Convertible and detachable laptops

Details Convertible and detachable laptops Convertible and detachable laptops

2003-02-14

2004-08-10

Duong, Hung Van (Department: 2835)

Electricity: electrical systems and devices

Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...

For electronic systems and devices

C708S100000, 36, C455S090300

Reexamination Certificate

active

06775129

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to the field of computer systems. More particularly, an embodiment of the present invention provides methods and apparatus related to convertible and/or detachable laptops.
BACKGROUND
Notebook (also called laptop) computers are lightweight personal computers, which are quickly gaining popularity. The popularity of the notebook computers has especially increased since their prices have been dropping significantly, while maintaining similar performance as their larger siblings (i.e., desktop computers or workstations).
One clear advantage of notebook computers is their ease of portability. The lighter weight and increased battery life has made the use of notebook computers more commonplace. Aside from size, a major difference between notebook computers and personal computers is the graphical display system. Notebook computer designers employ a variety of techniques to produce lightweight graphical display systems.
FIG. 1
shows a typical notebook computer in accordance with the prior art. A notebook computer
100
typically includes a liquid crystal display (LCD)
102
for displaying graphical images and a base unit
104
for encasing different hardware elements of the notebook computer. The hardware elements include a keyboard
106
, a battery
108
, a hard drive (not shown), and a central processing unit (CPU, not shown).
In some applications, the notebook computers may be utilized as a tablet (also called a convertible laptop), i.e., where a user may input data by inputting it directly onto the LCD
102
. Some users, however, dislike tablet computers because their usage requires a different approach (e.g., using a pen instead of a pointing stick). Additionally, the current convertible laptops use their own proprietary or nonstandard operating systems (OSes). The nonstandard implementation of the convertible laptops creates compatibility issues with other computer systems in use at the user's home or office.
The wider use of notebook computers has also created problems for their users, including physical ones. Incidents of carpal tunnel syndrome, eyestrain, and backache are on the rise. For example, increased passenger capacity in airplanes has resulted in reduced leg and shoulder room, in turn, increasing the stress on laptop user' posture when utilizing their computers. For example, with respect to
FIG. 1
, users often rest their palms on the hand rest area of the keyboard (
210
) while typing on the keyboard
106
, which increases the stress on the user's hands. Similarly, user eyestrain may result when the LCD panel
102
can not be tilted back far enough (e.g., due to space restrictions), thereby rendering a less than ideal brightness yield from the incorrectly angled LCD panel.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5819162 (1998-10-01), Spann et al.
patent: 6049813 (2000-04-01), Danielson et al.
patent: 6483698 (2002-11-01), Loh
patent: 2003/0142469 (2003-07-01), Ponx

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