Lenovo (singapore) Pte. Ltd.

International Business Machines Corporation

Fumio Tamura

Mitsuo Horiuchi

Hiroaki Agata

Fusanobu Nakamura

Eiji Shinohara

Jun Tanaka

Seita Horikoshi

Yoshiyuki Shibayama

Hideyuki Usui

Hidetoshi Mori

Hideto Horikoshi

Kenshin Yonemochi

Takane Fujino

Kazuyuki Kubota

Takahide Wada

Masahiko Nomura

Kimio Kumada

Ryo Otsuka

Yoshimasa Kiyotani

A slim electronic apparatus that can give a user a sufficient sense of clicking in response to a user's touch input operation is disclosed. The electronic apparatus includes a touch-operation unit for receiving a user's touch-input operation; a main body chassis having a support plate with a mounting face to movably mount the touch-operation unit; a vibrator for generating vibrations to the touch-operation unit; and a connector having a fixing part fixed to one of the touch-operation unit and the support plate, and a retained part retained to be movable relative to the other of the touch-operation unit and the support plate at least along one direction parallel to the mounting face.

Electronic apparatus having a touch pad capable of providing vibrations

A vibration generation device is provided with a housing, a vibration target component provided to be movable relatively to the housing, an actuator which has a metal base portion, a metal movable portion, a beltlike shape memory alloy disposed between the base portion and the movable portion and in which, when the shape memory alloy receives current application to be changed so that the outer shape becomes small, the movable portion is pushed out in one direction of separating from the base portion in a state where the base portion abuts on a first wall surface of the housing, a resin holder component fixed to the vibration target component and abutting on a pushing surface facing the one direction of the movable portion, and an elastic member elastically energizing the movable portion in a direction opposite to the one direction.

Vibration generation device and electronic apparatus

A touch pad includes: a center button region; a first button region disposed adjacent to the center button region; a second button region disposed adjacent to the center button region on the opposite side of the first button region; a load sensor configured to detect load at least at the center button region, the first button region and the second button region; and a controller configured to determine a detection by the load sensor of load of a first upper-limit value or higher at least at one of the first and second button regions as a depressed state, and determine a detection by the load sensor of load of a second upper-limit value or higher at the center button region as a depressed state. The second upper-limit value and the first upper-limit value are different. Particularly, the second upper-limit value is larger than the first upper-limit value.

Touch pad and electronic apparatus

One aspect provides a key switch device including: a base plate; a sheet laminated on the base plate; a key top disposed above the sheet; and an elastic dome that is disposed between the sheet and the key top and is configured to press the sheet in response to the key top being pressed down. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Key switch device

An electronic device disclosed. The electronic device includes a first chassis, a second chassis, and a hinge mechanism that connects the first chassis and the second chassis. The electronic device also includes a cylindrical cam member, a slide member and a movable member that moves in conjunction with a movement of the slide member in the axial direction and which extends from and retracts to an outer surface of the first chassis.

Electronic device

A keyboard device for a portable computer is disclosed. The portable computer includes a main body chassis and a display chassis. The main body chassis contains the keyboard device having multiple keycaps elastically supported to be moved up and down. Coupled to the main body chassis via a hinge, the display chassis contains a display. The main body chassis also includes a key depressing mechanism having a rotating shaft member provided along each of the keycaps and a pressing piece projecting from the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft member to the side of the keycap to allow a receiving part provided in the keycap to be depressed downward. The rotating shaft member rotates about the axis to cause the pressing piece to push down the receiving part and, in turn, pushing down and keeping the keycap in a depressed position.

Keyboard for portable information equipment

A pointing device is attached to a keyboard assembly. The pointing device includes an operation post; a sensor substrate that converts force applied to the operation post into an analog electric signal; a logic substrate that is attached to a rear surface of the keyboard assembly and generates a digital signal to move a cursor from the electric signal; and a cable that connects the sensor substrate and the logic substrate to each other. It is possible to reduce the area of a portion protruding to a lower side from the rear surface of the keyboard assembly in the vicinity of the operation post and to lower the height of the portion by separating the sensor substrate and the logic substrate from each other. Since the cable is separated from a motherboard, it is possible to reduce noise entering the cable which transmits an analog signal.

