Notebook Computer Having Keyboard Decoding in Palmrest
AssigneeDell Products L.P.
InventorsKevin Mundt, Orin M. Ozias, Andrew Thomas Sultenfuss
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A portable information handling system, user interface components thereof, and methods of user control interface and assembly are disclosed. In one embodiment a keyboard assembly, including a large plurality of contacts for a keyboard matrix, connects directly to a palmrest assembly. The palmrest assembly includes a keyboard controller, which decodes keystrokes and then passes the decoded keystrokes to, e.g., an I/O controller on the motherboard of the portable information handling system. This results in greatly improved layout and usage of the motherboard routing spaces, improved reliability, and simplified assembly.
Claims20
A portable information handling system comprising:
- a housing;
- a motherboard located within the housing;
- a palmrest assembly coupled to the housing and comprising a keyboard controller;
- a keyboard assembly coupled to the palmrest assembly such that the keyboard controller receives keystroke signals from the keyboard assembly;
- and
- a first bus coupling the keyboard controller to the motherboard through the palmrest assembly, the keyboard controller transmitting decoded keystrokes to the motherboard over the bus.
A method of inputting keystroke information to a portable information handling system, the method comprising:
- translating user keystrokes on a keyboard assembly into electrical signals;
- transmitting the electrical signals through a connector from the keyboard assembly to a palmrest assembly comprising a keyboard controller;
- decoding the electrical signals in the keyboard controller into decoded keystrokes;
- and
- transmitting the decoded keystrokes over a first serial bus to a motherboard located in the portable information handling system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.