JPH0863260A - Portable information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve the operability without making the front-rear length of the device long by providing a cursor moving device and a character input key board adjacently on the opposite side of a housing from a hinge, and arranging a track ball and a determination key separately. CONSTITUTION: A 1st housing 2 which contains a control circuit and an auxiliary storage device and a 2nd housing 4 equipped with a thin type display device 3 are coupled together by the hinge part 5, the housing 4 can be folded on the housing 2, and a 1st housing arrangement surface 6 and a 2nd housing arrangement surface 7 are provided at the part which is hidden in the folding state. Then the front part of the 1st housing arrangement surface 6 is used for a cursor moving device arrangement surface 8, the center part is used for the character input keyboard 9, and the rear part is used for a serve key arrangement surface 10; and the track ball 12 is arranged on the right side on the cursor moving device surface 8, and the determination key 13 and a cancellation key 14 are arranged on the left side separately. Therefore, the track ball 12 is operated with the right hand and the determination key 13 and cancellation key 14 are operated with the left hand; and both the hands can be moved to the home positions of the character input keyboard 9 by short distances for character input operation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thin first casing provided with a character input keyboard and a thin second casing provided with a thin display device. The present invention relates to a thin portable information processing device that is foldably connected to the first housing through a hinge portion provided on the rear end side of the device, and particularly includes a cursor moving device such as a trackball. The present invention relates to a portable information processing device having improved operability.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, due to the development of a large-sized thin display device and the miniaturization of an auxiliary storage device and a control device, a second housing having a thin display device in a first case equipped with a character input keyboard has been developed. A small-sized portable information processing device in which a housing can be folded via a hinge is becoming mainstream. These portable information processing devices are provided with a character input keyboard and a display screen in a portion hidden in a state where the second housing is folded (hereinafter referred to as a stored state), so that the function in the stored state is improved. It has excellent storage and portability by hiding the part to form a thin shape, and the second case is open (hereinafter referred to as the "used state").
In the above, various operations and character input are possible through the character input keyboard while observing the display screen. Also,
In the conventional example, a lock claw is provided at the center or both sides of the tip of the second casing, and the lock means for hooking the lock receiving portion provided at the corresponding tip of the first casing is provided.

Recently, the layout of each device and the miniaturization of the device, such as disposing the thickest auxiliary storage device in the rear part of the first housing and disposing the character input keyboard in the front part thereof, have been made. As a result, thin word processors and information processing apparatuses having an A4 size have been implemented.

On the other hand, in order to further improve the operability, there has been proposed a cursor moving device, which has been conventionally connected via a cord, integrated with an information processing device.
The configuration is such that by arranging a character input keyboard in the rear part of the first casing, a wide flat part to be a palm rest is formed in the front part, and a trackball for instructing coordinates and a front and rear part of the trackball are formed in the center thereof. At least one switch means for executing the function designated by the coordinate is arranged.

These conventional examples are disclosed, for example, in the publication of "Word Processor withme BF-65" manufactured by Hitachi, Ltd. or Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-505897.

[0006]

It is desirable that the portable information processing device has excellent operability. In this sense, in the conventional example with a trackball, the operability can be improved by using the character input keyboard to input characters and using the trackball for other operations.
However, in this conventional example, in order to provide the palm rest in front of the first casing, the character input keyboard is arranged in the rear portion of the first casing located above the auxiliary recording device. The overall thickness of the device is increased. Furthermore, in this conventional example, the hinge portion is independently provided on the upper surface at the rear of the main body, and the size of the hinge portion is increased in order to maintain the open state of the second housing. On the other hand, in the conventional example of the word processor, a word processor having a thin shape is provided, but providing a cursor moving device with good operability in the thin shape causes a problem of increasing the size of the device. .
In addition, in this type of folding information processing device,
Since the second casing is frequently opened and closed, it is necessary to have a solid locking means that can easily open and close the second casing and that keeps the stored state. In the conventional example provided with the trackball, since the trackball and the execution key are arranged in the center of the palm rest, the locking means arranged in the center,
The trackball, confirmation key and lock claw will be arranged in the front-back direction, increasing the length in the front-back direction,
It is difficult to install a large open / close switch with good operability.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to easily operate the second housing with one hand without increasing the front-rear length of the portable information processing device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable information processing device with a thin compact that can be opened and closed and that can improve the operability of the cursor moving device.

