Patent Application
20050104846
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to illuminating input/output devices and more particularly relates to demarking control objects with non-visible light.
2. Description of the Related Art
Input/output (“I/O”) devices such as computer keyboards, notebook computers, personal digital assistants, telephones, and wireless email devices are often used in low-light environments. In a low-light environment there is generally insufficient light for a user to distinctly identify a control object or a designator affixed to the control object of an I/O device. The designator may be a symbol such as a letter of the alphabet imprinted or formed upon the control object.
The control objects of I/O devices frequently must be identified in low-light environments. For example, when a user chooses to be in the low-light environment, such as a darkened airplane cabin or a darkened taxi, the user may still need to use an I/O device. Indeed, the user may also choose to work in a low-light environment for any number of reasons. For example, many computer users prefer to work in a darkened room.
Identifying the control object of the I/O device, such as a key on a keyboard, is difficult in a low-light environment. The designators of control objects are also often unidentifiable in a low-light environment. The position of control objects may also be difficult to identify. In attempts to remedy this situation, users frequently illuminate the control objects in low-light environments in order to identify the control object and the N designator of the control object. For example, visible direct light sources (“VDLS”) have been positioned to directly illuminate control objects on I/O devices.
The control object 110 is positioned on the VDLS notebook computer 100. A designator such as a letter of the alphabet may be imprinted on the control object 110. The VDLS 105 is an integral part of the VDLS notebook computer 100. When activated, the VDLS 105 illuminates the control object 110, enabling a user to identify the control object 110 in a low-light environment.
Unfortunately, the VDLS 105 typically illuminates multiple control objects 110 with an unequal distribution of light. The control object 110a near the edge of the VDLS notebook computer 100 receives significantly less light than the control object 110b nearer the center of the keyboard and the VDLS 105. If the intensity of the VDLS 105 is increased to provide sufficient illumination for the control object 110a near the edge, the intensity of illumination at the control object 110b near the VDLS 105 may be excessive. Excessive illumination of the control object 110b may cause glare and obscure the designator of the control object 110b. Although the VDLS 105 enables a user to identify the control object 110 in a low-light environment, one or more control objects 110 may not be easily identifiable because of the unequal distribution of light and because of glare.
Unfortunately, if the VDLS 215 has sufficient intensity to illuminate the control object 110 of the I/O device 205, the VDLS 215 may also distract the user and people near the user. The VDLS 215 may also diminish the contrast of the display 225, increase the drain on a battery, and reduce the overall portability of the system.
To reduce the unequal distribution of light that occurs when attempting to illuminate widely separated control objects 110, visible light sources (“VLS”) have been installed to backlight the control objects 110. A backlight VLS illuminates the control object 110 from the plane of the control object 110 or from behind the plane of the control object 110. The backlight VLS also may function as a control delineator, demarking a control area containing one or more control objects 110.
The backlight VLS illuminated control object 400 illuminates the designator 405 with a minimum of glare. The designators 405 of one or more VLS illuminated control objects 400 are typically uniformly illuminated, and the illumination is less distracting to nearby people or to the user than the VDLS 105 of
What is needed is a process, apparatus, and system that demarks one or more control objects 110 in a low-light environment with a uniform illumination for each control object 110, with reduced glare, and with reduced degradation of display contrast. What is further needed is a process, apparatus, and system for cost effective illumination of the control object 110. Beneficially, such a process, apparatus, and system would enable a user to employ an I/O device 205 such as a notebook computer or personal digital assistant in a low-light environment with reduced distraction to nearby people and to the user from the light source.
The present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available apparatus, systems and processes for illuminating the control objects 110 of input/output (“I/O”) devices. Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to provide a process, apparatus, and system for demarking a control object 110 in a low-light environment that overcome many or all of the above-discussed shortcomings in the art.
The apparatus for demarking a control object 110 is provided with components configured to functionally execute the necessary steps of directly radiating a non-visible light reactive compound (“NVLRC”) applied to a control object 110 with a non-visible light source (“NVLS”). These components in the described embodiments include a NVLRC and a NVLS.
The NVLRC is applied to a control object. In one embodiment, the NVLRC is combined with the control object's 110 visible designator. In an alternate embodiment, the NVLRC is applied in a designator pattern different from the pattern of control object's 110 visible designator. In an alternate embodiment, the NVLRC is applied in such a manner as to function as a control delineator, thereby demarking a control area containing one or more control objects 110.
The NVLS directly radiates the NVLRC with non-visible light. In one embodiment, the NVLS is an ultraviolet light source. The NVLRC may be an ultraviolet reactive compound. In a certain embodiment, the NVLS is an ultraviolet light emitting diode. The NVLRC reacts to the NVLS by radiating visible light. The visible light radiated from the NVLRC demarks the control object 110. In a certain embodiment, the visible light from the NVLRC forms the designator of the control object 110.
The demarcation provided by the visible light emitted by the NVLRC of each control object 110 appears to the user to have a more uniform illumination and reduced glare than a control object 110 illuminated by direct visible light. In addition, the contrast between the illuminated NVLRC and the I/O device is high, while the visible light that may distract the user and nearby people is low. The present invention clearly demarks the control object 110 in a low-light environment without the distractions of direct visible light source illumination.
A system of the present invention is also presented for demarking a control object 110 in a low-light environment. In particular, the system, in one embodiment, includes an I/O device, and a NVLS. The I/O device includes a control object 110 and a NVLRC.
The NVLRC is applied to the control object 110. The NVLS directly radiates the NVLRC, activating the NVLRC. The NVLRC radiates visible light demarking the control object 110. The contrast between the NVLRC radiated visible light and the I/O device is high. The NVLRC radiated visible light does not substantially reduce the I/O device display contrast.
