JPH1020964A - Portable information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processor which can easily be operated with one hand. SOLUTION: This processor 1 has a pointing device 15 provided at the left of a cover and the indication switch of decision or release, which is provided at the left part of the back of a case. A protection cover 10 can be opened/ closed from the upper face of the cover to the back of the case and the protection cover 10 has a size for covering the indication switch when it is opened to the back of the case.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable information processing apparatus having a liquid crystal display section and a pen-inputtable tablet, and more particularly to a portable information processing apparatus which can be operated with one hand and is portable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a device described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-12957 is known as an information processing apparatus which can be operated by one hand.

In this publication, a holding section is provided on the right side of a portable information processing apparatus, the holding section is held by a right hand, which is a dominant hand, and the holding section is held by the right hand. A portable information processing device configured to operate an instruction switch is described.

[0004]

However, the display section of the portable information processing apparatus described in the above-mentioned publication is dedicated to display, and its surface is covered with hard glass or plastic. It does not require a protective cover.

[0005] However, the portable information processing device described in this publication is not directed to an information processing device having a tablet as an input device on the upper surface of a liquid crystal display unit as in the present invention.

[0006] The tablet as the input device is made of a relatively soft thin sheet and is easily damaged, and requires a protective cover for covering the tablet (liquid crystal display unit).

This protective cover is generally large enough to cover the entire device and is opaque.

However, if the protective cover is made large and opaque so as to cover the entire apparatus, there is a trouble that the protective cover must be opened every time the operation is performed. It lacks convenience.

Also, the cursor movement input device and the selection instruction switch of the portable information processing device described in this publication may be inadvertently pressed and operated when the device is used on a desk or the like. The configuration is inevitable for malfunction.

Focusing on the above, the present invention improves the operability of one-handed operation without depending on the opening operation of the protective cover in an information processing apparatus having a tablet as an input device and a protective cover for protecting the tablet. It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable information processing apparatus that enables a pen input in a one-hand holding state, and that prevents a pointing device or an instruction switch from malfunctioning and avoids erroneous input.

[0011]

An object of the present invention is to provide a case made of plastic or the like, a control board provided in the case, a liquid crystal display unit provided above the control board, and a liquid crystal display. A tablet superposed on at least the upper surface of the liquid crystal display unit of the unit, a frame-shaped cover disposed above the tablet and attached to the case, and provided rotatably on the cover or the case; In an information processing apparatus having at least a protective cover covering the liquid crystal display unit,
It has a pointing device provided on the left side of the cover, and an instruction switch for confirmation or release also provided on the left side of the back of the case, so that the protective cover can be opened and closed from the top of the cover to the back of the case. In addition, this protective cover is configured to have a size large enough to cover the instruction switch when opened on the back of the case, or a pointing device provided on the left side of the cover, and Instruction switch for confirming or canceling provided on the cover, the protection cover is sized to cover a portion excluding a pointing device provided on a left portion of the cover, and the protection cover has at least the liquid crystal display. The cover is configured to have a part or all of the transparent part so that the part can be seen, or a port provided on the left side of the cover. A pointing device, and an instruction switch for confirming or releasing, also provided on the left side of the back of the case, and covering the portion except for the pointing device provided on the left side of the cover with the protective cover, The protective cover has a size that covers the indication switch, and the protective cover is partially or entirely configured to be transparent so as to face at least the liquid crystal display unit, or a pointing device provided on the left side of the cover. An instruction switch for confirming or canceling, which is also provided on the left side of the back of the case, and the pointing device is configured not to protrude from the cover surface, or the pointing device is provided on the left side of the cover. Device and
An instruction switch for confirming or releasing is also provided on the left side of the back of the case. The instruction switch is configured not to protrude from the back of the case, or a left-hand operation of the left side of the cover is performed. A pointing device provided at a possible position, and an instruction switch for confirming or canceling, which is provided at a position operable with one left hand on the left side of the back of the case, and operating the pointing device or the instruction switch with one left hand And pen input by the right hand at the same time, or a pointing device provided at the left one-hand operable position on the left side of the cover, and at the left one-hand operable position on the left side of the back of the case as well An instruction switch for confirming or canceling is provided, and the switch is also provided at a position that can be operated with one left hand on the left side of the case or cover. Source and a switch, is accomplished by configuring to allow pen input by the operation and the right hand of the pointing device or indicator switch by the left hand at the same time.