[0008]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above problems, a thin first casing provided with a character input keyboard and a cursor moving device such as a trackball, and a thin display device. And a thin second casing having one end connected to a rear side of the first casing to form a second casing.
And a hinge part for connecting the housing of the first housing to the first housing in a foldable manner, and the first housing and the second housing, which are arranged on the end side of the first housing and the second housing facing the hinge portion. A lock means for holding the body and the second housing, wherein the first housing and the second housing are provided with a character on a concealing surface which is concealed when the second housing is folded. It has a first housing arrangement surface having an input keyboard and a cursor moving device, and a second housing arrangement surface having a thin display device, and the first housing arrangement surface is a hinge portion. A cursor moving device arrangement surface is provided on the opposite end side, and a character input keyboard is provided adjacent to the hinge portion side of the cursor moving device arrangement surface, and the cursor moving device is a cursor displayed on the display screen of the display device. It consists of a cursor moving means for moving the cursor and a confirming means for executing the content indicated by the cursor. Determining means and said cursor moving means is disposed separately on both sides of the cursor movement device arrangement surface, and, to be arranged in parallel with the locking means. More preferably, the lock means is arranged between the cursor moving means and the confirming means. Further, the first casing is formed of a substantially horizontally long rectangular first casing case in which a protruding portion in which the hinge portion is arranged at the front is formed at a rear end portion of the upper surface on the hinge portion side. The housing case has a built-in auxiliary storage device on one rear side located below the hinge part, a battery, a control circuit and a cursor moving device on the other rear side and front side, and a character input keyboard as an auxiliary storage device. It should be placed between the cursor movement devices. Further, the first housing arrangement surface includes a cursor moving device arrangement surface arranged on an end side facing the hinge portion, a subkey arrangement surface arranged on the hinge portion side, a cursor moving device arrangement surface and a subkey arrangement surface. And a character input keyboard arranged between the surfaces, and the sub-key group is provided on the sub-key arrangement surface where the auxiliary storage device is removed. In this case, the shape of the front end facing the hinge of the portable information processing device is formed in an arc shape having the locking means arrangement portion as the top.

Further, a printer mechanism is provided in the overhanging portion, and a storable handle portion for holding the portable information processing device is provided in the vicinity of the lock means provided in the first housing, and the handle portion and the lock means are provided. The cursor moving means and the confirming means may be separately arranged on both sides of the cursor moving device arrangement surface.

[0010]

According to the present invention, the first housing arrangement surface provided with the character input keyboard and the cursor moving device such as the trackball and the second housing arrangement surface provided with the thin display device are hinged. The first casing by folding the first casing over the first casing.
In addition, since the second housing arrangement surface can be hidden, the character input keyboard, the cursor moving device, and the display device are hidden in the housed state, and the whole is within the projected area of the first housing. Can be in the form of. On the other hand, in the use state, the display device can be opened at an arbitrary angle and the input operation can be performed using the character input keyboard and the cursor moving device. Further, a cursor moving device placement surface is placed on the front end side facing the hinge portion on the first housing placement face, and the cursor moving device and the finalizing device are provided on the cursor moving device placement face. Since it is separated on both sides and arranged side by side with the locking means, the three means can be provided in a stack in the front-rear direction. In addition, since the cursor moving means and the confirming means are arranged on both sides below the character input keyboard adjacent to the home position of the character input keyboard, in the input operation with the cursor moving device, the cursor moving means with one hand, When the character is input by operating the fixing means with the other hand, both hands can be easily moved to the home position of the character input keyboard within a short distance. Moreover, since the above-mentioned operation can be performed at the position of the hand corresponding to the shoulder width of a human, it is possible to reduce the shift in an unreasonable input posture or unreasonable posture. In addition, since the locking means can be largely arranged in the center of the end portion side facing the hinge portion, it can be opened and closed with one hand.

Further, in the first housing, the character input keyboard is arranged so as to be removed from the thickest auxiliary storage device, so that the mounting efficiency is improved by using the thickness of the auxiliary storage device as a reference. You can adjust while. Moreover,
By arranging the hinge portion inside the protruding portion formed at the end portion and on the upper portion of the auxiliary storage device, it is possible to prevent the second casing from being over-opened at the protruding portion. The front and rear length can be reduced without downsizing and increasing the thickness.

Further, the shape of the front end facing the hinge of the portable information processing device is formed into an arc shape with the locking means arrangement portion as the top, so that the internal dead space is reduced and the front and rear lengths are reduced. Can be made shorter and the overall form can be made compact. Further, even if the portable information processing device having the printer mechanism is provided with the portable handle, the cursor moving device can be arranged by utilizing the space on both sides of the handle arrangement portion without increasing the size of the device.

[0013]

Embodiments of the portable information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS.

