Dedicated keyboard navigation system and method

• US 20020188721A1
• Filed: 05/15/2001
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comfyware Limited
• Original Assignee: Comfyware Limited
• Inventors: Lemel, Gil, Gofer, Ety
• Granted Patent: US 7,170,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards

Abstract

A system for the secure access of individuals belonging to a community to Internet resources, comprising a dedicated keyboard provided with an identification means suitable to identify it when accessing a web site, and an automatic URL calling means suitable to force a browser coupled with said keyboard to open a web page the URL of which is supplied by said keyboard, the system further comprise one or more web pages the access from which is limited to specific predetermined web pages, the access to the World Wide Web from such pages being precluded.

Claims

1. A system for the secure access of individuals belonging to a community to Internet resources, comprising a dedicated keyboard provided with

a) identification means suitable to identify it when accessing a web site, and

b) automatic URL calling means suitable to force a browser coupled with said keyboard to open a web page the URL of which is supplied by said keyboard;

said system further comprising one or more web pages the access from which is limited to specific predetermined web pages, the access to the World Wide Web from such pages being precluded.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the URL calling means comprises a hardware device.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the URL calling means comprises a software.

4. A method for the secure access of individuals belonging to a community to Internet resources, comprising providing:

a) a dedicated keyboard provided with identification means suitable to identify it when accessing a web site, and with automatic URL calling means, suitable to force a browser coupled with said keyboard to open a web page the URL of which is supplied by said keyboard;

b) providing one or more web pages associated with the system;

c) limiting the access from such web pages only to other specific predetermined web pages; and

d) precluding the access to the World Wide Web from such pages.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising means to allow a user of the system to interact with another user of the system the identifying code of whose keyboard he knows.

6. A method for the navigation and accession of hyperlinked documents utilizing a dedicated keyboard device, comprising:

a) providing a computerized system having I/O ports, and a parser for hyperlinked document applications;

b) providing hyperlinked applications/documents which comprise key accession events;

c) providing a dedicated keyboard device in which the keys are marked or shaped so as to designate their purpose and/or function; and

d) interacting with said hyperlinked document applications, through said dedicated keyboard device.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the keys of the dedicated keyboard device are shaped in the form of icons and/or symbols.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein a standard keyboard device is allowed to remain operative while the dedicated keyboard device in connected to the system.

9. A method according to claim 6, further comprising a parallel-to-serial converting device having an I/O port connected to an I/O port of said computerized system, said device being capable of receiving inputs of one or more dedicated parallel keyboard device(s), and of providing an output corresponding to that of a serial device.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising a selecting device to select the keyboard device that supplies an input to the system.

11. A method according to claim 6, wherein the dedicated keyboard device has a parallel I/O port, and wherein the arbitration device comprises means for converting input symbols from said parallel output port, into a serial stream of bits.

12. A method according to claim 6, wherein the dedicated keyboard device comprises an arbitration device having a serial I/O port, said arbitration device being capable of receiving inputs of one or more keyboard device(s) and/or of said dedicated keyboard device(s), and selecting the active input to be provided on said serial I/O port.

13. A method according to claim 6, wherein the computerized system is connected to a computer network and/or the Internet, and the hyperlinked document applications are stored on computers/servers connected to said computer network and/or the Internet.

14. A method according to any one of claims 4 to 13, wherein the dedicated keyboard device comprise a unique identifying code, and wherein a computers/servers being in connection with the computerized system through a computer network and/or the Internet, is capable of interrogating said dedicated keyboard device, and obtaining said unique identifying code.

15. A method according to claim 6, wherein the hyperlinked document is an SGML document, and the hyperlinked document application is an SGML application.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the SGML document application is an HTML document.

17. A method according to claims 6 or 13, wherein hyperlinked document/application(s) are automatically loaded to the computerized system whenever the dedicated keyboard device is activated, comprising:

a) providing a software application operating on said computerized system, said software application periodically interrogating the computerized system I/O port(s) to detect if said dedicated keyboard device is attached and active, upon detection of activation/connection of said dedicated keyboard device, performing the following steps;

a.1) activating a predetermined SGML application utilizing an appropriate parser, and loading an SGML document, said SGML document residing on said computerized system or on other computer/server in the computer network and/or Internet; and

a.2) accessing/navigating other SGML documents linked to said SGML application, utilizing keys of said dedicated keyboard device.

18. An arbitration device for selecting the keyboard device that supplies an input to the computerized system, comprising:

a) a parallel to serial converter;

b) a selector;

c) one or more I/O serial ports of serial device(s);

d) one or more parallel I/O ports of a dedicated keyboard device; and

e) a standard serial keyboard I/O port.

19. A system for the navigation and accession of hyperlinked documents, comprising:

a) computer apparatus;

b) display mean; and

c) dedicated keyboard device;

wherein the dedicated keyboard device is provided with dedicated keys marked or shaped so as to visually correspond to a hyperlinked marked portion of a document displayed on the display means.

20. A system for the navigation and accession of hyperlinked documents, comprising:

a) computer apparatus;

b) display mean; and

c) dedicated keyboard device;

wherein the dedicated keyboard device comprise keys shaped in the form of icons and/or symbols.

21. A system according to claim 20, further comprising a telephone set, connected the computer, and enabling telephone communication via a computer network and/or the Internet.

22. A system according to claim 20, in which the appearance of the keys is changed utilizing key covers, where said key covers are shaped in the form of icons and/or symbols.

23. A system for the navigation and accession of hyperlinked documents, comprising:

a) computer apparatus;

b) display mean; and

c) dedicated keyboard device;

further comprising an arbitration device comprising a parallel to serial converter, a selector, one or more serial I/O ports of serial device(s), and one or more parallel I/O ports of a dedicated keyboard device.