Supplementally, by arranging the position switch and the confirmation switch on the front side and the back side of the one-hand holding portion of the apparatus, the position switch and the confirmation switch can be operated with the same hand while holding the information processing apparatus with one hand, Therefore, it is possible to easily call information such as confirming the stored contents, and at this time, even if the protective cover is closed without taking out the dedicated pen, the liquid can be transferred from the transparent portion of the protective cover to the liquid crystal. The displayed information can be read by the operator, and at the time of a desk arrangement operation, the pointing device or the instruction switch is configured not to protrude from the surface, so that the operation is not erroneously performed and erroneous input is prevented. .

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a tablet input information processing apparatus. 2 is a thin box-shaped case made of plastic, 3
Is a control board disposed on the bottom of the case, 4 is a battery disposed on the left side of the case, 5 is a liquid crystal display unit, and 6 is a tablet disposed on the upper surface of the liquid crystal display unit 5 by pen operation or the like. The position can be detected by pressure sensitivity, and is made of a soft material. Reference numeral 7 denotes a cover on the picture frame which covers the periphery of the component and is attached to the upper edge of the case, and is made of plastic.

The battery 4 is provided in a hand-held portion on the left side of the apparatus. This is because the battery 4 has the largest weight as a constituent element, and if it is disposed in the hand-held portion, the feeling of weight of the entire apparatus when one hand is held is softened, and there is an effect that one hand can be easily held. In winter, the warming of the hand warms the battery 4 to improve the performance of the battery, and it can be expected that the battery 4 can be prevented from becoming unusable due to consumption.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a protective cover for covering the upper surface of the tablet, which is rotatably attached to the case 2 via a hinge 11. The protective cover 10 is provided with a transparent portion 12 at a portion covering the tablet 6 (liquid crystal display portion 5) so that the liquid crystal display portion can be viewed even when the protective cover is closed in the shape of the liquid crystal display portion, or The protective cover itself may be formed of a transparent synthetic resin, and the whole may be configured to be transparent.

The protective cover can be opened and closed from the upper surface to the rear surface of the case. When the protective cover is opened to the rear surface of the case, the protective cover covers an instruction switch on the rear surface, also described later, except for a pointing device on the front surface of the main body described later. It is the size of the size.

Therefore, even when the protective cover is closed, it is possible to operate a pointing device and an instruction switch on the front side of the main body, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 9, the control board 3 has a CP
U, main memory, program memory, liquid crystal controller, tablet controller, switch control circuit, power supply circuit, pointing device on the front side of the main body, instruction switch on the back side, changeover switch, switch control circuit, etc. mounted or equivalent to each component Electrical circuits and the like are arranged.

The pointing device for moving the cursor 13 displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 5 is indicated by reference numeral 15 and is provided on the cover 7 on the surface of the apparatus. An instruction switch 20 for fixing or canceling the position pointed by the pointing device 15 is provided on the back surface of the case 2. Among these, the decision switch is for executing the information processing command 18 based on the content of the icon of the liquid crystal display unit 5 pointed by the cursor 13. In general, the instruction switch 20 is configured separately with a confirmation switch and a release switch. However, it is also possible to configure the instruction switch 20 to perform a confirmation instruction by the first operation with one switch and to release the instruction by two consecutive operations. Good.

Each of the pointing device 15 and the pointing switch 20 is provided at a position on the left side of the apparatus which can be operated by one hand. Enables pen input with the right hand when holding one hand,
The operability is improved.

The mounting position of the pointing device 15 and the pointing switch 20 can be set upside down. At this time, the pointing device 15 and the pointing switch 20 are switched by the changeover switch of FIG. use.

Further, the pointing device 15 and the pointing switch 20 do not have the same front and back positions, and are arranged at a position where one-hand finger operation is easy, that is, at a displaced position to improve operability. I try to plan.

The case 2 and the cover 7 corresponding to the pointing device 15 and the instruction switch 20, respectively.
Is provided with an operation hole 21 at the position.

The operation hole 21, the pointing device 15, and the indicating switch 20 are respectively buried toward the inside of the apparatus so as not to protrude from the surfaces of the case 2 and the cover 7.

Further, since the present invention is applied to a portable information processing apparatus, a battery 4 is used as a power source. Power is supplied from the battery 4 to drive a control circuit and a liquid crystal to process signals from the tablet 6. It is configured to do so.

Although the power switch is not shown in the above configuration, it is provided near the changeover switch 26 on the left side of the apparatus, and can be operated by one hand.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

The operator normally operates the tablet 6 with a dedicated pen provided in the information processing apparatus, inputs information, and executes desired information processing by displaying the information on the liquid crystal display unit.

In some cases, the operator desires a simple input operation from merely confirming information. For example, it is conceivable to newly input or correct a time or a schedule.

