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Ergonomic keyboard apparatus and method of using same

DC
  • US 5,503,484 A
  • Filed: 10/03/1994
  • Issued: 04/02/1996
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1992
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A keyboard apparatus, comprising:

  • a housing;

    a plurality of alpha-numeric key means mounted on the housing arranged in a plurality of V-shaped rows;

    said plurality of alpha-numeric key means being arranged in a QWERTY configuration to facilitate conventional QWERTY keystroke techniques;

    said plurality of alpha-numeric key means being further arranged in a pair of character key groups aligned relative to one another in a generally V-shaped configuration relative to a centrally disposed axis to be aligned generally with the user;

    said plurality of alpha-numeric key means including a right group of QWERTY key means arranged in rows and staggered columns to facilitate their actuation in a rapid and accurate manner utilizing known and substantially conventional right hand digit QWERTY keystrokes, said right group having a left end group of keys arranged in a column with QWERTY character indicia configured in the letters Y, H and N, respectively, to help facilitate a user in using his or her right hand digits to reach to the last mentioned QWERTY characters in a conventional QWERTY right hand digit touch typing keystroke technique;

    said plurality of alpha-numeric key means further including a left group of QWERTY key means arranged in rows and staggered columns to facilitate their actuation in rapid and accurate manner utilizing known and substantially conventional left hand digit QWERTY keystrokes, said left group having a right end group of keys arranged in a column with QWERTY character indicia configured in the letters T, G and B, respectively, to help facilitate a user in using his or her left hand digits to reach the last mentioned QWERTY characters in a conventional QWERTY left hand digit touch typing keystroke technique;

    means defining a space between said right hand group of QWERTY key means and said left hand group of QWERTY key means, said space being sufficiently large to substantially prevent interference between right hand and left hand digits keystrokes and sufficiently widely spaced apart to position the hands of the user in co-extending alignment with their respective wrists for enabling the fingers of the user to rest comfortably on their normal QWERTY starting position keys for touch typing purposes;

    a left group of function keys arranged in a row adjacent to the left group of QWERTY key means to facilitate control key actuation by left hand digits;

    a right group of function keys arranged in a row adjacent to the right group of QWERTY key means to facilitate actuation by right hand digits;

    common space bar means extending between said right and left groups of function keys to help form a row extending generally in a V-shape adjacent to the right and left QWERTY key means with said space bar means having its end portions disposed opposite at least one right and left QWERTY key means for facilitating the actuation of said common space bar means by the right and left thumbs of a user;

    said right group of function keys disposed adjacent to a terminal end of said common space bar key means to facilitate the entry of at least one ASCII code indicative of control information using right hand touch typing keystroke techniques;

    said left group of function keys disposed in a single row and adjacent to another terminal end of said common space bar key means to facilitate the entry of at least another ASCII code;

    said column of the right end group of keys being staggered rightwardly to further help facilitate using the conventional QWERTY left hand digit touch typing keystroke technique wherein the QWERTY key means bearing the letter B is staggered substantially rightwardly of the QWERTY key means bearing the letter G and wherein the QWERTY key means bearing the letter G is staggered substantially rightwardly of the QWERTY key means bearing the letter T;

    said left group of QWERTY key means having a top row of alpha keys bearing QWERTY character indicia configured in the letters Q, W, E, R, T, respectively, an intermediate row of alpha keys bearing QWERTY character indicia configured in the letters A, S, D, F, G, respectively, and a bottom row of alpha keys bearing QWERTY character indicia configured in the letters Z, X, C, V, B, respectively, to help facilitate the identification of the QWERTY characters, Q, W, E, R, T, A, S, D, F, G, Z, X, C, V and B, for entry by the conventional QWERTY left hand digit touch typing keystroke technique;

    said alpha keys in the bottom row bearing the letters Z, X, C, V and B, respectively, being staggered substantially rightwardly of said alpha keys in the intermediate row bearing the letters A, S, D, F and G, respectively, to further help facilitate entry of QWERTY characters by the conventional QWERTY left hand digit touch typing keystroke technique;

    said alpha keys in the intermediate row bearing the letters A, S, D, F, G, respectively, being staggered substantially rightwardly of said alpha keys in the top row bearing the letters Q, W, E, R and T, respectively, to further help facilitate the entry of QWERTY characters by the conventional QWERTY left hand digit touch typing keystroke technique;

    numeric keypad means on the housing spaced apart rightwardly from said plurality of alpha-numeric key means and said right group of function key means to facilitate the entry of ASCII codes indicative of numeric information, said numeric key pad means having a central axis oriented generally parallel to the central axis of the V-shaped character key groups to align said numeric key pad means relative to the user; and

    said left end group of keys and said right end group of keys being spaced apart from one another, and being configured relative to one another so said column bearing the letters Y, H and N is substantially parallel with said column bearing the letters T, G, B to further facilitate actuation of the keys in the left group column and the keys in the right group column utilizing known and substantially conventional left hand digit and right hand digit QWERTY keystrokes respectively.

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