Abstract:
A portable electronic apparatus is disclosed. The portable electronic apparatus includes a processor circuit enabled to execute a plurality of programs. The portable electronic apparatus also includes an output device for outputting output from the processor circuit. The portable electronic apparatus further includes an input device for receiving input, the input for controlling the processor circuit. In addition, the portable electronic apparatus includes an indicator for indicating a program being executed by the processor circuit.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/426,934, filed on Dec. 23, 2010, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a portable electronic apparatus and more particularly to a portable electronic apparatus with an indicator. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Portable electronic apparatus such as tablet devices are known in the art. They may include various features such as touchscreen technology, cameras, speakers and microphones. Furthermore, most portable electronic apparatus are capable of running different programs. 
         [0006]    With the advancement of portable electronic apparatus, the apparatus are becoming more common in everyday usage. For example, the apparatus are now often used in educational institutions, such as universities, by students to enhance their learning experience. Along with the increase in popularity of portable electronic apparatus, comes more interest in developing programs that are capable of being run the portable electronic apparatus. This interest has resulted in a large number of programs being available for portable electronic apparatus in recent years where these programs may often be downloaded over the Internet. 
         [0007]    The programs generally fall into one of several different types of programs. For example, one type of programs could be games such as a Solitare program. Another example of a type of programs could be educational programs such as a phonics program. These examples of types of programs are clearly not exhaustive as types programs such as accounting programs, word processing programs, navigation programs, etc. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided a portable electronic apparatus having front and back opposing sides. The portable electronic apparatus includes a processor circuit enabled to execute a plurality of programs. The portable electronic apparatus also includes an output device for outputting output from the processor circuit. The portable electronic apparatus further includes an input device for receiving input. The input is for controlling the processor circuit. In addition, the portable electronic apparatus includes an indicator for indicating a program being executed by the processor circuit. 
         [0009]    In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for determining a program being executed on a processor circuit. The method involves executing the program on the processor circuit. The method also involves outputting output to an output device from the processor circuit. The method further involves controlling the processor circuit using input from an input device. Furthermore, the method indicating the program being executed wherein indicating involves using an indicator. 
         [0010]    In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a portable electronic tablet device for children. The portable electronic tablet device for children includes a body comprising acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. The portable electronic tablet device for children also includes a processor circuit enabled to execute a plurality of programs. The plurality of programs includes games and educational programs. The portable electronic tablet device for children further includes a touchscreen device in communication with the processor circuit. The touchscreen device is 7 inches diagonally. Furthermore, the portable electronic tablet device for children includes a plurality of cameras controlled by the processor circuit. In addition, the portable electronic tablet device for children includes an indicator for indicating a type of program being executed by the processor circuit. Also, the indicator provides environmental lighting to reduce eyestrain. 
         [0011]    Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention, 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a portable electronic apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a back view of the portable electronic apparatus in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the portable electronic apparatus in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view of the internal circuitry of the portable electronic apparatus in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a front view of a portable electronic apparatus in accordance with another embodiment of the invention; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a back view of the portable electronic apparatus in  FIG. 5 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a front view of a portable electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention is shown generally at  10 . The apparatus  10  includes a screen  12  and a body  16 . The portable electronic apparatus  10  also includes a microphone  14 , a connector  15 , and an adjustable wrist strap  30  with an adjustment mechanism  31 . The portable electronic apparatus  10  further includes a power button  18 , an interactive button  20  and a plurality of front lights  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28 . 
         [0020]    In this embodiment, the screen  12  is a conventional touchscreen. Some examples of common touchscreen technologies that are suitable for the apparatus  10  are resistive system touchscreens, capacitive system touchscreens and surface acoustic wave system touchscreens. In addition, other less common less common touchscreen technologies may be used with the apparatus  10 . In other embodiments, it will be appreciated that a conventional display screen such as an LCD screen may be used if other input means are provided. Other input means include devices such as a keyboard, a track pad, or a track ball. 
