EP0126542A2 — Portable computer

Claim 1

Independent Claim 132 words

A computer, comprising: a central processing unit; a keyboard coupled to said central processing unit and including a plurality of entry keys for entering a full alphabet and ten digits; a display arrangement coupled to said central processing unit and including a liquid crystal display; a case having a base with an upper surface and an edge, and a cover hinged to said base at the edge and having an inner surface facing said base when closed and exposed to a viewer when opened; said base housing said central processing unit and said keyboard and exposing said keyboard for operation by a user when the cover is open and said cover housing said display and exposing said display on the inner surface when open and covering the entire upper surface when closed.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 132 words

A computer, comprising: a central processing unit; a keyboard coupled to said central processing unit and including a plurality of entry keys for entering a full alphabet and ten digits; a display arrangement coupled to said central processing unit and including a liquid crystal display; a case having a base with an upper surface and an edge, and a cover hinged to said base at the edge and having an inner surface facing said base when closed and exposed to a viewer when opened; said base housing said central processing unit and said keyboard and exposing said keyboard for operation by a user when the cover is open and said cover housing said display and exposing said display on the inner surface when open and covering the entire upper surface when closed.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 41 words

A computer as in claim 1, wherein said base has an opening in the upper surface for forming a cartridge receiving chamber, said chamber having a cartridge connector connectable to circuitry in a cartridge and connected to said central processing unit.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 29 words

A computer as in claim 2, wherein said chamber is sufficiently deep so that a cartridge when connected with the connector allows closure of the cover against the base.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 82 words

A computer as in claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the base includes a plurality of openings forming a plurality of cartridge receiving chambers, said chambers each having a connector connectable for circuitry in a cartridge and connectable to the central processing unit, said connectors being located at surfaces of the chambers most remote from the upper surface, said chambers being sufficiently deep to allow circuitry of the cartridges to be connected to said connector while the cover covers the base.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 51 words

A computer as in claim 4, wherein said base includes a plurality of sides and said cover includes a plurality of walls projecting from the edge of the surface facing the keyboard, said wall being arranged to cover a plurality of the sides of the base when the cover is closed.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 53 words

A computer as in claims 2 and 4, wherein said base includes a plurality of sides and said cover includes a plurality of walls projecting from the edge of the surface facing the keyboard, said walls being arranged to cover a plurality of the sides of the base when the cover is closed.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 80 words

A computer as in claim 1, wherein said central processing unit includes a switch and other portions of the central processing unit, said switch being arranged for electrically disabling said other portions of the central processing unit as well as said liquid crystal display and said keyboard, said switch being mounted in said base and including activating means in the path of said cover when said cover is closed so that said cover places said switch in a disabling position.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 67 words

A computer as in claim 7, wherein said base includes a plurality of sides and said cover includes a plurality of walls projecting from the edge of the surface facing the keyboard, said walls being arranged to cover a plurality of sides when the cover is closed, said activating means being arranged for responding to one of said sides in the path of one of said walls.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 70 words

A computer as in claim 2, 4, or 5, wherein said base includes a plurality of sides and said cover includes a plurality of walls projecting from the edge of the surface facing the keyboard, said walls being arranged to cover a plurality of sides when the cover is closed, said activating means being arranged for responding to one of said sides in the path of one of said walls.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 71 words

A computer as in claim 1, wherein said base includes bearings upstanding from the upper surface at the end of said surface and said cover includes bearings on the inner surface facing said base at the end of the surface closest to said base, and wherein hinge pins articulatably connect the bearings with said hinge with the bearings on said base so as to hinge the cover relative to the base.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 72 words

A computer as in claim 10, wherein said bearings are arranged to make the cover infinitely adjustable, said bearings on said cover or said base form a sufficiently tight friction fit with the bearings on the other of said base and said cover or with the hinge pins to cause said cover to assume an open position corresponding to the position in which a person using the computer last moved the cover.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 24 words

A computer as in claim 9, wherein at least one of said bearings includes a stop for limiting the opening movement of said cover.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 24 words

A computer as in claim 10, wherein at least one of said bearings includes a stop for limiting the opening movement of said cover.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 32 words

A computer as in claim 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, or 12, wherein at least one of said bearings includes a stop for limiting the opening movement of said cover.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 121 words

A computer as in claim 1, wherein a plurality of said keys are arranged as function keys for entering commands into said central processing unit to perform special functions, said function keys each being designated with a predetermined symbol, said cover being designated with the symbols of said function keys at locations along an edge of said display, the functions to be entered by said function keys being variable on the basis of entry of other information to said central processing unit, said central processing unit being arranged for causing said display to list the functions being entered by the function keys at locations on the display adjacent the particular symbol corresponding to the symbol designated on a particular function key.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 30 words

A computer as in claim 15, wherein said keys are aligned in rows, said function keys being located in the row closest to the cover when the cover is open.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 40 words

A computer as in claim 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 16, wherein said keys are aligned in rows, said function keys being located in the row closest to the cover when the cover is open.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 90 words

A computer as in claim 1, further comprising a cartridge having a shell and semiconductor circuitry with said shell, said cartridge being connectable and disconnectable from said central processing unit, said semiconductor circuitry including read-write memory operable in a read-write mode and a data retention mode, said memories being arranged for receiving energy from said central processing unit, and a battery in said shell for supplying energy to said memories sufficient to keep the memories in the data retention mode in the absence of energy from said central processing unit.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 13 words

