being rotatable within said plane; and

a rotation detector for detecting the amount and direction of rotation of said rotary dial, and wherein;

said rotary dial is disposed below said keyboard.

2. A coordinate input device according to claim 1, wherein said rotary dial is disposed so that the center of said rotary dial lies on a line that substantially bisects the width of said keyboard.

3. A coordinate input device according to claim 1, further comprising a depression detector for detecting depression of said rotary dial when said rotary dial is depressed in a direction perpendicular to said plane.

4. A coordinate input device according to claim 1, further comprising a trackball, a second rotation detector for detecting the amount and direction of rotation of said trackball, and one or more click buttons provided in positions adjacent to said trackball, and wherein:

said trackball and said click buttons are disposed within said plane in such a manner as to be surrounded by said rotary dial.

5. A coordinate input device according to claim 1, further comprising a flat pad which is touched by an object, a movement detector for detecting the distance and direction of movement of said object while said flat pad is being touched with said object, and one or more click buttons provided in positions adjacent to said flat pad, and wherein:

said flat pad and said click buttons are disposed within said plane in such a manner as to be surrounded by said rotary dial.

6. A coordinate input device according to claim 1, wherein said rotary dial is constructed so that when said rotary dial is rotated, various parts forming said rotary dial can stay stable in a plurality of positions within said plane.

7. A portable information apparatus comprising:

a coordinate input device as described in claim 1;

a display device having a screen for displaying information and a pointer for indicating a portion within said screen; and

a controller for causing said information or said pointer displayed within said screen to move according to the amount and direction of rotation of said rotary dial.

8. A portable information apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said screen includes a scroll bar for scrolling said displayed information vertically or horizontally across said screen, and

said controller causes said information displayed within said screen to scroll in accordance with the amount and direction of rotation of said rotary dial when said pointer is positioned on said scroll bar.

9. A portable information apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said information comprises a plurality of picture images, said pointer is used to select one of said plurality of picture images, and said controller causes said pointer to move in accordance with the amount and direction of rotation of said rotary dial.

10. A portable information apparatus according to claim 9, comprising an expansion controller for causing said image at which said pointer is positioned to be expanded to a larger size for display in said screen.

11. A portable information apparatus according to claim 9, comprising an application activator for activating a prescribed application, while at the same time, capturing said image at which said pointer is positioned.

12. A portable information apparatus comprising:

a coordinate input device as described in claim 1;

a display device having a screen with a plurality of image display areas arranged in the form of a ring and a pointer for indicating one of said plurality of image display areas; and

a controller for causing said pointer displayed within said screen to move according to the amount and direction of rotation of said rotary dial.

13. A portable information apparatus comprising:

a coordinate input device as described in claim 1;

a display device having a screen with a plurality of picture image display areas arranged in the form of a ring and a pointer for indicating one of said plurality of picture image display areas; and

a controller for causing a plurality of picture images to be displayed in said respective picture image display areas in such a manner that said plurality of picture images are displayed sequentially moving through said picture image display areas in accordance with the amount and direction of rotation of said rotary dial.

14. A portable information apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the size of said plurality of picture image display areas monotonically changes along said ring, and/or said plurality of picture image display areas are arranged with any two adjacent picture image display areas overlapping each other.

15. A portable information apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said plurality of images are temporally successive images.

16. A portable information apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said controller causes said plurality of images to be displayed in said respective image display areas in such a manner that, of said plurality of images, the most future image is displayed in the smallest size.

17. A portable information apparatus according to claim 13, comprising a position indicator for indicating in digital or analog form where in an entire set of said plurality of images is positioned the image displayed in a prescribed one of said plurality of image display areas.

18. A portable information apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said plurality of images are images such that the number of fields to be displayed per unit time is predetermined, and said controller causes said respective images to move by umber equal to the number of fields per second when said rotary dial is rotated through one revolution.

19. A portable information apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said controller performs control so that the number of times that said respective images are moved while said rotary dial is rotated through one revolution is varied according to the rotational speed of said rotary dial.

20. A portable information apparatus according to claim 13, comprising an application activator for activating a prescribed application, while at the same time, capturing the image displayed in a prescribed one of said plurality of image display areas.