SPLIT KEYBOARD FOR A TABLET COMPUTER

• US 20140168085A1
• Filed: 08/05/2013
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Geartonomy, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Geartonomy, Inc.
• Inventors: Huang, Richard Yao Tien
• Granted Patent: US 8,896,541 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0216 Arrangements for ergonomically adjusting the disposition of keys of a keyboard for keyboards integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/1664
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0221 Arrangements for reducing keyboard size for transport or storage, e.g. foldable keyboards, keyboards with collapsible keys G06F3/0216 takes precedence; for keyboards integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/1666
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods

Abstract

A dual keyboard system is presented for use with a tablet computer. Each keyboard is attached to a suction cup via a hinge. The suction cups attach to the display face of the tablet computer. The keyboards can be rotated about the hinge to allow viewing of the full display of the tablet computer without detaching the keyboards. In one embodiment, the hinge is separable, allowing removal of the keyboards completely while leaving the suction cups attached to the tablet computer. In another embodiment, a master keyboard receives keystrokes directly from a slave keyboard as well as from keys located on the master keyboard. The tablet computer communicates only with the master keyboard via a radio frequency link. The slave keyboard communicates with the master keyboard via a radio frequency or infrared link.

Claims

1. A keyboard system comprising:

a) a first keyboard having;

i) a first set of keys,

ii) a first wireless transmitter, and

iii) a first keyboard processor that receives a first keystroke from one of the first set of keys and converts the first keystroke into a keyboard keystroke signal that is transmitted over the first wireless transmitter; and

b) a second keyboard having;

i) a second set of keys,

ii) a wireless receiver that receives the keyboard keystroke signal from the first wireless transmitter of the first keyboard,

iii) a second wireless transmitter, and

iv) a second keyboard processor that

(1) receives a second keystroke from the one of the second set of keys and converts the second keystroke into a first computing device keystroke signal that is transmitted over the second wireless transmitter to a computing device that implements the second keystroke through a programmed processor, and

(2) converts the keyboard keystroke signal received at the wireless receiver into a second computing device keystroke signal that is transmitted over the second wireless transmitter to the computing device that implements the first keystroke through the programmed processor;

whereby a separate computing device keystroke signal is transmitted over the second wireless transmitter for each new keystroke received on the first and second set of keys.

2. The keyboard system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless transmitter transmits an infrared signal and the wireless receiver receives the infrared signal.

3. The keyboard system of claim 2, wherein the second wireless transmitter transmits a radio frequency signal to a tablet computer.

4. The keyboard system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless transmitter transmits a first radio frequency signal and the wireless receiver receives the first radio frequency signal.

5. The keyboard system of claim 4, wherein the second wireless transmitter transmits a second radio frequency signal to a tablet computer, and further wherein the first and second radio frequency signals are both formatted according to a Bluetooth standard created by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, and further wherein the first radio frequency signal is non-discoverable at the same time the second radio frequency signal is discoverable by the tablet computer.

6. A keyboard for a tablet computer comprising:

a) a keyboard body having a top side and a bottom side;

b) a set of keys located on the top side of the keyboard body; and

c) a first suction cup having a closed end and an open end, with the closed attached to the bottom side of the keyboard body, wherein the first suction cup further comprises a first hinge having;

i) a first portion attached to the keyboard body,

ii) a second portion attached to the closed end of the first suction cup, the second portion having a flat support surface roughly parallel to an opening defined by the open end of the first suction cup, and

iii) a pivot portion between the first and second portions that allows the first and second portions to rotate with respect to one another;

wherein the bottom side of the keyboard body rests on the flat support surface of the second portion of the first hinge when the keyboard is in a use position.

7. The keyboard of claim 6, further comprising:

d) a radio frequency transmitter for transmitting keystrokes, based on pressed keys in the set of keys, as radio frequency signals.

8. The keyboard of claim 7, further comprising:

e) a tablet computer having;

i) a radio frequency receiver for receiving the transmitted keystrokes, and

ii) a flat display screen;

wherein the open end of the first suction cup is attached to the flat display screen of the tablet computer.

11. The keyboard of claim 8, further comprising:

g) a first foot located on the bottom side of the keyboard body, the first foot contacting the flat display screen of the tablet computer when the keyboard body rests on the flat support surface in the use position and the open end of the first suction cup is attached to the flat display screen.

