MULTI-MODE MULTIMEDIA DEVICE AND COMPUTING SYSTEM
PRIORITY
[001] The present application claims priority to Indian provisional patent application serial number 1021/DEL/2006
BACKGROUND
[002] User studies carried out on a number of users have shown that entertainment, communication and information retrieval are the three main motivating factors for people to use devices like a personal computer. However since a personal computer is a general purpose device, some amount of learning is associated with achieving the same task as compared to achieving the same task using a special purpose device like a telephone, a music player, or the like.
[003] For example making a telephone call using a computer involves knowing what application is used on the computer to make a call, starting the application and figuring out how to use it using the input devices attached to the computer like a keyboard and mouse. Instead if the device had a hardware keypad that is normally used in a telephone along with appropriate software then dialing a call would just involve pressing the "Dial" button followed by the numbers to be dialed on the hardware keypad and the required software would come up and complete the call for the user. In this way the interaction of the user with the device would be the same as the interaction with a special purpose device for making a telephone call.
SUMMARY
[004] Embodiments of the invention relate to a computing system that includes a main housing, a display, and a keyboard. The display is coupled to the upper surface of the main housing, and pivots about an axis that is approximately parallel to and towards the front surface of the main housing. In device mode, the keyboard is largely hidden within or under the main housing. In computer mode, the keyboard is slid out from the front of the main housing. Thus, the computer may be interfaced with as a device or a computer, depending on the user's preferences and the application.
[005] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[006] The appended drawings are used in order to more particularly describe
embodiments of the present invention. Understanding that these drawings depict only
typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be
limiting of its scope, the embodiments will be described and explained with additional
specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
[007] Figure 1A illustrates an external perspective view of a multi-mode
computing system in accordance with one embodiment of the principles of the present
invention;
[008] Figure IB illustrates an external top view of the multi-mode computing
system of Figure 1A;
[009] Figures 2A through 2J illustrates the internal components of the computer
of Figures 1A and IB in various incremental stages so as to allow clear visualization
of the internal components on their placement within the computer.
[010] Figure 3A illustrates the computer of Figures 1A and IB in device mode
with the keyboard retracted;
[Oil] Figure 3B illustrates the computer of Figures 1A and IB in computing
mode with the keyboard extended;
[012] Figure 4 illustrates a perspective view of the back of the computing system
of Figures 1A and IB;
[013] Figure 5 illustrates a controller that may be used with the computing
system of Figures 1A and IB;
[014] Figure 6A illustrates a start menu as it may appear upon activation of the
start menu;
[015] Figure 6B illustrates the start menu as it might appear upon selection of the
"More" Icon of Figure 6 A;
[016] Figure 6C illustrates the start menu as it might appear upon selection of the
"Create New" icon of the start menu of Figure 6A;
[017] Figure 7A illustrates a user interface that may be displayed on the display
of a computer, and that the user might interface with while working on an application
prior to the selection of the quick mode hardware control;
[018] Figure 7B illustrates a user interface that may be displayed on the display
of the computer, and that the user might interface with while using the several utilities
caused to be displayed by activation of the quick mode button;
[019] Figure 8A illustrates an example user interface that may be displayed on
the display of a computer prior to the selection of the single task switching hardware
control; and
[020] Figure 8B illustrates the example user interface of Figure 3A after the task
switching hardware control is activated.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[021] Figure 1A and IB illustrate external perspective and top views of a multi-mode computing system 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In Figures 1A and IB, the computing system 100 is illustrated in one major mode of operation in which the display and keyboard are in the retracted position. This mode will also be referred to hereinafter as the "fully retracted mode 100A". The computing system 100 may be shipped or stored in the fully retracted mode in order to conserve space and to protect the computing system 100.
[022] The computing system 100 includes three major components, a main housing 110, a fold-up display 120, and a slide-out keyboard 130. In Figures 1A and IB, the computing system 100 is its fully retracted mode 100A in which the display is folded down so as to be adjacent to and abutted against the upper surface of the main housing 110. In the retracted mode, the keyboard 130 is slid in within the main housing 110. Accordingly, the keyboard 130 is not visible in Figures 1A and IB. In one embodiment, the main housing 110 is primarily box-shaped except for a curvature area at the front of the main housing 110.
[023] Figure 3A illustrates the computing system 100 in a second of its major modes called herein the "device" mode 100B. In the device mode 100B, the display 120 is folded up into its extended position pivoting about one end that is pivotably attached to the main housing 110.