1 to 11 show an embodiment of a portable information processing device according to the present invention. First, the schematic structure will be described based on the external view of the portable information processing apparatus according to the present invention shown in FIG. In the figure, an arrow X indicates the direction in which the user is located, and hereinafter, as viewed from this user, the respective arrangement planes and the front-back or left-right direction will be described with the surface facing the portable information processing device as the front. For example, a portion near the user is referred to as the front, a portion far from the user is referred to as the rear, an upper portion in the drawing is referred to as upper, and a lower portion in the drawing is referred to as lower.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 generally indicates a portable information processing device, which includes a control circuit and an auxiliary storage device 2.
4, a second housing 4 having a thin display device 3, and one end of the second housing 4 at the rear end of the first housing 2. And a hinge portion 5 that is connected to the first housing 2 so as to be foldably connected to the first housing 2. The first housing 2 and the second housing 4 are provided in a portion concealed when the second housing 4 is folded (hereinafter referred to as a stored state) and the first housing placement surface 6 and the second housing 4 are provided. Each of them has a housing placement surface 7. The first housing arrangement surface 6 is divided into three parts in the front and back, and the front portion is a cursor moving device arrangement surface 8, the center is a character input keyboard 9, and the rear is a subkey arrangement surface 10. On the cursor moving device placement surface 8, a trackball 12 for moving the cursor displayed on the display screen 11 of the display device 3 in the XY directions is placed on one side, and the cursor is moved to the other side by moving the trackball 12. Display screen 11
An enter key 13 for confirming the contents (functions) located above,
A cancellation 14 is provided to cancel the confirmation. The track ball 12, the confirm key 13, and the cancel key 14 constitute a cursor moving device 15. Although the trackball 12 is used to instruct the coordinates in this embodiment, another pointing device may be used. Further, although the cursor moving device 15 is provided with the cancel key 14, at least the enter key 13 may be provided, and the cancel key 14 may be assigned with another function. The character input keyboard 9 comprises a group of character input keys 16 for inputting characters, and a ten-key group 17 composed of ten-keys and cursor movement keys. Both the key groups 16 and 17 are arranged in parallel. Here, the trackball 12 and the cursor movement keys of the ten-key pad 17 have the same function and can be used properly. On the sub-key placement surface 10, a sub-key group 18 including various operation keys such as a power key 18a and a cancel key 18b is placed on one side. On the other hand, the second housing placement surface 7
The display screen 11 is arranged at the center of the display.

A lock claw 19 for locking is provided at the center of the end portion of the second housing 4 facing the hinge portion 5, and the lock claw 19 serves as the hinge portion 5 of the first housing 2. The recessed portion 20 for locking provided at the center of the opposite end portion is engaged to maintain the stored state.

Next, FIG. 2 is an external view of the housed state. In the figure, when the portable information processing device 1 is in the stored state,
The width may be W, the height may be H, and the depth may be thin, and may be a substantially horizontally long rectangular shape. In this embodiment, the width W is 320 m
m, height H is 33 mm, and depth D is 250 mm, and a thin form having a projected area of approximately A4 file size is realized.

In the housed state, the first and second housing placement surfaces 6 and 7 can be hidden, so that the first and second housing placements can be performed on the other first and second housing surfaces. Each device arranged on the surfaces 6, 7 can be protected. A ridge 21 is formed at the rear end of the upper surface of the first housing 2. The raised portion 21 covers the mechanical portion of the hinge portion 5 on the side of the first housing 2 and supports the second housing 4 at the maximum opening angle. Reference numeral 22 denotes a second housing surface that faces the second housing placement surface 7, and a convex pattern 23 is formed on the second housing surface 22.
Are formed. The convex pattern 23 has a plurality of continuous leaf-shaped convex portions of a vertically elongated tree whose longitudinal direction is aligned in the lateral direction of the second housing 4 in the longitudinal direction of the second housing 4. The convex pattern 23 is formed such that the cross-sectional shape of the second housing 4 in the longitudinal direction is substantially corrugated. 25
Is a front cover of the auxiliary storage device 24 arranged at the rear of the right side surface of the first housing 2. This front cover 2
5 has a floppy cassette insertion slot and an eject button.

Next, the basic device layout of the portable information processing device 1 will be described based on the schematic layout diagram of each device shown in FIG. In the figure, in this embodiment, the thickest auxiliary storage device 24 is arranged at the left rear part of the first housing 2. In this embodiment, the auxiliary storage device 24 is set to 3.5.
The one for the inch floppy cassette is used. A thin battery 26 is provided in front of the auxiliary storage device 24, and the trackball 12 is provided in front of the battery 26. A first control board 27 is provided on one side of the auxiliary storage device 24, and a second control board 2 is provided in front of the control board 27.
8, a board 31 for the enter key 13 and the cancel key 14 is provided in front of the second control board 28. In this embodiment, the second control board 28 is composed of a device having a low height, and the first control board 27 is composed of a device having a high height.