         [0021]    In this embodiment, the body  16  is a durable lightweight material. The material should be lightweight so that the apparatus  10  is light and easy to carry making the apparatus more portable. The material should also be durable to protect the internal components of the apparatus  10 . For example, a suitable material to use for the body is plastic. In particular, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene was found to be a good material for the body  16 . In other embodiments, other materials with suitable characteristics for a specific application may be used. 
         [0022]    In the embodiment shown, the connector  15  is primarily for supplying power to the portable apparatus  10  when connected to a power source. The apparatus  10  includes a battery (not shown) to power the apparatus. The connector  15  may also be used to connect the apparatus  10  to another device for data sharing. For example, the apparatus  10  may be connected to a personal computer through the connector  15  in order to download programs onto the apparatus. Therefore, the connector  15  may be a standard USB™ connector; however, any other type of connector capable of charging the apparatus  10  would be suitable. In other embodiments, it will be appreciated that if a portable electronic apparatus was equipped with replaceable batteries or inductive charging technology, no connector would be required. 
         [0023]    In this embodiment, the wrist strap  30  includes an adjustment mechanism  31  so that the length of the wrist strap may be adjusted to fit wrists of different sizes. The wrist strap  30  and adjustment mechanism  31  provide a means by which the portable electronic apparatus  10  may be carried while leaving both hands of a user free. In addition, the wrist strap  30  would prevent the apparatus  10  from being accidentally dropped if the apparatus were to slip out of a user&#39;s hand. This would be particularly useful for small children and toddlers who would be more likely to drop items due to less developed motor skills. 
         [0024]    In this embodiment, the interactive button  20  may serve many functions. Since the screen  12  is a touchscreen which already provides a source of input, the interactive button  20  may be used as a shortcut key. For example, the interactive button  20  may be used as a home key to return the user to a home screen. Alternatively, the interactive button  20  could be used to run a specific application such as a game or an educational program. 
         [0025]    In the embodiment shown, the plurality of front lights  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28  disposed on the front of the portable electronic apparatus  10  serve as additional sources of output. The plurality of front lights  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28  may serve different functions depending on the program that the apparatus  10  is running. For example, if a multiplayer game is being played, plurality of front lights  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28  may be used to identify a specific player. 
         [0026]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , a back view of the portable electronic apparatus  10  is generally shown. The apparatus  10  further includes a speaker  32  and a plurality of back lights  34  and  35 . The speaker  32  generates sound. It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, a speaker may be placed in any suitable location on the apparatus including the front of the apparatus. 
         [0027]    In the embodiment shown, the plurality of back lights  34  and  35  may serve as an indicator of a program running on the portable electronic apparatus  10 . One method of indicating the program is to cause the plurality of back lights  34  and  35  to emit a different colour dependent on the program that is running. Alternatively, the plurality of back lights  34  and  35  may also emit light of different intensities or a combination different colors and intensities for different programs. By indicating the program running on the portable electronic apparatus  10  using the plurality of back lights  34  and  35 , it allows a third person who may not be able to see the screen  12  of the apparatus to readily determine what program is running. The plurality of back lights  34  and  35  may provide the same indication for several programs classified within a specific type of programs. For example, running a program classified as a game on the portable electronic apparatus  10  may cause the plurality of back lights  34  and  35  to emit red, while running a program classified as an educational program may cause the plurality of back lights  34  and  35  to emit green. Therefore, this would allow a third person to determine if the portable electronic apparatus  10  is being used for entertainment purposes or for educational purposes. A useful application of this feature is apparent if the user of the portable electronic apparatus  10  was a child or toddler. The plurality of back lights  34  and  35  would allow a parent to determine whether a child is playing too many games instead of running educational programs. It will be appreciated that any indication means would be suitable. In particular, it will be appreciated that a different number of back lights may be used. 
