Hand held data entry system

• US 6,288,709 B1
• Filed: 07/20/1998
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alphagrip, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Alphagrip, Inc.
• Inventors: Arnel, Scott M., Willner, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saras, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kumar, Srilakshmi
• Application Number:
  US09/118,886
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: 345/169, 340/711, 341/22
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A hand held data entry system (100, 100′) has an ergonomic housing (102) including upper surface controls (104) which generate a first set of electrical signals, and lower surface controls (106) which generate a second set of electrical signals when operated independently. The first set of electrical signals and second set of electrical signals define all of the lower case alphabetic characters of an alphabet, such being generated without the user having to remove a finger or thumb from a HOME switch operator or grouping. Each side of the housing (102) is provided with a recess (120) for contiguous contact with a first dorsal interosseous portion of the user'"'"'s hands, providing support for housing (102) while the user'"'"'s fingers and thumbs operate the switch operators which make up the upper surface controls (104) and the lower surface controls (106).

Claims

1. A hand held data entry system, comprising:

a housing contoured to be grasped by two hands of a user, said housing having an upper surface portion and a pair of hand grip portions extending from said upper surface portion to a lower surface portion of said housing, said contour of said housing including a pair of recessed portions disposed on opposing sides in said hand grip portions for contiguous contact with a first dorsal interosseous portion of the user'"'"'s hands to support said housing during use of said data entry system;

first control means disposed on said upper surface portion for operation by the user'"'"'s thumbs to output signals representing a first portion of alphabetic characters of an alphabet; and

,

second control means disposed on said hand grip portions for operation by the user'"'"'s fingers to output signals representing a second portion of alphabetic characters of the alphabet, said second control means including a plurality of switch operators, each switch operator being disposed in correspondence with a particular one of the user'"'"'s fingers.

2. A hand held data entry system, comprising:

a housing contoured to be grasped by two hands of a user, said housing having an upper surface portion and a pair of hand grip portions extending from said upper surface portion to a lower surface portion of said housing, said contour of said housing including a pair of recessed portions disposed on opposing sides in said hand grip portions for contiguous contact with a first dorsal interosseous portion of the user'"'"'s hands;

first control means disposed on said upper surface portion for operation by the user'"'"'s thumbs to output signals representing a first portion of alphabetic characters of an alphabet; and

,

second control means disposed on said hand grip portions for operation by the user'"'"'s fingers to output signals representing a second portion of alphabetic characters of the alphabet, said second control means including a plurality of multidirectional switch assemblies, each of said plurality of multidirectional switch assemblies including a switch operator displaceable in different directions for output of signals representing different alphabetic characters responsive to displacement of said switch operator in said different directions.

3. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 2 where said plurality of multidirectional switch assemblies includes a first group of multidirectional switch assemblies disposed on one of said pair of hand grip portions and a second group of multidirectional switch assemblies disposed on the other of said pair of hand grip portions, each multidirectional switch assembly of each said first and second groups of multidirectional switch assemblies being disposed in vertically spaced relationship, said first control means including a plurality of multidirectional switch assemblies disposed on said upper surface portion, each of said plurality of multidirectional switch assemblies of said first control means being disposed in substantially horizontally spaced relationship.

4. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 2 where said plurality of multidirectional switch assemblies includes a plurality of two directional switch assemblies positioned for contiguous contact by a respective one of the user'"'"'s fingers, each of said plurality of two directional switch assemblies including a two directional switch operator displaceable by a respective one of the user'"'"'s fingers in each of two different directions for output of signals representing a corresponding two different alphabetic characters.

5. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 4 where each said two directional switch operator has a concave portion formed at a longitudinal distal end thereof and a convex portion formed at a longitudinal proximal end thereof for facilitating displacement of said two directional switch operator in each of two opposing longitudinal directions.

6. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 2 where said plurality of multidirectional switch assemblies includes a pair of four directional switch assemblies positioned for contiguous contact by a respective one of the user'"'"'s index fingers, each of said pair of four directional switch assemblies including a four directional switch operator displaceable by a respective one of the user'"'"'s index fingers in each of four different directions for output of signals representing a corresponding four different alphabetic characters.

7. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 6 where each said four directional switch operator has a concave portion formed at a longitudinal distal end thereof, a convex portion formed at a longitudinal proximal end thereof and a pair of opposing raised sides for facilitating displacement of said four directional switch operator in each of four angularly offset directions.

