Abstract: A keyboardless portable computer simulates a foldable notepad and has a display which can be reoriented to the convenience of the user, carried in a self-protecting closed position and operated in any convenient open position. The computer has a first flat panel, a second flat panel and hinge means for joining the first panel to the second panel such that the first flat surface is juxtaposed to the second flat surface in a closed position and is disposed side by side in a common plane in one of a selection of open positions. The first flat surface comprises a first digitizer and the second flat surface comprises a second digitizer, and a stylus is provided which is connectable to at least one of the panels for interacting with at least one of the digitizers. One of the digitizers includes a flat panel display through which visual output is provided. Thus, registration of a written symbol on the surface of the panel produces a displayed symbol, preferably at the position of registration.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical pointing device which preferably uses infrared light as a source and a camera as a detector. Movements of the camera with respect to the light source which remains fixed are sensed in the detector portion of the camera to determine the direction in which the camera is pointing with respect to, for example, a display screen adjacent the light source. The electronics included in the present invention are designed to act, responsive to sensing of the position of the camera with respect to the light source to cause corresponding movements of a cursor on the display screen. Other modes of operation of the present invention are also disclosed.

Abstract: A thin film electroluminescent edge emitter structure includes a common electrode layer and control electrodes disposed above the common electrode layer. At least one dielectric layer is disposed between the common electrode layer and control electrodes, and a phosphor layer is interposed between the one dielectric layer and common electrode layer. The common electrode layer, one dielectric layer and the phosphor layer define the light-emitting pixels of the emitter structure. Each pixel has a light-emitting face formed thereon and is operable upon application of electrical excitation to cause the radiation of light energy within its phosphor layer at least in a direction towards the pixel light-emitting face.

Abstract: A joystick device to be used in video games or the like having an improved construction to prolong the life of the switches used in the joystick device. The improved construction includes a conical spring located between a diaphragm and an actuator which reduces the force ultimately applied to the switches by the user of the video game. The actuator and the diaphragm surround portions of the shaft, and the actuator has a tapered inner wall which allows pivotal movement of the shaft which further reduces the force ultimately applied to the switches.

Abstract: An electrophoretic display includes a plurality of intersecting grid and cathode lines which are spaced one from the other by means of an insulating material. The grid and cathode lines are associated with an anode electrode which constitutes a planar glass plate having deposited thereon a thin layer of ITO or a similar metal. Interposed between the cathode and grid structure and the anode plate is a mesh electrode which is relatively of the same size as the anode plate. Control voltages are applied to the mesh structure and the anode electrode to further control particle propagation. The conventional anode structure may be entirely replaced with the mesh-like structure to provide an electrophoretic display which can be optimumly illuminated by back lighting.

Abstract: A computer display has a display processor connected to a presentation space buffer and a screen buffer. The presentation space buffer is larger than the screen buffer, and is divided into a plurality of partitions. Each partition has a partition window which maps into the screen buffer. If a partition is active, its associated partition window is written into the screen buffer at the mapped location. The screen buffer periodically refreshes the display screen, so a plurality of partition windows are displayed to the computer user. One or more scroll groups can be defined, and one or more partitions can be assigned to each scroll group. Each defined scroll group has a vertical scroll trigger and a horizontal scroll trigger. The display monitors the movement of the cursor within a partition window.

Abstract: An image synthesizer of an image editing apparatus not only stores image data of two or more source images and includes a display device for displaying an image according to received image data, but also is provided with an address generator which, controlled by a data processor, transmits address signals sequentially to have a synthesized image of these source images displayed such that the individual source images appear superposed and transparent to each other. Each pixel of the display device displays only one of the source images and area densities of pixels displaying each of the source images very over the two-dimensional screen of the display device. When one of the source images is superposed on top of another, a pattern is stored in a pattern memory such that pixels displaying one of the images are scattered into the area of the other image according to the pattern such that the boundary between source images can be made controllably less conspicuous.

Abstract: Individual character templates for an alphanumeric display are provided. Each individual character template includes an M row by N column pixel matrix. The M row by N column pixel matrix provides MN pixels. Each of the N columns has a generally vertical shallow "S" shaped format. The pixels along the center rows of the pixel matrix are substantially square and the pixels along the upper and lower rows of the pixel matrix have corners that define a parallelogram and vertical edges that are curved. The template is energized using an electrode trace arrangement which has a plurality of horizontal traces and a plurality of approximately vertical sinuous traces. A segment of each of the vertical tracks within any character template has a shallow "S" shaped form. The first and second columnar trace segments in any given character template is connected to the next to last and last columnar trace segments of the preceding character template and the next lowest row.