International Business Machines Corporation

Lenovo (singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Masayoshi Nakano

Seiichi Kawano

Takashi Yanagisawa

Hideyuki Usui

Shinji Matsushima

Hirohide Komiyama

Takashi Inui

Yuhko Ohmori

Masayoshi Taniguchi

Fusanobu Nakamura

Tetsuji Nakamura

Yoshiharu Uchiyama

Hidetoshi Mori

Shigehiro Horiuchi

Takahide Wada

Ryota Nohara

Jon Earl Graham

Takayuki Akai

Yuichi Shiraishi

Akihiko Inoue

Saiichi Kawano

A hinge device capable of reducing a reduced-size biaxial structure that can selectively switch rotations of two shafts according to an opening/closing angle position between two chassis is disclosed. The hinge device includes a first shaft attached to a first chassis, and a second shaft attached to a second chassis. The first shaft includes a recess located on an outer peripheral surface of the first shaft, and the second shaft includes a recess located on an outer peripheral surface of the second shaft. The hinge device also includes a lock member having a first projection engageable the said first recess, a second projection engageable with the second recess, and an arm member coupling the first projection to the second projection. The lock member allows rotation of one of the first shaft or the second shaft and restricts rotation of each other according to an opening/closing angle position between the first chassis and the second chassis by alternately performing engagement of the first projection with said first recess and engagement of the second projection with the second recess by means of sway of the arm member.

Hinge device for a portable computer

An extension device for connecting one or more peripheral devices to a computer, comprising a first bus for connecting to the computer; a second bus for connecting to the computer; a hub coupled to the first bus for connecting the computer to one or more peripheral devices; a controller for connecting the computer to a high-bandwidth device, the controller being switchably coupled to the hub and the second bus; and a switch for switching the controller, from being coupled to the hub, to being coupled to the second bus, when a connection to the computer is detected on the second bus.

High performance extension device

Units are provided for determining whether or not a coordinate input is continued as being substantially the same coordinate and a predetermined time period has lapsed after an initial input of an arbitrary coordinate by a coordinate input unit. A first processing unit performs a first processing in accordance with the coordinate when the determination is not met, and a second processing unit performs a second processing different from the first processing when the determination is met.

Information processing apparatus, program and coordinate input method

A touch panel that improves operability for users is provided. The touch panel monitors and calibrates operation positions made by a user on a display screen is provided, including a mark display part that displays marks indicating operation target positions on the display screen such that the densities of the marks in the main scanning line direction or sub-scanning line direction are different in response to positions of the directions; an operation position reader part that reads operation positions on the touch panel by the user; a relative position acquisition part that obtains relative positions of the operation positions from the mark made by the user relative to a display position of the mark; and a calibration part that calibrates the position of a new operation by the user different from an operation applied to the mark based on the relative positions.

Touch panel, control method, program, and storage medium

An apparatus, program product and method of detecting, within a predetermined time period after an input of a first coordinate, an input of a second coordinate being apart a predetermined distance or more from a first coordinate, or detecting, within a predetermined time period after an input of the first coordinate, an input of the second coordinate being apart a predetermined distance or more from the first coordinate and the following input of a third coordinate near the first coordinate, whereby a first processing in accordance with the first coordinate or a second processing in accordance with the first coordinate is performed depending on the detected result.

A technique is provided for improving visual recognition of letters, graphics, etc., in a portion of a displayed image that has been enlarged. An image display system includes an image display component for displaying on a screen an image based on image data, a region indicator component for permitting a region to be enlarged from the image to be selected and identified, a data modification component for modifying the portion of the image data corresponding to an enlarged display region so that the selected image is enlarged and displayed within the enlarged display region on the screen, and a brightness adjusting component for adjusting values instructing brightness of the corresponding image data part such that a contrast of the image within the enlarged display is higher than a contrast of the original image within the enlarged display region.

Image display device, image display method, and image display program

As a user depresses an eject button from the standard position to its sunken position and an instruction is transmitted to an installed notebook PC to request the disconnection of a driver for a device being operated in a docking station. When a notification is received from the PC indicating that the disconnection has been completed, for example and not to limit the a solenoid type electromagnetic apparatus switches a plunger to its non-projected position. The eject button is then placed into its projected position owing to the urging force of a spring. When the user depresses the eject button placed in its projected position, a motion direction converting lever is pivoted to activate an ejecting member and a locking hook. Consequently, the PC is ejected.

Docking station

A pen input apparatus includes a plurality of penpoints for drawing tracks on a recording medium such as paper, and a selector for selecting a specific penpoint from the plurality of penpoints. The input apparatus including a type recognition unit for recognizing the type of the selected penpoint (such as the color of a line which can be drawn, the thickness of the line, pen type such as ballpoint pen, sign pen or fluorescent pen), and a transmitter for transmitting the track of the penpoint as position information, and transmitting the information on the type recognized by the type recognition unit to a computer system.