8. A hand held data entry system, comprising:

a housing contoured to be grasped by two hands of a user, said housing having an upper surface portion and a pair of hand grip portions extending from said upper surface portion to a lower surface portion of said housing, said contour of said housing including a pair of recessed portions disposed on opposing sides in said hand grip portions for contiguous contact with a first dorsal interosseous portion of the user'"'"'s hands;

first control means disposed on said upper surface portion for operation by the user'"'"'s thumbs to output signals representing a first portion of alphabetic characters of an alphabet, said first control means including a plurality of multidirectional switch assemblies, each of said plurality of multidirectional switch assemblies including a switch operator displaceable in different directions for output of signals representing different characters responsive to displacement of said switch operator in said different directions; and

,

second control means disposed on said hand grip portions for operation by the user'"'"'s fingers to output signals representing a second portion of alphabetic characters of the alphabet.

9. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 8 where said plurality of multidirectional switch assemblies of said first control means includes a plurality of three directional switch assemblies, each of said plurality of three directional switch assemblies including a three directional switch operator displaceable by a user'"'"'s thumb in each of three different directions for output of signals representing a corresponding three different characters.

10. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 9 where each said three directional switch operator has a centrally disposed concave portion and three angularly spaced convex portions for facilitating displacement of said three directional switch operator in each of three angularly offset directions.

11. A hand held data entry system, comprising:

a housing contoured to be grasped by two hands of a user, said housing having an upper surface portion and a pair of hand grip portions extending from said upper surface portion to a lower surface portion of said housing, said contour of said housing including a pair of recessed portions disposed on opposing sides in said hand grip portions for contiguous contact with a first dorsal interosseous portion of the user'"'"'s hands;

first control means disposed on said upper surface portion for operation by the user'"'"'s thumbs to output signals representing a first portion of alphabetic characters of an alphabet, said first control means including a number function switch for changing said output signals of said second control means to represent numeric characters and mathematic symbols; and

,

second control means disposed on said hand grip portions for operation by the user'"'"'s fingers to output signals representing a second portion of alphabetic characters of the alphabet.

12. A hand held data entry system, comprising:

a housing contoured to be grasped by two hands of a user, said housing having an upper surface portion, a front portion extending from said upper surface portion, and a lower portion extending between said upper surface portion and said front portion and contoured to form a pair of hand grip portions;

first control means disposed on said upper surface portion for operation by the user'"'"'s thumbs to output signals representing a portion of alphabetic characters of an alphabet; and

,

second control means disposed on said pair of hand grip portions for operation by the user'"'"'s fingers to output signals representing a remaining portion of alphabetic characters of said alphabet, wherein said signals representing a lower case of all of said alphabetic characters are generated without chording, said second control means including a plurality of switch assemblies with corresponding switch operators, said plurality of switch assemblies including a first group of switch assemblies disposed on one of said pair of hand grip portions and a second group of switch assemblies disposed on the other of said pair of hand grip portions, each switch operator of each said first and second groups of switch assemblies being disposed in contiguous contact with a respective one of the user'"'"'s fingers.

13. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 12 where said housing has a pair of recesses formed on opposing sides thereof between said upper surface portion and said lower portion for contiguous contact with a first dorsal interosseous portion of the user'"'"'s hands to support said housing during use of said data entry system.

14. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 12 further comprising third control means disposed on said front portion for operation by the user'"'"'s thumbs to output signals representing numeric characters, said front portion a substantially concave contour for facilitating the user'"'"'s operation of said third control means.

15. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 12 further comprising cursor control means disposed on said front portion, said cursor control means including (a) cursor positioning means disposed adjacent one side of said front portion for operation by a respective one of the user'"'"'s thumbs, and (b) at least one cursor control switch disposed adjacent an opposing side of said front portion for operation by the other one of the user'"'"'s thumbs.

16. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 15 where said cursor positioning means is a trackball.

17. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 12 further comprising a pause control button disposed on said front portion for operation by the user'"'"'s thumbs for output of a signal to temporarily suspend output of said signals representing said alphabetic characters from said first and second control means.