In these operations, conventionally, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, first, the cover 22 of the information processing device 28 is opened, the special pen 23 is taken out, and then the tablet 2 is opened.
Since operation 9 is performed, even a simple confirmation involves a cover opening / closing operation, and a series of operations is very troublesome.

In this embodiment, however, FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 3, by providing the pointing device 15 and the instruction switch 20 on the front and back of the information processing apparatus 1, the cursor 13 being displayed is moved by moving the pointing device 15, and the desired operation is performed by pressing the instruction switch 20. Information processing can be operated with one hand while holding the device, even if it is not on the desk.

Since the transparent portion 12 is provided on the protective cover 10 as shown in FIG. 1, the operator can face the liquid crystal display unit 5 with the protective cover 10 closed. It can be performed by one-handed operation without opening the protective cover 10, and there is an effect that the usability is very good.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the power is turned on, the operator sets the position of the pointing device 15 on the liquid crystal display surface 27 side as an initial setting. The operator can determine the position with the changeover switch 26. Therefore, the pointing device 15 can be provided on the back side of the case 2 and the instruction switch 20 can be provided on the cover 7 side according to the user's preference.

The pointing device 1 on the front side
By shifting the indicator switch 5 and the indication switch 20 on the rear side from the same position as viewed from the liquid crystal display surface 27, the operability can be further improved for the following reason.

Since the operator can operate the information processing apparatus 1 while holding it with one hand as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it is necessary to apply a predetermined force to the thumb when pressing the pointing device 15. At this time, since the finger holding the back side of the information processing device 1 receives the force, the reaction force is reflected. If the pointing device 15 and the instruction switch 20 are in the same position when viewed from the liquid crystal display surface 27, the device 1
It is highly probable that the finger is in contact with the instruction switch 20 while holding the instruction switch, and the instruction switch 20 may be pressed by the finger. In this case, the information processing operation intended by the operator may not be performed.

Therefore, shifting the positions of the two is an effective means for improving operability. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, if the instruction switch 20 is arranged at a position where the protective cover 10 is opened and folded back to the back side of the apparatus 1, the operator can designate a specific position of the tablet 6 with the dedicated pen 23. By disabling the indicating switch 20, double instructions (indicating with a dedicated pen has both functions of a pointing device and an indicating switch at the same time) can be avoided, thereby preventing malfunction. Normal input and change processing operations can be provided.

Further, even if the protective cover 10 is not bent,
For example, the instruction switch 20 is also used when working on a desk.
Is hidden and cannot be operated by the operator. Therefore, the only one that is designated by the dedicated pen 23 in selecting the information processing command 18 is to realize an operation that does not malfunction as described above. It becomes possible.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention, in a tablet as an input device and an information processing device having a protective cover for protecting the tablet, the operability of one-handed operation without depending on the opening operation of the protective cover is improved. According to another aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a portable information processing device that enables pen input in a one-hand holding state, and that prevents a pointing device or an instruction switch from malfunctioning and avoids erroneous input. is there.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same information processing apparatus viewed from the back.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the same pen using state.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a protection cover of the information processing apparatus is opened on a back surface of the apparatus.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the information processing apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the information processing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the operation of the information processing apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an information processing apparatus provided with a changeover switch.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an information processing apparatus including a changeover switch.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a state in which a conventional information processing apparatus is used.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a state in which the conventional information processing apparatus is used with both hands.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information processing apparatus, 2 ... Case, 3 ... Control board, 5 ... Liquid crystal display part, 6 ... Tablet, 7 ... Cover, 10 ... Protective cover, 12 ... Transparent part, 13 ... Cursor, 15 ... Pointing device, 18 ... Information processing command, 20 ... instruction switch.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Minoru Funabashi 1-1-1, Higashitaga-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Inside the Taga Headquarters, Electrical Equipment Division, Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Koichi Saito Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 4-6, Surugadai, Hitachi, Ltd.