Sensor configuration of a pointing device of a keyboard

For connecting devices, an electromagnetic interference (EMI) connecting portion includes a conductor connected to a first EMI shield. An electrostatic discharge (ESD) contact portion electrically connects to a second EMI shield through a high-impedance element. The ESD contact portion electrically connects the EMI connecting portion to the second EMI shield through the high-impedance element as the ESD contact portion initially contacts the EMI connecting portion during hot docking. The ESD contact portion subsequently moves in response to the initial contact to contact a low-impedance element electrically connected to the second EMI shield and connect the EMI connecting portion to the second EMI shield through the low-impedance element.

Electronic device connecting structure and function expansion device

A computer system may comprise an upper housing, a processor, a display screen, a keyboard case, and a lower housing. The display screen may be attached to the upper housing. The processor may be disposed within the upper housing. The lower housing may comprise a keyboard and may be mounted to and pivotable with respect to the upper housing. The keyboard cover may be adapted to cover the keyboard.

Keyboard for slate personal computers

A connecting structure reduces noise effects on an electronic device when hot docking the electronic device to mitigate against malfunctions. When a first electronic device having a first EMI shield is docked with a second electronic device having a second EMI shield, an ESD contact portion, which is connected to the second EMI shield and has higher in impedance than an EMI connecting portion, comes in contact with the first EMI shield earlier than the EMI connecting portion. Electrostatic charge carried on the first EMI shield moves slowly to the second EMI shield due to the high impedance of the ESD contact portion.

A docking device for receiving a portable computer is disclosed. The docking device includes a device housing and a charging connector that is provided on a side surface of the device housing and is connected to a battery connector of a battery pack in order to charge the battery pack. The charging connector is connectable to the battery connector in a state where the battery pack and the device housing are disposed on the same plane. When the charging connector and the battery connector are in a connected state and the device housing is being moved to a position within a predetermined height from the plane, the connection state between the charging connector and the battery connector is maintained. When the device housing is being moved to a position that exceeds the predetermined height from the plane, the battery connector will be separated from the charging connector due to the weight of the battery pack.

Docking device

A technique for prohibiting access to a computer having a security function when a security device is illegally removed from the computer. The security device is a hardware component that constitutes a part of a security function for a computer. When the security device is illegally removed from the computer, access to the computer is prohibited. Data indicating that the security device is attached to the computer are stored in a nonvolatile memory. Then, when a specific event, such as a power-ON event, is used as a trigger, the procedure for prohibiting the access to the computer is initiated. Following this, based on the data stored in the memory, it is detected that the security device was once attached to the computer and that it has now been removed. If currently the security device is not attached to the computer, although it was attached before, the access to the computer is prohibited.

Computer with security function and method therefor

A display apparatus is characterized by having a display panel for displaying an image, a light source for supplying light to the display panel, and a flat-surface lighting surface member which has a lighting surface emitting light, radiated from the light source, as flat-surface light while being arranged with the display panel. A housing contains the display panel, the light source, and the flat-surface lighting surface member. The housing further includes a window through light passes the flat-surface lighting surface member and leaks to the outside.

Liquid crystal display apparatus

A slope of an HDD door comes in contact with a slope formed on a lower wall. At this time, when screws of the HDD door are fastened, a fastening force is generated at the HDD door in a direction parallel to the plane direction of the PC housing. The HDD united with the HDD door moves slightly in a parallel direction in proportion to the fastening degree of the screws. At this time, the slope slides to go up on the slope, so the HDD moves slightly upward. When the screws are fastened fully up to the allowable torque, the HDD is firmly attached to the upper wall.

Growing community of inventors

Machida, Japan

Fumio Tamura