KEYBOARD, ELECTRONIC DEVICE USING THE SAME AND INPUT METHOD

• US 20120013533A1
• Filed: 11/25/2010
• Published: 01/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TPK Touch Solutions (Xiamen) Inc. (TPK Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: TPK Touch Solutions (Xiamen) Inc. (TPK Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: CHIEN, SHUN-TA, Su, Sheng-Ping
• Granted Patent: US 9,507,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0224 Key guide holders
• 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: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability

Abstract

A keyboard includes a holographic film having a holographic information of a keyboard arrangement recorded on a surface thereof; a virtual keyboard generated from the holographic film; and a touch panel adjoining the holographic film, configured to detect an information corresponding to a position being touched thereon. The keyboard is of the advantage of multi-function, convenience and portability. An electronic device using the keyboard and an input method are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A keyboard, comprising:

a holographic film having a holographic information of a keyboard arrangement recorded on a surface thereof;

a virtual keyboard generated from the holographic film; and

a touch panel adjoining the virtual keyboard generating a touch signal corresponding to a position being touched on the virtual keyboard.

2. The keyboard according to claim 1, further comprising a light source positioned under the holographic film projecting light beams to generate the virtual keyboard.

3. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein a size and a position of the virtual keyboard match that of the touch panel.

4. The keyboard according to claim 2, wherein the light beams emitted from the light source pass through the touch panel and project onto the attached holographic film forming the virtual keyboard.

5. The keyboard according to claim 4, wherein the holographic film is bonded to the touch panel.

6. The keyboard according to claim 4, further comprising a detachable structure, wherein the holographic film is attached to the touch panel via the detachable structure.

7. The keyboard according to claim 6, wherein the detachable structure is chosen from a snap-fitted connection, a bolted connection.

8. The keyboard according to claim 2, wherein the light beams emitted from the light source project onto the holographic film forming the virtual keyboard above the touch panel attached to the holographic film.

9. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the holographic film is attached to the surface of the touch panel.

10. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the holographic film is made of transparent insulation material.

11. The keyboard according to claim 10, wherein the transparent insulation material is selected from a group comprising glass, emulsion, photonic crystal and plastic.

12. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the holographic film is formed by photographing using a transmission holography technology.

13. The keyboard according to claim 2, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode, a laser diode, and/or any single color light.

14. The keyboard according to claim 2, further comprising an expender disposed in front of the light source.

15. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel is selected from a group comprising resistive touch panel, capacitive touch panel, infrared sensing touch panel, electromagnetic sensing touch panel, and acoustic wave sensing touch panel.

16. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel comprises a sensing layer to detect the contact position being touched.

18. The keyboard according to claim 2, further comprising a frame defining a groove with the touch panel mounted on the frame positioned at an open end of the groove and the light source positioned at a closed end of the groove.

17. The keyboard according to claim I, wherein the touch panel is made of transparent material.

19. An electronic device, comprising:

a host;

a keyboard, comprising;

a holographic film having a holographic information of a keyboard arrangement recorded on a surface thereof;

a virtual keyboard generated from the holographic film;

a touch panel adjoining the virtual keyboard, configured to generate a touch signal corresponding to a position being touched thereon; and

a transmission device configured to transmit the touch signal to the host.

20. The electronic device according to claim 19, further comprising a light source positioned on a surface of the holographic film configured to project light beams to make the holographic film generate the virtual keyboard.

21. The electronic device according to claim 19, wherein the transmission device is a transmission wire.

22. The electronic device according to claim 19, wherein the transmission device uses wireless transmission technology, which is selected from the group comprising Wireless Fidelity technology (WIFI), Radio Frequency Identification technology (RFID), Infrared technology (IR), and Bluetooth technology.

23. The electronic device according to claim 19, wherein the keyboard is integrated into the host.

24. The electronic device according to claim 22, wherein the electronic device is a laptop or a cell phone.

25. The electronic device according to claim 19, wherein the keyboard is integrated into a tabletop or a wall.

26. An input method, comprising:

generating a virtual keyboard from a holographic film positioned on a surface of a touch panel;

detecting position information corresponding to a position being touched on the touch panel; and

generating and outputting a touch signal corresponding to a key of the virtual keyboard based on the position information.