Reduced keypad

• US 20050237228A1
• Filed: 02/17/2005
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varia Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Wildseed Ltd. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Engstrom, G. Eric, Salman, Majeed D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,202,802 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/039 Selective or different modes of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation methods for entering alphabetical characters per se G06F3/0237

Abstract

An apparatus is provided with a first plurality of input keys. Each of the first plurality of input keys is associated with at least one numeric value and at least one alphabetic value and arranged in a numeric and first alphabetic telephone keypad arrangement. The apparatus is also provided with a second plurality of input keys that are at least partially surrounding the first plurality of input keys. At least some of the second plurality of input keys are associated with at least one alphabetic value. Further, input keys of the first and the second plurality of input keys are arranged relative to each other to form a second alphabetic arrangement.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first plurality of input keys, at least some input keys of the first plurality of input keys being associated with both a numeric value and a first set of alphabetic values, at least some of the input keys of the first plurality of input keys being arranged in a first alphabetic keypad layout based on their respective first sets of alphabetic values; and

a second plurality of input keys positioned adjacent to the first plurality of input keys, at least some input keys of the second plurality of input keys being associated with at least one alphabetic value, at least some of the input keys of the second plurality of input keys being arranged in a second alphabetic keypad layout different from the first alphabetic keypad layout and wherein at least some input keys of the first plurality of input keys have a second set of alphabetic values that is used as part of the second alphabetic keypad layout.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first alphabetic keypad layout corresponds to a numeric and alphabetic telephone keypad layout and wherein each of the respective first sets of alphabetic values comprises a first set of alphabetically ordered letters.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the alphabetically ordered letters corresponds to a DTMF signal consistent with a DTMF signal corresponding to a respective each of alphabetically ordered letters of a conventional telephone keypad layout.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the first plurality of input keys is a numeric key associated with a unique number and the correspondence between each of the numeric keys and the alphabetically ordered letters of the first set of alphabetic values is the same as the correspondence between each of the numeric keys and letters of a conventional telephone keyboard.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least some input keys associated with both a numeric value and a first set of alphabetic values is associated with a set of alphabetic values selected from a set A, B, C, a set D, E, F, a set G, H, I, a set J, K, L, a set M, N, O, a set P, Q, R, S, a set T, U, V, and a set W, X, Y, Z.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second alphabetic keypad layout comprises a standard keyboard layout.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second alphabetic keypad layout comprises any non-standard keyboard layout.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second alphabetic keypad layout comprises a QWERTY keyboard layout or a Dvorak keyboard layout.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one set from the first or second sets of alphabetic values comprises a single alphabetic value.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a particular numeric value, an alphabetic value from the first set, or an alphabetic value from the second set is selectable based on a number of key activations applied to a corresponding input key.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a processor to receive a signal corresponding to an activation at one of the first and the second plurality of input keys to process a predictive text routine.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a keyboard for use on a portable electronic device.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus is a portable electronic device.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a wireless mobile communication device, including a wireless communication interface to facilitate wireless communication with a communication station of a wireless network service provider.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first alphabetic keypad layout corresponds to a numeric telephone keypad layout and wherein each of the respective first sets of alphabetic values comprises a first set of letters wherein letters with a higher frequency of use are positioned before letters with a lower frequency of use.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a first plurality of input keys, each of the first plurality of input keys associated with at least one numeric value and at least one alphabetic value and arranged in a numeric and first alphabetic telephone keypad arrangement;

a second plurality of input keys, at least partially surrounding the first plurality of input keys, at least some of the second plurality of input keys associated with at least one alphabetic value and wherein input keys of the first and the second plurality of input keys are arranged relative to each other to form a second alphabetic arrangement; and

a processor, coupled to the first and the second plurality of input keys to detect one or more key activations at the first or the second plurality of input keys, the one or more key activations corresponding to a selection of one or more of the associated alphabetic or numeric values.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first alphabetic telephone keypad arrangement corresponds to an alphabetic telephone keypad arrangement of approximately three or four alphabetically ordered letters associated with at least some of the first plurality of input keys.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein each of the at least some of the first plurality of input keys are associated with at least one of the numeric values 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first and second plurality of input keys are arranged in a plurality of non-linear rows to form substantially a v-shape.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second alphabetic arrangement comprises a standard keyboard layout including but not limited to a QWERTY keyboard layout.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second alphabetic arrangement comprises a modified QWERTY or non-standard keyboard arrangement.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one of the first and second plurality of input keys is associated with a non-alphabetic or non-numeric value.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one of the first and second plurality of input keys corresponds to at least one of a punctuation key, a function key or a cursor-control key.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the non-alphabetic value corresponds to an ampersand, asterisk or a pound sign.

25. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first and second plurality of input keys include input keys rendered on a display.

26. An apparatus, comprising:

four rows of data entry keys, each of the four rows including a plurality of keys wherein each of the keys in the plurality is assigned a set of characters from a plurality of sets, each of the sets including at least one character;

wherein the plurality of sets includes at least the set Q, W, the set E, R, the set T, Y, the set U, I, the set O, P, the set A, S, the set D, F, the set G, H, the set J, the set K, L, the set L, the set Z, X, the set C, the set V, B, the set N, and the set M; and

a controller including a key map, the key map to map a combination of one or more key activations and a data entry key to a corresponding character included in the plurality of sets of characters.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein some of the keys in the plurality are further assigned a second set of characters from a second plurality of sets, each of the sets including letters in consecutive alphabetic order.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein each of the keys in the plurality assigned a second set of characters is a numeric key, and wherein the correspondence between each of the numeric keys and second sets of characters is substantially the same as the correspondence between each of the numeric keys and letters on a conventional telephone keyboard.

29. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the plurality of sets assigned to each of the plurality of keys further includes at least one of the sets:

set E, set J, K, set T, Y, and set U, I.