Patent US6636264B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6636264B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Portable electronic apparatus
Assignee: Fujifilm Corp
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Filing: 1999-05-19
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Granted: 2003-10-21
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Expires: 2019-05-19
Abstract
Abstract In a portable electronic apparatus, control parts are concentrated in a small space, and they can be operated easily by one hand. A mode dial is provided on the back of a casing of the apparatus, at a position where the thumb of the right hand holding a grip part at the right of the casing is naturally positioned. A cross key is arranged at the left side of the mode dial. The cross key is used as a control key for selecting a variety of setting items and entering commands to change the settings. A menu/execution key for fixing the items and settings selected/changed with the cross key is arranged at the lower left of the cross key. It is therefore possible to perform a sequence of operations by moving the thumb efficiently.
Inventors
- 👤 Soichiro Nakao
- 👤 Takayuki Hayashida
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 16:56
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/0035; H04N1/00352; H04N1/00384; H04N1/00387; H04N1/00397; H04N1/00493; H04N1/00496; H04N23/00; H04N23/50; H04N23/51
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
109 words
A portable electronic apparatus comprising: a casing; a dial control for selecting a mode among a plurality of modes of the portable electronic apparatus; and a cross key control for performing at least one of selecting an item in the mode selected by the dial control and entering a command; wherein the dial control is arranged on the casing at such a position as to be operated by a thumb of a hand holding a part of the casing, and the cross key control is arranged on the casing juxtaposed to the dial control, at such a position as to be operated by shifting the thumb to a side.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
109 words
A portable electronic apparatus comprising: a casing; a dial control for selecting a mode among a plurality of modes of the portable electronic apparatus; and a cross key control for performing at least one of selecting an item in the mode selected by the dial control and entering a command; wherein the dial control is arranged on the casing at such a position as to be operated by a thumb of a hand holding a part of the casing, and the cross key control is arranged on the casing juxtaposed to the dial control, at such a position as to be operated by shifting the thumb to a side.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The portable electronic apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the cross key control comprises a button member capable of tilting upward, downward, rightward, and leftward.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
58 words
The portable electronic apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the dial control has a concave part having a stable position at a center of a face thereof, whereby the dial control can also be used as a thumb rest, the thumb rest being placed securely on the concave part while the dial control is not operated.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
66 words
The portable electronic apparatus as defined in claim 1 , further comprising an execution button for fixing the item selected by the cross key control and for displaying a menu of setting items, the execution button being arranged on the casing at such a position as to be operated by the thumb and at an opposite side of the cross key control than the dial control.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
89 words
The portable electronic apparatus as defined in claim 1 , further comprising: an imaging device for converting a light from a subject into image data; a storage medium interface for recording the image data obtained by the imaging device into an external storage medium, and for reading data recorded in the external storage medium; and a flat display for displaying at least one of an image represented by the image data obtained by the imaging device and an image represented by the data read from the external storage medium.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
The portable electronic apparatus as defined in claim 5 , wherein the cross key control comprises a button member capable of tilting upward, downward, rightward, and leftward.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
58 words
The portable electronic apparatus as defined in claim 5 , wherein the dial control has a concave part having a stable position at a center of a face thereof, whereby the dial control can also be used as a thumb rest, the thumb rest being placed securely on the concave part while the dial control is not operated.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
66 words
The portable electronic apparatus as defined in claim 5 , further comprising an execution button for fixing the item selected by the cross key control and for displaying a menu of setting items, the execution button being arranged on the casing at such a position as to be operated by the thumb and at an opposite side of the cross key control than the dial control.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-10-20 | 2007-04-21 | 2007-10-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-10-20 | 2011-04-21 | 2011-10-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-10-20 | 2015-04-21 | 2015-10-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |