Exercise keyboard

• US 20070183829A1
• Filed: 12/14/2006
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Noris John Dickson
• Original Assignee: Noris John Dickson
• Inventors: Dickson, Noris John
• Granted Patent: US 7,646,374 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 400/273
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2244/10 Combat sports
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/22 mounted on, or suspended from, a fixed support
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 5/12 Construction of key buttons
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/34 Switch arrangements, e.g. keyboards or mechanical switches specially adapted for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/231 Alphanumeric, used for musical purposes or with additional musical features, e.g. typewriter or pc-type keyboard reconfigured such that letters or symbols are assigned to musical notes

Abstract

An exercise keyboard including a substantially vertical keyboard array of keypads arranged for typing alphanumeric letters by pushing of keypads of the array so as to type one the letter per the push of one of the keypads. Each keypad is padded so as to accommodate the pushing of the keypads by striking or kicking of the keypads by a user. The array is mounted in, and advantageously to, a supporting frame and sized for the striking or kicking of the key pads by a user while standing. The keyboard is adapted for communication with a computer.

Claims

1. An exercise keyboard comprising:

a substantially vertical keyboard array of keypads arranged for typing alphanumeric letters by pushing of keypads of said array so as to type one said letter per said push of one of said keypads,

wherein each said keypad is padded so as to accommodate said pushing of said keypads by striking or kicking of said keypads by a user,

wherein said array is mounted in a supporting frame and sized for said striking or kicking by a user while standing, and wherein said keyboard is adapted for communication with a computer.

2. The keyboard of claim 1 wherein said supporting frame includes at least one substantially horizontal support mounted on at least one substantially vertical upright.

3. The keyboard of claim 2 wherein said supporting frame is substantially planar and said array is substantially planar.

4. The keyboard of claim 2 wherein said array lies substantially along an arcuate surface.

5. The keyboard of claim 4 wherein said arcuate surface includes a concave surface so as to wrap at least partially around the front of a user facing said keyboard.

6. The keyboard of claim 5 wherein said array lies in substantially entirely said concave surface.

7. The keyboard of claim 4 wherein said supporting frame is also arcuate so as to correspond in an arcuate shape corresponding to said arcuate surface.

8. The keyboard of claim 5 wherein said supporting frame is also arcuate so as to correspond in an arcuate shape corresponding to said arcuate surface.

9. The keyboard of claim 6 wherein said at least one horizontal support includes horizontal supports which are substantially entirely concave so as to correspond to said concave surface.

10. The keyboard of claim 7 wherein said at least one horizontal support includes horizontal supports which substantially correspond in shape so as to follow said arcuate surface.

11. The keyboard of claim 10 wherein said array is mounted to said horizontal supports.

12. The keyboard of claim 11 wherein said keyboard has a height dimension and wherein said height dimension is substantially head-high relative to the user.

13. The keyboard of claim 12 wherein said array includes horizontal rows of said keypads and wherein said horizontal rows are vertically selectively adjustable so that an uppermost row of said horizontal rows is adjustable up to said height dimension.

14. The keyboard of claim 13 wherein said horizontal rows are each independently vertically selectively adjustable.

15. The keyboard of claim 14 wherein said array replicates a QWERTY typing keyboard arrangement of keys.

16. The keyboard of claim 3 wherein said array replicates a QWERTY typing keyboard arrangement of keys.

17. The keyboard of claim 4 wherein said array replicates a QWERTY typing keyboard arrangement of keys.

18. The keyboard of claim 5 wherein said array replicates a QWERTY typing keyboard arrangement of keys.

19. The keyboard of claim 11 wherein said keypads of said array are resiliently mounted by resilient means to said horizontal supports.

20. The keyboard of claim 1 further comprising a computer monitor mounted above said array so as to be visible by the user when standing in front of said array and within striking distance thereof.

21. The keyboard of claim 20 further comprising a cursor controller wirelessly mountable to the user for wireless controlling of a cursor on said monitor.