US 8,026,896 B2 · Hand-held portable electronic apparatus

Abstract

A portable electronic apparatus including a main body having a display unit on a surface and a protruding holding unit. The holding unit includes a pointing device and switches that are operated by a same hand holding the holding unit. The pointing device includes one of a stick type pointing device and a trackball type pointing device that performs pointing operations including moving a cursor displayed on the display unit. The switches are for setting or canceling instructions given by the pointing device with click operations. The holding unit is also configured to be folded toward a side of the main body. When it is folded, an electric power supply is automatically turned off or put in a standby state and when the holding unit is unfolded to its original position, the electric power supply is a turned on or put in an operating state.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A portable electronic apparatus, comprising:

a body having a display unit on a surface thereof;
a holding unit protruding substantially perpendicular from the body and positioned below the surface of the body for holding the portable electronic apparatus and including a pointing device for navigating a menu displayed on the display unit and a finger operated switch configured to be operated by a finger on a same one hand holding the holding unit so that the portable electronic apparatus is able to be held and operated with only one hand positioned entirely below the surface of the body, the pointing device facing towards an underside of the body;
and
a space between the pointing device and an underside of the body,
wherein the holding unit includes a grip configured to be grasped at least with a palm of said one hand such that when said one hand holds the holding unit, the palm of said one hand holding the holding unit is also substantially perpendicular to the body.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Hand-held portable electronic apparatus

Life of this patent

Hand-held portable electronic apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims11