Abstract: An improved track ball which can be conveniently manipulated with a single hand is disclosed. The track ball protrudes through a circular opening in a housing, with the top edge of the housing having a rounded switch. The switch can thus be manipulated with the fingers while the palm or thumb of the hand is manipulating the track ball. The housing is mounted at an angle to the side of a computer keyboard, providing for easy access. The track ball housing can be rotated to any continuous angle through two angles of rotation by the user. A tetrahedron support arrangement holds the ball in place at any angle. The same housing can be used for either the right or left sides of a keyboard by simply switching the activating point on the switch. An encoder wheel is attached by a shaft to the ball and has a number of slots extending from its center to its edge. The slots are rectangular in shape, and do not have edges along radial lines as in the prior art encoder wheels.

Abstract: An orientation-operated cursor control device having a housing which is hand-holdable by a user. The housing rotatably carries a orientation maintaining member having a center of rotation which is offset from a center of gravity. An encoder generates input information for the computer in response to relative rotation of the housing and orientation maintaining member.

Abstract: A display device is composed of a liquid crystal display panel, having modulating characteristics in which a relationship between a transmittance and a drive voltage depends on the direction of a change in the drive voltage, for modulating source light in a two-dimensional area, and a processing channel for applying a drive voltage according to each of pixel signals which change for each 1-field period. Particularly, the processing channel includes a field memory for delaying transmittance data corresponding to the pixel signal by the 1-field period, and a characteristic compensating circuit for converting the transmittance data to a drive voltage data on the basis of conversion characteristics which vary with the data delayed by the field memory, and determining the drive voltage according to the drive voltage data.

Abstract: A touch screen assembly including a molded cover and base is described. A mounting board is sandwiched between the cover and the base and supports a plurality of LEDs and detectors. Cylindrical guides corresponding to each of the LEDs and detectors are formed in the base when the base and cover are attached. The guides at the LEDs limit beam spreading and guides at the detectors prevent off-axis light from being detected. Support pedestals formed in the base, together with the cylindrical guides help align and support the LEDs and detectors to prevent misalignment and problems associated with fatigue. The cover is attached to the base by catch hooks which may be reached without disassembly of the CRT. Access to the mounting board is thereby facilitated.

Abstract: A pressure-actuated pointing device (PAPD), especially adapted for application in a personal, laptop, or notebook computer, is finger-activated and is used to control the displacement of a cursor on a graphics screen. The PAPD includes at least one rigid finger pad rigidly mounted to and supported by a flexible stem. The stem, in turn, is rigidly mounted to a base plate with the finger pad positioned flush with a forward-facing surface of a computer enclosure. A system operator applies pressure to the finger pad in order to displace the cursor on the graphics screen. The magnitude of the applied positive pressure gradient and point of pressure application on the finger pad determine the magnitude and direction of the cursor's displacement on the graphics screen.

Abstract: A pointing device, such as a mouse, for a computer system detects when a pointer controlled by the mouse is within a control zone of a display (e.g., and icon). When it is, the speed factor for the mouse is reduced making it easier for the user to hit an icon.

Abstract: A new scanning method and device for matrix panel display for using electron beam to scan comprising the steps: connecting each anode of dc matrix display panel to the display supply's anode via a switch cell whose status is controlled by electron beam, using one electron beam to irradiate to some anode; using another electron beam to irradiate to some cathode of the display panel; thereby selecting the unique display cell at the intersection of anode and cathode to light up; deflecting both beams accordingly to implement two-dimensional addressing; and adjusting beam current of the irradiating cathode to achieve image gray scale adjustment.

Abstract: The display apparatus for vehicles being reduced in reflection at the external light suppression prisms disposed on the surface of the display device and providing a bright display image, in which included are the display device and the external light suppression prisms consisting of first and second prisms being stacked together by directing the prism apex angles in opposite directions to each other and disposed close to the display surface of the display device, a reflecting member to reflect the display light emitted from the display device, which light has passed through the prisms, toward the viewing point of the driver, and a polarized direction rotating means being disposed between the prisms and the reflecting member for rotating the polarization direction of the display light by 90 degrees, whereby the display light is emitted as a P-polarization light with respect to the reflecting surface of the reflecting member.

Abstract: A display data holding circuit holds character data, and serially outputs character data. A display data switching circuit inputs character data outputted from the display data holding circuit to a display data holding circuit again, and the display data switching circuit receives a switching command of display data, thereby switching character data outputted from the display data holding circuit to new character data to be inputted to the display data holding circuit. A display data latching circuit synchronizes character data outputted from the display data holding circuit with the latch pulse to be latched. A latch pulse generating circuit generates a latch pulse. A modulo N counter counts a number of clock pulses outputted from the latch pulse, and generates a reset pulse every time when the count of N number of clock pulses is ended, and the modulo N counter receives a forced reset signal, thereby generating a reset pulse.

Abstract: Broadcast standard format video signals such as that adopted by the National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) or the European standard format of Phase Alternating Line (PAL) and some broadcast "compatible" video signals are used as inputs to a microkeyer to synchronize a microcomputer's display in a manner that allows full and complete merging of the two signals in the broadcast video domain by, for example, additive (mixing) or non-additive (keying) processes. The required synchronization in turn makes possible incorporation in any video space a variety of computer generated visuals such as illustrative graphics, titling and any other data displayed in the video. The merged video signal from this device may then be displayed on a television monitor, or transmitted, or received, or recorded by a video recorder or processed by a standard broadcast means for example. When applied to any common microcomputer display in its most fundamental form, no additional software is required.