[024] Figure 3B illustrates the computing system 100 in a "computer" mode (also called herein "computer mode 100C") in which the display 120 is fully extracted, and in which the keyboard 130 is in its extracted position, being mostly slid out of the main housing 110. Accordingly, the keyboard 130 is shown to be slidably coupled to the main housing 110 so as to slide into and out of the main housing 110
proximate the lower surface of the main housing 110. In computer mode, the keyboard slides 130 out from below the main housing 110 of the device. The hinge for the display 120 is towards the front of the main housing 110. This has been done taking into account the fact that the distance between the keyboard 130 and the display 120 are to be made comfortable for reading and typing. If the hinge was placed towards the back of the main housing 110, then the total distance between the user of the computing system 100 and the display 120 would increase thereby reducing readability of text. A thin groove is left on all sides of the computing system 100, making it look like a hardbound book. The display panel 120 juts out a bit from the back of the main housing like the cover of a book. Like having a hardbound cover makes it simple to lift the cover of the book, having a groove towards the back of the computing system 100 makes it simple to lift the display housing 120. [025] The main housing 110 contains general purpose computing components, sufficient to enable the computing system 100 to behave as a general purpose computer. The main housing 110 is of sufficient size that low cost conventional computing components may be used, thereby allowing the computing system 100 to be relatively inexpensive to produce from a hardware perspective.
[026] In order to provide a sense for the internal structure of the computing system 100, Figures 2A through 2J are shown illustrating various components introduced from the bottom of the structure to the top of the structure, and represents just one example of how such general purpose computing components may be arranged and oriented within the main housing 110. In each case, an imaginary box defined by dashed lines is illustrated, which represents a three dimensional space that the components would fit into in order to be properly contained within the main housing 110 of the computing system. In Figures 2A through 2J, some of the
components orientations are not explained such as, for example, the button panel for media controls or the controller circuitry for the display. However, such components may simply be placed in the main housing 110 proximate where the relative external components are placed. For instance, the dial pad would be placed within the main housing 110 just behind the dial buttons. The display controller may be placed within or proximate the display 110.
[027] Figure 2 A illustrates a front view of the contents of the main housing once the keyboard 130 only is present. The keyboard 130 fits very low in the main housing 110 or perhaps even underneath the main housing. Accordingly, when the keyboard 130 is slid out of the main housing 110, the keyboard will be closed to or abut against the same surface that the main housing 110 is resting upon. Figure 2B illustrates a top view of the contents of the main housing 110 once the keyboard 130 only is present, and is the same as Figure 2A, except from a different perspective to provide clarity. [028] Figure 2C is a top view of the contents of the main housing 110 once a motherboard 201 is placed above the keyboard 130. In this embodiment, the motherboard 201 is approximately 170 millimeters (mm) by 170 mm. The motherboard 201 is placed immediately above any packing that is used to mechanically support the motherboard 201 and separate the motherboard 201 from the keyboard 130 so as to allow the keyboard 130 to slide into and out of the main housing 110 without mechanically contacting or harming the motherboard 201. The motherboard 201 may be oriented so that the connectors are at the back side of the main housing.
[029] Figure 2D is a top view of the contents of the main housing 110 once a battery 202 and a hard disk drive 203 are placed at about the same level as, but at the left of, the motherboard 201 within the main housing 110. The battery 202 with the
dimension of 97mm by 43mm by 52 mm is at the extreme left and at the back side. The hard disk drive 203 is at the extreme left but in front of the battery 202. The hard disk drive 203 has dimensions of about 100 mm by 150 mm by 25 mm and is oriented such that its connectors are at the front side of the main housing 110.
\[030] Figure 2E illustrates a top view of the contents of the main housing 110 once a power supply board 204 (also referred to herein as a "power supply 204") is added to the contents shown in Figure 2D. The power supply 204 fits neatly in front of the motherboard 201 above the keyboard 130. The power connector at the back of the main housing 110 lets power in to a right side pin on the power supply 204. From the left side of the power supply 204, a power pin will be supplied to any components that require power such as, for example, the motherboard 201, the hard disk drive 203, a DVD/CD drive (illustrated later in the assembly), the display, and any other component that requires external power. Figure 2F illustrates a front perspective view of the contents shown in Figure 2E for clarity.
[031] Figure 2G illustrates a top view of the contents of the main housing 110 once a DVD/CD drive 205 is added to the left of the motherboard 201 and above the hard disk drive 203. The DVD/CD drive 205 is oriented so that the disk insertion port is at the front. The disk will come out from the left portion of the curvature area of the main housing. Figure 2H illustrates a front view of the contents of the main housing 110 of Figure 2G. This view makes the orientation of the hard disk drive 203 and DVD/CD drive 205 more clear, and more clearly shows the power supply placed in front of the motherboard 201. In another embodiment, the DVD/CD drive 205 comes out of some other portion (e.g., a center portion) of the curvature area of the main housing.
