ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND A METHOD IN AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20080266264A1
• Filed: 07/07/2008
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ironworks Patents LLC
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Aho, Ari, Lipponen, Markku
• Application Number:
  US12/168,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20080266264A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• 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 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/84 characterised by ergonomic functions, e.g. for miniature keyboards; characterised by operational sensory functions, e.g. sound feedback legends H01H13/83
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2223/018 rotatably
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2223/028 detachable
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2223/04 portable; hand held
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2223/046 convertible
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2231/022 Telephone handset
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/064 Simulating the appearance of touch panel
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/074 Actuation by finger touch
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• 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 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

An electronic device (1) comprises preferably at least a keyboard (4), which comprises at least one key (15a, 15b) for controlling the functions of a mobile station (1). This keyboard (4) is arranged as a keyboard plate (16). Said keyboard (4) is implemented so that it also comprises a touch sensitive element (19), over which said keyboard plate (16) is arranged so that the depression of a key is arranged to be transmitted to a touch sensitive element (19) essentially at the point of a key (15a, 15b). In addition, the electronic device (1) comprises means (21, 22b) for determining the point of depression from the touch sensitive element (19), whereby on the basis of the determined point of depression it is determined which key (15a, 15b) has been depressed.

Claims

1. An electronic device, having a keyboard, said keyboard comprising:

a touch sensitive element, a keyboard plate fixed over the touch sensitive element;

an array of keys integrally constructed in the keyboard plate at predetermined positions, wherein the depression of one of said keys of the keyboard plate causes said key to touch the touch sensitive element at a recognizable position on a coordinate grid of the touch sensitive element corresponding to the position of the key that is depressed; and

wherein the electronic device comprises a processor for correlating a predetermined meaning of the depressed key with the position on the grid of said touching on the touch sensitive element.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the keyboard plate is a keyboard mat.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the keyboard plate is a bubble membrane.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the keyboard is slidably mounted in the electronic device.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, which comprises at least one body housing element, wherein the keyboard is arranged for turning in relation to the body housing element.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the keyboard is turnable between a first and a second extreme position, and further wherein, in the first extreme position the keyboard is preferably placed over the body housing element so that the keyboard functions as protection for the display and the keyboard is at least partly invisible, and in the second extreme position the keyboard is positioned so that the keyboard and the display are essentially entirely exposed.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, further comprising another display and a second keyboard arranged for activating one or more functions of the electronic device preferably when the keyboard is in said first extreme position.

8. A method for controlling the functions of an electronic device comprising:

fixing a keyboard plate over a touch sensitive element;

forming an array of keys in the keyboard plate at predetermined positions, wherein depression of one of said keys of the keyboard plate causes said key to touch the touch sensitive element at a recognizable position on a coordinate grid of the touch sensitive element corresponding to the position of the key that is depressed; and

causing a processor to correlate a predetermined meaning for the depressed key with the position on the grid of said touching on the touch sensitive element.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the keyboard is slidably mounted on the electronic device.

10. The method according to claim 8, in which the electronic device is provided with at least one body housing element, and wherein the keyboard is constructed for turning in relation to the body housing element.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the keyboard turns between a first and a second extreme position, and wherein, in the first extreme position the keyboard is preferably placed over the body housing so that the keyboard functions as protection for the display and the keyboard is at least partly hidden, and in the second extreme position the keyboard and the display are essentially entirely exposed.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the electronic device is provided with a second display and another keyboard for activating one or more functions of the electronic device when the keyboard is in said first extreme position.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the keyboard plate is a keyboard mat.

15. The method according to claim 8, wherein the keyboard plate is a bubble membrane.

13. A keyboard for an electronic device, having at least one key for controlling the functions of the electronic device, wherein said keyboard comprises:

a touch sensitive element;

a keyboard plate fixed over the touch sensitive element so that the depression of said at least one key engages and activates the touch sensitive element at a position on the touch sensitive element corresponding to the point of the key;

a position recognizing element for recognizing the touched position on the touch sensitive element; and

a processor for correlating a predetermined meaning for the depressed key with the touched position recognized by the position recognizing element.

16. A computer program product including a computer readable medium said computer readable medium having processor readable program code embodied therein for operating a keyboard of an electronic device having a touch sensitive element, wherein the computer readable program code comprises:

computer readable program code for causing a processor of the electronic device to recognize the touch of a key of a keyboard plate mounted over the touch sensitive element and identify the position of the touch on a coordinate grid of the touch sensitive element corresponding to the position of the key; and

computer readable program code for causing the processor of the electronic device to correlate a predetermined meaning for the depressed key with the position on the grid of said touching on the touch sensitive element.