Ergonomic keyboard device

• US 6,765,502 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2001
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ruppert, Werner, Boldy, Manfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): DANG, HUNG Q
• Application Number:
  US09/802,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20010021332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 341/22, 341/34, 341/21, 341/17, 400/489, 400/492, 400/491, 400/494, 345/169, 345/781, 178/79, 178/81, 178/101, 178/109, 200/341, 200/345
• US Class Current: 341/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/021 Arrangements integrating additional peripherals in a keyboard, e.g. card or barcode reader, optical scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards

Abstract

A keyboard data input device includes a one-hand module having a finger section with groups of keys each of which fixedly assigned to a finger of the operator. The keyboard has a cover part which includes a palm rest section and grooves. A group of keys is sequentially arranged at the ground of said grooves to be reached by the outstretched or bent fingers when the operator'"'"'s hand is in contact with the palm rest section. A thumb section located adjacent to the forefinger groove comprises a flat area which includes groups of command keys, and comprises further keys at an upright wall adjacent to the forefinger groove. The keyboard may be used for two-hand operation by providing two separate one-hand modules. The keyboard comprises a graphical multipurpose display visualize control information and characters typed in. The keyboard may further include a bar code scanner.

Claims

1. A keyboard device for hand input of data to an information processing system, including:

a finger section including a plurality of grooves separated by finger guide portions, each of said grooves being arranged to accommodate a finger of an operator'"'"'s hand and housing a plurality of keys;

a thumb section including a group of keys arranged to be operated by a thumb of the operator'"'"'s hand; and

a palm support section located in front of said grooves and extending across the width of said grooves;

wherein the plurality of keys is sequentially arranged in each of said grooves so as to be reachable by the outstretched or bent finger when the operator'"'"'s hand is in contact with the palm support section and wherein at least one of said grooves includes a cam located at the end of the groove adjacent to said palm support section and formed to permit holding the keyboard device by a finger tip.

2. A keyboard device for hand input of data to an information processing system, including:

a finger section including a plurality of grooves separated by finger guide portions, each of said grooves being arranged to accommodate a finger of an operator'"'"'s hand and housing a plurality of keys;

a thumb section including a group of keys arranged to be operated by a thumb of the operator'"'"'s hand; and

a palm support section located in front of said grooves and extending across the width of said grooves;

wherein the plurality of keys is sequentially arranged in each of said grooves so as to be reachable by the outstretched or bent finger when the operator'"'"'s hand is in contact with the palm support section,

and wherein each of said grooves includes a marker bar which divides the plurality of keys into an outer group operable by the stretched or slightly bent finger and an inner group operable by the finger tips of the bent fingers, the marker bar being located between said inner and outer groups of keys and has the same height as the keys,

and wherein each plurality of keys comprises four keys with each of said inner and outer groups comprising two keys.

3. The keyboard device of claim 2, wherein said thumb section is located close to a forefinger groove and extends to an upright wall of the thumb section adjacent to the forefinger groove.

4. The keyboard device of claim 3, wherein said thumb section includes a flat area including two rows of keys, and further includes two keys disposed in the upright wall.

5. The keyboard device of claim 4, wherein the keys in said flat area are command keys and the keys in the upright wall have the function of left and right mouse keys.

6. The keyboard device of claim 2, wherein said grooves each have a length approximately equal to the length of a corresponding finger.

7. The keyboard device of claim 2, further including a graphical multipurpose display unit arranged adjacent to a forefinger groove and said thumb section.

8. The keyboard device of claim 2, further including a cursor actuation stick arranged adjacent to a forefinger groove and said thumb section.

9. The keyboard device of claim 2, wherein said thumb section includes a multi-position switch for selecting one of different key-to-character/command and key-to-command assignments.

10. The keyboard device of claim 2, further including a cuff fixed to said keyboard device in an area above said palm support section, said cuff being arranged to accommodate an operator'"'"'s wrist for securing the keyboard device to a hand of the operator.

11. The keyboard device of claim 7, further including a bar code scanner arranged at a front side of the graphical multipurpose display unit.

12. A keyboard device for hand input to an information processing system, including:

a finger section including a plurality of grooves separated by finger guide portions, each of said grooves being arranged to accommodate a finger of an operator'"'"'s hand and housing a plurality of keys;

a thumb section including a group of keys arranged to be operated by a thumb of the operator'"'"'s hand;

a casing in which is housed control circuit components operable to generate signals indicative of the actuated key;

an exchangeable cover connected to said casing and containing said grooves; and

a palm support section located in front of said grooves and extending across the width of said grooves;

wherein the plurality of keys is sequentially arranged in each of said grooves so as to be reachable by the outstretched or bent finger when the operator'"'"'s hand is in contact with the palm support section.

13. The keyboard device of claim 12, wherein said cover Is one of a plurality of different sizes of cover adapted to the hand size of the operator.

14. The keyboard device of claim 13, further including an intermediate part which is arranged between said casing and said cover for carrying base portions of said keys;

said intermediate part being exchangeably connected to said casing and adapted to the size of said cover.

15. Apparatus comprising:

a finger section including a plurality of grooves separated by finger guide portions, each of said grooves being arranged to accommodate a finger of an operator'"'"'s hand and housing a plurality of keys;

a thumb section including a group of keys arranged to be operated by a thumb of the operator'"'"'s hand; and

a palm support section located in front of said grooves and extending across the width of said grooves;

wherein the plurality of keys is sequentially arranged in each of said grooves so as to be reachable by the outstretched or bent finger when the operators hand is in contact with the palm support section,

and wherein each of said grooves includes a marker bar which divides the plurality of keys into an outer group operable by the stretched or slightly bent finger and an inner group operable by the finger tips of the bent fingers, the marker bar being located between said inner and outer groups of keys and has the same general height as the keys,

and wherein each plurality of keys comprises four keys with each of said inner and outer groups comprising two keys.