Key arrangement for a keyboard

• US 20060022947A1
• Filed: 07/30/2004
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Griffin, Jason T., Tyneski, Frank M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,439,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1664 Arrangements for ergonomically adjusting the disposition of keys of the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• 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

Abstract

A key arrangement includes a plurality of keys that are arranged in a regular grid of rows and columns. The columns include a first column, a last column, and at least one middle column. The keys in the first and last columns are smaller than the keys in the at least one middle column. A method for improving the ergonomics of a key arrangement on a keyboard of a fixed size is provided. A method for designing a key arrangement for a mobile communication device is also provided.

Claims

1. A key arrangement comprising:

a plurality of keys arranged in a regular grid of rows and columns, said columns comprising a first column, at least one middle column, and a last column, wherein the keys in the first and last columns are smaller than the keys in the at least one middle column.

2. The key arrangement of claim 1, wherein the plurality of keys have a width and a height, and the width of the keys in the first and last columns is smaller than the width of the keys in the at least one middle column.

3. The key arrangement of claim 1, wherein the plurality of keys have at least a first dimension and a second dimension, and the first dimension of the keys in the first and last columns is smaller than the first dimension of the keys in the at least one middle column.

4. The key arrangement of claim 1, wherein the keys have a shape and the shape is one of regular or irregular.

5. The key arrangement of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of keys has the same shape and the keys in the first and last columns are a smaller version of the same shape.

6. The key arrangement of claim 1, wherein the plurality of keys comprise keys having at least a first shape, a second shape and a third shape.

7. A mobile communication device comprising:

a housing;

a keyboard comprising the key arrangement of claim 1 coupled to the housing; and

a display coupled to the housing.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 7, wherein the housing has a face with a top side, a bottom side, a left side, and a right side, and the first column is positioned adjacent the left side and the last column is positioned adjacent the right side.

9. A key arrangement comprising:

a first set of keys having at least one first size arranged in a pattern that has a plurality of sides; and

a second set of keys positioned around at least two of the sides of the pattern, wherein the second set of keys has a second size that is smaller than the at least one first size.

10. The key arrangement of claim 9, wherein the at least two sides comprise part of the periphery of the pattern.

11. The key arrangement of claim 9, wherein the first size comprises a first width and the second size comprises a second width, and the first width is greater than the second width.

12. The key arrangement of claim 9, wherein the first size comprises a first height and a first width and the second size comprises a second height and a second width, with the first height being greater than the second height and the first width being greater than the second width.

13. The key arrangement of claim 9, wherein the pattern comprises a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, with keys in the outermost columns of the pattern being the second set of keys.

14. A device comprising:

a housing having a face with a top, a bottom, a left side, and a right side;

a display coupled to the face of the housing; and

a keyboard coupled to the face of the housing, the keyboard comprising;

a plurality of keys arranged in a pattern that has a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, with the plurality of columns including a first column, a last column, and at least one middle column, the keys in the first column being positioned adjacent the left side of the housing and the keys in the last column being positioned adjacent the right side of the housing, wherein the keys in the first and last columns have a size that is smaller than the size of the keys in the at least one middle column.

15. A method for improving the ergonomics of a key arrangement on a keyboard of a fixed size comprising:

providing a plurality of keys arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows, wherein the plurality of columns comprises a first column, a last column, and at least one middle column;

defining the key size for the keys in the at least one middle column to have at least one first size;

defining the key size for the keys in the first and last columns to have a second size that is smaller than the corresponding at least one first size.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first size is at least one of a width and a height.

17. A method for designing a key arrangement for a mobile communication device, the key arrangement including a plurality of keys arranged in a grid pattern that includes a plurality of columns, said plurality of columns including a plurality of middle columns that are flanked by outer columns, the method comprising:

measuring a width of a face of a mobile communication device;

dividing the width of the face by a number corresponding to the number of columns of keys to determine a preliminary key width;

subtracting an amount from the preliminary key width to determine an outer column key width, said amount corresponding to a decrease in width for keys in the outer columns of the grid pattern of keys;

multiplying the preliminary key width by the number of middle columns to determine a preliminary total middle key width;

adding the preliminary total middle key width to the amount multiplied by two to determine a final total middle key width;

dividing the final total middle key width by the number of middle columns to determine a final key width for the keys in the middle columns.