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A case made of plastic or the like,
A control board disposed in the case, a liquid crystal display unit disposed above the control board, a tablet superimposed on at least the upper surface of the liquid crystal display unit of the liquid crystal display unit, and a tablet disposed above the tablet; An information processing apparatus having a frame-shaped cover attached to the case, and a protective cover rotatably provided on the cover or the case and covering at least a liquid crystal display portion of a liquid crystal display unit; A pointing device provided in the unit, and an instruction switch for confirming or releasing the like also provided in the left part of the back of the case, so that the protective cover can be opened and closed from the upper surface of the cover to the back of the case, This protective cover has a size that is large enough to cover the indication switch when opened on the back of the case. Information processing device. 2. A case made of plastic or the like,
A control board disposed in the case, a liquid crystal display unit disposed above the control board, a tablet superimposed on at least the upper surface of the liquid crystal display unit of the liquid crystal display unit, and a tablet disposed above the tablet; An information processing apparatus having a frame-shaped cover attached to the case, and a protective cover rotatably provided on the cover or the case and covering at least a liquid crystal display portion of a liquid crystal display unit; A pointing device provided on the rear of the case, and an instruction switch for confirming or canceling, also provided on the left side of the back of the case. The protective cover covers the portion except for the pointing device provided on the left side of the cover. Part or all of the protective cover so that at least the liquid crystal display unit can be seen. A portable information processing device having a transparent portion. 3. A case made of plastic or the like,
A control board disposed in the case, a liquid crystal display unit disposed above the control board, a tablet superimposed on at least the upper surface of the liquid crystal display unit of the liquid crystal display unit, and a tablet disposed above the tablet; An information processing apparatus having a frame-shaped cover attached to the case, and a protective cover rotatably provided on the cover or the case and covering at least a liquid crystal display portion of a liquid crystal display unit; A pointing device provided on the rear of the case, and an instruction switch for confirming or canceling, also provided on the left side of the back of the case. The protective cover covers the portion except for the pointing device provided on the left side of the cover. At the same time, the protective cover has a size large enough to cover the indicator switch, and the protective cover is at least A portable information processing device that is partially or wholly transparent so that the display unit can be seen. 4. The pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the pointing device is provided on a left portion of a back surface of the case.
A portable information processing apparatus in which an instruction switch for confirming or canceling is provided on the left side of the cover. 5. A case formed of plastic or the like,
A control board disposed in the case, a liquid crystal display unit disposed above the control board, a tablet superimposed on at least the upper surface of the liquid crystal display unit of the liquid crystal display unit, and a tablet disposed above the tablet; An information processing apparatus having a frame-shaped cover attached to the case, comprising: a pointing device provided on a left portion of the cover; and a determination or release instruction switch also provided on a left portion of the back surface of the case. The portable information processing apparatus, wherein the pointing device is configured not to protrude from the cover surface. 6. A case made of plastic or the like,
A control board disposed in the case, a liquid crystal display unit disposed above the control board, a tablet superimposed on at least the upper surface of the liquid crystal display unit of the liquid crystal display unit, and a tablet disposed above the tablet; An information processing apparatus having a frame-shaped cover attached to the case, comprising: a pointing device provided on a left portion of the cover; and a determination or release instruction switch also provided on a left portion of the back surface of the case. The portable information processing device, wherein the instruction switch is configured not to protrude from the back surface of the case. 7. A case made of plastic or the like,
A control board disposed in the case, a liquid crystal display unit disposed above the control board, a tablet superimposed on at least the upper surface of the liquid crystal display unit of the liquid crystal display unit, and a tablet disposed above the tablet; An information processing apparatus having a frame-shaped cover attached to the case, comprising: a pointing device provided on a left portion of the cover; and a determination or release instruction switch also provided on a left portion of the back surface of the case. The portable information processing device, wherein the pointing switch is configured not to protrude from the back surface of the case, and the pointing device is configured not to protrude from the cover surface. 8. The pointing device according to claim 5, wherein the pointing device is provided on a left side of a back surface of the case.
A portable information processing apparatus in which an instruction switch for confirming or canceling is provided on the left side of the cover. 9. A case made of plastic or the like,
A control board disposed in the case, a liquid crystal display unit disposed above the control board, and a tablet which is arranged at least on the upper surface of the liquid crystal display unit of the liquid crystal display unit to enable pen input; In the information processing apparatus, a pointing device provided at a position on the left side of the cover that can be operated with one left hand, and an instruction switch provided at a position on the left side of the back of the case that can be operated with one left hand, such as a confirmation or release switch And a portable information processing apparatus configured to be able to simultaneously operate the pointing device or the instruction switch with one left hand and pen input with the right hand. 10. A case formed of plastic or the like, a control board disposed in the case, a liquid crystal display unit disposed above the control board, and at least an upper surface of the liquid crystal display unit of the liquid crystal display unit. An information processing apparatus having a tablet superimposed on the tablet and enabling pen input, comprising: a pointing device provided at a position on the left side of the cover that can be operated with one left hand; An instruction switch for confirming or releasing provided at a possible position, and a power switch provided at a position where the left side of the case or the cover can be operated with one left hand,
A portable information processing apparatus configured to be able to simultaneously operate the pointing device or instruction switch with one left hand and pen input with the right hand. 11. A portable information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper surface is about B6 size, the thickness does not exceed 1 inch, and the weight is several hundred grams or less. 12. The portable information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a heavy battery is provided in a left hand grip at a left end of the case.