Abstract: A headup display apparatus consists of a projection optical system unit installed in the dashboard of a car and a reflection member on the windshield. The projection optical system unit contains an indicator and an off-axis reflective hologram which reflects display light of the indicator toward the windshield, which in turn reflects it toward the viewing point of a driver. As a result, the display is seen superimposed on the exterior view. When external light as from the sun enters the projection optical system unit traveling in a direction reverse to the path of the display light, the off-axis reflective hologram reflects the incident external light toward a direction different from that of the outgoing display light to minimize an abnormal illumination of the indicator surface which would otherwise render the display unrecognizable. Behind the hologram is installed a heat dissipating member that receives infrared rays that have transmitted the hologram in order to dissipate heat.

Abstract: A still picture display apparatus displays a still picture in which characters each composed of combination of a predetermined number of dots on a raster scan monitor in accordance with character data and program data both stored in an external storage device in advance. Offset data of at least one of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction correspondingly to each character is stored in an offset table formed in the external storage device. A picture processing unit determines an address on the basis of the offset data and at least one of a horizontal position and a vertical position, and reads video data from a video data memory according to the address to apply to the raster scan monitor.

Abstract: A computer or a display apparatus with an input function which is of simple construction and has high operability for touch input or pen input. A system body, a cover unit having a display panel with an input function on one side, and connection means such as a rotatable arm, which is rotatably connected to the cover unit and to the system body at a different portion from a portion at which said cover unit is conventionally connected, so as to allow the cover unit to be placed on the system body in a position in which the display panel mounted on the cover unit is placed face up or face down. The cover unit can be placed upside down on the system body without sliding of the cover unit with respect to the system body.

Abstract: An active matrix liquid crystal display device in which an array of picture elements which include respective switching means, e.g. TFTs, are driven a row at a time by drive signals supplied via a set of row and a set of column address conductors. The device also includes an array of active addressed sensing elements each consisting of a photosensitive element, e.g. a thin film photoresistor or photodiode, a charge storage capacitor and a switching device, e.g. a TFT. The sensing element connected to respective row and column address conductors. The charge storage capacitors are periodically charged through operation of their associated switching devices by the drive signals and are selectively discharged via their associated photosensitive element when illuminated by, for example, a light pen.

Abstract: A background picture display apparatus includes a microprocessor and an external storage unit, and dot data, character designating data and mode data are programmed in advance in a ROM in the external storage unit. Character designating data constituting background screens designated by the mode data and dot data of the respective characters used in the background screens are loaded in a RAM, that is, a screen RAM and a character RAM by a microprocessor. The character designating data is read from the screen RAM, and the dot data of the character is read from the character RAM. The dot data is converted into serial data by a parallel-serial conversion circuit, and a dot data combination circuit generates a color code for each background screen by combining the dot data and applies the same to a color generation circuit.

Abstract: A data input device and method for producing signals corresponding to symbols, comprises: at least one manually actuatable switch having a home state and manually actuatable from the home state to one of a set of first states and manually actuatable from the set of first states to one of a set of second states including the home state. A first signal corresponding to a transition from the home state to a selected one of the set of first states is produced and a second signal corresponding to a transition from the selected one of the set of first states to a selected one of the set of second states is produced. An output signal representing one symbol is produced in response to the first and second signals.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for creating a navigation palette in response to simultaneous actuation of any two buttons on a pointing device in a computer system for creating multimedia slide presentations. The navigation palette allows the user to operate on and navigate to and among all of the slides within the presentation during playback.

Abstract: An interactive display system comprising a touch sensitive display surface for sensing pressure applied thereto and in response generating control signals indicating locations of the applied pressure, a personal computer for receiving the control signals and in response generating graph images, and an LCD panel in combination with an overhead projector for receiving and projecting the graphic images onto the touch sensitive display surface at the indicated locations. The LCD panel and overhead projector may be provided an an integral unit.

Abstract: A method and system to recognize input events from a plurality of input devices. Each input device is coupled to a device driver or similar device specific code and a recognition provider. Upon attachment to the system, the recognition provider registers the known input events which the input device is capable of transmitting at the recognition subsystem. The recognition subsystem sends an identifier back to the recognition provider for each registered input event. When the recognition provider receives one or more input signals from the input device which are recognized as an input event, the provider sends the identifier to the recognition subsystem. The input event is transmitted to a process running on the system which may interpret the input event or request translation by the recognition subsystem. The invention is useful to introduce new input devices to a system without requiring modification of the existing processes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating both a true color and fast pseudo color video signals includes the combination of first and second commercially available RAMDACs. Parallel video data representing the red, blue, and green color components of one or more pixels is provided on a video bus to the inputs of the first and second RAMDACs. A first data portion of the parallel video data is presented to the input of the first RAMDAC, which can represent either a single pixel in the fast pseudo color mode or the most significant pixel data. A second data portion of the parallel video data is presented to the input of the second RAMDAC, which can represent either another single pixel in the fast pseudo color mode or the least significant pixel data. The outputs of the two RAMDACs are combined to provide true color video signals in a first RAM programming mode, and the respective outputs of the two RAMDACs are multiplexed to provide fast pseudo color video signals in a second RAM programing mode.