Ergonomic keyboard apparatus

• US 7,338,224 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: McLoone, Hugh Edward Jr., Jones, Gregory Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): Culler; Jill E.
• Application Number:
  US11/145,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20060275069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 400/489
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0216 Arrangements for ergonomically adjusting the disposition of keys of a keyboard for keyboards integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/1664

Abstract

A plurality of embodiments of improved ergonomic keyboards for interfacing with a user'"'"'s arms, wrists, hands and fingers in a more natural way, i.e., in ways that are optimally suited to human typing. In various non-limiting embodiments, the invention provides optimal finger pressing angles, provides optimal range(s) for “gable” angling, flattens the outer edges of the gable, thins key patterns of split key arrangements, raises (or lowers) the wrist rest to an optimal position, and/or splits the wrist rest into two (or more) components.

Claims

1. An alphanumeric keyboard having a pre-defined key arrangement, wherein the pre-defined key arrangement includes:

at least one QWERTY typing section comprising;

a plurality of central keys;

a plurality of intermediate keys disposed outboard of the plurality of central keys;

one or more peripheral keys disposed outboard of the plurality of intermediate keys;

wherein the central, intermediate, and peripheral keys are arranged into rows;

wherein the plurality of central keys of each row are configured such that each central key is provided at a same gable angle and disposed along a substantially straight reference line inclined at said same gable angle with respect to a plane of the keyboard; and

the one or more peripheral keys of each row are configured such that each peripheral key is provided on a substantially flat portion relative to the plane of the keyboard and the one or more intermediate keys on each row are configured such that each intermediate key is provided at a transition gable angle and disposed along a second substantially straight reference line inclined at said transition gable angle with respect to the plane of the keyboard, the transition gable angle being smaller than the gable angle.

2. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the at least one QWERTY typing section includes:

a first QWERTY typing section including central keys provided at a first same gable angle with respect to a plane of the keyboard that is substantially in the range of about 9 degrees to about 16 degrees; and

a second QWERTY typing section including central keys provided at a second same gable angle that is substantially in the range of about 9 degrees to about 16 degrees.

3. A keyboard according to claim 2, wherein the first QWERTY typing section is on the left side of the keyboard for a user'"'"'s left hand and the second QWERTY typing section is on the right side of the keyboard for the user'"'"'s right hand, and the first same gable angle for the left side is different than the second same gable angle for the right side.

4. A keyboard according to claim 3, wherein the first and second QWERTY typing sections are split open;

and wherein at least one row in each of the first and second QWERTY typing sections is curved such that the keys near the periphery are curved toward the respective side of the keyboard, thereby thinning the width of a quasi-rectangle substantially defined by the key section.

5. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein said same gable angle is substantially in the range of about 12 degrees to about 14 degrees.

6. A keyboard according to claim 5, wherein said same gable angle is one of about 12 degrees or about 14 degrees.

7. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein said same gable angle is substantially in the range of about 11 degrees to about 15 degrees.

8. A keyboard according to claim 1, further including an adjustable mechanism for adjusting the same gable angle.

9. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the transition angle is half of the same gable angle.

10. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate keys of each row are configured such that each intermediate key is provided at said same gable angle and disposed along said reference line inclined at said same gable angle with respect to a plane of the keyboard.

11. A keyboard according to claim 10, wherein the peripheral keys of each row are configured such that each peripheral key is provided at said same gable angle and disposed along said reference line inclined at said same gable angle with respect to a plane of the keyboard.

12. A keyboard according to claim 10, wherein the peripheral keys of each row are configured such that each peripheral key is provided at a substantially zero gable angle.

13. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate keys of each row are configured such that each intermediate key is provided at a same second gable angle, wherein said same second gable angle is smaller than the same gable angle of the central keys.

14. A keyboard according to claim 13, wherein the peripheral keys of each row are configured such that each peripheral key is provided at said same second gable angle.

15. A keyboard according to claim 13, wherein the peripheral keys of each row are configured such that each peripheral key is provided at a substantially zero gable angle.

16. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the central keys of each row are disposed on a same plane inclined at said same gable angle with respect to a plane of the keyboard.

17. An alphanumeric QWERTY keyboard having a pre-defined key arrangement, wherein the pre-defined key arrangement for the main QWERTY portion of the keys includes:

at least one key section comprising;

a first subset of keys including a plurality of keys, wherein each key of the first subset of keys is provided on a substantially straight plane inclined at a first non-zero gable angle with respect to a plane of the keyboard;

wherein said first non-zero gable angle is substantially in the range of about 9 degrees to about 16 degrees;

a second subset of one or more keys located outboard of the first subset of keys, wherein each key of the second subset of one or more keys is provided on a plane inclined at a substantially zero gable angle; and

an intermediate subset of one or more keys located substantially between the first subset of keys and the second subset of keys;

wherein each key of the intermediate subset is provided on a substantially straight plane inclined at a second non-zero gable angle;

wherein the second non-zero gable angle is smaller than the first non-zero gable angle provided for the first subset of keys, with respect to a plane of the keyboard.

18. A keyboard according to claim 17, wherein at least one of the intermediate keys includes at least a first surface and a second surface, wherein either (A) the first surface is provided at the first non-zero gable angle and the second surface is provided at the second non-zero gable angle or (B) the first surface is provided at the second non-zero gable angle and the second surface is provided at the substantially zero angle.