Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-16
2001-07-10
Picard, Leo P. (Department: 2835)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S689000, C361S689000, C345S169000, C345S905000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06259597
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a portable electronic device such as a notebook personal computer (PC) with a flat panel display and, more particularly, to a portable electronic device with a touch panel that is mounted thereto in such a way that it is rotatable between a flat panel display and a keyboard.
2. Description of the Related Art
A certain type of conventional notebook PC, specifically adapted for use in finance/security/insurance industries, includes a touch panel that is affixed to a front surface of a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD). Normally, this touch panel has been used as a “tablet” for accepting or capturing pointing input by a fingertip.
However, none of these notebook PCs include a “digitizer” function, which is exercised after rotating a touch panel provided independently of its flat panel display toward a keyboard, for capturing handwritten character input and for concurrently confirming a result of the input operation on the display screen. That is, since this type of notebook PC has a structural constraint that a touch panel is affixed to a front surface of a flat panel display, it has been impossible to concurrently confirm a result of the input operation by a pen on the display screen. Accordingly, in a case where it is required to use the digitizer function, it has been necessary to attach an external type of digitizer device to a juxtaposed base unit (system unit) of a notebook PC, thereby enabling to confirm a result of the input operation by squinting at the display screen of the notebook PC.
Also, due to the aforesaid structural constraint, this type of notebook PC has a problem in that, in case of inputting a handwritten character or an illustration by using a pen, there is no way to secure a space for placing a paper or a memorandum that describes the content of input information.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a portable electronic device which includes a base unit having a keyboard mounted on a top surface thereof, together with a cover being rotatably hinged at a rear end of the base unit to have an open position and a closed position relative to the base unit. The cover is provided with a flat panel display on a surface that is concealed in the closed position. The device includes a touch panel section formed by affixing transparent resistive film sheets onto both of front and back surfaces of a transparent glass plate respectively. Means for rotatably hinging the touch panel section are provided at a rear end of the base unit. The device includes means, being operative when the touch panel section is rotated toward the flat panel display, for fixing one of the surfaces of the touch panel section to the cover by keeping a predetermined distance from the surface of the flat panel display. Additional means, being operative when the touch panel section is rotated toward the keyboard, are included for maintaining another surface of the touch panel section in a substantially horizontal manner by keeping a predetermined distance from the surface of the keyboard. Means are also provided for electrically connecting one or more electrode terminals of the resistive film sheets to a given component in the base unit.
The electronic device may be a notebook personal computer, while the flat panel display may be a liquid crystal display unit. Also, the touch panel section may be used as a tablet for capturing pointing input when it is rotated toward the flat panel display, while the touch panel section may be used as a digitizer for capturing handwritten character input when it is rotated toward the keyboard. Furthermore, the given component may inhibit concurrent application of electrical signals conveyed from the electrode terminals of the resistive film sheets.
The touch panel section, which is formed by affixing transparent resistive film sheets onto both of front and back surfaces of a transparent glass plate respectively, is rotatably mounted between a keyboard and a flat panel display each being provided in a portable electronic device such as a notebook PC. The touch panel section is rotated toward the flat panel display or keyboard for selectively switching the involved input methods. That is, with the introduction of the rotatable touch panel section into the portable electronic device, it becomes possible to support three different input operations, which include an input operation by a fingertip (hereafter called “tablet function”) and a handwritten input operation (hereafter called “digitizer function”) by a pen in addition to a conventional input operation by the keyboard. Since this touch panel section is rotated toward either one of the flat panel display and keyboard for supporting an input operation when a user is to use the portable electronic device, and yet it is accommodated in a space between the flat panel display and keyboard when a user is to carry the portable electronic device, it becomes possible to improve the productivity of such input operations without degrading the advantageous space-saving and/or portability features of the portable electronic device.
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Anzai Masato
Toyosato Yoshinari
International Business Machines - Corporation
Lea-Edmonds Lisa
Picard Leo P.
Schelkopf John B.
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