Ergonomic keyboard input device
DCFirst Claim
1. An ergonomic keyboard input device for the transmission of information by a human operator to an electronic system coupled with said device, comprising:
- a keyboard organized with an array of transmission-actuation keys disposed generally to compliment the splayed underside-architecture of a user'"'"'s hand, said array includingfor each finger, a finger-associable cluster of input keys, each key in which is arranged facially to confront, in close proximity and in parallel planar relationship, one of various different, underside, finger-expanse portions of an associated, adjacent finger, thus to enable actuation of a selected one or more of said keys in said cluster via only slight, gestural, relatively closing motion of the confronting corresponding finger-expanse portion, wherein each finger-associable cluster is elongate, and said keys therewithin are distributed along the length of the cluster with respective key-actuation axes that intersect normal to different angularly disposed planes, one plane for each key, which planes intersect one another along the length of the cluster in a mixed pattern of obtuse and reflex angles andfor the thumb, a thumb-associable cluster of input keys disposed generally over three mutually intersecting surfaces to enable key actuation via mixed lateral, and slight endo, translation of an associated adjacent thumb within, generally, a cone of motion whose apex resides adjacent the base of the thumb.
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Abstract
An ergonomic keyboard input device for use with a coupled electronic system, such as a computer. The device includes a keyboard which is organized with an array of actuation keys that are disposed generally to complement the splayed underside architecture of a user'"'"'s hand. A two-handed implementation is disclosed wherein each array includes, for each finger in a hand, an associable cluster of input keys which are placed in such a manner that they enable key actuation via only slight, gestural, relatively closing motion of a portion of a confronting finger, and for the thumb in each hand, an associable cluster of keys disposed generally over three mutually intersecting, and somewhat orthogonal, surfaces that enable thumb/key actuation via mixed lateral, and slight endo, translation of the thumb generally within a cone of motion whose apex resides adjacent the base of the thumb.
363 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An ergonomic keyboard input device for the transmission of information by a human operator to an electronic system coupled with said device, comprising:
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a keyboard organized with an array of transmission-actuation keys disposed generally to compliment the splayed underside-architecture of a user'"'"'s hand, said array including for each finger, a finger-associable cluster of input keys, each key in which is arranged facially to confront, in close proximity and in parallel planar relationship, one of various different, underside, finger-expanse portions of an associated, adjacent finger, thus to enable actuation of a selected one or more of said keys in said cluster via only slight, gestural, relatively closing motion of the confronting corresponding finger-expanse portion, wherein each finger-associable cluster is elongate, and said keys therewithin are distributed along the length of the cluster with respective key-actuation axes that intersect normal to different angularly disposed planes, one plane for each key, which planes intersect one another along the length of the cluster in a mixed pattern of obtuse and reflex angles and for the thumb, a thumb-associable cluster of input keys disposed generally over three mutually intersecting surfaces to enable key actuation via mixed lateral, and slight endo, translation of an associated adjacent thumb within, generally, a cone of motion whose apex resides adjacent the base of the thumb. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 7)
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6. An ergonomic keyboard input device for the transmission of information via human operator to an electronic system coupled with said device, comprising:
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a keyboard organized with an array of transmission-actuation keys disposed generally to complement the splayed underside-architecture of a user'"'"'s hand, said array including for each finger, a finger-associable cluster of input keys, each key in which is arranged facially to confront, in close proximity and in parallel planar relationship, one of various different, underside, finger-expanse portions of an associated, adjacent finger, thus to enable actuation of a selected one or more of said keys in said cluster via only slight, gestural, relatively closing motion of the confronting corresponding finger-expanse portion, and for the thumb, a thumb-associable cluster of input keys disposed generally over three mutually intersected surfaces to enable key actuation via mixed lateral, and slight endo, translation of an associated adjacent thumb within, generally, a cone of motion whose apex resides adjacent the base of the thumb; and a base, wherein at least some of said clusters are mounted on said base for selective, relative positional adjustment. - View Dependent Claims (8)
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9. An ergonomic keyboard input device for the transmission of information by a human operator to an electronic system coupled with said device, comprising:
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a keyboard organized with a pair of arrays of transmission-actuation keys, with the keys in these arrays disposed generally to complement the splayed underside-architecture of a user'"'"'s hands, each said array including for each finger, a finger-associable cluster of input keys, each key of which is arranged in said cluster to confront, in close proximity with and in parallel planar relationship to the skeletal architecture of, one of various different, underside, finger-expanse portions of an associated, adjacent finger, thus to enable actuation of a selected one or more of said keys in said cluster via only slight, gestural, relatively closing motion of the confronting corresponding finger-expanse portion, and for each thumb, a thumb-associable cluster of input keys disposed generally over three mutually intersecting surfaces to enable key actuation via mixed lateral, and slight endo, translation of an associated adjacent thumb within, generally, a cone of motion whose apex resides adjacent the base of the thumb; and a base, wherein at least some of said clusters are mounted on said base for selective, relative positional adjustment. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. An ergonomic keyboard input device for the transmission of information by a human operator to an electronic system coupled with said device, comprising
a keyboard organized with an array of transmission-actuation keys disposed generally to conform with the splayed underside-architecture of a user'"'"'s hand, said array including for each finger, a finger-associable cluster of input keys, each key of which is positioned and oriented facially to confront in close proximity one of various different, underside finger-expanse portions of an associated, adjacent finger, thus to enable actuation of a selected one or more of said keys in said cluster via only slight, gestural, translatory motion of the confronting finger-expanse portion, wherein each finger-associable cluster includes an elongate row of plural keys, and said keys thereof are distributed along the length of the cluster with respective key-actuation axes normal to corresponding planes that are disposed angularly relative to one another, with a pair of planes corresponding with a first pair of adjacent keys being disposed at an obtuse angle relative to one another and with a pair of planes corresponding with a second pair of adjacent keys including one of the keys of said first pair being disposed at a reflex angle relative to one another, and a thumb-associable cluster of input keys to enable key actuation via mixed lateral, and slight endo, translation of an associated adjacent thumb within, generally, an arc of motion whose apex resides adjacent the base of the thumb.
Specification