A computer as in claim 18, wherein said read-write memories are static memories.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 12 words

A computer as in claim 19, wherein said memories are CMOS memories.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 27 words

A computer as in claim 18, further comprising a second cartridge having a shell and a semiconductor circuit and connectable and disconnectable from said central processing unit.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 77 words

A computer as in claim 21, wherein said second cartridge includes a CMOS static read-write memory operable in a read-write mode and data retention mode, the circuitry of said second memory being arranged to receive energy from said central processing unit in the read-write mode, said second cartridge including a battery in the shell for maintaining the circuitry in a data retention mode when the entry from the central processing unit is reduced below a predetermined value.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 28 words

A computer as in claim 18, wherein said cartridge includes a diode in series with said battery for blocking voltage from said central processing unit to said battery.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 34 words

A computer as in claim 22, wherein each of said cartridges includes a diode in series with each of said batteries for blocking flow of current from said central processing unit to said batteries.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 42 words

A computer as in claim 18, wherein said base has an opening in the upper surface for forming a cartridge receiving chamber, said chamber having a cartridge connector connectable to the circuitry in said cartridge and connected to said central processing unit.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 82 words

A computer as in claim 21, wherein the upper surface of the base includes a plurality of openings forming a plurality of cartridge receiving chambers, said chambers each having a connector connectable to the circuitry in the cartridges and connected to the central processing unit, said connectors being located at surfaces of the chambers most remote from the upper surface, said chambers being sufficiently deep to allow the circuitry cartridges to be connected to said connector while the cover covers the base.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 90 words

A computer as in claim 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, and 21, wherein said second cartridge includes a CMOS static read-write memory operable in a read-write mode and data retention mode, the circuitry of said second memory being arranged to receive energy from said central processing unit in the read-write mode, said second cartridge including a battery in the shell for maintaining the circuitry in a data retention mode when the entry from the central processing unit is reduced below a predetermined value.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 84 words

A computer cartridge, comprising: a shell, a static read-write memory in said shell; circuitry for connecting said read-write memory to a computer and for supplying energy to said memory from said computer. said read-write memory being operable in a read-write mode and a data retention mode, the energy for said data retention mode being substantially less than that needed for operation in the read-write mode; a battery mounted in said shell for applying energy to said memory sufficient for operation in the read-write mode.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 84 words

A computer cartridge, comprising: a shell, a static read-write memory in said shell; circuitry for connecting said read-write memory to a computer and for supplying energy to said memory from said computer. said read-write memory being operable in a read-write mode and a data retention mode, the energy for said data retention mode being substantially less than that needed for operation in the read-write mode; a battery mounted in said shell for applying energy to said memory sufficient for operation in the read-write mode.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 29 words

A device as in claim 28, wherein said circuitry includes a diode in series with said battery for protecting said battery from current flow from energy from said computer.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 124 words

A device as in claim 28, wherein said circuitry includes a printed circuit board, said printed circuit board including a plurality of land connectors, said land connectors being connectable to said printed circuit board, said printed circuit board having an edge, a plurality of said lands being located equidistant from said edge, one of said lands being withdrawn from said edge further than the other of said lands, all of said lands being comparable to a receptacle type edge connector, the withdrawn one of the lands being arranged to supply external power to said circuitry and connectable to the energy source of the computer, said lands being arranged so that the land receiving energy from the computer makes contact last and breaks contact first.

Claim 33

Independent Claim 18 words

A device as in claims 28, 29, or 30, wherein said circuitry includes an additional plurality of memories.

Claim 34

Independent Claim 29 words

A device as in claims 28 to 30, wherein said circuitry includes means connected to said memory for receiving signals for setting said memory into the data retention mode.

Claim 35

Dependent Claim 119 words

A computer as in claim 18, wherein said circuitry includes a printed circuit board, said printed circuit board having an edge, a plurality of lands at the edge for connection to said central processing unit, a number of said lands being aligned adjacent the edge equidistant from the edge, one of said lands being further from the edge than the others of said lands, said central processing unit having a connector, said plurality of lands including said one of said lands being contactable with said connector, said one of said lands being arranged for making contact last and breaking contact first, said one of said lands being arranged for supplying power to said cartridge from said central processing unit.

Claim 36

Dependent Claim 25 words

A computer as in claim 1, wherein said keyboard includes alphanumeric keys and a space key and said spacer key is six alphanumeric keys wide.

Claim 37

Dependent Claim 19 words

A computer as in claim 34, wherein said keyboard includes cursor keys adjacent and aligned with said spacer key.

Claim 38

Dependent Claim 21 words

A computer keyboard, comprising a plurality of alphanumeric keys and a spacer key, said space key being six alphanumeric keys wide.

Claim 39

Dependent Claim 21 words

A computer keyboard, comprising a plurality of alphanumeric keys and a spacer key, said space key being six alphanumeric keys wide.

Claim 40

Dependent Claim 18 words

A computer keyboard as in claim 36, further including cursor keys adjacent and aligned with said spacer keys.

Portable computer

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