An external connection terminal portion 29 and a modem connection terminal portion 30 are arranged on the first control board 27. The board 31 of the confirm key 13 and the cancel key 14 is provided integrally with the second control board 28. Further, the character input keyboard 9 is arranged above the battery 26 and the second control board 28, and the switch plate 32 of the sub-key group 18 is arranged above the first control board 27. Then, the auxiliary storage device 24, the battery 26, the trackball 12, and the first and second control boards 27 and 28 described above.
By laying out the board 31, the character input keyboard 9, and the switch plate 32 so as to match the height of the thickest auxiliary storage device 24, the first housing 2
Has achieved a thin shape. Reference numeral 20 denotes a locking recess 20 formed in a first casing case (not shown), and the recess 20 is provided with the substrate 31 and the trackball 1.
It is formed in the space between two. Reference numeral 5 denotes a hinge portion arranged on the rear upper surface of the first housing 2, and includes a hinge portion 9a attached to the first housing 2 (not shown) and a hinge portion 9b attached to the second housing 4. . The second housing provided with the hinge portion 9b is composed of the display device 3 and the lock claw 19. The lock claw 19 is provided at a position where it engages with the recess 20.

Next, in the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 4, the first housing 2 includes a lower case 33 that covers the lower side, an upper case 34 that covers the upper side, and a rear cover 35 that constitutes the raised portion 21. The whole is covered with, and each of the above-mentioned devices is placed / fixed in place by the ribs formed inside each cover,
Each case is attached via a screw.
Here, the character input keyboard 9 and the cursor moving device arrangement surface 8 of the upper cover 34 are formed lower than the sub key arrangement surface 10 so that the key tops are at the same height as the sub key arrangement surface 10. Further, the rear cover 35 includes a hinge portion 9b (not shown). Then, the upper cover 34
With the recess 36 formed on the upper surface of the rear portion, the hinge portion 9b attached to the second housing 4 is sandwiched and the second housing 4 is openably and closably attached. The second housing 4 has a display screen 11
The display device 3 is covered by a square-shaped display cover 37 formed around the periphery of the second housing 4 and a back cover 38 that covers the second housing 4 and the back side. The connection of the display device 3 provided in the second housing 4 is guided into the rear cover 35 through an opening (not shown) in the hinge portion 5 and connected to each device in the first housing 2. . Reference numeral 39 denotes a pair of legs attached to the rear sides of the first housing 2 via hinges 40.

Next, the lock mechanism will be described with reference to the sectional view shown in FIG. 5 and the enlarged view of the peripheral portion of the lock mechanism shown in FIG. 6A is a partially enlarged plan view, FIG. 6B is an enlarged front view of the housed state, and FIG. 6C is a partially enlarged bottom view of the first housing 2. In FIG. 5, the lock claw 19 is formed to have a substantially L-shaped cross section, and one end of the lock claw 19 is connected to the hinge portion 41 provided in the second housing 4 through the window 42 to thereby form the second housing. It is swingably attached to the body. A protrusion 19 a for scratching the recess 20 is provided at the tip of the lock claw 19. The hinge part 41
A spring (not shown) is provided at the end of the lock claw 19 so that the tip of the lock claw 19 is always maintained in the direction of arrow Z2, that is, the housed state. On the other hand, the recess 20 formed at the end of the first housing 2 is formed below the cursor moving device placement surface 8 from the front to the bottom. Lock claw 19 is recess 2
The protrusion 19a is caught by the locking portion 43 formed by the upper end of 0 and the cursor moving device placement surface 8, and the stored state is maintained. Here, since the upper end of the locking portion 43 has a round shape and the protrusion 19a has a triangular shape, when the second housing 4 is closed, the protrusion 19a first contacts the upper end of the locking portion 43, Lock claws 19 along the round and triangular shapes
Is opened in the direction of arrow Z1 and is returned in the direction of arrow Z2 by a spring so that the projection 19a is caught. Further, as shown in the figure, the surface of the recess 20 that is seen from the front is formed as an inclined surface, and the lower portion of the recess 20 has a shape with a greater depth than the upper portion. To open the second housing 4, insert a finger from below the opening recess 20 and set the lock tab 19 to Z.
The second housing 4 can be opened by moving it in one direction.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lock claw 19 has a lip-shaped grip portion 44 having a substantially lower lip when viewed from the front in the stored state. The handle portion 44 is formed in an arc shape with the center at the top even when viewed from above, and similarly formed in an arc shape with the center as the top when viewed from the side. On the other hand, the concave portion 20 has an inclined surface in which the front surface can be seen when viewed from the bottom surface in an arc shape. In addition, the shape of the tip of the portable information processing device 1 is formed in an arc shape with the arrangement portion of the lock claw 19 as the top. Therefore, according to the handle portion 44 of the lock claw 19 according to the present embodiment, the lock claw 1 arranged at the top of the portable information processing device 1 is used.
By using the thick lower lip portion 9 and the arc shape of the concave portion 20, the second housing 4 can be easily opened and closed. On the other hand, the handle portion 44 is formed in an arc shape with the center at the top, and is more familiar with the arc shape of the tip of the portable information processing device 1. The overhanging portion of the portion 44 does not get in the way. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the lock mechanism including the large grip portion 44 that improves the operability and does not disturb the operation is provided. In this embodiment, the width of the handle 44 is 52 mm, the height is 17.6 mm, and the thickness of the top is 4 mm.
And the radius of the arc of the tip of the portable information processing device 1 is 3
It is set to 00 mm. (C) In the figure, 45 is a front leg, 4
Reference numeral 6 is an opening / closing lid for replacing the battery.

