Ergonomic Keyboard

• US 20140199107A1
• Filed: 01/14/2013
• Published: 07/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Maria J. Jorge
• Original Assignee: Maria J. Jorge
• Inventors: Jorge, Maria J.
• Application Number:
  US13/740,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20140199107A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 400/489
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device

Abstract

An ergonomic keyboard comprises a right hand module and a left hand module. Each of the modules comprises multiple parallel adjacent banks of four aligned keys. Each key is sequentially positioned at a mean distance from a reference position and has a corresponding effective actuation surface defined by an effective height and surface profile orientation. Each of the reference positions is determined by the relative length of the digits of a representative human hand.

Claims

1. An ergonomic keyboard comprising:

a right hand module comprising four parallel, adjacent banks b1, b2, b3 and b4 of four aligned keys k1, k2, k3 and k4, each key k1, k2, k3 and k4 of each bank sequentially positioned at a distance d1, d2, d3 and d4 from a reference position r1, r2, r3 and r4 and having a unique corresponding effective actuation surface s1, s2, s3 and s4 defined by an effective height and a surface configuration, each reference position r1, r2, r3 and r4 being determined by relative lengths of digits of a representative human hand wherein the distances d1, d2, d3 and d4 for each bank b1, b2, b3 and b4 are correspondingly equal and the surfaces s1, s2, s3 and s4 for each bank b1, b2, b3 and b4 are correspondingly substantially the same; and

a left hand module comprising four parallel, adjacent banks B1, B2, B3 and B4 of four aligned keys K1, K2, K3 and K4, each key K1, K2, K3 and K4 of each bank sequentially positioned at a distance D1, D2, D3 and D4 from a reference position R1, R2, R3 and R4 and having a unique corresponding effective actuation surface S1, S2, S3 and S4 defined by an effective height and a surface configuration, each reference position R1, R2, R3 and R4 being determined by relative lengths of digits of a representative human hand wherein the distances D1, D2, D3 and D4 for each bank B1, B2, B3 and B4 are correspondingly equal and the surfaces S1, S2, S3 and S4 for each bank B1, B2, B3 and B4 are correspondingly substantially the same.

2. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 1 wherein keys k1, k2, k3 and k4, each have a mean height for the corresponding surfaces s1, s2, s3 and s4 which are correspondingly substantially the same for each bank.

3. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 2 wherein the respective mean heights are such that s2 is less than s1 and s3, and s4 has a greater height than s1, s2 and s3.

4. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 3 wherein the surface s1 has a medial profile which is oriented at an angle to the vertical at a first direction, the surface for s2 has a medial profile which is oriented at a general angle with respect to the vertical at a second direction, and the surface for s3 has a medial profile which is oriented at a third angle orientation to the vertical.

5. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 1 wherein the distance between d1 and d2, the distance between d2 and d3, and the distance between d3 and d4 are substantially equal.

6. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 1 wherein said right hand module and said left hand module are integrated into a common keyboard.

7. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 1 wherein said right hand module and said left hand module are physically separated from each other and are relatively displaceable.

8. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 1 further comprising a fifth bank of four aligned keys wherein each key is sequentially positioned at the distance d1, d2, d3 and d4 from the reference position r4.

10. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 1 wherein keys k1, k2, k3 and k4, each have a height for the respective surfaces s1, s2, s3 and s4 which are correspondingly equal to the height for surfaces S1, S2, S3 and S4.

11. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 10 wherein the respective heights are such that s2 is less than s1 and s3, and s4 has a greater height than s1, s2 and s3.

12. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 11 wherein the surfaces s1 and S1 each have a medial profile which is oriented at an angle to the vertical at a first direction, the surface for s2 and S2 each have a medial profile which is oriented at a general angle with respect to the vertical at a second direction, and the surfaces for s3 and S3 each have a medial profile which is oriented at a third angle orientation to the vertical.

13. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 1 wherein d1 equals D1, d2 equals D2, d3 equals D3 and d4 equals D4 and, the distance between d1 and d2, the distance between d2 and d3, and the distance between d3 and d4 are substantially equal.

9. An ergonomic keyboard comprising:

a right hand module comprising five parallel, adjacent banks b1, b2, b3, b4 and b5 of four aligned keys k1, k2, k3 and k4, each key k1, k2, k3 and k4 of each bank sequentially positioned at a distance d1, d2, d3 and d4 from a reference position r1, r2, r3 and r4 and having a corresponding effective pad surface s1, s2, s3 and s4 defined by a mean height, each reference position r1, r2, r3 and r4 being determined by relative lengths of digits of a representative human hand wherein the distances d1, d2, d3 and d4 for each bank b1, b2, b3, b4 and b5 are correspondingly equal and the respective mean heights of pad surfaces s1, s2, s3 and s4 for each bank b1, b2, b3, b4 and b5 are correspondingly substantially equal; and

a left hand module comprising four parallel, adjacent banks B1, B2, B3 and B4 of four aligned keys K1, K2, K3 and K4, each key K1, K2, K3 and K4 of each bank sequentially positioned at a distance D1, D2, D3 and D4 from a reference position R1, R2, R3 and R4 and having a corresponding effective pad surface S1, S2, S3 and S4 defined by a mean height, each reference position R1, R2, R3 and R4 being determined by relative lengths of digits of a representative human hand wherein the distances D1, D2, D3 and D4 for each bank B1, B2, B3 and B4 are correspondingly equal and the respective mean heights of pad surfaces S1, S2, S3 and S4 for each bank B1, B2, B3 and B4 are correspondingly substantially equal.

14. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 9 wherein said right hand module and said left hand module are integrated into a common keyboard.

15. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 9 wherein said right hand module and said left hand module are physically separated from each other.

16. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 9 further comprising a fifth bank of four aligned keys for each said module.

17. An ergonomic keyboard comprising:

a module comprising four parallel, adjacent banks b1, b2, b3 and b4 of four aligned keys k1, k2, k3 and k4, each key k1, k2, k3 and k4 of each bank sequentially positioned at a distance d1, d2, d3 and d4 from a reference position r1, r2, r3 and r4 and having a corresponding effective actuation surface s1, s2, s3 and s4 defined by an effective mean height and a surface configuration, each reference position r1, r2, r3 and r4 being determined by relative lengths of digits of a representative human hand wherein the distances d1, d2, d3 and d4 for each bank b1, b2, b3 and b4 are correspondingly equal and the effective mean height and surface configurations for respective surfaces s1, s2, s3 and s4 for each bank b1, b2, b3 and b4 are correspondingly substantially the same.

18. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 17 wherein the respective mean heights are such that s2 is less than s1 and s3, and s4 has a greater height than s1, s2 and s3.

19. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 18 wherein the surface s1 has a medial profile which is oriented at an angle to the vertical at a first direction, the surface for s2 has a medial profile which is oriented at a general angle with respect to the vertical at a second direction, and the surface for s3 has a medial profile which is oriented at a third angle orientation to the vertical.

20. The ergonomic keyboard of claim 17 wherein the distance between d1 and d2, the distance between d2 and d3, and the distance between d4 and d3 are substantially equal.