Hand-held portable electronic apparatus

• US 7,330,177 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2004
• Issued: 02/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kukita, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Awad; Amr A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sheng; Tom V
• Application Number:
  US11/009,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20050099386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345160-164, 345/167, 361/608, 361/683, 361/686
• 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 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• 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 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1679 for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA G06F1/1681 takes precedence
• 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 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03549 Trackballs G06F3/03541 takes precedence

Abstract

A portable electronic apparatus including a main body having a display unit on a surface and a protruding holding unit. The holding unit includes a pointing device and switches that are operated by a same hand holding the holding unit. The pointing device includes one of a stick type pointing device and a trackball type pointing device that performs pointing operations including moving a cursor displayed on the display unit. The switches are for setting or canceling instructions given by the pointing device with click operations. The holding unit is also configured to be folded toward a side of the main body. When it is folded, an electric power supply is automatically turned off or put in a standby state and when the holding unit is unfolded to its original position, the electric power supply is a turned on or put in an operating state.

Claims

1. A portable electronic apparatus, comprising:

a body having a display unit on a top surface thereof; and

a holding unit protruding substantially perpendicular from a bottom surface of the body for holding the portable electronic apparatus and including a menu navigating device for navigating a menu displayed on the display unit and a switch configured to be operated by a same one hand holding the holding unit so that the portable electronic apparatus is able to be supported, held, and operated with one hand,

wherein the holding unit includes a grip configured to be grasped at least with a palm of said one hand such that when said one hand holds the holding unit, the palm of said one hand holding the holding unit is also substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface of the body;

wherein said holding unit is configured to store batteries which are used for an electric power source to operate said portable electronic apparatus.

2. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the grip is further configured to be grasped such that when said one hand holds the holding unit, a plane of a back of said one hand is substantially perpendicular to the body.

3. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the grip is further configured to be grasped such that when said one hand holds the holding unit, the menu navigating device is configured to be operated by a thumb of said one hand.

4. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said body is configured to be folded toward a side of said holding unit.

5. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the holding unit and the display unit are automatically put into one of a turned off state and a standby state when said body and said holding unit are folded together, and at least one of the holding unit and the display unit are put into one of a turned on state and an operating state when said body and said holding unit are folded apart.

6. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a surface of the body having the display unit is configured to be substantially parallel to the palm of said one hand holding the holding unit when the display unit is not in use.

7. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display unit is configured to be not in use when the body is folded toward the holding unit.

8. A portable electronic apparatus, comprising:

a body having a display unit on a top surface thereof; and

a holding unit protruding substantially perpendicular from a bottom surface of the body for holding the portable electronic apparatus and including a highlighted item changing device for changing a highlighted item displayed on the display unit and a switch configured to be operated by a same one hand holding the holding unit so that the portable electronic apparatus is able to be supported, held, and operated with one hand,

wherein the holding unit includes a grip configured to be grasped at least with a palm of said one hand such that when said one hand holds the holding unit, the palm of said one hand holding the holding unit is also substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface of the body.

9. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the grip is further configured to be grasped such that when said one hand holds the holding unit, a plane of the back of said one hand is substantially perpendicular to the body.

10. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the grip is further configured to be grasped such that when said one hand holds the holding unit, the highlighted item changing device is configured to be operated by a thumb of said one hand.

11. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said body is configured to be folded toward a side of said holding unit.

12. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the holding unit and the display unit are automatically put into one of a turned off state and a standby state when said body and said holding unit are folded together, and at least one of the holding unit and the display unit are put into one of a turned on state and an operating state when said body and said holding unit are folded apart.

13. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the surface of the body having the display unit is configured to be substantially parallel to the palm of said one hand holding the holding unit when the display unit is not in use.

14. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the display unit is configured to be not in use when the body is folded toward the holding unit.

15. A portable electronic apparatus, comprising:

a body having a display unit on a top surface thereof; and

a holding unit protruding substantially perpendicular from a bottom surface of the body for holding the portable electronic apparatus and including a pointing device and a switch configured to be operated by a same one hand holding the holding unit so that the portable electronic apparatus is able to be supported, held, and operated with one hand,

wherein the holding unit includes a grip configured to be grasped at least with a palm of said one hand such that when said one hand holds the holding unit, the palm of said one hand holding the holding unit is also substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface of the body;

wherein the holding unit is configured to store batteries which are used for an electric power source to operate the portable electronic apparatus.

16. A portable electronic apparatus, comprising:

means for displaying information on a top surface thereof; and

means for holding the portable electronic apparatus by a hand, said means for holding protrudes substantially perpendicular from a bottom surface thereof the means for displaying information,

wherein said means for holding includes means for moving a cursor by the hand and means for setting or canceling operations by the hand based on a moved location of the cursor, so that the portable electronic apparatus is able to be supported, held, and operated with one hand, and

wherein the means for holding includes means for gripping by a palm of said hand such that when the hand holds the means for holding, the palm of said hand holds the means for holding means substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface of the means for displaying information;

wherein the means for holding is configured to store batteries which are used for an electric power source to operate the portable electronic apparatus.

17. A portable electronic apparatus, comprising:

a body having a display unit on a top surface thereof; and

a holding unit protruding substantially perpendicular and downward from a bottom surface of the body for holding the portable electronic apparatus and including a menu navigating device for navigating a menu displayed on the display unit and a switch configured to be operated by a same one hand holding the holding unit so that the portable electronic apparatus is able to be held and operated with one hand,

wherein the holding unit includes a grip configured to be grasped at least with a palm of said one hand such that when said one hand holds the holding unit, the palm of said one hand holding the holding unit is also substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface of the body;

wherein the holding unit is configured to store batteries which are used for an electric power source to operate the portable electronic apparatus.