18. A hand held data entry system, comprising:

a housing contoured to be grasped by two hands of a user, said housing having an upper surface portion, a front portion extending from said upper surface portion, and a lower portion extending between said upper surface portion and said front portion and contoured to form a pair of hand grip portions;

first control means disposed on said upper surface portion for operation by the user'"'"'s thumbs to output signals representing a portion of alphabetic characters of an alphabet, said first control means including a plurality of multidirectional switch assemblies, each of said plurality of multidirectional switch assemblies including a switch operator displaceable in different directions for output of signals representing different characters responsive to displacement of said switch operator in said different directions; and

,

second control means disposed on said pair of hand grip portions for operation by the user'"'"'s fingers to output signals representing a remaining portion of alphabetic characters of said alphabet, wherein said signals representing a lower case of all of said alphabetic characters are generated without chording.

19. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 18 further comprising a mode control switch for changing an encoding of one of said plurality of multidirectional switch assemblies from out of signals representing alphabetic characters to cursor control signals.

20. A hand held data entry system, comprising:

a housing contoured to be grasped by two hands of a user, said housing having an upper surface portion and a lower surface portion of said housing;

first control means disposed on said upper surface portion for operation by the user'"'"'s thumbs to output signals representing a first portion of alphabetic characters of an alphabet, said first control means being used to output signals representing the alphabetic characters j, d, h, b, q, z, v, and l; and

,

second control means disposed on said lower surface portion for operation by the user'"'"'s fingers to output signals representing a second portion of alphabetic characters of the alphabet, said second control means being used to output signals representing the alphabetic characters o, k, g, a, f, n, m, r, c, p, x, t, e, y, i, u, s, and w.

21. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 20 where said first control means includes a multi-directional switch operator for actuation by one of a user'"'"'s thumbs and used to output signals representing the alphabetic characters j, d, h, and b.

22. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 21 where said multi-directional switch operator is disposed in an area of said upper surface portion raised above a surrounding area of said upper surface portion.

23. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 21 where said first control means includes a plurality of switch operators grouped together for actuation by an other of a user'"'"'s thumbs and used to output signals representing the alphabetic characters q, z, v, and .

24. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 23 where said plurality of switch operators grouped together are disposed in an area of said upper surface portion raised above a surrounding area of said upper surface portion.

25. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 20 where said second control means includes a pair of multi-directional switch operators for actuation by a user'"'"'s index fingers and used to output signals representing the alphabetic characters o, k, g, p, x, and t.

26. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 20 where said second control means includes a pair of multi-directional switch operators for actuation by a user'"'"'s middle fingers and used to output signals representing the alphabetic characters a, f, e, and y.

27. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 20 where said second control means includes a pair of multi-directional switch operators for actuation by a user'"'"'s ring fingers and used to output signals representing the alphabetic characters n, m, i, and u.

28. The hand held data entry system as recited in claim 20 where said second control means includes a pair of multi-directional switch operators for actuation by a user'"'"'s pinky fingers and used to output signals representing the alphabetic characters r, c, s, and w.

29. A hand held data entry system, comprising:

a housing contoured to be grasped by two hands of a user, said housing having an upper surface portion and a pair of hand grip portions extending from said upper surface portion to a lower surface portion of said housing;

a plurality of first switch operators disposed on said upper surface portion for operation by the user'"'"'s thumbs to output signals representing a first portion of alphabetic characters of an alphabet, at least a portion of said first switch operators being displaceable in different directions for output of signals representing different ones of said first portion of alphabetic characters responsive to displacement thereof in said different directions; and

,

a plurality of second switch operators disposed on said hand grip portions for operation by the user'"'"'s fingers to output signals representing a second portion of alphabetic characters of the alphabet.

30. A hand held data entry system, comprising:

a housing contoured to be grasped by two hands of a user, said housing having an upper surface portion, a front portion extending from said upper surface portion, and a lower portion extending between said upper surface portion and said front portion and contoured to form a pair of hand grip portions;

a plurality of first switch operators disposed on said upper surface portion for operation by the user'"'"'s thumbs to output signals representing a portion of alphabetic characters of an alphabet; and

,

a plurality of second switch operators disposed on said pair of hand grip portions for operation by the user'"'"'s fingers to output signals representing a remaining portion of alphabetic characters of said alphabet, wherein said signals representing a lower case of all of said alphabetic characters are generated without chording, at least a portion of said second switch operators being displaceable in different directions for output of signals representing different ones of said remaining portion of alphabetic characters responsive to displacement thereof in said different directions.