The NVLS in one embodiment is configured as a display. The display may radiate non-visible light wavelengths to radiate the NVLRC in addition to radiating visible light wavelengths. In an alternate embodiment, the NVLS is separate from the I/O device. The NVLS may also be connected to the I/O device with a positioning stalk.
A process of the present invention is also presented for demarking a control object in a low-light environment. The process in the disclosed embodiments substantially includes the steps necessary to carry out the functions presented above with respect to the operation of the described apparatus and system.
In one embodiment, the process includes applying a NVLRC to a control object. In one embodiment, the NVLRC forms a designator for the control object. The process further includes directly radiating the NVLRC with a NVLS. The NVLS activates the NVLRC and the NVLRC radiates visible light, demarking the control object.
The present invention demarks one or more control objects 110 in a low-light environment in a uniform manner. In addition, the present invention reduces the glare and increases the contrast and effective brightness of the NVLRC applied to the control object 110. The present invention also reduces the distraction to the user and to nearby people from demarking the control object 110. These features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.
In order that the advantages of the invention will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. 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 invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:
The control object 110 resides on the I/O device 505. A NVLRC is applied to the control object 110. The NVLRC may be mixed with an adhesive compound and applied to the control object 110. In a certain embodiment, the NVLRC is bonded to a matrix material and the matrix material is adhered to the control object 110. In one embodiment, the NVLRC forms the designator 520 upon the control object 110. In a certain embodiment, the NVLRC is combined with a visible ink to form the designator 520. In an alternate embodiment, the NVLRC is applied to form the designator 520 separately from the visible ink. The NVLRC designator 520 may have the same form as a visible ink designator. Alternatively, the NVLRC designator 520 may have a different form from the visible ink designator. The NVLRC reacts to non-visible light by radiating visible light. In one embodiment, the NVLRC reacts to ultraviolet light. In a certain embodiment, the NVLRC is Inter-Glow Ultraviolet Ink manufactured by the International Ink Company of Gainesville, Ga.
The NVLS 510 directly radiates the NVLRC. The NVLRC reacts to the non-visible light from the NVLS 510 by radiating visible light. The radiated visible light demarks the control object 110. In addition, the radiated visible light demarks one or more control objects 110 with uniform illumination. The radiated visible light may be of a low intensity to reduce glare and distractions to the user and nearby people.
In one embodiment, the NVLS is an ultraviolet light source. In a certain embodiment, the NVLS is an ultraviolet light emitting diode. The light emitting diode may be a NS370D-BULA ultraviolet light emitting diode manufactured by Nitride Semiconductors Co., Ltd. of Naruto, Japan.
In one embodiment, the NVLS 510 is mounted on the NVLS mount 525. The NVLS mount 525 may be physically separated from the I/O device 505. In an alternate embodiment, the NVLS mount 525 is a positioning stalk connected to the I/O device 505. The non-visible-light-demarking system 500 demarks a control object 110 in low-light environments while reducing the glare and distraction of the demarking illumination. In addition, the non-visible-light-demarking system 500 demarks one or more control objects 110 with uniform illumination.
The NVLS 510 is integral to the non-visible-light-demarking device 600. In one embodiment, the NVLS 510 is integrated in the bezel 605 of the non-visible light-demarking device 600. The control object 110 resides on the non-visible-light-demarking device 600. A NVLRC is applied to the control object 110. The NVLS 510 radiates the NVLRC, demarking the control object 110. The integrated NVLS 510 increases the convenience of transporting and using the NVLS 510. In one embodiment, a larger effective quantity of the NVLRC is applied to the control object 110a further from the NVLC 510 than is applied to the control object 110b nearer the NVLC 510. The non-visible-light-demarking device 600 demarks the control object 110 with uniform brightness and reduced glare.
In one embodiment, the positioning stalk 210 positions the NVLS 510 relative to the I/O device 505. A NVLRC is applied to the control object 110. The positioned NVLS 510 radiates the NVLRC, demarking the control object 110. A user may position the NVLS 510 to adjust the radiated visible light of the NVLRC. The user may also disconnect the NVLS 510 from the I/O device 505 for convenient transportation and storage. The movable NVLS 700 provides the user flexibility in the positioning of the NVLS 510.
The display 515 radiates both visible and non-visible light. The non-visible light radiates a NVLRC applied to the control object 110, demarking the control object 110. In one embodiment, the display 515 includes a light source that radiates non-visible and visible light. In an alternate embodiment, the display 515 includes a visible light source and a NVLS 510. The NVLS 510 may radiate whenever the visible light source radiates. Alternatively, the NVLS 510 may be activated separately from the visible light source. In a certain embodiment, the display 515 includes a filter. The filter may pass selected wavelengths of non-visible light. The NLVS display 800 employs the display 515 as the NVLS 510 for radiating the NVLRC.
The control object 110 resides on the control panel 305. The NVLRC control delineator 905 is positioned to demark the position of the control object 110. In one embodiment, a NVLRC is applied to the control panel 305 to form the NVLRC control delineator 905. In an alternate embodiment, the NVLRC is applied to a matrix material. The matrix material is adhered to the control panel 305. The control area delineator 900 demarks the position of the control object 110 as the NVLRC control delineator 905 is radiated with non-visible light from a NVLS 510 (not shown).
The present invention demarks one or more control objects 110 in a low-light environment in a uniform manner. In addition, the present invention reduces the glare and increases the contrast and effective brightness from illuminating the NVLRC of the control object 110. The present invention also reduces the distraction to a user and to nearby people from demarking the control object 110. 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.
