A Design for the 21st Century
The Lap Pilot is designed to be a stylish and functional accessory for the modern professional. Like the Palm Pilot, the Lap Pilot is encased in black plastic, with the touch screen taking up most of the surface area. The buttons are kept to a minimum and clearly labelled. The result is a relatively compact, light, and easy-to-use reading machine.
Below are the schematics for front sides of the main unit and the optional module.
(a) Buttons to move between chapters. These have been placed high on the unit to reduce the possibility of their being accidentally pushed.
(b) Scrolling buttons. These are placed at about the midpoint of the left side, where the left hand can comfortably hold the machine while the left thumb controls the scrolling of the screen.
(c) Type III PC Card slots (PCMCIA-compatible). Small, light PCMCIA drives are ideal for the portable storage needs of the Lap Pilot.
(d) Rubber bumper. The bumper prevents the Lap Pilot from sliding while it is being used on a desk.
(e) Control button. This button toggles the on-screen options display.
(f) Hinges / connectors for the optional module.
(g) Touch screen. This 8 1/2" x 11" screen is backlit for readability in all lighting, and can be "written" upon using the stylus stored in the upper-right corner of the main unit.
(a) Hinges / connectors for the main unit.
(b) Flat display screen. This 8 1/2" by 10" color screen can be seen clearly in any lighting and from most angles. Excellent at displaying illustrations that accompany or illuminate the text being read on the main unit.
(c) Rubber bumper. The bumper prevents the Lap Pilot from sliding while it is being used on a desk.
(d) Programmable function buttons. These can be programmed by the user or by third-party software designers to quickly perform various complex tasks.
(e) Function buttons. Used to call up either the dictionary, the thesaurus, or the encyclopedia.
(f) Slot for a dictionary / thesaurus PC card.
(g) Slot for an encyclopedia PC card.
(h) Assignable PC card slot.
(i) Scroll buttons.
(j) Touch screen. This 8 1/2" by 1" screen can be used to write words to be looked up in the dictionary, thesaurus, or encyclopedia.