Electronic input apparatus and method thereof

A portable information processor includes a computer main body and a digitizer connected by a flexible hinge defined in a cover. The hinge allows the computer main body and the digitizer to assume different superposed states by means of a flexible separable portion of the cover. In the superposed state of the computer main body and the digitizer, arbitrariness in folding back the separable portion causes runout between the computer main body and the digitizer. In spite of this runout, the superposed state can be accurately detected by means of an optical sensor, including an infrared radiator and an infrared-ray detector, disposed in the computer main body. A flexible reflection member is fixed to a predetermined surface of the separable portion of the leather cover, while assuring a predetermined area. If the computer main body and the digitizer assume a superposed state, light emitted from the infrared radiator is reflected by the flexible reflection member and is incident on the infrared-ray detector.

Portable information processor

A connector for achieving stabilization of operation of electronic equipment against EMI/ESD by reinforcing grounding of an entire connector is provided for. An interface connector has protruding portions formed on a top face and bottom face of a metal shell, wherein the height of these protruding portions is in a predetermined relationship to one another, such that the connector and connector connection structure provide: a reduction in the contact resistance in fitting portions of connectors, and hence an improvement in conductivity.

Connector, connector connection structure and electronic equipment

To provide a docking station for a portable computer, which increases its heat radiation when the docking station is docked with the portable computer. A docking station is equipped with a fan unit at a back portion of a power supply unit within a station body, and a front surface of a connection portion with which a notebook PC is docked is provided with an air suction opening. Thereby, once the fan unit is driven, high temperature air is exhausted from a station body and the connection portion, then outside air is introduced from the suction opening to stimulate the cooling of the connection portion, and the heat which is transferred from a back side portion of the notebook PC to the connection portion is also dissipated there to stimulate the cooling of the notebook PC side.

Docking station for portable computer and docking structure thereof

A computer system has a central processing unit (&ldquo;CPU&rdquo;) and a plurality of peripheral devices. A bus interconnects the CPU and the peripheral devices. Command signals are transmitted over the bus including an initiator ready signal (&ldquo;IRDY&rdquo;), a device select signal (&ldquo;DEVSEL&rdquo;) and a target ready signal (&ldquo;TRDY&rdquo;). First and second direct memory access devices (&ldquo;DMA&rdquo;) are connected to the bus and assigned the same address space. First and second switches selectively connect and disconnect the DEVSEL and TRDY signals that are output from the first and second DMA devices, respectively. Controller logic receives the DEVSEL and TRDY signals and directs the opening and closing of the first and second switches.

Computer system having two DMA circuits assigned to the same address space

An information processing system that can reduce the operating frequency of a CPU, or halt the operation of the CPU, at an adequate timing, even when the system is engaged in exchanging data with another independent apparatus (e.g., another PC) via a communication port (a serial port or a parallel port), or when a communication application is being executed. The system has (a) a CPU that operates in a normal mode, in a power saving mode in which less power is consumed than is required in a normal mode, or in a stop mode in which operation is completely halted; (b) at least one peripheral device; (c) a bus employed for communication between the CPU and the peripheral device; (d) a communication port, physically connected to another independent apparatus, for performing data transfer; (e) a bus cycle detector monitoring a bus cycle on the bus; (f) a state detector determining an operational mode of the CPU in response to a detection by the bus cycle of access of the communication port; (g) a signal generator providing, when the state detector ascertains that the operational mode is to be the power saving mode, a control signal to the CPU to set the CPU to the power saving mode; and (h) a CPU operation halting signal completely halting an operation of the CPU when the state determination means ascertains that the operational mode is to be the stop mode.

Method and system for improved power management in information

A computer system has a central processing unit ('CPU') and a plurality of peripheral devices. A bus interconnects the CPU and the peripheral devices. Command signals are transmitted over the bus including an initiator ready signal ('IRDY'), a device select signal ('DEVSEL'), and a target ready signal ('TRDY'). First and second direct memory access devices ('DMA') are connected to the bus and assigned the same address space. First and second switches selectively connect and disconnect the DEVSEL and TRDY signals that are output from the first and second DMA devices, respectively. Controller logic receives the DEVSEL and TRDY signals and directs the opening and closing of the first and second switches.

Computer system having two DMA circuits assigned to the same address

An information processing system which has (a) a CPU that is operated in a normal mode during which the CPU is driven at a relatively fast operating clock rate, and a power saving mode during which the operating clock has a lower rate or is halted; (b) at least one peripheral device; (c) a bus for performing communication between the CPU and the peripheral device; (d) a termination detector detecting a completion of a predetermined transaction between the CPU and the peripheral device; (e) a time counter measuring a predetermined period of time after the completion of the predetermined transaction; and (f) a power saving control causing the CPU enter the power saving mode until the time counted by the time counting means reaches the predetermined period of time.

Growing community of inventors

Machida, Japan

Masayoshi Nakano