Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Computer power control – By external command
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-28
2001-04-24
Lefkowitz, Sumati (Department: 2181)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Computer power control
By external command
C345S179000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223294
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pen-input information processing device, in particular it relates to the control of a state of the device which is changed with the inserted or taken out state of the pen.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, information processing devices such as personal computers have a trend of being smaller size and lighter weight helped by the development of the technology of high density mounting of parts, and many information processing devices are found in the market which have no keyboards and information is input by pens (hereinafter referred to as a pen-input information processing device). In the case of such an information device, when a user does not use the device, the lowering of power consumption is devised in many ways: the stop of clock pulses and also the cutoff of power supply for all components except that for a memory for saving information, the cutoff of power supply for all components after the saving of all information in a hard disc, or the switching of clock pulses to lower speed clock pulses. As mentioned in the above, an information processing device comprises two kinds of states: a normal state where the device is being used by a user, and another state called a suspended state where the device is not used by a user and clock pulses are stopped and also the power supply for a part of or all components are stopped or clock pulses are switched to lower speed clock pulses.
Heretofore, in the case of a pen-input information processing device in which pen-input is a main input means, when the suspension/resumption process is performed, a suspension/resumption switch is prepared, and when a user is not using the pen-input information device, if the switch is made ON, the device is changed to be in a suspended state, and when the use of the device is to be resumed, the switch is made ON again, then the device is changed to be in a normal state. In another case, application software is prepared, and the device is changed to be in a suspended state by the designation of a user on a menu. When an information processing device is made to be in a suspended state by the suspension/resumption switch, the procedure is as shown below: from an operation mode of (pen input) to a (switching operation for a suspended state) and to a (housing operation of the pen to a pen housing portion), and when it is made to be in a suspended state by application software, the procedure is: from a (suspended state by pen-input) to a (pen housing operation).
In the case of a pen-input information processing device in which pen-input is a main input means being superior to a key-board in operability, it is ideal to perform every processing operation by only a pen. However, as mentioned in the above, in the suspension/resumption process, it is required to operate the suspension/resumption switch or to input with a pen, so that further improvement in operability has been hoped.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to offer a pen-input information processing device in which a suspension/resumption process can be performed with only a pen-input operation.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pen-input information processing device which comprises a pen housing to house a pen, a processing device, a suspension/resumption instruction unit to instruct the processing device to perform the transition of a state, from a suspended state where the processing device is not being used to a normal state where the processing device can be used and from the normal state to the suspended state, a pen-housing-detection-unit which detects the housing of a pen in the pen housing and outputs a pen-housing-detection-signal showing the existence of the pen in the pen housing, and a state-transition-control-unit, which generates a state-transition-control-signal which instructs unconditionally the processing device to perform the transition of a state when the suspension/resumption instruction unit instructs the processing device to perform state transition or in either case where the state is in a suspended state and the pen-housing-detection-signal shows that the pen is in a housed state in the pen housing or where the state is in the normal state and the pen-housing-detection-signal shows that a pen is in a taken out state from the pen housing, it does not instruct the processing device to perform the transition of a state. The above-mentioned processing device will be able to offer a pen-input information processing device in which a state can be changed from a normal state to a suspended state or from a suspended state to a normal state based on the state-transition-control-signal.
It is desirable that an instruction unit is further provided which instructs the device to designate the validity/invalidity of the control for the transition of a state by a pen-housing-detection-signal, and the state-transition-control-unit generates a state-transition-control-signal based on the designation of validity/invalidity from the instruction unit.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5483262 (1996-01-01), Izutani
patent: 5925134 (1999-07-01), Solomon
patent: 5-303452 (1993-11-01), None
patent: 6-95987 (1994-04-01), None
patent: 7-121287 (1995-05-01), None
patent: 7-152471 (1995-06-01), None
patent: 7-210291 (1995-08-01), None
Fujitsu Limited
Lefkowitz Sumati
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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