JPH05250091A - Input device equipped with track ball - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the occurrence of an obstacle in the operation of a keyboard and the increase of the area of an input device even though a track ball is stored, and to facilitate the operation of the track ball as well. CONSTITUTION:A keyboard plate 3 is made capable of being slid backward on the main body 1 of the input device of a personal computer, etc., and the track ball 6 is installed on the upper surface of the main body 1 to be exposed when the keyboard plate is slid backward.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic device such as a computer, and more particularly to an electronic device such as a personal computer in which a display is integrated with an input device. Device) installed trackball input device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional personal computer is most commonly input from a keyboard installed in front of a display such as a cathode ray tube or a liquid crystal, and other input methods include a trackball and a mouse.

The trackball is provided on a part of a keyboard board on which a switch board and a keyboard on which a switch for inputting data to a memory processing unit is installed is provided, and the ball is rotated with the palm of the hand to respond to the rotation. To move the pointer on the display.

The mouse is connected to an input device such as a keyboard plate, accommodates a ball having the same function as a trackball, and rolls the top surface of a desk or the like.
The movement trajectory is the same as a trackball.

[0005]

Recently, an extremely small and thin personal computer, which is called a laptop computer and has a liquid crystal display folded on a keyboard and is convenient for carrying, has appeared. Occupies most of the flat area of a personal computer, so the area of the keyboard determines the size limit.

Therefore, if a trackball is to be mounted on a notebook type personal computer or the like, the area of the keyboard is increased by the area of the trackball.
Inevitably, the personal computer will become so large that it will go against the downsizing of personal computers such as notebook computers.

According to the present invention, the trackball is mounted on the personal computer without impeding the miniaturization of such a personal computer such as a notebook type computer and the operation of the keyboard is not hindered, and the operation of the trackball is easy. It is an object of the present invention to provide an input device with a trackball that can be used in the above.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an input device with a trackball for achieving the above-mentioned object, which is an input device provided with a keyboard or the like, wherein a keyboard plate provided with a keyboard is slidable. With respect to the installed keyboard attachment member, a trackball is installed on the keyboard attachment member on the lower surface of the keyboard plate when the keyboard plate is slid toward the front side.

[0009]

In the input device with trackball according to the present invention, if the keyboard plate is pulled toward the front side, the trackball is covered with the keyboard and can be used as a conventional keyboard without trackball. The trackball doesn't get in the way.

When the keyboard plate is pushed away, the trackball is exposed on the front side.
Since this can be operated and input and the operation is performed in front of the keyboard, it is possible to eliminate an erroneous operation such as pressing a key by mistake, and to facilitate the operation.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the notebook personal computer shown in FIGS. A liquid crystal display 2 is pivotally mounted on the back surface of the main body 1 which is a keyboard attachment member of the notebook personal computer so that the liquid crystal display 2 can be raised and lowered with respect to the main body 1. You can see the contents displayed on the LCD.

When the display 2 is laid down, the keyboard 3 is covered by the display 2 to form a thin rectangular small box as a whole, which is convenient for carrying.

A step plate 1a is formed on the upper surface of the front part of the main body 1, and a keyboard plate 4 having a keyboard 3 composed of a large number of keys is formed in the same shape as the step plate 1a. A projection (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the front portion of the keyboard plate 4 is slidably inserted into a guide groove 1b formed in the step portion 1a.

On the rear side surface of the keyboard plate 4, one end is rotated to the side surface of the main body 1, and the groove 1 on the side surface of the main body 1 is provided.
The other end of the slidable arm 5 is rotatably pivotally attached to c, so that the arm 5 is rotated, one end of the arm 5 is slid backward, and the arm 5 is moved along the guide groove 1b. When is slid rearward, as shown in FIG. 1, the keyboard plate 4 is tilted behind the step 1a.

In this way, when the keyboard plate 4 is slid backward, the exposed step portion 1a of the main body 1 has a
A trackball (pointing device) 6 is attached.

When the keyboard plate 4 is slid forward and fitted into the step portion 1a, the trackball 6 is covered with the keyboard plate 4 and the keyboard plate 4 of the main body 1 as shown in FIG. Since it is located in the front part, it can input like a conventional keyboard without the trackball 6, the trackball 6 does not interfere with the input, and the display 2 is laid down on the keyboard plate 4. There is no problem.

When the keyboard plate 4 is moved backward only when the input by the trackball 6 is necessary, the trackball 6 appears at the place where the keyboard plate 4 was, and the place is the front part of the main body 1. Because
The trackball can be easily operated.

Moreover, this position is the keyboard plate 4
Since it is lower than the moved position, when the trackball 6 is operated, the keyboard 3 is not touched by mistake and the keyboard plate 4 is slightly tilted. The operation of is also easy.

Although the above embodiment was carried out for a notebook type personal computer, it can be carried out in the same manner for other input devices of electronic equipment such as a personal computer, and the same action and effect are produced. As a means for moving the keyboard plate 4, it is possible to use means other than the above means such that the keyboard plate 4 does not tilt when moved to the rear.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the keyboard plate is moved to the front side in order to carry this personal computer, the trackball is located below the keyboard plate. Unlike the case where a trackball is installed, the keyboard plate does not require an area for accommodating the trackball, and the input device can be downsized.

Moreover, since the keyboard plate is moved to the display side to expose the trackball,
Since the trackball is located in the front part of the input device, not only can the operation be facilitated, but also the keyboard can be operated easily if the keyboard plate is slanted when moved. And so on.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a keyboard plate of the present invention in a use state in which the keyboard plate is moved rearward.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a keyboard plate of the present invention in a use state in which the keyboard plate is moved forward.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 main body 2 display 3 keyboard 4 keyboard plate 6 trackball (pointing device)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An input device provided with a keyboard and the like, wherein a keyboard plate provided with a keyboard is slidable with respect to a keyboard mounting member, and the keyboard plate is slid toward the front side. An input device with a trackball, wherein a trackball is installed on a keyboard mounting member on the lower surface of the.