Input pad integrated with a touch pad
US6388660B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 31, 1997 |
| Grant date | May 14, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 31, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2200/1634
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An input pad that is integrated with a touch pad is disclosed. In one embodiment, a portable computer includes an input pad cover slidable from a first position approximately adjacent to the touch pad to a second position over the touch pad. In the first position the touch pad is operable as a pointing device; relative movement actuated on the pad causes a pointer on a screen of the computer to correspondingly move. In the second position the touch pad is operable as an input pad, preferably a numeric input pad; actuation of an absolute position within a given region on the pad registers the depression of a key corresponding to the region with the computer.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.