International Business Machines Corporation

Yoshinari Toyosato

Masato Anzai

Nariaki Mieki

Atsuhisa Naitoh

A touch panel section, which is formed by affixing transparent resistive film sheets onto both of front and back surfaces of a transparent glass plate respectively, is rotatably mounted between a keyboard and a flat panel display each being provided in a portable electronic device such as a notebook computer. The touch panel section is rotated toward the flat panel display or keyboard for selectively switching the involved input methods. That is, with the introduction of the rotatable touch panel section into the portable electronic device, it becomes possible to support three different input operations; an input operation by a fingertip (tablet function), a handwritten input operation (digitizer function) by a pen and a conventional input operation by the keyboard.

Portable electronic device

A plurality of wireless data output mechanisms (LEDs) are loaded at different angles to each other into a wireless communication apparatus, and a movable shutter for selecting at least one of the LEDs is located in front of the LEDs. The shutter has an output hole that is so formed that the selection of an arbitrary LED is possible, and as the shutter is shifted to shield unnecessary LEDs, it is possible to select only a desired LED. To select all the LEDs, the shutter is moved to a position where it does not shield any of the LEDs. With this arrangement, the direction for wireless communication can be easily set and the directivity of communication can be improved without reducing the light emission output.

Infrared transceiver having a movable transmitter shutter

An information processing apparatus which comprises a main body in a flat, plane box shape, a flat input section provided on the front surface of the main body, a stand, provided on the rear surface of the main body, having two or more tilting positions relative to the main body where it is preferable that the stand has a retracted position wherein the stand falls down into the rear surface of the main body, a first tilt position where the main body in-clines at a relatively small angle to a desk surface, and a second tilt position where the main body inclines at a relatively large angle to the desk surface. In the first tilting position, the main body is inclined slightly toward the front relative to the desk surface. With the main body thus positioned, it is easy to manipulate a pen held against the input face of the input section. In the second tilt position, the main body is held almost upright relative to the desk surface. When an external keyboard, for example, is attached to the main body for data input with the input section being used only as a display, and the main body is in the second tilt position, an operator can see the display easily while using the keyboard, and the computer's usability is enhanced. In the retracted position, the stand is fully retained in the rear surface of the main body, and the thickness of the main body is not expanded with the stand in this position, so that the computer can be carried or stored.

Growing community of inventors

Yamato, Japan

Yoshinari Toyosato