[032] Figure 21 illustrates a top view of the contents of the main housing 110 once a modem card 206 is placed at the back and right corner of the main housing 110 above the motherboard 201. The connectors for the modem are oriented towards the back of the main housing so that the connectors of the modem 206 are above the connectors of the motherboard 201 at the back side of the main housing 110.
[033] Figure 2J illustrates a front view of the contents of the main housing. In one embodiment, showing the height dimension may be about 70 mm. That height would allow for less expensive general-purpose computing components to be placed within the main housing 110 while allowing adequate leeway for cables and other interconnecting infrastructure.
[034] Having illustrated one particular hardware embodiment of the invention, the principles of the present invention are not limited to any one particular choice for dimensions of the main housing. In one embodiment, the dimensions of the main housing may be, for example, approximately 240 mm by 290 mm by 70 mm. In other cases, the dimensions may be as small as, for example, 200 mm by 250 mm by 50 mm, or even smaller.
[035] In the device mode 100B of Figure 3A, the computing system 100 acts much like a multi-media device and/or a telephone. Control of the multi-media device may be effected through the use of multi-media controls 311, which are built in as a hardware component of the main housing 110. Listed from left to right, the multi-media controls 311 include an eject control, a jump rewind control, a fast rewind control, a play control, a pause control, a fast forward control, and a jump forward control. Such controls may include any controls such as, for example, levers, switches, any mechanism that responds to mechanical displacement or pressure, or the like.
[036] By selecting the eject control, the disk within the DVD/CD drive 206 may
be ejected.
[037] By selecting the jump rewind control, the disk is reversed to the prior track
on the CD, or the prior chapter of the DVD.
[038] By selecting the fast rewind control, the DVD or CD is rewound.
Optionally, the repeated selection of the fast rewind control may cause the rewind
operation to toggle between various rewind speeds.
[039] The play/pause control may be used to play the DVD or CD, or select a
highlighted item on the display 120. The play/pause control may also be used to
pause the current play of the DVD or CD. The pause button may be used to toggle
between the pause operation and the play operation.
[040] The fast forward control may be used to fast forward the DVD or CD.
Optionally, the repeated selections of the fast forward button may cause the
forwarding operation to toggle between various forwarding speeds.
[041] The jump forward control may be selected to jump to the next track of a
CD, or to the next chapter of a DVD.
[042] When in device mode, when a DVD or CD disk is placed in the DVD/CD
drive, the computing system 100 may be configured such that the appropriate DVD or
CD application is initiated by the computing system. The application may be
programmed to respond to the activation of the various multi-media controls 311 so as
to provide a user interface that the user of a standard DVD or CD might expect.
[043] Thus, the multi-media controls 311 may be used to navigate through
certain actions of a multi-media device acting as either a DVD or CD player. The use
of such navigation buttons may be intuitive to one familiar with standard DVD and
CD players, as most such devices contain similar control buttons. Accordingly, the
computing system 100 may be operated in device mode, without the use of the keyboard 130, in order to emulate multi-media devices to which the user had previously become accustomed, without the user necessarily knowing how to operate a general purpose computing system, and without even being aware that the computing system is, in fact, built upon general purpose computing technology. Additionally, with the display 120 being prominently positioned in the front of the main housing, the multi-media information on the display 120 may be clearly viewed without the distraction of a keyboard or other items in front of the display. Thus, in device mode, the computing system 100 truly assumes the look and feel of a less intimidating multi-media device, rather than that of a sometimes more intimidating computer.
[044] The device mode 100B of Figure 3 A also allows the computing system 100 to behave as a telephone. The main housing 110 has associated therewith a Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) connection and/or a wireless telephone transceiver such as is enabled by Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) wireless communication networks, or other wireless communication networks. Control of the telephone device may be accomplished using the media buttons, navigation, dialing and/or other miscellaneous control buttons as will be described further below.
[045] For example, making a telephone call using a conventional computer involves the user knowing what application is used on the computer to make a call, starting the application and figuring out how to use it the input devices attached to the computer like keyboard and mouse. Instead, if the device had a hardware dialing keypad similar to that that is normally used in a telephone along with appropriate software, then dialing a call would just involve pressing the "Dial" button followed by the numbers to be dialed on the hardware keypad and the required software would
come up and complete the call for the user. In this way, the interaction of the user
with the device would be the same as the interaction with a special purpose device for
making a telephone call. The underlying components used in the computing system
100 may be similar to those used in a general purpose personal computer. However
through the use of proper interface to the general purpose hardware, the device can act
as a consumer electronics entertainment center, a communication center or an
information center.
