JP3029600U - Small information processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) 【Abstract】 PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the shape of the main body so as not to impair portability, to provide a numeric keypad for inputting numeric data in the main body, and to improve the operability of the frequently used numeric keypad. As a result, we provide information processing devices with improved usability. SOLUTION: The size and interval of the character and symbol keys of the keyboard are made smaller in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the number of vertical columns of the numeric keypad is arranged smaller than that of the character and symbol keys, and the size and spacing of the numeric keypad are the same as those of a general keyboard. The size of the main body is made smaller without compromising the operability of the numeric keypad.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a compact information processing device including an input device such as a notebook computer.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Notebook computers are required to be smaller because of their portability. For this reason, the shape and space of the keyboard must be limited so that it fits the size of the main body, and at the same time the minimum functions and operability must be ensured. Therefore, generally, in a notebook computer, one key is used for numbers and symbols in addition to letters, and the number of keys is further reduced.Therefore, the main body is equipped with a keyboard for numeric input called a numeric keypad. Absent.

However, when inputting a numeral, the operability is far better when a ten-key pad is provided. Therefore, even when the ten-key pad is omitted, as in JP-A-51-15934. In order to have the same function and operability, it has been devised that number keys are arranged like a numeric keypad over multiple rows, but this is also used as a key, so portability is satisfied. However, there is a problem that the operation becomes complicated when using the numeric keypad at the same time as inputting characters.

Further, as another invention, there is one in which a keyboard having only a ten-key pad, which is separate from the main body, is connected and used, as in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-107619. This method has been devised as various things such as connecting a numeric keypad with a cord and storing the numeric keypad in the main body when carrying it, but it requires another part other than the main body, There are problems such as the need to install a numeric keypad in addition to the storage space and the main body during operation.

[0005]

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to further reduce the shape of the main body so that the portability is not impaired, An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device with improved usability by providing a numeric keypad for data input in the main body and improving the operability of the frequently used numeric keypad.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 Therefore, in the present invention, in order to reduce the size, the size and spacing of the character and symbol keys of the keyboard are made smaller in both the vertical and horizontal directions, and the numeric keypad is arranged so that the number of vertical columns is smaller than the character and symbol keys. And increase the spacing to the same size as a standard keyboard.

[0007]

[Action]

 In particular, the numeric keypad is frequently used for applications such as accounting, so the keyboard size and key spacing of the numeric keypad are increased to the normal size, and other keyboards are reduced to the limit of operability. Therefore, operability can be improved without impairing portability.

[0008]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a notebook computer equipped with a keyboard according to the present invention, in which 11 is a letter / symbol key, 12 is a function key, 13 is a numeric keypad, and 14 is a display. The size of the main body of the notebook computer is determined by the size of the entire keyboard including the character / symbol key 11, the function key 12, and the ten key 13. Therefore, it is important to reduce the number of keys and the size of keys.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an arrangement of a keyboard of a notebook computer equipped with a conventional numeric keypad. The size and spacing of each of the letter / symbol keys, function keys, and numeric keypad are arranged to be 19 mm, which is the same as a general keyboard, so that the operability is not compromised, and the number of keys is minimized. However, although it is made as compact as possible by removing extra space other than the keyboard, the width of the entire keyboard is 330 mm to 335 mm, which is much larger than the lengthwise direction (about 297 mm) of A4 paper. I will end up. Therefore, considering that the size of a current notebook computer is generally flat and A4 size, it is considerably large.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an arrangement of a keyboard according to the present invention, in which the character / symbol keys are reduced to 15 mm or less, and the numeric keys have the same vertical and horizontal dimensions as a general keyboard. It is enlarged to be 19 mm. Therefore, the numeric keypad, which has 4 rows in the conventional example, is changed to 5 rows, and the 5 rows in vertical direction is changed to 4 rows. In accordance with this, the character / symbol keys are arranged in five vertical columns in contrast to the four vertical columns of the numeric keypad. The width of the entire keyboard arranged in this way is 300 mm to 305 mm, which is slightly longer than the longitudinal direction of A4 size paper.

[0012] Thus, due to the miniaturization, the portability is excellent and the numeric keypad is installed, and the vertical and horizontal sizes of the keys of the numeric keypad are increased to the same size as the normal size. A user who inputs numerical data such as can operate the keyboard with the same feeling as a general keyboard.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the key interval of the character / symbol keys is set to be as small as 15 mm or less, and the key interval of the numeric keys is set to be 19 mm, which is the same as a general keyboard. The arrangement of the keys is the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and the vertical and horizontal sizes of these keys are the same for both the letter and symbol keys and the numeric keypad. The key spacing of is increased to the same key spacing as the normal size. Therefore, a user who inputs numeric data such as accounting can operate the keyboard in the same manner as a general keyboard.

[0015]

[Effect of device]

 The notebook computer according to the present invention is small in size, has excellent portability, has a numeric keypad for inputting numeric data, and can operate the numeric keypad in the same sense as a general keyboard. Therefore, it is easy to operate when inputting numeric data that is frequently used. It is especially effective for applications such as accounting.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an information processing apparatus having a keyboard according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a key arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional keyboard layout.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a key arrangement according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Character / symbol key 12 Function key 13 Numeric keypad 14 Display

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A portable information processing apparatus comprising a numeric keypad together with a character code key, wherein the numeric keypad is independent of the other character code keys, and the numeric keypad has another size. A small information processing device characterized in that it is large both vertically and horizontally. 2. A portable information processing device having a numeric keypad for both the character and symbol keys, wherein the numeric keypad is independent of the other character and symbol keys, and the distance between the centers of the numeric keypads and the adjacent character symbols are different. A small-sized information processing device, characterized in that a center-to-center distance between a key and a numeric keypad is larger than a center-to-center distance between the character and symbol keys in both the vertical and horizontal directions.