         [0028]    In addition, the plurality of back lights  34  and  35  may be used to provide environmental lighting as part of an environmental lighting system. Environmental lighting includes a continuous band of light around the screen  12  of the portable electronic apparatus  10  to reduce eye strain that may be caused by looking at the screen in a darkened room. The environmental lighting from the plurality of back lights  34  and  35  reduces glare and reflections that emanates directly from the screen  12  in a dark room. Glare and reflections cause the iris of an eye to rapidly adjust to light and dark images rapidly which inevitably leads to strain and fatigue of the eye. By providing environmental lighting from the plurality of back lights  34  and  35 , the amount of glare and reflection is greatly reduced which results is less adjustment by the iris. Therefore, fatigue caused by watching the screen  12  in a darkened room is reduced. 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , a side view of the portable electronic apparatus  10  is generally shown. The portable electronic apparatus  10  further includes a side light  36  which extends along all four sides of the apparatus. The side light  36  may also serve as an indicator of a program running on the portable electronic apparatus  10  in addition to the plurality of back lights  34  and  35 . 
         [0030]    One method of indicating the program is to cause the side light  36  to emit a different colour dependent on the program that is running. Alternatively, the side light  36  may also emit light of different intensities for different programs. By indicating the program running on the portable electronic apparatus  10  using the side light  36 , it allows a third person who may not be able to see the screen  12  or the plurality of back lights  34  and  35  of the apparatus  10  to readily determine what program is running. The side light  36  may provide the same indication for several programs classified within a type of programs. For example, running a program classified as a game on the portable electronic apparatus  10  may cause the side light  36  to emit red, while running a program classified as an educational program may cause the side light  36  to emit green. Therefore, this would allow a third person to determine if the portable electronic apparatus  10  is being used for entertainment purposes or for educational purposes. A useful application of this feature is apparent if the user of the portable electronic apparatus  10  was a child or toddler. The side light  36  would allow a parent to determine whether a child is playing too many games instead of running educational programs. It will be appreciated that any indication means would be suitable. In particular, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, a side light may not extend around the entire apparatus or several side lights may be used. 
         [0031]    In addition, the side light  36  may be used to provide environmental lighting as part of an environmental lighting system. Environmental lighting includes a continuous band of light around the screen  12  of the portable electronic apparatus  10  to reduce eye strain that may be caused by looking at the screen in a darkened room. The environmental lighting from the side light  36  reduces glare and reflections that emanate directly from the screen  12  in a darkened room. Glare and reflections cause the iris of an eye to rapidly adjust to light and dark images rapidly which inevitably leads to strain and fatigue of the eye. By providing environmental lighting from the side light  36 , the amount of glare and reflection is greatly reduced which results is less adjustment by the iris. Therefore, fatigue caused by watching the screen  12  in a darkened room is reduced. 
         [0032]    In this embodiment, it will be appreciated that the plurality of back lights  34  and  35  serve a similar function as the side light  36 . Furthermore, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments of a portable electronic apparatus, a plurality of back lights may be replaced with a side light or the side light may be replaced with a plurality of back lights as long as some indication of the program being run on the portable electronic apparatus is visible by a third party that is unable to see the screen. 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , internal circuitry for implementing the portable electronic apparatus  10  is shown generally at  50 . In this embodiment, the internal circuitry  50  includes a processor circuit  52 , a program memory  54 , and an input output (I/O) component  55 . Both of the program memory  54  and the I/O component  55  are in communication with the processor circuit  52 . 
         [0034]    The I/O component  55  includes a network interface card (NIC)  56  and a user I/O port  58 . The network interface card  56  connects the portable electronic apparatus  10  to a network for downloading programs into the program memory  54 . Therefore the network interface card  56  may be in communication with the connector  15 . Alternatively, the network interface card  56  may also be connected to the network wirelessly using conventional technologies such as Wi-Fi™, Bluetooth™, cellular networks, etc. The user I/O port  58  connects the processor circuit  52  to I/O devices such as the screen  12 , the speaker  32 , the microphone  20 , the interactive button  20 , the plurality of front lights  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28 , the plurality of back lights  34  and  35  and the side light  36 . It will be appreciated that other I/O devices may also be connect to the I/O port  58  for communication with the processor circuit  52 . 