[046] In order to allow the computing system 100 to take on the feeling of a
multi-media device or telephone in the device mode, the bottom end of the display
120 is preferably pivotable attached to the upper surface of the main housing 110 so
that the pivoting connection is more than 50% (but possibly more than 80%) of the
way from the back surface of the main housing to the front surface of the main
housing.
[047] Referring to Figure 3B, with the keyboard 130 slidably extracted from the
main housing 110, the keyboard 130 may now be viewed as including keyboard keys
in the standard QWERTY configuration, with an associated touchpad and left and
right touchpad buttons. The touchpad and touchpad keys behave as a mouse selection
device much as is now common in laptop computers.
[048] In the computing mode 100C, the computing system 100 feels much like a
laptop computer with some tolerable variances.
[049] A first variance is that the display 120 is positioned a little higher
vertically from the keyboard than a standard laptop would be. However, a user may
easily become accustomed to such a variance by simply averting the user's eyes a
little upwards as compared to a laptop, which requires only a minor user behavior
change.
[050] A second variance is that the main housing containing the computing components is largely positioned below and behind the display 120, rather than beneath the keyboard as with a standard laptop. Nevertheless, this is an acceptable variance in many situations as the main housing is largely hidden behind the display 120. While it might be difficult to have the computing system in computer mode within coach class of an airplane, the main point is that the computing system 100 in computer mode 100C has the user interface feel and behavior of a standard general purpose computing system.
[051] Thus, the computing system 100 is a multi-mode computing system which can change from a device mode 100B of Figure 3A to a computing mode 100C of Figure 3B. A user can thus treat the computing system 100 as a multi-media or telephone device in its entirety, or the user may treat the computing system 100 as a computer in its entirety, or the user may take full advantage of the multi-modality of the computing system 100 by treating the computing system 100 as a device at some times and as a computer at others. Furthermore, since the main housing 110 is large enough to permit low-cost components to enable the general purpose functionality, the computing system 100 may be a relatively low cost computing solution.
[052] Figure IB also illustrates that the main housing 110 has thereon one or more media dialing pad controls 142. Such dialing controls 142 will be familiar to those that use standard telephone calls. They include alphanumeric controls 0-9, an asterisk control "*", and a pound control "#". The dialing controls also include a dial initiation control and a call hang-up control for initiating and terminating a telephone call. In device mode 100B, when a user selects the dialing pad controls, the computing system 100 initiates a telephone application and responds as expected. For instance, when dialing a telephone number, the numbers may be displayed on the
display 120. When the call is placed, the telephone application may display the progress of the call (e.g., "dialing", "connecting", "ringing", and the like). When the call is terminated, the user interface of the telephone application may display an indication that the call is being terminated. When a telephone number is dialed, the telephone application interfaces with the appropriate communication protocol to complete the connection using any one or numerous mechanisms for placing a telephone call.
[053] Figure IB also includes navigation controls 143. Such controls permit the user to navigate left-ward, right-ward, upward, and down-ward through a particular user interface rendered on the display 120, and to select a highlighted item. The controls 143 also include start, context menu controls, and back/cancel controls. The selection of the start control activates a start menu, such as that illustrated with respect to Figure 6A. The selection of the context menu control may be the same as right-clicking using a mouse (when the left mouse button is the primary selection button for the mouse) or left-clicking using a mouse (when the right mouse button is the primary selection button for the mouse).
[054] Figure IB also shows miscellaneous controls including a QuickMode control 144 (marked with a "Q") and a SwitchTask control 145 (marked with an "S"). The function of each of these buttons will be described further below. The front panel also includes speakers, and Infra-Red transceiver port.
[055] Figure 5 illustrates a controller 500 that may serve as a remote input device for the computing system 100. The controller 500 includes navigation controls 501, which may be similar to the navigation controls that form part of the main housing 110 of the computing system 100. Specifically, the navigation controls 501 include upward direction navigation control 501 A, downward direction navigation

control 501B, leftward direction navigation control 501C, rightward direction
navigation button 501D, and navigation selection control 501E.
[056] The controller 500 also includes volume control controls 502 including
mute control 502A, volume down control 502B and volume up control 502C.