Next, in FIG. 7, (a) is a right side view of the stored state, and (b) is a left side view of the used state. In the present embodiment, in the present embodiment, the total height H is approximately 330 mm as described above, but the thickness in the vicinity of the raised portion 21 provided at the rear end of the upper surface of the first housing 2 is shown in FIG. 30.2 mm, which is smaller than the height H. Therefore, when carrying the bulged portion 21 on the side with the bulged portion 21 facing downward, the bulged portion 21, the hinge portion 5, and the second housing surface 2 of the second housing 4 are carried out.
The step shape with 2 fits in the hand and the holding property can be improved. Further, the entire second housing surface 22 is formed as a large arc surface, and the strength and the holding property of the second housing surface 22 are improved. When the legs 39 are opened, the portable information processing device 1 is tilted by 5.35 degrees, and the character input keyboard 9
The operability of can be improved.

In FIG. 2B, the end 21a of the raised portion 21 on the hinge 5 side is face-cut. Therefore, the second housing 4 can be opened by Θ, and at this time, since the end portion 21a supports the second housing 4 from the rear side, the force acting on the hinge portion 5 can be reduced. . Seen from the side
The first housing placement surface 6 is formed in a substantially straight line, and the front end portion is tapered. This is because the rising portions 47 continuous with the sub-key arrangement surface 10 are provided on both sides from the character input keyboard 9 to the cursor movement device arrangement surface 8. The rising portion 47, the sub-key arrangement surface 10 and the cursor movement device arrangement surface 8 are provided. Thus, the second housing 2 is supported in the housed state so that the character input keyboard 9 and the display screen 11 do not come into contact with each other. Further, since the cursor moving device placement surface 8 is inclined forward, the operability of the cursor moving device 15 placed on the cursor moving device placement surface 8 can be improved. In the figure, reference numeral 48 is a contrast adjusting knob of the display device 3 provided in the concave portion on the left side surface, 49 is a connection terminal of the handy scanner, and 50 is a removable cover for covering the modem connection terminal provided inside.

In the bottom view of the use state shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 1 is a slip stopper in which a plurality of convex portions are arranged in a substantially triangular shape having an end side as a side and a center side as an apex, and when the raised portion 21 is held on the side and carried, It is possible to improve the holding property by providing a finger hook that matches the size (area) of contact.

In the rear view of the use state shown in FIG. 9, the convex pattern 23 is 6 mm when the second housing 4 is 100 mm long in the lateral direction at a position 51 mm from the end on the hinge 5 side.
48 pitch protrusions are provided. 51 is an external connection terminal unit including a mouse, a printer and a reset switch, 5
2 is a connection terminal portion for charging.

Next, the method of use will be described in detail with reference to the detailed view of the second housing arrangement surface shown in FIG. 10 and the explanatory view of the usage state shown in FIG.

First, referring to FIG. 10, in this embodiment, the lateral width of the first housing placement surface 6 is approximately 320 mm and the depth thereof is approximately 1.
The depth of the cursor moving device placement surface 8 is approximately 34 mm, and the depth of the character input keyboard 9 is approximately 90 m.
m, the depth of the sub key arrangement surface 10 is about 74 mm.

A trackball 12 is provided on the cursor moving device placement surface 8 at a position 87.5 to the right from the center and 18.3 from the tip, and it is 101.2 mm to the left from the center and 15.5 from the tip. Enter key 13 and further 18 m to the left
An enter key 14 is provided at a position of m and 9 mm from the inside. Here, the dotted line shown around the trackball 12 is the size of the device of the trackball 12, and the trackball 12 is arranged as close to the end side (downward in the figure) as possible,
It is provided so as to wrap in the front-rear direction (vertical direction in the figure) with the recess 20 shown by the dotted line provided in the center. Reference numeral 28 denotes a second control board in which a board 31 for the enter key 13 and the cancel key 14 is integrated, and a portion where the enter key 13 and the cancel key 14 are arranged is formed so as to project to the end side. Since the confirm key 13 and the cancel key 14 are obliquely arranged, it is possible to obtain a good operation posture when the confirm key 13 is operated with the index finger and the confirm key 14 with the middle finger.
A mortar-shaped recess is formed around the trackball 12, the confirm key 13, and the cancel key 14 so that the tops of the trackball 12, the confirm key 13, and the cancel key 14 coincide with the cursor moving device arrangement surface 8. ing. Further, on both sides of the cursor moving device placement surface 8, there are flat surfaces 8a.
Since the palm rest is formed, it is possible to obtain a part of the palm rest function by placing the palms of both hands under the flat surface 8a.

