Keyboard for Mobile Device

• US 20070281747A1
• Filed: 05/31/2006
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lowles, Robert, Griffin, Jason T., Ladouceur, Norman M., Pletikosa, Velimir
• Granted Patent: US 7,953,448 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/564
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0225 Rotatable telephones, i.e. the body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0231 Including a rotatable keypad body part
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0233 Including a rotatable display body part
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0241 using relative motion of the body parts to change the operational status of the telephone set, e.g. switching on/off, answering incoming call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations

Abstract

A keyboard for a mobile device 400 having a processor 618 for interpreting signals comprises a plurality of keys 410-424 and corresponding indicia including keys associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to an array of letters A-Z. The keys 410-419 that are associated with alphabetic characters number fewer than twenty-six and correspond to one of a QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, or DVORAK key arrangement. Each of the plurality of keys 410-424 have multiple input surfaces and are arranged in an array of rows and columns that include a first outer column, at least one middle column, and a last outer column. The first and last columns of keys are operable to input at least three different signals to a processor 618 of a mobile device 400 depending upon what input surface of the key 410-424 is pressed. A middle column of keys is operable to input at least five different signals to a processor 618 depending on what input surface of the key 410-424 is pressed.

Claims

1. A keyboard for a mobile device having a processor for interpreting signals, the keyboard comprising:

a plurality of keys and corresponding indicia including keys associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to an array of letters A-Z, said keys that are associated with alphabetic characters numbering fewer than twenty-six and corresponding to one of a QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, or DVORAK key arrangement, each of said plurality of keys having multiple input surfaces and being arranged in an array of rows and columns, including a first outer column, at least one middle column, and a last outer column,

wherein the first and last columns of keys are operable to input at least three different signals to a processor of a mobile device depending upon what input surface of the key is pressed; and

a middle column of keys is operable to input at least five different signals to a processor depending on what input surface of the key is pressed.

2. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of keys have three input surfaces, and the keys having three input surfaces are positioned in the outer columns of the array, with each of the three surface keys being operable to input three different signals to a processor of a mobile device depending on which of the surfaces of the key is pressed;

and

at least some of the plurality of keys have five input surfaces, and the keys having five input surfaces are positioned in the middle column of the array, with each of the five surface keys being operable to input five different signals to a processor of a mobile device depending on which of surfaces of the key is pressed.

3. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the plurality of keys comprises at least twelve keys having multiple input surfaces, with each key having a surface corresponding to one of the numeral 0-9 and the characters # and * such that a telephony key arrangement is present on the mobile device.

4. The keyboard of claim 3, wherein each of the numerals 1, 4, 7, and * are associated with keys in the first outer column, each of the numerals 2, 5, 8, and 0 are associated with keys in the middle column, and each of the numerals 3, 6, 9, and # are associated with keys in the last outer column.

5. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the plurality of keys are substantially rectangular and further comprising a single click dome switch positioned underneath each key, and corner actuators positioned underneath each corner of the middle column of keys.

6. The keyboard of claim 3, wherein the number of input surfaces associated with alphabetic characters is twenty-six and the number of input surfaces associated with telephony characters is twelve.

7. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein each key of the outer columns of keys has two raised surfaces on an outer edge thereof and a depressed surface that is located in the vicinity of the center thereof.

8. The keyboard of claim 7, wherein each key of the middle column of keys has four raised surfaces on the outer edges thereof and a depressed center surface located in the vicinity of the center thereof.

9. The keyboard of claim 8, wherein each raised key surface is located at a corner of the respective key.

10. The keyboard of claim 9, wherein each raised key surface is rounded for tactile response to a user.

11. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein a first outer column of keys comprises key surfaces corresponding in order to letters “

Q”

, “

W”

, “

E”

, “

R”

, “

T”

, “

Y”

, “

U”

, “

I”

, “

O”

, and “

P”

; and

the middle column of keys comprises a first key with four raised surfaces corresponding to letters “

A”

, “

S”

, “

Z”

, and “

X”

;

a second key with four raised surfaces corresponding to letters “

D”

, “

F”

, “

C”

, and “

V”

;

a third key with four raised surfaces corresponding to letters “

G”

, “

H”

, “

B”

, and “

N”

;

a fourth key with four raised surfaces, three of which correspond to letters “

J”

, “

K”

, and “

M”

; and

a fifth key with four raised surfaces, one of which corresponds to letter “

L”

.