         [0035]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , a front view of a portable electronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention is shown generally at  100 . The apparatus  100  includes a screen  112  and a body  116 . The portable electronic apparatus  100  also includes a microphone  114 , a connector  115 , and an adjustable wrist strap  130  with an adjustment mechanism  131 . The portable electronic apparatus  100  further includes a power button  118 , an interactive button  120  and a plurality of front lights  122 ,  124 ,  126 , and  128 . In addition, the portable electronic apparatus  100  includes a camera  140 . 
         [0036]    In this embodiment, the screen  112  is a conventional touchscreen. Some examples of common touchscreen technologies that are suitable for the apparatus  100  are resistive system touchscreens, capacitive system touchscreens and surface acoustic wave system touchscreens. In addition, other less common less common touchscreen technologies may be used with the apparatus  100 . In other embodiments, it will be appreciated that a conventional display screen such as an LCD screen may be used if other input means are provided. Other input means include devices such as a keyboard, a track pad, or a track ball. 
         [0037]    In this embodiment, the body  116  is constructed from a durable lightweight material. The material should be lightweight so that the apparatus  100  is light and easy to carry making the apparatus more portable. The material should also be durable to protect the internal components of the apparatus  100 . For example, a suitable material to use for the body is plastic. In particular, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene was found to be a good material for the body  116 . In other embodiments, other materials with suitable characteristics for a specific application may be used. 
         [0038]    In the embodiment shown, the connector  115  is primarily for supplying power to the portable apparatus  100  when connected to a power source. The apparatus  100  includes a battery (not shown) to power the apparatus. The connector  15  may also be used to connect the apparatus  100  to another device for data sharing. For example, the apparatus  100  may be connected to a personal computer through the connector  115  in order to download programs onto the apparatus. Therefore, the connector  115  may be a standard USB™ connector; however, any other type of connector capable of charging the apparatus  100  would be suitable. In other embodiments, it will be appreciated that if a portable electronic apparatus was equipped with replaceable batteries or inductive charging technology, no connector would be required. 
         [0039]    In this embodiment, the wrist strap  130  includes an adjustment mechanism  131  so that the length of the strap may be adjusted to fit wrists of different sizes. The wrist strap  130  and adjustment mechanism  131  provide a means by which the portable electronic apparatus  100  may be carried while leaving both hands of a user free. In addition, the wrist strap  130  would prevent the apparatus  100  from being accidentally dropped if the apparatus were to slip out of a user&#39;s hand. This would be particularly useful for small children and toddlers who would be more likely to drop items due to less developed motor skills. Therefore, an ideal application of would be for a portable electronic tablet device for children. 
         [0040]    In this embodiment, the interactive button  120  may serve many functions. Since the screen  112  is a touchscreen which already provides a source of input, the interactive button  120  may be used as a shortcut key. For example, the interactive button  120  may be used as a home key to return the user to a home screen. Alternatively, the interactive button  120  could be used to run a specific application such as a game or an educational program. 
         [0041]    In the embodiment shown, the plurality of front lights  122 ,  124 ,  126 , and  128  disposed on the front of the portable electronic apparatus  100  serve as additional sources of output. The plurality of front lights  122 ,  124 ,  126 , and  128  may serve different functions depending on the program that the apparatus  100  is running. For example, if a multiplayer game is being played, plurality of front lights  122 ,  124 ,  126 , and  128  may be used to identify a specific player. 
         [0042]    In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 , the camera  140  is a source of input for the portable electronic apparatus  100 . In this embodiment, the camera is a 1.3 mega-pixel camera configured to take pictures. Ideally, the camera would be small enough and light enough to be placed in the portable electronic apparatus  100  without making the apparatus large and bulky. Cameras that are commonly used in cellular telephones, webcams as well as other applications requiring a small camera may be used. The camera  140  is intended for taking a picture of the user of the portable electronic apparatus  100 . In addition, the camera  140  is equipped with a video capture feature allowing the camera to capture video of the user. The video capture feature may be used for webcasting or video chatting. It will be appreciated that although the camera  140  is primarily intended to capture images and videos of the user, the portable electronic apparatus  100  may easily be turned around so that the camera may be used to capture images and video in front of the user. In other embodiments, addition input devices such as a capture button may be placed at a convenient location to allow a user to easily capture images with this camera. 