The character input keyboard 9 is composed of 14 horizontal keys at 18 pitches and 5 character horizontal input / output keys at 16 rows, and 15 horizontal keypads, 3 horizontal keys at 16 pitch front / back, and 6 numeric keypad groups at 6 front / back rows.
7 and 7. And the character input key group 16 is
An execution key 16a provided on the right side of the front portion is arranged so as to be close to the trackball 12. here,
Reference numerals 16b and 16c are an F key and a J key, which are home positions of the character input keys. Ten key group 17 is the rear one
The three keys are the ten-key group 17a, and the front six are the cursor key group 17b. By arranging the cursor key group 17b so as to slightly project from the cursor moving device disposition surface 8, the cursor key group 17b having the same function as the trackball 12 can be used properly at a position close to the trackball 12.

At the position on the left side of the sub key arrangement surface 10 where the auxiliary storage device 24 is removed, the width is 141 mm and the depth is 55 m.
A sub-key group 18 of m is arranged. This subkey group 18
A power key 18a, a cancel key 18b, and various function keys 18c that are frequently used are arranged in the. Further, a cutout portion 53 is formed at the right end portion, and the cutout portion 53 is formed corresponding to the position of the floppy disk insertion slot, so that the position of the floppy disk insertion slot is clarified, and conventionally, a groping has been performed. The operability of the floppy cassette insertion and eject button has been improved.

In FIG. 11, according to the present embodiment, the character input with high input frequency is input to the F key 16b by the left index finger,
It can be performed by the character input key group 16 in which the home position posture A can be obtained by placing the index finger of the right hand on the J key 16c. And centering on this home position posture A,
It is possible to shift to the cursor movement posture B and the sub-key operation posture C in a short distance. For example, when the cursor is moved to the cursor movement posture B, it is possible to move to the cursor movement posture B in a short distance by opening both hands in a “H” shape, that is, by opening both hands to the shoulder width and moving them toward you. . In this cursor movement posture B, the cursor Q displayed on the display screen 11 by operating the trackball 12 with the index finger of the right hand.
Is moved to specify the function of the confirmation key 13 operated by the left index finger, and the cursor movement device 15 can be operated by operating the adjacent execution key 9a of the trackball 12 with the right index finger. At this time, if the confirmation key 13 specifies otherwise, the cancel key 14 operated with the middle finger of the left hand
You can cancel it with. When the trackball 12 is not operated, the adjacent cursor key group 17b can be operated with the right hand. Further, when shifting to the sub key operation posture C, the sub key group 18 can be operated by moving the left hand obliquely rearward from the home position posture A. As described above, according to the present embodiment, various operations can be performed from the home position / posture A by opening both hands or one hand with the shoulder width.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the first housing placement surface 2 having the character input keyboard 9 and the cursor moving device 15 and the second housing providing surface 3 having the thin display device 3 are provided. By folding the housing placement surface 4 onto the first housing 2 via the hinge portion 5, the first and second housing placement surfaces 6 and 7 can be concealed. The character input keyboard 9, the cursor moving device 15, and the display device 3 can be concealed to form a thin shape in which the whole is housed within the projected area of the first housing 2 having a substantially oblong rectangular shape. On the other hand, in the use state, the display device 3 can be opened at an arbitrary angle and the input operation can be performed using the character input keyboard 9 and the cursor moving device 15. Further, on the first housing placement surface 6, a cursor movement device placement surface 8 is placed on the front end side facing the hinge portion 5, and the cursor movement device placement surface 8 is arranged.
The trackball 1 on both sides of the recess 20 provided in the center.
Since the 2 key, the enter key 13 and the cancel key 14 are separately arranged, it is possible to reduce the length of the front and rear by stacking the three devices in the front and rear direction. In addition, since the trackball 12, the enter key 13 and the cancel key 14 are arranged on both sides below the character input keyboard 9 adjacent to the home position of the character input keyboard 9, the input operation by the cursor moving device 15 By operating the trackball 12 with one hand and the enter key 13 and the cancel key 14 with the other hand, both hands can be easily moved to the home position of the character input keyboard 9 in a short distance at the time of character input. Moreover, since the above-mentioned operation can be performed at the position of the hand corresponding to the shoulder width of a human, it is possible to reduce the shift in an unreasonable input posture or unreasonable posture. In addition, since the lock mechanism for opening and closing the second housing is arranged with the large allowance portion 44 at the center of the end portion facing the hinge portion 5, it can be easily opened and closed with one hand.

Further, in the first housing 2, the character input keyboard 9 is disposed so as to be removed from the thickest auxiliary storage device 24, so that the entire thickness is mounted on the basis of the thickness of the auxiliary storage device 24. Can be matched while improving efficiency. Moreover, the overhanging portion 21 formed with the hinge portion 5 at the end portion
Since the overhanging portion 21 can prevent the second casing 4 from being opened too much by arranging the hinge portion 5 inside and in the upper portion of the auxiliary storage device 24, the hinge portion 5 is downsized and the thickness is increased. The front-rear length can be reduced without any need.

