Personal communicator having improved contrast control for a liquid crystal, touch sensitive display

US5422656A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• David J. Allard · Boynton Beach, US
• Brent A. Beatty · Louisville, US
• Francis J. Canova, Jr. · Fremont, US
• Bradley J. DeBauche · Delray Beach, US
• Danile M. Hsieh · Coral Springs, US
• Debra A. G. Johnson · Fort Lauderdale, US
• Charles S. Lanier · Delray Beach, US
• James R. Lewis · Delray Beach, US
• Byron K. Tiller · Boca Raton, US
• William Villafana · Pembroke Pines, US
• Raymond L. Yee · Pompano Beach, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 1, 1993
• Grant date: Jun 6, 1995
• Expiry date: Nov 1, 2013

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04M2250/56
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A personal communicator has a touch sensitive overlay coupled with a liquid crystal display (LCD). The communicator has two external (non-screen) up/down buttons for adjusting the volume of a cellular phone speaker. These volume buttons are also used to allow the user to adjust contrast. In accordance with one operation, contrast is adjusted in response to the user touching a predetermined area of the screen at the same time as one of the up or down buttons is actuated. In accordance with another operation, contrast is adjusted in response to the user first pressing both speaker volume buttons to enter a contrast adjustment mode, and thereafter pressing one or the other of such buttons, to increase or decrease contrast as desired.