The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 02, 2003
Filed:
Sep. 20, 2001
Junichiro Misawa, Tokyo, JP;
Yoshikazu Hajiro, Kanagawa, JP;
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
The invention provides a portable information processing apparatus such as a notebook personal computer which is improved in operability for an operation element which can be rotated and pushed in. A lid member having a display screen is mounted for pivotal folding and unfolding movement on and with respect to a body of a notebook personal computer. A keyboard, a touch pad, left and right click buttons, and an operation element, which can be rotated in the forward and backward directions and can be displaced by a push-in operation, are provided on an upper face of the body. For example, when the operation element is rotated, an application is selected, and the selected application is executed by a push-in operation of the operation element. The operation element is disposed at a substantially central position of a palm rest, which is provided on the upper face of the body forwardly of the keyboard, in the leftward and rightward directions of the body in the proximity of the touch pad or the left and right click buttons. The operation element may otherwise be disposed between the left and right click buttons or between the touch pad and the keyboard.