Keyboard arrangement for easy acquisition of typing skills
First Claim
1. A keyboard arrangement comprising:
- a plurality of manually actuable keys in a fixed array of at least three rows, numbered sequentially from a first, top row, to a last, bottom row, and at least nine columns, numbered sequentially from left to right, at least some of which keys correspond to letter, number, punctuation and special character symbols in a given language;
wherein information corresponding to said symbols is to be conveyed to information receiving means associated with the keyboard arrangement, and wherein at least some of the symbols that correspond to the keys are assigned to at least one of a plurality of attribute classes according to the number, position, direction or contours of the lines within the symbols such that there are at least three keys in each column of at least nine columns that correspond to symbols within the same attribute class, in said keyboard arrangement.
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Abstract
A keyboard arrangement that assigns alphanumeric and special character symbols to keys based upon the shapes of the symbols in order to facilitate learning to type. Attribute classes are defined according to the number, position, direction, or contours of the line segments that comprise the symbols. As an aid to memorization of a keyboard arrangement, symbols are assigned to keys such that a substantial number of keys in a column of keys belong to the same attribute class. To convert any prior art or other kind of electronic keyboard to a keyboard arrangement within the scope of the invention, hardware and/or software components are provided that reassign the keys so that substantially all keys within the same column will correspond to symbols within the same attribute class.
65 Citations
47 Claims
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1. A keyboard arrangement comprising:
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a plurality of manually actuable keys in a fixed array of at least three rows, numbered sequentially from a first, top row, to a last, bottom row, and at least nine columns, numbered sequentially from left to right, at least some of which keys correspond to letter, number, punctuation and special character symbols in a given language;
wherein information corresponding to said symbols is to be conveyed to information receiving means associated with the keyboard arrangement, and wherein at least some of the symbols that correspond to the keys are assigned to at least one of a plurality of attribute classes according to the number, position, direction or contours of the lines within the symbols such that there are at least three keys in each column of at least nine columns that correspond to symbols within the same attribute class, in said keyboard arrangement. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 44)
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31. A keyboard arrangement comprising:
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a plurality of manually actuable keys in a fixed array of at least three rows, numbered sequentially from a first, top row, to a last, bottom row, and at least nine columns, numbered sequentially from left to right, at least some of which keys correspond to upper and lower case letter symbols, and at least some of which keys correspond to number, punctuation and special character symbols, in a given language; and
shift means for selecting between the upper and lower case form of each letter symbol;
wherein information corresponding to said symbols is to be conveyed to information receiving means associated with the keyboard arrangement, each letter symbol is assigned either to a first, curved class if the symbol includes a curved line or to a second, noncurved class if the symbol lacks a curved line, and each column within a set of at least four columns has a key that corresponds to either an upper or lower case form of a letter symbol in the curved class and at least one other key that corresponds to an upper or lower case form of a letter symbol that is assigned to the curved class, and each column within a set of at least five columns has a key that corresponds to either an upper or lower case form of a letter symbol in the noncurved class and at least one other key that corresponds to an upper or lower case form of a letter symbol that is assigned to the noncurved class in said keyboard arrangement. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A keyboard arrangement comprising:
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a plurality of manually actuable keys in a fixed array of at least three rows, numbered sequentially from a first, top row, to a last, bottom row, and at least nine columns, numbered sequentially from left to right, at least some of which keys correspond to upper and lower case letter symbols, and at least some of which keys correspond to number, punctuation and special character symbols, in a given language; and
shift means for selecting between the upper and lower case of each letter symbol;
wherein information corresponding to said symbols is to be conveyed to information receiving means associated with the keyboard arrangement, and wherein all keys corresponding to letter symbols in a first column all correspond to the upper or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a left convex curve exemplified by a, c, C, d, e, g, o, O, s, S, all keys corresponding to letter symbols in a second column correspond to the uppercase or lowercase form a letter symbol that contains a right convex curve exemplified by b, B, D, o, O, p, P, Q, R, s, S, all keys corresponding to letter symbols in a third column all correspond to the uppercase or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a vertical, straight line exemplifi d by b, B, d, D, E, f, F, h, E, i, I, k, K, l, L, m, M, n, N, p, P, r, R, t, T, u, U, all keys corresponding to letter symbols in a fourth column all correspond to the uppercas or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a horizontal straight line exemplified by A, B, e, E, f, F, H, t, T, all keys corresponding to letter symbols in a fifth column all correspond to the uppercase or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a top-left oblique line exemplified by k, K, w, W, M, N, v, V, x, and all keys corresponding to letter symbols in a sixth column all correspond to the uppercase or lowercase form of a letter symbol that contains a top-right oblique line exemplified by k, K, w, W, x, X, v, V, z, Z.
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45. A keyboard arrangement comprising:
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a plurality of manually actuable keys in a fixed array of at least three rows, numbered sequentially from a first, top row, to a last, bottom row, and at least nine columns, numbered sequentially from left to right, at least some of which keys have been preassigned to correspond to a first set of upper and lower case letter, number, punctuation and special character symbols in a given language;
shift means for selecting between the upper and lower case symbols; and
computer hardware or software means for reassigning the preassigned keys to correspond to a second set of upper and lower case letter, number and special character symbols in the same or a different language alphabet, such that at least some of the second set of symbols that correspond to the keys are assigned to at least one of a plurality of attribute classes according to the number, position, direction and contours of the symbols, and such that there are at least three keys in each column of at least nine columns that correspond to symbols within the same attribute class;
whereby information corresponding to said second set of symbols is to be conveyed to information receiving means associated with the keyboard arrangement. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47)
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Specification