Patent · US Expired

Portable work station and data collection terminal including switchable multi purpose touch screen display

US5488575A · kind A · utility

48Cited by
16References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 12, 1994
Grant dateJan 30, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 12, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02D30/70
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A portable data collection terminal has an elongate housing with a hand grip conforming rear surface. A front surface features a numerical keyboard adjacent a lower end of the housing and an LCD screen adjacent the keyboard toward an upper end of the housing. The display screen is of elongate rectangular shape, its length extending longitudinally of the housing of the data terminal. The active area of the display screen is covered by a touch sensitive overlay screen which is configured in one mode of operation of the data terminal into an alphabetical keyboard. The orientation of the display is switchable between orientations in which the line direction of the displayed data extends across or longitudinally of the data terminal. The keys of the numerical keyboard are identified by indicia disposed on a template. The orientation of the template may be sensed to switch the orientation of the displayed data and touch sensitive key identifiers to correspond to the orientation of the indicia on the template. As a further embodiment an electromagnetic activation by a pen may be used to enter data into a data terminal. Power saving shutdown extends the battery life of the data terminal. A…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.