| 摘要 |
A supplemental, intelligent LCD panel (10) for use with a computer system. In one embodiment the LCD panel is used for displaying one or more tool, menu and/or status bars (26) of a software application which would ordinarily be displayed on a primary monitor of the computer system. This significantly increases the useable area of the primary monitor to display information which the user needs to view or manipulate. In other embodiments the supplemental LCD panel incorporates a touch sensitive overlay (22) which not only allows the user to view the tool bars being displayed, but also to select, merely by touch, the various functions of the tool bar(s) being displayed thereon. The LCD panel (10) further enables a mouse cursor to be displayed thereon. This enables a mouse to be used with the present invention for those operations of a software application that are best or most easily accomplished via a mouse before selecting a function box on a tool or menu bar. The preferred embodiments can be quickly and easily coupled to an existing USB port of a personal computer and mounted in a variety of orientations on a primary monitor so that the tool, menu and/or status bars can be displayed in the orientations intended by the particular software application being run. |