Further, the cursor moving device 15 and the recess 20 of the lock mechanism are arranged at a position where they at least partially overlap each other in the front-rear direction, or the shape of the front end facing the hinge part 5 of the portable information processing device 1 is the same as described above. By forming the concave portion 20 into an arc shape having the top portion as the top portion, it is possible to reduce the internal dead space, shorten the front and rear lengths, and further make the overall compact form.

Furthermore, by forming the cross-sectional shape in the longitudinal direction of the housing surface 22 of the second housing 4 facing the second housing placement surface 7 into a corrugated shape at least over the range of the display screen 11, The strength of the second housing 4 can be increased, and the overall thickness of the portable information processing device 1 can be reduced.

12 to 14 are word processors showing another embodiment of the portable information processing apparatus according to the present invention. The parts, names, arrows and the like shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 are designated by the same reference numerals, and a duplicate description will be omitted.

FIG. 12 is an external view of the used state, FIG. 13 is an external view of the stored state, and FIG. 14 is a plan view of the used state.

In FIG. 12, a reference numeral 101 generally indicates a word processor, which includes a first casing 102 having a control circuit, an auxiliary storage device 24, and a printer mechanism 107 therein, and a thin display device 3. The second housing 103
And connecting one end of the second housing 103 to the center rear of the first housing 102 to connect the second housing 103 to the first housing 1.
02 and a hinge part 5 that is foldably connected to the upper part. The first housing 102 and the second housing 103 have a first housing placement surface 6 and a second housing placement surface 7, respectively, in portions that are hidden in the stored state. First housing placement surface 6
Is divided into front and rear, and the front is a keyboard moving device placement surface 8 and the back is a keyboard placement surface 104 including a character input keyboard 9 and various frequently used function keys 18c. On the cursor moving device placement surface 8, a trackball 12 for moving the cursor displayed on the display screen 11 of the display device 3 in the XY directions is placed on one side, and the cursor is moved to the other side by moving the trackball 12. A confirmation key 13 for executing the contents (functions) located and a cancel key 14 for canceling the confirmation are provided. Keyboard placement surface 104
Is provided with a character input keyboard 9 in the front and a row of various function keys 18c in the rear. Here, the character input keyboard 9 is composed of a left character input key group 16 and a right ten key group 17. On the other hand, the display screen 11 is arranged at the center of the second housing arrangement surface 7.

A lock tab 19 for locking is provided at the center of the end of the second housing 103 facing the hinge section 5, and the lock tab 19 serves as the hinge section 5 of the first housing 102. Locking recess 2 provided at the center of the opposite ends
0 is engaged to maintain the stored state. 10
Reference numeral 5 denotes a handle provided at the center of the end of the bottom surface of the first housing 102 facing the hinge portion 5 so as to be pulled out forward.

In FIG. 13, in this embodiment, the allowance portion 106 formed on the lock claw 19 is formed in a large L-shape having a wide surface that is greatly surrounded from the end portion to the second casing surface 22. The second housing 103 can be opened and closed more easily. Further, the handle 105 is provided so that the handle 105 is located below the recess 20 when viewed from the front direction, and is pulled out to the extent that a hand can be pulled in when it is pulled out.
During storage, the second housing 103 is stored in a storage recess (not shown) provided on the bottom surface of the second housing 103 to the extent that opening and closing of the second housing 103 is not hindered. Reference numeral 108 denotes an opening provided on the rear side of the upper surface of the first housing 102, and the paper is inserted into the printer mechanism 107 incorporated through the opening 108 and output. 109 is an opening 108 when the printer is not used
Is the cover of.

In FIG. 14, in the present embodiment, the trackball 12, the enter key 13 and the cancel key 14 which are obliquely arranged, the recess 20 and the handle 10 which are shown by dotted lines are shown.
5, the respective devices or parts are provided on both sides of the cursor moving device placement surface 8 so as to partially overlap each other. In the figure, 1
10 is a platen knob.

As described above, according to this embodiment, even in the word processor 101 having the printer mechanism with a large handle for supporting the weight, the space on both sides of the portable handle and the recess of the lock mechanism is provided. Since the cursor moving device can be separately arranged by utilizing it, it is possible to provide a word processor with a cursor moving device which is easy to operate by improving the mounting efficiency without increasing the front and rear lengths. .

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the cursor moving means and the confirming means are separately arranged on both sides of the lock means, but the present invention is not limited to the above arrangement and the cursor moving means is not limited to the above arrangement. The same effect can be obtained by arranging the means and the deciding means on both sides of the cursor moving device placement surface, and arranging the cursor moving means and the deciding means in parallel with the lock means. For example, the lock claws 19 may be provided on both sides of the cursor moving means and the confirming means. In this case, one handle portion 44 may be provided in the vicinity of the lock claws 19, but in order to facilitate the opening / closing operation, It is preferable that the handle portion 44 is provided at the center and the handle portion 44 and the lock claw 19 are interlocked by a connecting mechanism.

