Portable electronic device

• US 8,696,471 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2012
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sakakibara, Kenji, Sogabe, Takashi, Wakabayashi, Kazuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Pandya, Sunit
• Application Number:
  US13/355,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20120188694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463 30- 32, 463/34, 463/37, 463 40- 42, 463 44- 46, 345156-179, 345/418, 345/419, 345/430, 345/467, 345/503, 345/557
• US Class Current: 463/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• 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 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• 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 1/169 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: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033

Abstract

An electronic device (1) has hold parts (1R, 1L) constituting respective right and left side parts of the electronic device 1 and being available to be held by a user. Operating sticks (3R, 3L) are provided on the respective hold parts (1R, 1L). A rear touch panel (21) is provided on the rear surface of the electronic device (1). The rear touch panel (21) is provided in at least an area located further upward than a positions P opposite from the operation sticks (3R, 3L). This layout of the rear touch panel (21) allows a user to smoothly operate the rear touch panel (21) while holding the hold parts of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a front surface having a display area;

at least one of;

(i) a right hold part positioned to a right of the display area, constituting a right part of the electronic device, and (ii) a left hold part positioned to a left of the display area, constituting a left part of the electronic device, the at least one hold part being available to be held by a user;

at least one of;

(i) a right operative stick provided on the right hold part and (ii) a left operative stick provided on the left hold part, the at least one operative stick being positioned on the front surface of the electronic device;

a rear touch panel provided on a rear surface of the electronic device, the rear touch panel having a portion located further upward than a position of the at least one operative stick on the front surface; and

a guide located on a surface of the at least one hold part, adjacent to the rear touch panel, and opposite to the at least one operative stick, the guide including a concave surface for guiding a user'"'"'s fingers to the rear touch panel.

2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the rear touch panel is offset upward relative to the at least one operative stick.

3. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the operative stick is movable in radius directions.

4. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a space is ensured between the guide and the area where the rear touch panel is located.

5. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the guide has a style different from that of a surface of the area where the rear touch panel is located.

6. The portable electronic device according to claim 5, wherein a material forming the surface of the guide differs from a material forming a surface of the area where the rear touch panel is located.

7. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the rear surface of the electronic device has a slope between a deepest position in the guide and an edge of the guide toward the rear touch panel.

8. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a width of the rear touch panel is smaller than a width of the display area.

9. The portable electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the rear touch panel is offset upward relative to a center in an up-down direction of the electronic device.

10. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein an outer circumferential part of the rear surface is curved toward the front surface.

11. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the rear surface has a flat surface continuing downward from a surface of the area where the rear touch panel is located.

12. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein left and right edges of the electronic device are curved into a semi-arc shape in a front view of the electronic device.

13. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a center of the guide in an up-down direction of the electronic device is positioned further downward than a center of the rear touch panel.

14. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a center of the guide in an up-down direction of the electronic device is positioned further upward than the position of the at least one operative stick.

15. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the guide is located at least partially within the at least one hold part.

16. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, the guide is located entirely within the at least one hold part.