[057] The controller 500 includes several miscellaneous controls. For instance,
the start control 503 generates a command to display the start menu on the display
120. The context menu control 504 generates a context menu command and is
equivalent to selection of the right mouse button. The back/cancel control 505
generates a backward navigation command or a cancel command.
[058] Once one of the navigation buttons, windows button, context menu
button, backward navigation button, or one of the volume control buttons is selected,
the relevant command is communicated to the computing system 100. This
communication may be accomplished via Infra-Red (IR) or via Radio Frequency (RF)
channels.
[059] The controller 500 also includes alphanumeric controls 505 including
alphanumeric controls, asterisk control, and pound control, as one might find on a
standard telephone. These controls 505 may be used to send dialing instructions to
the computing system 100 when the computing system 100 is acting as a telephone.
The associated commands for controls 505 may be placed to the computing system
using RF communication.
[060] Even if the computing system 200 is not acting as a telephone, the
alphanumeric controls 505 may be used to select menu items displayed on the
computing system 200. If the computing system 200 limits the number of menu items
to 10 options, such a mechanism permits for rapid and convenient selection of a menu
item even remotely by simply selecting a number corresponding to the menu item
desired. The computing system 100 may be configured and/or programmed to comprehend RF control signals from another remote control. For instance, the computing system 100 could recognize RF signals from a cordless telephone to thereby allow the cordless telephone to act essentially as a remote control for purposes of selecting menu items or placing a telephone call using the computing system.
[061] The controller 500 also includes call initiation button 506A and call termination button 506B for use in initiating and terminating a telephone call. The associated commands may be communicated with the computing system 100 using RF signals. Thus, the controller 500 may be used to directionally navigate through the displayed user interface on the display 220. The controller 500 may also be used to interface with a displayed telephone application using hardware controls that would be familiar to the user of a typical telephone. Finally, the alphanumeric controls may be used to quickly negotiate a displayed menu.
[062] Furthermore, a standard telephone that includes an RF transmitter (such as a cordless phone) to interface with the display. The RF transmitter of the cordless phone may interface with an RF receiver in the main housing 110 to allow the cordless phone to behave as a remote control, either for purposes of making a telephone call through the computing system 100, or for purposes of selecting a menu item displayed on the display 120.
[063] Figure 4 illustrates an external perspective view of the back panel of the computing system 100. The back panel includes two RJ11 connections that form a splitter for the modem for communication over POTS, and an RJ45 connection for network communications. These three connections are collectively referred to as "modem connections 401".
[064] The back panel also includes video connections 402 including RCA jacks for audio/video output. Also included is an S-Video connector. The back panel may also include additional heat vents if needed for heat dissipation. The back panel is also provided with a power On/Off control 404 and a 12V power-in port 405.
[065] Having described some of the hardware aspects of the computing system, some unique software that may run on the computing system will now be described. [066] Figure 6A illustrates a user interface 600A that shows a start menu 602A that may be displayed upon selection of a start icon 601. The start menu 602A might also be displayed upon selection of the windows control, either on the main housing 110 or the controller 500. The start menu 602A includes an initial list of ten application items. In each case, the application item is represented as a corresponding task category, although an application item may also represent a specific application. In this case, the initial list is limited to ten application items, each having a corresponding single digit number for convenient and fast selection of the menu item. [067] The start menu 602A is illustrated as including the contacts task category corresponding to the digit "1", the phone task category corresponding to the digit "2", the pictures task category corresponding to the digit "3", the music/video task category corresponding to the digit "4", the documents task category corresponding to the digit "5", the student task category corresponding to the digit "6", the games task category corresponding to the digit "7", the internet task category corresponding to the digit "8", the e-mail task category corresponding to the digit "9", and the create new task category corresponding to the digit "0". Of course, as with any of the start menus, the principles of the present invention are not limited to particular numbers being assigned to a particular category, nor to any identity of any particular category. For instance, after doing a user study, it may be that the digit "1" should be assigned
to the phone task category or some other category in order to maximize consumer satisfaction. The start menu 602A also includes a more list expander icon 603 to allow for more application items to be displayed.
[068] By representing the applications by the task category, a user need not be aware of the underlying application that accomplishes the task. This simplifies the accomplishment of the task since it is often the task that the user cares most about, and not about the identity of the application that accomplishes the task. For instance, a user who want to create a document would know that the user wants to create something new (corresponding to item 0 in the task menu 602A), but may not know of the best application or available applications to accomplish the task, nor perhaps how to access the application.