[0046]

According to the present invention, in the stored state,
The whole body can be made into a thin shape with short front and back, which is excellent in storability and portability.In the use state, the home position posture of the character input keyboard and the input operation posture of the cursor moving device are short. Since it is possible to move smoothly with a distance, various input operations can be easily performed, and furthermore, opening / closing operations can be easily performed.

[0047]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention in a use state.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portable information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention in a stored state.

FIG. 3 is a schematic internal device layout showing an embodiment of a portable information processing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view showing an embodiment of a portable information processing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a portable information processing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the external appearance of the essential parts of an embodiment of a portable information processing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an external side view showing an embodiment of a portable information processing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an external bottom view showing an embodiment of the portable information processing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an external rear view showing an embodiment of a portable information processing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a first housing arrangement surface showing an embodiment of the portable information processing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an operation explanatory view showing an embodiment of a portable information processing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a usage state of a word processor showing another embodiment of the portable information processing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a housed state of a word processor showing another embodiment of the portable information processing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a usage state of a word processor showing another embodiment of the portable information processing device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Portable information processing apparatus, 2 ... 1st housing, 3 ... Thin display apparatus, 4 ... 2nd housing, 5 ... Hinge part, 6 ... 1st housing arrangement surface, 7 ... 2 housing arrangement surface, 8 ... Cursor moving device arrangement surface, 9 ... Character input keyboard, 10 ... Subkey arrangement surface, 11 ... Display screen 11, 12 ... Trackball,
13 ... Confirm key, 14 ... Cancel key, 15 ... Cursor moving device, 16 ... Character input key group, 17 ... Numeric keypad group, 18
... Subkey County, 19 ... Rock claws, 20 ... Recesses, 21 ...
Protrusions, 22 ... Second housing surface, 23 ... Convex pattern, 24 ... Auxiliary storage device, X ... Direction in which user is located.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Ryuichi Nemoto 1-280, Higashi Koigakubo, Kokubunji City, Tokyo Inside the Hitachi Design Research Institute (72) Inventor Tetsuji Takekoshi 1-1-1, Higashitagacho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Hitachi, Ltd. Information & Video Media Division

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A thin first casing provided with a character input keyboard and a cursor moving device, a thin second casing provided with a thin display device, and a second casing. A hinge part having one end connected to the rear side of the first case and a second case foldably connected to the first case, and the first case facing the hinge part. And a locking means arranged on the end side of the second housing and holding the first housing and the second housing, wherein the first housing and the second housing are the second housing. A first housing arrangement surface provided with a character input keyboard and a cursor moving device, and a second housing arrangement surface provided with a thin display device, on a concealing surface which is concealed in a folded state of Each of the first housing placement surfaces has a cursor moving device placement surface on the end side facing the hinge part, and character input on the hinge part side of the cursor moving device placement surface. Provided by adjacent Bodo, the cursor movement device comprises a cursor moving means for moving the cursor displayed on the display screen of the display device,
The cursor moving means and the confirming means are arranged separately on both sides of the cursor moving device arrangement surface, and are arranged in parallel with the lock means. A portable information processing device characterized in that 2. The portable information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the lock means is arranged between the cursor moving means and the confirming means. 3. The portable information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first housing has an overhanging portion in which a hinge portion is arranged in front of a rear end portion of an upper surface on the hinge portion side. First of the substantially oblong rectangular shape
The first casing case includes an auxiliary storage device on one rear side located below the hinge portion, and a battery, a control circuit, and a cursor movement device on the other rear side and front side. In addition, the portable information processing device is characterized in that a character input keyboard is arranged between the auxiliary storage device and the cursor moving device. 4. The portable information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first housing arrangement surface is a cursor movement device arrangement surface arranged on an end side facing the hinge portion.
The sub-key arrangement surface arranged on the hinge side and the character input keyboard arranged between the cursor moving device arrangement surface and the sub-key arrangement surface, and the sub-key group on the sub-key arrangement surface without the auxiliary storage device. A portable information processing device characterized by being provided. 5. The portable information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a shape of a front end facing the hinge portion of the portable information processing device is an arc shape having a locking means arrangement portion as a top portion. A portable information processing device characterized by: 6. The portable information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cursor moving means is a trackball. 7. The portable information processing device according to claim 3, wherein a printer mechanism is provided on the protruding portion, and the portable information processing device is held near the locking means provided on the first casing. A portable information processing device, characterized in that a handle portion is provided, and the cursor moving means and the confirming means are separately disposed on the cursor moving device placement surfaces on both sides of the handle portion and the lock means.