12. The keyboard of claim 11, further comprising:

h) a second keyboard body having;

i) a top side and a bottom side,

ii) a second set of keys located on the top side of the second keyboard body, the second set of keys including a plurality of keys not found in the first set of keys,

iii) a second foot located on the bottom side of the second keyboard body,

iv) a second hinge attached to the bottom side of the second keyboard body, the second hinge having a second hinge pivot point, and

v) a second suction cup having a closed end attached to the second hinge opposite the second hinge pivot point of the keyboard body, the second suction cup also have an open end attached to the flat display screen of the tablet computer

wherein the first and second keyboard bodies are arranged such that the first suction cup is located proximal a first edge of the flat display screen and the second suction cup is located proximal to a second edge of the flat display screen opposite the first edge, such that the first and second feet are located nearer each other than the first and second suction cups.

13. The keyboard of claim 12, wherein the second keyboard body further comprises:

vi) a second wireless transmitter that transmits keyboard keystroke signals;

wherein the keyboard further comprises a wireless receiver on the first keyboard body that receives keyboard keystroke signals from the second wireless transmitter; and

further wherein the radio frequency transmitter transmits to the tablet computer keystrokes based on keyboard keystroke signals received from the second keyboard body.

14. The keyboard of claim 13, wherein the second wireless transmitter transmits an infrared signal.

15. The keyboard of claim 8, wherein the first hinge is a separable hinge.

16. The keyboard of claim 15, wherein the pivot portion of the first hinge is formed by a pair of arms on the first portion of the first hinge resting in a pair of slots found on the second portion of the first hinge, wherein the first and second portions of the first hinge can be separated by removing the pair of arms from the pair of slots.

9. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

17. A method for using a pair of keyboards with a tablet computer comprising:

a) attaching a first keyboard to a display of the tablet computer;

b) attaching a second keyboard to the display of the tablet computer;

c) receiving a first key press of a first key located on the first keyboard;

d) transmitting a first signal indicative of the first key press over a first wireless link from the first keyboard to the second keyboard;

e) transmitting a second signal indicative of the first key press over a second wireless link from the second keyboard to the tablet computer;

f) receiving a second key press of a second key located on the second keyboard; and

g) transmitting a third signal indicative of the second key press over the second wireless link from the second keyboard to the tablet computer;

 

wherein the tablet computer processes each received signal indicating a key press as an input selecting a particular key on the keyboards.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising delaying the transmission of the third signal to compensate for the any delay between receiving the first key press of the first key and the transmission of the second signal.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of attaching the first keyboard to the display of the tablet computer further comprises:

i) attaching the first keyboard to a suction cup via a hinge,

ii) attaching the suction cup to the display of the tablet computer, and

iii) swiveling the first keyboard about the hinge from a vertical position to a horizontal position resting on a support surface of the suction cup that is approximately parallel with the display of the tablet computer.

20. A method for using a pair of keyboards with a computing device comprising:

a) providing a first keyboard having a first subset of keys;

b) providing a second keyboard having a second subset of keys, the second subset of keys having a plurality of keys not found in the first subset of keys;

c) establishing a first Bluetooth connection directly between the first keyboard and the computing device;

d) establishing a second Bluetooth connection between the second keyboard and the first keyboard;

e) submitting a first keystroke signal communicating a single first keystroke of a first key on the first keyboard to the computing device over the first Bluetooth connection without the first keystroke signal passing through the second keyboard; and

f) submitting a second keystroke signal communicating a single second keystroke of a second key on the second keyboard to the computing device over the first and second Bluetooth connections by passing the second keystroke signal through the first keyboard and by having the first keyboard retransmit the second keystroke signal received from the second Bluetooth connection over the first Bluetooth connection;

 

wherein the computing device processes each keystroke signal as an input selecting a particular key on the keyboards.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

g) allowing the first and second keyboards to enter a low energy sleep mode;

h) waking the second keyboard upon receiving a first waking keystroke on the second subset of keys;

i) waking the first keyboard upon receipt of a first waking keystroke signal from the second keyboard over the second Bluetooth connection.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising delaying the submission of the first keystroke signal over the first Bluetooth connection to compensate for any delay between the single second keystroke of the second key and the receipt of the second keystroke signal by the first keyboard.