[069] The user may select one of the items in the initial start menu 602A by navigating up or down using the upward and downward direction navigation controls (either on the main housing 110 of the computing system 100, or on the controller 500). Once the desired task category is highlighted, the navigation selection control may be selected. Alternatively, since each menu item has a corresponding single-digit number, the user could instead select a number on the alphanumeric keypad (once again, on the main housing 110 or on the controller 500).
[070] If the desired task category was not in the first task menu 602A, the user could instead select the more list expander icon 603. In the description and in the claims, a "more list expander icon" is any selectable icon that, when selected, extends the list of application items. For instance, upon selection of the more list expander icon 603, a second start menu 602B might appear as represented with Figure 6B, along with the first start menu 602A disappearing. In one embodiment, the second start menu 602B may appear in approximately or even exactly the same display
position as the first start menu 602A. For instance, the second start menu 602B might overlap the majority of the area that the first start menu 602A, or may even by sized the same as the first start menu 602A, and overlap the exact same area as the first start menu 602A. This presents a clean mental model for the user. The user would cognitively recognize that this same portion of the screen is dedicated for navigation through the start menu regardless of where in the navigation the user is.
[071] The user may select the more list expander icon 603 by navigating to the icon using the upward and downward direction navigation controls and selecting the navigation selection control, or alternatively by simply pressing the rightward navigation control. The start menu 602B of Figure 6B shows a back list icon that may be selected by navigating a cursor position to the back list icon and selecting, or by simply selecting the backward navigation control (either on the main housing 110 or on the controller 500). Alternatively, the more list expander 603 and back list icon may instead be selected by using the navigation and enter buttons on the keyboard, or using the mouse present on the keyboard. Upon selecting back, the start menu 602A of Figure 6A may once again appear. While using the start menu 602B, the user may select a particular task category in the second start menu 602B in the same manner as described above for the first start menu 602A. Accordingly, the user is provided with a mechanism to quickly navigate through the start menu, and select a particular item. If there were yet more application items than could be displayed in the second start menu 602B, a more list expander icon could be provided for the second start menu 602B as well. This concept may be extended to permit backwards and forwards navigation through a number of start menu lists.
[072] Figure 6C illustrates a submenu 602C that may appear if the user selected,
for example, the create new task category of the first start menu 602A. This menu
illustrates more specific tasks under the "create new" category. For instance, the user might create a new letter (corresponding to item "1"), resume (corresponding to item "2"), budget (corresponding to item "3"), fax (corresponding to item "4"), report (corresponding to item "5"), proposal (corresponding to item "6"), presentation (corresponding to item "7"), drawing (corresponding to item "8"), website (corresponding to item "9"), or voice note (corresponding to item "0"). Once again, the same controls may be used to select one of the items, or to select to view more. Thus, convenient navigation forwards and backwards at the second sub-menu level is also enabled.
[073] It is possible that one of the task categories even at the submenu level may further be selected to reveal a deeper level of submenus. The principles of navigation explained above with respect to the start menu and submenu levels may apply to one or more even deeper levels of submenus.
[074] Whenever a menu appears at any level of the start menu, submenus, or deeper level submenus, the menu may appear in substantially the same portion of the screen. Thus, there are no cascading menus that require the user to look at different parts of the screen in order to evaluate the menu. Instead, the menu may appear in substantially or exactly the same portion of screen regarding of its level in the start menu hierarchy. Furthermore, convenient menu selection and navigation mechanism are provided that permit navigation using a single key for each step in the navigation. Furthermore, the start menu may be organized by task desired, rather than application. Thus, convenient and intuitive start menu navigation is employed, permitting the user to quite intuitively navigate to accomplish the desired task.
[075] The operating system may come with a predetermined start menu hierarchy. In addition, when new applications are installed, the operating system may
automatically identify the tasks that may be accomplished by the application, and automatically categorize the task in the appropriate portion of the start menu hierarchy.
[076] In one embodiment, the association of the signal digit numbers (0 through 9) to the task category items remains fixed. This permits the user to quickly navigate to commonly used tasks by memorizing the key sequence used to get to that task. Thus, as new tasks are added to the start menu, that task may be added to the end of the task list, thereby leaving the memorized key sequence unaffected.
[077] The computing system 100 may be used for efficiently switching from one task to another. It is common for a user of an operating system to be working on multiple tasks in parallel. For example, a user might be typing in a letter and browsing a web site at the same time. As a result, switching between tasks is a common operation that is performed in a computing system environment.
