Keyboard entry system

• US 4,638,306 A
• Filed: 01/30/1984
• Issued: 01/20/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Quixote Corporation (Trinity Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Quixote Corporation (Trinity Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Endo, Yukio, Rollhaus, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Rowland, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rittmaster, T.
• Application Number:
  US06/574,894
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 340/365 R, 340/365 E, 340/365 VL, 340/365 S, 364/709, 179/90 K, 400/100, 400/101, 400/102, 400/91, 400/92, 400/93, 400/87, 400/88, 400/110
• US Class Current: 341/28
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 5/10 Arrangements of keyboards , e.g. key button disposition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

A keyboard entry system is disclosed which comprises a keyboard which includes a plurality of letter keys, one for each letter of a selected language. The entry system responds to conventional sequential activation of individual keys by providing output signals indicative of the respective individual letters associated with the activated keys to an application program such as a word processor or printer control program. The keyboard entry system also responds to chords of simultaneously activated multiple keys by using these chords to retrieve stored words from a dictionary. It is the stored words rather than the entered chords which are applied as inputs to the application program. This system allows an operator to use both conventional sequential key entry techniques and chorded entry techniques for rapid data entry.

Claims

1. A keyboard entry system for a selected language, said system comprising:

a keyboard comprising a plurality of keys, said plurality of keys comprising a set of letter keys comprising a respective key for each letter of said selected language;

first means, responsive to the plurality of letter keys, for generating keying signals in response to activation of the letter keys, each keying singal characterized by a respective activation time;

second means, responsive to the first means, for generating output signals in response to the keying signals, said second means comprising;

means for classifying a plurality of keying signals as a key chord in the event the respective activation times satisfy predetermined criteria, said classifying means comprising;

means for setting a time threshold value prior to initiation of a typing session in said selected language;

means for comparing an elapsed time separating the activation times of a pair of the keying signals included in the plurality of keying signals with said time threshold value; and

means for designating said plurality of keying signals as a key chord in the event a selected one of the elapsed time and the time threshold value is greater than the other;

means for storing a list of stored texts, each corresponding to a respective chord;

means, responsive to the key chord for utilizing the keying signals associated with the key chord to select the one of the stored texts in the list of stored texts which correspond to the key chord;

means for setting the output signal to correspond to the selected one of the stored text and

means for setting the output signal to correspond to the letters corresponding to the activated letter keys in the event the respective activation times fail to satisfy said criteria.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the selected language is written in the Roman alphabet and said set of letter keys comprises a respective letter key for each letter of the Roman alphabet.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein the keyboard comprises a QWERTY keyboard which comprises the plurality of letter keys.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein the means for generating the keying signals generates a keying signal in response to release of a depressed one of the letter keys.

13. The invention of claim 1 further comprising means, controllable by a user, for adjusting the time threshold value prior to initiation of the typing session in said selected language.

14. The invention of claim 1 wherein the time threshold value remains unchanged during the typing session in said selected language.

15. The invention of claim 1 wherein the activation times of the pair of the keying signals are indicative of respective key depression tiems, and wherein the designating means designates the plurality of keying signals as a key chord in the event the time threshold value is greater than the elapsed time.

5. A keyboard entry system for a selected language which comprises a multiplicity of words formed of the 26 letters of the Roman alphabet, said system operative to supply a plurality of output signals to a utilization device and comprising:

a keyboard comprising a plurality of keys, said plurality of keys comprising at least 26 letter keys, each corresponding to an associated one of the 26 letters of the Roman alphabet, said letter keys arranged in a QWERTY keyboard configuration;

means, responsive to the letter keys, for generating key signals in response to activation of the letter keys, each of said key signals comprising a key code identifying the activated key and a time code identifyign the time of activation;

means, responsive to the key signals, for classifying a plurality of key codes activated during during a typing session as a key chord in the event the time codes of the corresponding plurality of key signals satisfy predetermined criteria and for classifying the plurality of key codes as a plurality of discrete letters in the event the time codes of the corresponding plurality of key signals fail to satisfy the predetermined criteria, said predetermined criteria comprising the component criterion that a selected one of (1) the elapsed time separating the time codes of a pair of the key signals incuded in the plurality of key signals, and (2) a time threshold value set prior to initiation of the typing session must be greater than the other;

means for supplying the plurality of discrete letters as a plurality of the output signals;

means for maintaining a list of stored texts, each of which is identified with a respective stored index;

means, responsive to the key chord, for comparing the key chord with the stored indexes and for selecting the corresponding one of the stored tests in the event the key chord matches one of the stored indexes; and

means for supplying the selected stored text as one of the output signals, said system cooperating to allow conventional sequential key entry to bve intermixed iwth chorded key entry.

6. The invention of claim 5 wherein the time code has a time increment no less than 10 milliseconds.

7. The invention of claim 5 wherein the means for generating the key signals is included in the keyboard.

8. The invention of claim 5 wherein the classifying means is included in a computer, and wherein the means for generating the key signals is included in a module interconnected between the keyboard and the computer.

16. The invention of claim 5 further comprising means, controllable by a user, for adjusting the time threshold value prior ot initiation of the typing session.

17. The invention of claim 5 wherein the time threshold value remains unchanged during the typing session.

18. The invention of claim 5 wherein the time codes of the pair of key signals identify the respective times of key depression, and wherein the componetn criterion requires that the time threshold value must be greater than the elapsed time to classify the plurality of key codes as a key chord.

21. The invention of claim 18 wherein the time threshold value is a variable, the value of which is user selectable.

9. A keyboard entry system for a language comprised of a plurality of letters, said system comprising:

a keyboard comprising a plurality fo letter keys, each associated with a respective letter;

first means, responsive to the letter keys, for generating keying signals in response to activation of the letter keys;

second means, responsive to the first means, for generating output signals in response to the keying signals, said second means comprising;

means for storing a list of stored texts, each of which is associated with a respective stored index;

means for setting a time threshold value prior to initiation of a typing session in said language;

means for measuring a plurality of time intervals, each characteristic of the elapsed time separating a consecutive pair of keying signals;

third means for classifying a set of keying signals as a nonchord in the event the one of (1) the respective time intervalls and (2) the time threshold value is greater than the other, and for setting the output signal to correspond to respective ones of the letters corresponding to the acitvated ones of the letter keys;

fourth means for classifying the set of keying signals as a key chord in the event that the other of (1) the respective time intervals and (2) the time threshold value is greter than the other;

means, responsive to the key chord, for comparing the key chord iwth the stored indexes and for selecting the corresponding one of the stored texts in the event the key chord matches one of the stored indexes; and

means for setting the output signal to correspond with the selected stored text;

said keyboard and first and second means cooperating automatically to set the output signal to correspond to associated one of the letters in response to nonchorded activation of the letter keys, and to set the output signal to correspond to an associated one of the stored texts in response to chorded activation of the letter keys.

10. The invention of claim 9 wherein the plurality of letter keys comprises a respective letter key for each of the 26 letters of the Roman Alphabet.

11. The invention of claim 9 wherein the keyboard comprises a QWERTY keyboard which includes the plurality of letter keys.

12. The invention of claim 9 wherein the means for generating the keying signals generates a keying signal in response to release of a depressed one of the letter keys.

19. The invention of claim 9 wherein the setting means comprises means, controllable by a user, for adjusting the time threshold value prior to initiation of the typing session in said language.

20. The invention of claim 9 wherein the time threshold value remains unchanged during the typing session in said language.

22. The invention of claim 9 wherein the first means generates the keying signals in response to key depression and wherein the fourth means classifies the set of keying signals as a key chord in the event the time threshold value is greater than the respective time intervals.