         [0043]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , a back view of the portable electronic apparatus  100  is generally shown. The apparatus  100  further includes a speaker  132  and a plurality of back lights  134  and  135 . The speaker  132  generates sound. It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, a speaker may be placed in any suitable location on the apparatus including the front of the apparatus. 
         [0044]    In the embodiment shown, the plurality of back lights  134  and  135  may serve as an indicator of a program running on the portable electronic apparatus  100 . One method of indicating the program is to cause the plurality of back lights  134  and  135  to emit a different colour dependent on the program that is running. Alternatively, the plurality of back lights  134  and  135  may also emit light of different intensities or a combination different colors and intensities for different programs. By indicating the program running on the portable electronic apparatus  100  using the plurality of back lights  134  and  135 , it allows a third person who may not be able to see the screen  112  of the apparatus to readily determine what program is running. The plurality of back lights  134  and  135  may provide the same indication for several programs classified within a specific type of programs. For example, running a program classified as a game on the portable electronic apparatus  100  may cause the plurality of back lights  134  and  135  to emit red, while running a program classified as an educational program may cause the plurality of back lights  134  and  135  to emit green. Therefore, this would allow a third person to determine if the portable electronic apparatus  100  is being used for entertainment purposes or for educational purposes. A useful application of this feature is apparent if the user of the portable electronic apparatus  100  were a child or toddler. The plurality of back lights  124  and  135  would allow a parent to determine whether a child is playing too many games instead of running educational programs. It will be appreciated that any indication means would be suitable. In particular, it will be appreciated that a different number of back lights may be used. 
         [0045]    In addition, the plurality of back lights  134  and  135  may be used to provide environmental lighting as part of an environmental lighting system. Environmental lighting includes a continuous band of light around the screen  112  of the portable electronic apparatus  100  to reduce eye strain that may be caused by looking at the screen in a darkened room. The environmental lighting from the plurality of back lights  134  and  135  reduces glare and reflections that emanates directly from the screen  112  in a dark room. Glare and reflections cause the iris of an eye to rapidly adjust to light and dark images rapidly which inevitably leads to strain and fatigue of the eye. By providing environmental lighting from the plurality of back lights  134  and  135 , the amount of glare and reflection is greatly reduced which results is less adjustment by the iris. Therefore, fatigue caused by watching the screen  112  in a darkened room is reduced. 
         [0046]    In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , the camera  142  is another source of input for the portable electronic apparatus  100 . In this embodiment, the camera is a 1.3 mega-pixel camera configured to take pictures. Ideally the camera would be small enough and light enough to be placed in the portable electronic apparatus  100  without making the apparatus large and bulky. Cameras that are commonly used in cellular telephones, webcams as well as other applications requiring a small camera may be used. The camera  142  is intended for taking a picture of a view in front of the user similar to a digital camera. When operating the camera  142 , the screen  112  may function as a viewfinder for the user. In addition, the camera  142  is equipped with a video capture feature allowing the camera to capture video. 
         [0047]    Although the apparatus  100  includes two cameras  140  and  142 , it will be appreciated that in another embodiment, only one camera may be included. By including only one camera, the cost of a portable electronic apparatus may be reduced. In yet another embodiment, more than two cameras may be used, or both cameras may be disposed on the front or both cameras may be disposed on the back of a portable electronic apparatus. The two cameras may be different and optimized for taking pictures and video in different environments. Alternatively, two cameras on the front or two cameras on the back of a portable electronic apparatus may be used to capture a 3D image. 
         [0048]    While specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, such embodiments should be considered illustrative of the invention only and not as limiting the invention as construed in accordance with the accompanying claims.