[078] There are several conventional methods for switching between tasks. One option is to look at the currently running tasks in the task bar or task tray, and then use the mouse to select the task to which the user wishes to switch. Another alternative is to press the alt key followed by the tab key (with some time overlap) to thereby enable a task switching to occur. Both of these mechanisms require access to the keyboard and/or mouse. Furthermore, not all computer users are familiar with the alt-tab key sequence as a possibility for task switching, and thus this solution has a discoverability problem. These task switching operations may also result in unexpected switching.
[079] In accordance with one aspect of the principles of the present invention, the computing system 100 is provided with a hardware control that permits fast and convenient task switching. Referring to Figure IB, this hardware control may be in
the form of the SwitchTask control 145. The operation of the hardware control to perform task switching will now be described.
[080] Figure 8A illustrates a user interface 800A that might be displayed on the display before the example task switching operation. In this case, an active application banner 801 may be used to show the current active application. In the example, the user is currently interfacing with a children's encyclopedia application. If the keyboard 130 was available with the computing system 100 in computer mode, the drop-down list expander icon 802 may be selected to reveal the user interface 800B of Figure 8B in which the drop-down task list 803 is displayed as including a list of all of the running tasks. The user might then use the mouse or navigation controls to navigate to the desired task, and activate the desired other task.
[081] However, even without the use of the keyboard, the task switching may be performed. In this case, the user might activate the SwitchTask 145 hardware control, which is not on the keyboard 130, but is on the main housing 110 of the computing system 100. When the computing system 100 detects that the SwitchTask 145 hardware control has been interfaced with, the computing system 100 may cause the drop-down task list 803 of Figure 8B to appear.
[082] The computing system may then detect a user selection of one of the tasks in the drop-down task list 803, whereupon the selected task is activated. The user may select the task by using the navigation direction and selection buttons represented by the navigation controls 143.
[083] Referring to the user interface 800B of Figure 8B, if the user were to interface with the SwitchTask control 145 a second time, the drop-down task list 803 may be caused to disappear, returning to the user interface 800A of Figure 8 A.
[084] Accordingly, convenient activation of the drop-down task list is enabled by pressing a single hardware button. Furthermore, the drop-down task list shows the list of tasks in a form that the details of each task may be more readily viewed. Furthermore, the navigation controls may be used to select the desired task. Thus, task switching and selection may be accomplished while the computing system 100 is in device mode, without requiring the keyboard.
[085] The computing system 100 is also capable of facilitating single key access to one or more utilities. As a user is working on a primary task, there may be a few commonly-used utilities that the user may want to refer to at some point in time. For example, the user could be typing in a letter and would like to check items on his "To-do" list to see what else needs to be taken care of that day, or perhaps the user wants to refer to a dictionary, write a note, use a calculator, check the weather, view a clock, or others.
[086] According to one embodiment, the user may select a hardware control of the computing system in order to enter a "QuickMode" in which the user may interact with any of the commonly-used utilities registered for use with QuickMode, without having to exit the application that supports the primary task, and without having to manually launch each individual utility in the QuickMode as a separate item. While the hardware control may be part of the keyboard 130, the hardware control may alternatively be built into the main housing 110. For instance, the user may interface with the QuickMode control 144 of the main housing 110 as illustrated in Figure IB to initiate a "QuickMode".
[087] The operation of the QuickMode will now be described. Figure 7A illustrates a user interface 700A that the user might be interfacing with at the time the user wishes to enter QuickMode. Here, the user is interfacing with a spreadsheet
application program in order to organize a personal household budget. The personal household budget is fictionally contrived in order not to disclose actual finances associated with any particular individual.
[088] Now suppose that the user wants to interface with one of his more frequently used utilities. The user might thus select the QuickMode control 144, which would initiate a separate process that becomes the active process which causes the user interface 700B of Figure 7B to appear. In particular, five utilities appear: a clock 701, a calculator 702, a searcher 703, a To-Do list 704, and a calendar 705. The previous application that the user was working on is still represented in the user interface 700B, albeit in deemphasized form. For instance, in Figure 7B, the previous user interface is displayed with a slight opaqueness in the background. In other words, the five utilities 701 through 705 are displayed as partially transparent in the foreground in front of the previous user interface. The newly initiated process permits the user to interface with the various utilities 701 through 705 as desired. This allows the utilities in the foreground to be more sharply displayed and recognized by the user, while permitting the background application to still be shown in deemphasized form to remind the user of the application that he or she was working on without being too distracting.
[089] While in QuickMode, the user may interface with the various utilities that
the user might frequently want to refer to. For example, the user may interface with a calculator to perform a calculation. The user may then select the QuickMode control 144 to exit the QuickMode thereby terminating the QuickMode process, and an activating the process that was running the previous application. From the user's perspective, the user never really exits the previous application, but just performed some miscellaneous tasks while interface with the previous application.
