Foldable data collecting and processing device

A foldable data collecting device includes a first case and a second case mutually connected in a foldable manner, and a plate hinged between the first case and the second case by an opening/closing support. A sheet-like keyboard is disposed on the surfaces of the plate and one face of each of the first case and the second case. In case a key on the plate is to be depressed, the plate is folded down toward either the first case or the second case so that the side having the key to be depressed is directed upwardly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a data collecting and processing device 
having a keyboard, and more particularly to an improvement in such device 
by the provision of housing means having a first case and a second case 
mutually connected in a foldable manner for movement between open and 
folded, or closed, positions. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Conventional portable devices of this type are generally provided with a 
plurality of key switches arranged in a plane, as input means, with the 
number of switches increasing if a large number of different types of 
information must be inputted, such as in functional calculators. 
Therefore, the data collecting device requires a large number of keys. As 
a result, such devices require a large area for the keyboard, and become 
excessively large for carrying, and thereby losing a most important 
advantage of devices of this type. 
In order to solve the above problem, one method is to reduce the size of 
each key, thereby to allow the number of keys to be increased for a given 
keyboard area. This approach has the shortcoming that the keys become so 
small that they are difficult to depress and may require the use of an 
implement, such as a pen, as the case may be, for operating the keys. A 
second method is to give at least some of the keys a plurality of 
functions. This approach has the shortcoming that it makes operation of 
the device undesirably complicated. 
In order to circumvent such drawbacks, a foldable structure composed of a 
keyboard unit is known. Kishimoto. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,704, 
describes a foldable structure composed of a display unit and a keyboard 
unit which are foldably connected to be opened for use and closed for 
carrying. 
However, portable data collecting devices designed for uses such as for 
taking a patron's food or drink order in a restaurant by a waiter, require 
more keys than do calculators. In this case, the problems described above 
continue to exist. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the present invention is to provide a portable data collector 
which is small in size and light in weight. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable data 
collector which is able to increase the types of information to be 
inputted while retaining a small size, low weight, and convenient key 
size. 
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a portable data 
collector which can prevent the inputting of information when a housing of 
the portable data collector is in the closed position. 
The above and other objects are achieved, according to the present 
invention, by a foldable electronic data collecting device comprising: 
housing means including a first case and a second case, each case having 
opposed first and second faces: 
supporting means connecting the first and second cases together and 
forming, between the cases, a hinge permitting the cases to move relative 
to one another between an open position in which the cases lie 
side-by-side and a closed position in which the first face of the first 
case faces the first face of the second case; 
at least one plate having two opposed faces, the plate being pivotably 
mounted to the supporting means and being interposed between the first 
case and the second case; 
keyboard means for entering data into the device when the cases are in the 
open position, the keyboard means comprising a sheet-like keyboard member 
mounted on the first face of each case and composed of a plurality of 
keys; and 
display means connected for displaying data entered via the keyboard means. 
Other related objects and features of the invention will be apparent from a 
reading of the following description of the disclosure found in the 
accompanying drawings and the novelty thereof pointed out in the appended 
claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
An embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to 
the accompanying drawings. 
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the present device. 
A first case 1 and a second case 2 are hinged to each other by means of an 
opening/closing hinge support 4, and a plate 5 also has one edge hinged 
between the first case 1 and the second case 2 by the opening/closing 
hinge support 4 so that plate 5 can pivot about support 4. The plate 5 is 
made of a hard material such as a resin or plastic so that it can be 
pivoted toward either side, e.g., toward first case 1 or toward second 
case 2, around the opening/closing support 4. 
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of circuitry used in the portable data collector 
shown in FIG. 1. A CPU 21 controls the system in the portable data 
collector. A ROM 22 coupled with the CPU 21 stores a program for 
processing data therein. A RAM 32 coupled with the CPU 21 and input keys 
20 stores data inputted through input keys 20 and data processed by the 
CPU 21. The input keys 20 is constituted by matrix keys for converting 
depressing pressure exerted by an operator into electrical signals. A 
display controller 24 receives data to be displayed from RAM 23 and 
provides the data to a display 25 such as an LCD or LED display. An 
input/output controller 26 scans the input keys 20, controls a coil 27 for 
transmitting data to an external apparatus and receiving data from the 
external apparatus, and energizes a buzzer 28. The circuit arrangement 
shown in FIG. 2 may be constructed according to principles known in the 
art. 
