International Business Machines Corporation

Yukifumi Nakazawa

Kazuo Fujii

Arimasa Naitoh

Takahide Wada

Takehiko Noguchi

Toru Michigami

Ken Katayama

Takeshi Asami

Yoshio Nishioka

In a portable computer, an LED holder is provided in the upper portion of an LCD and an LED is attached inside the LED holder. Light emitted from the LED passes through an aperture provided in the bottom portion of the LED holder and illuminates a keyboard. Furthermore, switching on or off the LED is manually performed by a switch installed in the portable computer and is also controlled from a utility program, etc., by a switching controller circuit installed inside a main body.

Computer with keyboard illuminator for use in operating environments with inadequate ambient lighting conditions

An improved information processing apparatus, which accomplishes power-saving of an audio amplifier depending on the activity of each peripheral device having an audio signal output. This information processing apparatus includes one or more peripheral devices, each having an audio signal output and a mute signal output, the mute signal output indicating a mute state in which the targeted peripheral device does not output an audio signal, an audio amplifier for receiving the audio signal from each of the one or more peripheral device, a speaker for generating an audible output in accordance with an output of said audio amplifier; and an AND gate for receiving the mute signal from each of the one or more peripheral devices to perform a logical AND operation of the mute signals, the AND gate outputting a control signal for disabling the audio amplifier when all of the mute signals indicate the mute state. Thus, it is determined whether or not each of the peripheral devices for outputting an audio signal stays at the mute state, and the audio amplifier is disabled only when all of these peripheral devices are at the mute state.

Information processing apparatus and power saving apparatus

A leak current is prevented from flowing during a power off state in a power supply unit having a remote power on/off function by using the momentary switch. In a state of power off, i.e. a state in which a switch SW is turned off, power is not applied to a latch circuit and hence power is not consumed. A switch drive circuit does not consume power. When a user depresses a momentary switch SW during a state that the switch SW is turned off, the switch drive circuit turns the switch SW on. As a result, the latch circuit can receive a drive voltage V from a node located down stream of the switch SW so that it can store or latch the turn on state of the momentary switch SW After that, when the user releases the momentary switch SW it returns to an original position and operation of the switch drive circuit which turns the switch SW on is terminated. However, at this point of time, it becomes possible to maintain the turn on state of the switch SW by the operation of the latch circuit

Power supply unit and electronic apparatus for preventing a leak current

By the connection of a first subcard (26) to a main modem board (10), the modem system is customized to use an external data access arrangement (DAA) (32), while the connection of a second subcard (36) instead of the first customizes the modem system to use a built-in DAA (24). The subcards connect to the main modem board through a single interface connector (18). The first subcard includes a MiniDin connector (28) for connection to the external DAA, while the second subcard includes an RJ11 connector for direct connection to a telephone line. This mechanical arrangement results in a small, compact modem system suitable for use in a small computer.

Growing community of inventors

Ebina, Japan

Yukifumi Nakazawa