Method and system for intelligent keyboard illumination

• US 7,453,441 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Piccinini, Sandro, Iorfida, Dario
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Duc Q
• Application Number:
  US12/060,253
• Time in Patent Office: 232 Days
• Field of Search: 345168-172
• US Class Current: 345/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques

Abstract

A method of illuminating a computer keyboard, including: providing a keyboard with individually illuminatable keys; probabilistically determining the most likely key(s) that would be pressed next; illuminating the key(s) that are determined to be most likely pressed next while leaving keys probabilistically least likely to be pressed next unilluminated, an electronic dictionary is utilized to determine keys likely needed and the dictionary suggests keys based on running applications such that, if a calculator is running, numeric keys are illuminated and if a word processor is running, alphabet and related keys are illuminated; updating the electronic dictionary to include new words; disabling selective illumination when filling identification and password fields; providing disabling and enabling options; after time when none of the suggested keys have been pressed, automatically illuminating all keys; after additional time when none of all illuminated keys have been pressed, unilluminating all of the keys.

Claims

1. A method of illuminating a computer keyboard, comprising:

providing a computer keyboard that has keys that are each individually illuminatable;

after a key on the computer keyboard has been pressed, probabilistically determining the most likely key or keys that would be pressed next;

illuminating the key or keys that are determined to be probabilistically most likely pressed next while leaving the keys probabilistically least likely to be pressed next unilluminated, wherein an electronic dictionary is utilized to determine, for selective illumination of keyboard keys, the most likely keys to be needed and wherein the electronic dictionary presents suggested keys based on a specific application that is running on a computer such that, if a calculator application is running, numeric keys will be illuminated and if a word processor application is running the most likely alphabet keys, along with enter and space bar, will be illuminated;

continuously updating the electronic dictionary to include new words typed on the keyboard;

automatically disabling the selective illumination of keyboard keys when user identification and password fields are being filled;

providing a user with the option of enabling or disabling the selective illumination of keyboard keys;

after a configured timeframe when none of the suggested keys have been pressed, automatically illuminating all of the keys;

after an additional configured timeframe where none of the illuminated all of the keys have been pressed, unilluminating all of the keys.