Referring to FIG. 3, the input keys are formed by a sheet-like keyboard 3 
composed of keyboard portions 7, 8, 9, 10 and portions connecting the 
keyboard portions. Each keyboard portion 7-10 contains an array of keys. 
Keyboard portion 7 is mounted on, and secured to, a support surface at the 
interior of case 1, portions 8 and 9 are similarly mounted on respective 
sides of plate 5 and portion 10 is similarly mounted on the interior 
surface of second case 2. Two sheets bearing indicia showing the function 
of each are disposed between sheet-like keyboard portions 7 and 10 and 
their support surfaces in cases 1 and 2, respectively. Similarly, two 
sheet bearing indicia showing the function of keys on portions 8 and 9 are 
disposed between those portions and both sides of plate 5. The sheet-like 
keyboard 3 has a circuit interface 6 connected with a circuit block 11, as 
shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Circuit block 11 contains at least units 21-24 and 
26 of FIG. 2. Display 25 is mounted at the upper edge of case 1 above the 
part of case 1 that can be covered by plate 5. The key portion 7, the key 
portions 8 and 9, and the key portion 10 are held in contact on the inner 
side of the first case 1, the two sides of the plate 5 and the inner side 
of the second case 2, respectively. 
FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are elevational views of the upper sheet and lower 
sheet, respectively, of sheet-like keyboard 3. The upper and lower sheets 
are wired with electrodes, or conductive line, 12 in a matrix form, and 
the upper sheet and lower sheet electrodes 12 have nodes 13 forming key 
switches. These electrodes 12 are controlled and monitored by circuit 
block 11. 
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the sheet-like keyboard 3 as shown in FIG. 3. 
Each keyboard sheet is composed of a protective film 16 and an insulating 
film 17, the upper sheet further including upper electrodes 14 disposed on 
insulating film 17 and the lower sheet further including electrodes 15 
disposed on insulating film 17. Protective films 16 have flexibility and 
serve to protect insulating film 17 and electrodes 14 and 15 from external 
influences. A separator 18 made of an insulating member acts to separate 
the upper electrodes 14 from the lower electrodes 15 when external 
pressure is not being applied to the sheet-like keyboard 3. 
Separator 18 is provided with an opening at each node 13 to permit contact 
to be established between conductors 14 and 15 when finger pressure is 
applied at that node. In addition, separator 18 can be provided at each 
surface with channels for receiving conductor 14 and 15. Separator 18 can 
be made in several parts: one part associated with each of key portions 7 
and 10; and one or two parts associated key portions 8 and 9. Films 16 and 
17 and separator 18 are made of transparent material to permit viewing of 
the underlying indicia. Conductors 14 and 15 can either be of transparent 
material or can be made sufficiently narrow to not obscure those indicia. 
In case one key on plate 5 is to be depressed, the first case 1 and the 
second case 2 are opened as shown in FIG. 6, and plate 5 is pivoted down 
either toward the first case 1 or the second case 2 so that the side 
having the key to be depressed faces upwardly. At this time, keys at the 
downwardly facing side of plate 5 and the keys of the case 1 or 2 facing 
those keys are prevented from being erroneously depressed by the rigidity 
of the plate 5. 
When second case 2 is closed onto case 1. the plate 5 is accommodated 
between first case 1 and second case 2, as shown in FIG. 7. In the 
description thus far made, the keys are mounted on both sides of plate 5. 
However, the keys can be mounted on only one side, and a plurality of 
plates 5 can be provided. 
The present device can thus be constructed so that the number of keys can 
be easily increased with neither substantial increase in weight and size 
nor any reduction in individual key size and without any special 
processing but merely by a simple method of hinging a plate or plates 
between the first case and the second case by the opening/closing support.