[090] The specific items to be displayed in QuickMode may be configured by a
user in a separate user interface that is not shown and/or may be set by default. When the QuickMode process is initiated, the process may verify the identity of any QuickMode utilities by referring the previous entered user-preferences and/or the default utility identification. The identity of the QuickMode utilities may be the same across all application, or may be customized to groups of one or more applications. [091] Accordingly, a unique computing system is described that perform multiple modes of operation, and that has unique operational features that permit the computing system to be easily interfaced with.
[092] The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

CLAIMS What is claimed is:
1. A computing system comprising:
a main housing having at least a front surface, a back surface, a bottom surface, and a top surface;
a display having a bottom end that is pivotably coupled to the upper surface of the main housing at a portion that is more than 50% of the way from the back surface of the main housing to the front surface of the main housing along the upper surface of the main housing; and
a keyboard that is slidably coupled to the main housing, such that when the keyboard is extracted from the main housing, at least a majority of the keyboard extends forward further than the front surface of the main housing.
2. The computing system in accordance with Claim 1, wherein the
bottom end of the display is pivotably coupled to the upper surface of the main
housing at a portion that is more than 80% of the way from the back surface of the
main housing to the front surface of the main housing along the upper surface of the
main housing.
3. The computing system in accordance with Claim 1, further comprising:
a plurality of media buttons disposed on the front surface of the main housing
or on the upper surface of the main housing in front of the display.
4. The computing system in accordance with Claim 3, wherein the
plurality of media buttons comprises at least four of the following:
an eject button;
a fast rewind button;
a rewind button;
a play button;
a pause button;
a forward button; and
a fast forward button.
5. The computing system in accordance with Claim 4, wherein the main
housing further has disposed thereon a plurality of navigation control buttons.
6. The computing system in accordance with Claim 1, wherein the main
housing has dimensions of at least 20 cm by 25 cm by 5 cm.
7. The computing system in accordance with Claim 1, wherein the main
housing has disposed therein at least the following:
a processor; system memory; disk storage; and
a system bus coupled between at least two of the processor, the system memory and the disk storage.
8. The computing system in accordance with Claim 1, wherein the main
housing has disposed thereon a quick mode hardware control that, when activated,
deactivates the current application and activates a plurality of utilities.
9. The computing system in accordance with Claim 8, wherein the main
housing further has disposed thereon a task switching hardware control that, when
activated, displays a selectable list of currently running tasks.
10. The computing system in accordance with Claim 8, wherein the main
housing further has disposed thereon a task switching hardware control that, when
activated, displays a selectable list of currently running tasks.
11. The computing system in accordance with Claim 1, wherein the
keyboard has disposed thereon a pointing device.
12. A computing system comprising:
a main housing containing therein at least a processor, a memory, and storage;
a display having a bottom end that is pivotably coupled to an upper surface of the main housing along an axis that is parallel to and towards a front surface of the main housing; and
a keyboard that is slidably coupled to the main housing, such that when the keyboard is extracted from the main housing, a majority of the keyboard extends outwards from the front surface of the main housing.
13. The computing system in accordance with Claim 12, further
comprising:
a plurality of media buttons disposed on the front surface of the main housing or on the upper surface of the main housing in front of the display.
14. The computing system in accordance with Claim 13, wherein the
plurality of media buttons comprises at least four of the following:
an eject button;
a fast rewind button;
a rewind button;
a play button;
a pause button;
a forward button; and
a fast forward button.
15. The computing system in accordance with Claim 12, wherein the main
housing further has disposed thereon a plurality of navigation control buttons.
16. The computing system in accordance with Claim 12, wherein the main
housing has dimensions of at least 20 cm by 25 cm by 5 cm.
17. A computing system comprising:
a main housing containing therein at least a processor, a memory, and storage;
a display having a bottom end that is pivotably coupled to an upper surface of the main housing along an axis that is parallel to and towards the front surface of the main housing; and
a keyboard that is slidably coupled to the main housing, such that when the keyboard is extracted from the main housing, a majority of the keyboard extends outwards from the front surface of the main housing.
18. The computing system in accordance with Claim 17, further
comprising:
a plurality of media buttons disposed on the front surface of the main housing or on the upper surface of the main housing in front of the display.
19. The computing system in accordance with Claim 17, wherein the main
housing further has disposed thereon a plurality of navigation control buttons.
20. The computing system in accordance with Claim 17, wherein the main
housing has dimensions of at least 20 cm by 25 cm by 5 cm.