Wireless add-on keyboard system and method

• US 6,133,833 A
• Filed: 02/25/1999
• Issued: 10/17/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sidlauskas, Tom, Rose, Stephen Joseph, Nylander, Frederick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): TONG, NINA C
• Application Number:
  US09/257,663
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.5, 340/572.8, 340/825.56, 340/825.57, 340/825.69, 340/825.71, 340/825.72, 340/10.1-10.6, 340/10.33, 340/10.34, 341/22, 341/20, 341/26, 341/173, 345/168, 345/169, 345/172
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards

Abstract

A wireless keyboard or keypad (22) is powered remotely by a radio frequency exciter/receiver (20) and used in a radio frequency identification system (10). The wireless keyboard and the exciter/receiver communicate without wires via electrostatic or electromagnetic radiation. No power source is integrated with the wireless keypad. Thus, the wireless keypad is readily added to, or retrofit into, an existing radio frequency identification system. The keyboard has a plurality of keys (24) or control members that are manually actuated. Depression of a key or button, or other actuation of a control member, causes a predetermined response signal associated with that key to be generated. The response signal relates to an operation for a device or system associated with the exciter/receiver.

Claims

1. A wireless keyboard system comprising:

an exciter/receiver that produces an excitation field generated by at least one of electrostatic and electromagnetic radiation;

a keyboard in signal communication with the excitation field such that the keyboard is powered by the excitation field and produces a response signal;

at least one manually actuated element on the keyboard, the at least one manually actuated element being coupled to at least one radio frequency identification circuit such that actuation of the at least one manually actuated element causes the keyboard to produce a predetermined response signal; and

wherein the keyboard is mounted in a fixed position in proximity to the exciter/receiver.

2. The wireless keyboard system of claim 1, wherein the at least one manually actuated element comprises one of a numeric button, alphabetic button and alphanumeric button.

3. The wireless keyboard system of claim 1, wherein the exciter/receiver is part of a sentry system.

4. The wireless keyboard system of claim 1, wherein the at least one manually actuated element is at least one of a key, switch and button.

5. The wireless keyboard system of claim 1, wherein the excitation field has a frequency of 125 KHz.

6. The wireless keyboard system of claim 5, wherein the response signal has a frequency of 62.5 KHz.

7. The wireless keyboard system of claim 1 wherein the keyboard is mounted on a wall and the exciter/receiver is mounted near an opposite side of the wall.

8. The wireless keyboard system of claim 1 wherein the keyboard has a housing and the housing is configured to rest on a surface of the exciter/receiver.

9. The wireless keyboard system of claim 1, wherein the keyboard comprises:

a first circuit that is capable of being in a closed circuit configuration and an open circuit configuration;

at least one of an electrostatic antenna and an electromagnetic antenna; and

at least one actuated element that is capable of placing the first circuit in the closed circuit configuration to couple the at least one of an electrostatic antenna and electromagnetic antenna to produce a pulse code signal.

10. The wireless keyboard system of claim 1, wherein the keyboard comprises:

a first circuit that is capable of obtaining a closed circuit configuration and an open circuit configuration;

at least one of an electrostatic antenna and an electromagnetic antenna;

a code storing circuit that stores a code; and

wherein the at least one manually actuated element is operable to place the first circuit in the closed circuit configuration and to couple the at least one of an electrostatic antenna and electromagnetic antenna to produce a pulse code signal corresponding to the code stored in the code storing circuit.

11. The wireless keyboard system of claim 1 wherein the at least one radio frequency identification circuit is a single radio frequency identification circuit comprising:

a decoder coupled to the at least one manually actuated element to decode a depressed manually actuated element;

control logic coupled to the decoder to determine a selected modulation based on the depressed manually actuated element; and

a modulator coupled to the control logic to receive the selected modulation and provide a modulated signal to an antenna, the modulated signal being determined by the selected modulation.

12. The wireless keyboard system of claim 1 further comprising:

a programmable decoder coupled to the at least one manually actuated element, wherein the programmable decoder selectively changes a code associated with the at least one manually actuated element in response to a programming signal.

13. The wireless keyboard system of claim 12 wherein the programming signal is received by a programming antenna.

14. The wireless keyboard system of claim 13 wherein the exciter/receiver includes an exciter antenna element and a receiver antenna element and the programming antenna is distinct from both the exciter antenna element and the receiver antenna element.

15. The wireless keyboard system of claim 14 wherein the programmable decoder comprises a microprocessor.

16. A wireless keyboard system comprising:

an exciter/receiver that produces an excitation field generated by at least one of electrostatic and electromagnetic radiation;

a keyboard in signal communication with the excitation field such that the keyboard is powered by the excitation field and produces a response signal;

a plurality of manually actuated elements on the keyboard, each one of the plurality of manually actuated elements being coupled to one of a plurality of radio frequency identification circuits such that actuation of one of the plurality of manually actuated elements causes the keyboard to produce a predetermined response signal; and

wherein the keyboard is in proximity to the exciter/receiver.

17. The wireless keyboard system of claim 16 wherein the keyboard further comprises:

a first circuit that is capable of obtaining a closed circuit configuration and an open circuit configuration;

at least one of an electrostatic antenna and an electromagnetic antenna;

a code storing circuit that stores a code; and

wherein one of the plurality of manually actuated elements is operable to place the first circuit in the closed configuration and to couple the at least one of an electrostatic antenna and electromagnetic antenna to produce a pulse code signal corresponding to the code stored in the code storing circuit.

18. The wireless keyboard system of claim 16 wherein the keyboard is mounted on a wall and the exciter/receiver is mounted adjacent an opposite side of the wall.

19. The wireless keyboard system of claim 16 wherein the keyboard is mounted in a housing and the housing is configured to rest on a surface of the exciter/receiver.

20. The wireless keyboard system of claim 16 wherein the keyboard is mounted on a wall and the exciter/receiver is mounted on the same side of the wall.

21. A method for retrofitting a wireless keyboard to an existing radio frequency identification system, the method comprising the steps of:

a) affixing a keyboard near an existing exciter/receiver;

b) powering the keyboard with an excitation field from the existing exciter/receiver, the excitation field being generated by one of electrostatic and electromagnetic radiation;

c) generating a response signal with the keyboard, wherein the keyboard comprises;

at least one radio frequency identification circuit; and

a manually actuated element being coupled to the at least one radio frequency identification circuit such that actuation of the manually actuated element causes the keyboard to produce the response signal.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the keyboard is mounted on a wall and the existing exciter/receiver is mounted adjacent an opposite side of the wall.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the keyboard has a housing and the housing is configured to rest on a surface of the existing exciter/receiver.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the keyboard is mounted on a wall and the existing exciter/receiver is mounted on a same side of the wall.

25. The method of claim 21 wherein the manually actuated element comprises one of a numeric button, alphabetic button and alphanumeric button.