Finger-identifying keyboard

• US 20050024338A1
• Filed: 09/01/2004
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ye, Sheng
• Application Number:
  US10/931,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20050024338A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods

Abstract

The present invention provides a finger-identifying keyboard, comprising a plurality of keys; a plurality of sensors, each of which uniquely represents and identifies a different finger; a coding synthesizer used to identify simultaneously the keys and the fingers used to press the keys, to synthesize the coding and to generate the resultant input coding signal. The invention can effectively reduce the number of keys on the keyboard, thereby achieving the goal of reducing the size of the keyboard so as to be adapted to the requirements of various handheld devices. Even though the size of the keyboard is reduced, the size of the finger keys can remain the same size to facilitate typing.

Claims

1. A finger-identifying keyboard, comprising:

a plurality of keys;

a plurality of sensors, each of which is uniquely associated with a different finger;

a coding synthesizer used to simultaneously identify the keys and the fingers used to press the keys, to synthesize the coding, and generate the resultant input coding signal.

2. A finger-identifying keyboard according to claim 1, wherein said sensor is a contact sensor.

3. A finger-identifying keyboard according to claim 1, wherein said sensor is a magnetic sensor.

4. A finger-identifying keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the number of said keys is 15.

5. A finger-identifying keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the number of the sensors worn on the fingers is four.

6. A finger-identifying keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the coding synthesizer is an ‘

AND’

gate.

7. A keyboard including:

a plurality of keys wherein at least one key of said plurality of keys represents a plurality of different symbols with each symbol representing a different character; and

a synthesizer responsive to a first signal from the at least one key and a second signal from one of the symbols to generate a third signal representative of a particular character.

8. The keyboard of claim 7 wherein the first signal is generated by a finger pressing said at least one key.

9. The keyboard of claim 8 wherein the second signal is provided by a sensor carried on the finger and simultaneously activated with the first signal when the at least one key is pressed.

10. The keyboard of claim 7 wherein the synthesizer includes at least one ‘

AND’

gate receiving the first signal and second signal and outputting the third signal.

11. A method to generate key strokes comprising the acts of:

providing a keyboard having a plurality of keys with at least one key representing a plurality of characters;

receiving in a synthesizer a first signal representing activation of said at least one key and a second signal representing activation of one of the plurality of characters; and

generating from said synthesizer a third signal representing a predetermined key stroke.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the second signal is generated from activation of a sensor carried on a finger.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the third signal produces a character output.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein the second signal is generated by a contact sensor on a finger.

15. The method according to claim 12 wherein the second signal is generated by a magnetic sensor on the finger.

16. The method according to claim 12 wherein the keyboard is provided with 15 keys.

17. The method according to claim 12 wherein four finger sensors are placed on only one hand.

18. The method according to claim 12 wherein four finger sensors are placed on each hand.