Input devices and their use
First Claim
1. A telephone with an IACK keypad defining both combination key regions and independent key regions arranged in alternating columns, wherein columns of combination key regions include multiple numerical columns together including numerical regions corresponding to numerals 0 through 9, with each numerical column containing a plurality of said numerical regions, and at least one other column containing key regions corresponding to punctuation symbols.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A keypad in which output keystrokes are determined both from individual switch activation and from the combined activation of adjacent switches. The keypad has a substrate carrying an array of sense elements arranged to change state in response to keypad operation, a flexible cover disposed above the substrate and having an exposed surface defining an array of independent key regions, with combination key regions defined in interstices between adjacent independent key regions. Snap elements provide tactile feedback. Some versions have a touch-sensitive grid rather than a switch matrix. A method of dialing a telephone includes generating a corresponding sequence of numerals by transposing alpha character input into one of the numerals 2 through 9 according to standard telephone keypad letter-number correspondence
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Citations
90 Claims
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1. A telephone with an IACK keypad defining both combination key regions and independent key regions arranged in alternating columns, wherein columns of combination key regions include
multiple numerical columns together including numerical regions corresponding to numerals 0 through 9, with each numerical column containing a plurality of said numerical regions, and at least one other column containing key regions corresponding to punctuation symbols.
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16. An IACK keypad comprising a cover with an exposed surface defining both combination key regions and independent key regions arranged in alternating columns, with the independent key regions comprising nubs elevated above the combination key regions, the exposed surface forming a continuous, smooth contour between adjacent independent key regions, void of delineations marking shared boundaries between adjacent independent key grid spaces of an underlying key space grid.
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19. An IACK keypad defining both combination key regions and independent key regions arranged in alternating columns and having a standard orientation defined by legends associated with the independent and combination key regions, wherein
the alternating columns are disposed along lines canted at an angle with respect to the standard orientation of the keypad.
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21. A touch-sensitive input device comprising
an exposed, continuous surface defining a planar area; - and
a grid of sense elements coextensive with the area of the exposed surface and responsive to engagement of the exposed surface by an operator to establish a position of said engagement on the exposed surface;
wherein the exposed surface varies in elevation across its planar area to form a series of tactile features. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. An electronic device comprising
an IACK keypad having an exposed, continuous surface defining both independent key regions and combination key regions; -
a grid of sense elements underlying the surface of the keypad and responsive to motion of a human finger across the surface of the keypad; and
an electronic circuit adapted to receive signals from the IACK keypad indicative of keypad status and to produce an output in response to keypad actuation by an operator;
wherein the electronic circuit is configured to determine an intended combination key input based at least in part upon a sensed position of a finger between centers of adjacent independent key regions. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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34. An electronic device comprising
a substrate carrying a first array of spaced apart, conductive trace elements; -
a flexible cover disposed above the substrate and carrying a second array of spaced apart, conductive trace elements, said first and second arrays together forming a coordinate system, the cover separated from the substrate by an array of resilient, collapsible elements and having an exposed, continuous surface;
the first and second arrays of trace elements forming a capacitive grid responsive to presence of a digit of an operator on the surface of the cover; and
an electronic circuit adapted to sense a capacitive state of the grid and to determine a position of said digit upon the sensed capacitive state.
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40. A keypad comprising
an outer cover with an exposed, continuous surface defining key regions; -
a grid of sense elements underlying the surface of the cover and responsive to position of a human finger on the surface of the keypad; and
a single switch adapted to change state when any one of a multiplicity of the key regions is pressed. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43)
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44. A telephone comprising
a keypad defining alpha key regions corresponding to individual letters, and numerical key regions corresponding to individual numerals; - and
an electronic circuit connected to the keypad to receive input therefrom as various key regions are engaged by an operator;
wherein the electronic circuit is configured to translate alpha key input into numerical output in the form of a combination of numerals 2 through 9, based upon standard telephone keypad letter-number correspondence. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
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49. A method of dialing a telephone, the method comprising entering a desired sequence of alphanumeric characters including at least one alpha character, the telephone generating a corresponding sequence of numerals by transposing the alpha character into one of the numerals 2 through 9 according to standard telephone keypad letter-number correspondence.
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55. An IACK keypad comprising
a substrate carrying an array of sense elements arranged to change state in response to keypad operation; -
a flexible cover disposed above the substrate and having an exposed surface defining an array of independent key regions, with combination key regions defined in interstices between adjacent independent key regions; and
an array of discrete snap elements extending between the cover and the substrate and spacing the cover from the substrate, the snap elements each located between two adjacent independent key regions and adapted to resiliently collapse as a non-linear response to local pressure against the exposed cover surface to provide tactile feedback of keypad operation. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70)
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71. An IACK keypad comprising
a substrate carrying an array of sense elements arranged to change state in response to keypad operation; - a flexible cover disposed above the substrate and having an exposed surface defining an array of independent key regions, with combination key regions defined in interstices between adjacent independent key regions; and
an array of discrete snap elements extending between the cover and the substrate and spacing the cover from the substrate, the snap elements each located between two adjacent independent key regions and adapted to resiliently collapse toward the substrate as a nonlinear response to local pressure against the exposed cover surface to provide tactile feedback of keypad operation, the snap element each being symmetric in shape about an associated axis perpendicular to the substrate and intersecting the cover between adjacent independent key regions. - View Dependent Claims (72, 73, 74, 75)
- a flexible cover disposed above the substrate and having an exposed surface defining an array of independent key regions, with combination key regions defined in interstices between adjacent independent key regions; and
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76. An IACK keypad comprising
a substantially planar substrate carrying an array of sense elements arranged to change state in response to keypad operation; -
a flexible cover disposed above the substrate and having an exposed surface defining an array of key regions arranged in rows; and
at least one continuous, elongated snap element extending adjacent at least three key regions of one row of key regions, between the cover and the substrate and spacing the cover from the substrate, the snap element adapted to resiliently collapse as a non-linear response to local pressure against the exposed cover surface to provide tactile feedback of keypad operation. - View Dependent Claims (77, 78, 79)
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80. An IACK keypad comprising
a substantially planar substrate carrying an array of sense elements arranged to change state in response to keypad operation; - and
a flexible cover disposed above the substrate and having an exposed surface defining an array of independent key regions arranged in rows and columns, with combination key regions between adjacent independent key regions, and a back surface facing the substrate and held away from the substrate by collapsible snap elements therebetween, the back surface carrying an array of conductive pills located beneath corresponding independent key regions;
wherein each conductive pill has a contact surface facing the substrate, the contact surface having outer regions that slope away from the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (81, 82, 83, 84)
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85. A method of interpreting IACK keypad input, the method comprising
sensing keypad input corresponding to a combined actuation of a plurality of independent key regions of the keypad; -
comparing the sensed input to defined sets of independent key inputs corresponding to combination keys;
for sensed inputs found to correspond to a plurality of independent key regions associated with a combination key, registering a combination key input; and
,for sensed inputs found not to correspond to any combination key, comparing the sensed input to recorded custom chorded key associations; and
,for sensed inputs found to correspond to a recorded custom chorded key association, registering a sequence of characters according to the corresponding chorded key association. - View Dependent Claims (86, 87, 88, 89, 90)
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Specification