APPEARANCE ADAPTABLE KEYPAD FOR A HANDHELD COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20080318617A1
• Filed: 06/22/2007
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Ladouceur, Norman, Fyke, Steven, Griffin, Jason T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,346,294 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• 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 1/1666 Arrangements for reducing the size of the integrated keyboard for transport, e.g. foldable keyboards, keyboards with collapsible keys G06F1/1664 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/18 including more than one keyboard unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation

Abstract

A handheld communication device configurable between a telephone mode and an email mode is described. The handheld communication device has a body with a front face at which a user input is located. The user input includes an appearance-adaptable keypad configurable between a telephone keypad when the device is in the telephone mode, and a text entry keypad when the device is in the email mode. The telephone keypad includes a plurality of alphanumeric input keys. The telephone keypad is arranged in a standard telephone keypad layout when the device is in the telephone mode. The text entry keypad includes a plurality of alphabetic input keys. The text entry keypad is arranged in a standard text entry keyboard layout when the device is in the email mode.

Claims

1. A handheld communication device configurable between a telephone mode and an email mode, said device comprising:

a body having a front face at which a user input is located, said user input comprising an appearance-adaptable keypad configurable between a telephone keypad when the device is in the telephone mode and a text entry keypad when the device is in the email mode;

said telephone keypad comprising a plurality of alphanumeric input keys having letters and numbers associated therewith, said letters and numbers being arranged in a standard telephone keypad layout when the device is in the telephone mode; and

said text entry keypad comprising a plurality of alphabetic input keys having letters associated therewith, said letters being arranged in a standard text entry keyboard layout when the device is in the email mode.

2. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein said telephone keypad and said text entry keypad are mutually exclusive configurations to one another on said appearance-adaptable keypad.

3. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein said telephone keypad comprises three columns of keys with which letters and numbers of an ITU Standard E. 161 telephone keypad layout are associated.

4. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 3, wherein said text entry keypad comprises five columns of alphabetic input keys with which letters arranged in the standard text entry keyboard layout are associated.

5. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 4, wherein said letters associated with said alphabetic input keys of said text entry keypad are arranged in one of a QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, and Dvorak arrangement thereby facilitating text entry.

6. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 4, wherein said telephone keypad and at least a portion of said text entry keypad alternately occupy substantially the same area on the front face of the device.

7. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 4, said appearance-adaptable keypad further comprising a two-position light mask, said light mask having a first configuration in which said telephone keypad is presented at said front face of the body of the device and a second configuration in which said text entry keypad is presented at said front face of the body of the device.

8. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 4, wherein three of said five columns of said text entry keypad occupy substantially the same area on the front face of the device as said telephone keypad.

9. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 8, wherein two outboard columns of said five columns of said text entry keypad occupy space at the front face of the device laterally outboard of the area at the front face of the device occupied by said telephone keypad.

10. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 9, said device further comprising a transitionable key cover having a closed configuration substantially obscuring at least one column of said two outboard columns.

11. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 10, wherein said transitionable key cover further comprises an open configuration substantially exposing at least one column of said two outboard columns.

12. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 11, wherein said transitionable key cover is manually transitionable between the closed and open configurations by a user of the device.

13. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 11, wherein movement of said transitionable key cover between the closed and open configurations is automated under the control of a microprocessor on the device in correspondence with the device transitioning from the telephone mode to the email mode.

14. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 11, wherein said transitionable key cover slides relative to the body of the device between the closed and open configurations.

15. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 11, wherein said transitionable key cover pivots relative the body of the device between the closed and open configurations.

16. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a lighted display located above said appearance-adaptable keypad at the front face of the device; and

a trackball navigation tool located essentially between said lighted display and said appearance-adaptable keypad at the front face of the device.

17. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 3, wherein:

said text entry keypad comprises seven columns of alphabetic input keys with which letters arranged in the standard text entry keyboard layout are associated;

three of said seven columns of said text entry keypad occupy substantially the same area on the front face of the device as said telephone keypad; and

four outboard columns of said seven columns of said text entry keypad occupy space at the front face of the device laterally outboard of the area at the front face of the device occupied by said telephone keypad.

18. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 17, said device further comprising a transitionable key cover having a closed configuration substantially obscuring at least two columns of said four outboard columns and wherein said key cover further comprises an open configuration substantially exposing at least two columns of said four outboard columns.

19. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 18, wherein said transitionable key cover moves relative to the body of the device between the closed and open configurations by one of sliding and pivoting motion.

20. A method for configuring a handheld communication device between a telephone mode and an email mode, said method comprising:

providing a handheld communication device comprising a body having a front face at which a user input is located, the user input comprising an appearance-adaptable keypad configurable between a telephone keypad when the device is in the telephone mode and a text entry keypad when the device is in the email mode, the telephone keypad comprising a plurality of alphanumeric input keys having letters and numbers associated therewith, the letters and numbers being arranged in a standard telephone keypad layout when the device is in the telephone mode, the text entry keypad comprising a plurality of alphabetic input keys having letters associated therewith, the letters being arranged in a standard text entry keyboard layout when the device is in the email mode;

transitioning the appearance-adaptable keypad from the telephone keypad to the text entry keypad in correspondence with transition of the device from the telephone mode to the email mode; and

transitioning the appearance-adaptable keypad from the text entry keypad to the telephone keypad in correspondence with transition of the device from the email mode to the telephone mode.