Keyboard device for inputting oriental characters by touch
First Claim
1. Apparatus for entering Chinese characters into an electronic typewriter, computer, or word processing system, said apparatus comprising a keyboard with a plurality of keys which are each assigned positions within linear rows, said rows arranged around a home-base row to facilitate touch typing, said keys and combinations of said keys selecting basic strokes, combinations of strokes, radicals and characters of the Chinese language, said keys including a shift key, a ditto key, and an image key, said keys in home-base row selecting configurations described as follows:
- (a) the first key on the left selects a vertical stroke resembling the arabic numeral 1 with a dot on the right hand side near the top of the stroke, (b) the second key from the left selects the Chinese radical denoting motion, (c) the third key from the left selects the Chinese character meaning concluded as an adjective and to understand as a verb, (d) the fourth key from the left selects a two-stroke combination resembling the arabic numeral 4 consisting of a lower left angle plus a vertical stroke on the right, (e) the fifth key from the left selects a two-stroke combination which is the arabic numeral 5-shaped lower part of the Chinese character meaning bow as in bow and arrow, (f) the sixth key from the left selects a lower left angle stroke resembling a portion of the arabic numeral 6, (g) the seventh key from the left selects an upper right angle resembling the arabic numeral 7, (h) the eighth key from the left selects the Chinese character meaning sun, (i) the ninth key from the left selects a three-stroke combination consisting of a long vertical stroke, one upper right angle and one short horizontal stroke forming a square with an elongated vertical stroke on the left, (j) the tenth key from the left selects the Chinese character meaning mouth, (k) the eleventh key from the left selects a three-stroke configuration consisting of two horizontal and one vertical stroke resembling the Chinese numeral thousand.
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Abstract
This invention relates to a keyboard device for typing and inputting characters in Chinese and other oriental languages. In particular, the keyboard device of this invention comprises a plurality of keys representing selected strokes, combinations of strokes, radicals and some characters, collectively called the configurations, which are arranged in a particular way and thus makes it possible to type and to input Chinese and oriental characters entirely by touch. By dividing each oriental character into components which resemble the special configurations on the keys, the typing and inputting can be carried out by depressing the keys representing the component configurations without the need of any "menu" selection step. The keyboard device and method of this invention can be used in typewriters, word processors, computers, typesetting machines, teletype machines, telecommunication machines and other machines that use or require a keyboard to input characters in Chinese or other oriental languages.
The keys individually and in combination, generate digital codes which are interfaced by an electronic unit to a Chinese character generator, thereby converting the codes into CRT display or printed output form. Shift, ditto, and image keys are provided which modify the codes selected by the other keys, thereby causing the output of shifted or uppercase characters, selected combination characters, or selected mirror image characters respectively.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. Apparatus for entering Chinese characters into an electronic typewriter, computer, or word processing system, said apparatus comprising a keyboard with a plurality of keys which are each assigned positions within linear rows, said rows arranged around a home-base row to facilitate touch typing, said keys and combinations of said keys selecting basic strokes, combinations of strokes, radicals and characters of the Chinese language, said keys including a shift key, a ditto key, and an image key, said keys in home-base row selecting configurations described as follows:
(a) the first key on the left selects a vertical stroke resembling the arabic numeral 1 with a dot on the right hand side near the top of the stroke, (b) the second key from the left selects the Chinese radical denoting motion, (c) the third key from the left selects the Chinese character meaning concluded as an adjective and to understand as a verb, (d) the fourth key from the left selects a two-stroke combination resembling the arabic numeral 4 consisting of a lower left angle plus a vertical stroke on the right, (e) the fifth key from the left selects a two-stroke combination which is the arabic numeral 5-shaped lower part of the Chinese character meaning bow as in bow and arrow, (f) the sixth key from the left selects a lower left angle stroke resembling a portion of the arabic numeral 6, (g) the seventh key from the left selects an upper right angle resembling the arabic numeral 7, (h) the eighth key from the left selects the Chinese character meaning sun, (i) the ninth key from the left selects a three-stroke combination consisting of a long vertical stroke, one upper right angle and one short horizontal stroke forming a square with an elongated vertical stroke on the left, (j) the tenth key from the left selects the Chinese character meaning mouth, (k) the eleventh key from the left selects a three-stroke configuration consisting of two horizontal and one vertical stroke resembling the Chinese numeral thousand. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Specification