12. The keyboard of claim 11, wherein one of the key surfaces of the keys in the last column corresponds to a return/enter function.

13. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the array of alphabetic characters is associated with one of the two outer columns and the middle column of keys, and a telephony key arrangement is associated with each of the first outer, the middle, and the last outer columns.

14. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the indicia is positioned on the plurality of keys such that the keyboard may be utilized in a vertical or horizontal orientation.

15. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the plurality of keys are substantially square, the indicia positioned on the keys is positioned at an angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the keys.

16. A keyboard for a mobile device having a processor for interpreting signals comprising:

a plurality of keys including keys associated with a first set of indicia and keys associated with a second set of indicia, wherein at least some of the keys in the first set overlap with keys in the second set such that multiple indicia is present on at least some of the plurality of keys;

wherein the indicia associated with the first set is substantially upright; and

the indicia associated with the second set is oriented at an angle relative to the substantially upright orientation of the first set.

17. The keyboard of claim 16, wherein the angle is approximately 45 degrees.

18. The keyboard of claim 16, wherein the angle is approximately 90 degrees.

19. The keyboard of claim 16, wherein the first set of indicia includes alphabetic characters, and the second set of indicia includes telephony characters.

20. The keyboard of claim 19, wherein the alphabetic characters are arranged in a QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, DVORAK, or alphabetic layout.

21. The keyboard of claim 19, wherein the telephony characters are arranged in a three-by-four phone keypad layout.

22. The keyboard of claim 16, wherein a dual-function set of keys is a subset of both the first set and second set of keys, and the dual-function set has indicia associated with at least one first function that is associated with the first set and indicia associated with at least one second function that is associated with the second set.

23. The keyboard of claim 16, wherein the plurality of keys has multiple surfaces and are arranged in an array of rows and columns, the columns comprising at least a first outer column, a last outer column, and a middle column,

the keys in the outer columns are operable to input at least three different signals to a processor of the mobile device depending upon which surface of the key is pressed;

the keys in the middle column are operable to input at least five different signals to a processor of the mobile device depending on which surface of the key is pressed;

the first set of indicia is associated with a raised surface of the keys, and the second set of indicia is associated with a depressed surface of the keys.

24. A method for operating the keyboard of claim 16 on a mobile device, the mobile device including a keypad portion and a display portion that are coupled to one another via a coupling, the keypad portion and the display portion being rotatable with respect to each other at the coupling between at least a first operational configuration and a second operational configuration, the display portion having a longitudinal axis, the steps of the method comprising:

orienting the device in the first configuration such that the longitudinal axis of the display portion is substantially upright;

rotating the display portion with respect to the keypad portion to a second configuration such that the longitudinal axis of the display portion is substantially horizontal.

25. A mobile device having a processor for interpreting signals comprising:

a display portion having a display screen;

a keypad portion rotatably coupled to the display portion and having a keyboard that is arranged in an array of rows and columns, with the columns including a first outer column, at least one middle column, and a last outer column, the keyboard being operatively associated with the processor;

the keyboard including

a plurality of keys and corresponding indicia including keys associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to an array of letters A-Z, said plurality of keys associated with alphabetic characters numbering fewer than 26 and being arranged in a key layout that comprises at least one of QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, and DVORAK;

the two outer columns having a plurality of keys that are operable to input at least three different signals to a processor depending on which surface of the key is pressed; and

the middle column having a plurality of keys that are operable to input at least five different signals to a processor depending on which surface of the key is pressed.

26. The device of claim 25, further comprising means for selectively lighting at least some of the keys and wherein at least some of the keys are selectively lighted.