Super-high rate letter input device for a cell phone

• US 7,522,937 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2002
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Katsuzo Tanaka
• Original Assignee: Katsuzo Tanaka
• Inventors: Tanaka, Katsuzo
• Primary Examiner(s): SOBUTKA, PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US10/488,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20050250530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,608 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 4555751-5759, 455 901- 903, 455/351, 455/566
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1622 with enclosures rotating around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define or with ball-joint coupling, e.g. PDA with display enclosure orientation changeable between portrait and landscape by rotation with respect to a coplanar body enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0235 using chord techniques G06F3/0234 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/236 including keys on side or rear faces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation methods for entering alphabetical characters per se G06F3/0237

Abstract

Letter input rate of a conventional cell phone is low because only the thumb is used for inputting a letter. The inventive cell phone with one joystick, two shift keys and twenty six keys on the opposite side faces, is grasped by both hands and ten fingers are used. Any one of twenty six alphabetical letters can be inputted by a single push operation without switching the shift key and letters can be inputted at super-high rate by touch typing. The cell phone significantly enhances the convenience of letter input for users.

Claims

1. A cell phone configured for ten finger typing by a user, the cell phone comprising:

a main body, wherein the main body comprises a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, with a first face and opposing side faces adjacent to the first face;

a movable display, wherein the display is movable from a first position where the display is viewable from the first face to a second position approximately parallel with the side faces where the display is viewable from one of the side faces; and

a keyboard, wherein the keyboard comprises;

at least two shift keys;

at least one joy stick;

at least six keys located on the one of the side faces;

at least twenty keys located on the other one of the side faces; and

wherein each of said six keys located on the one of the side faces and said twenty keys located on the other one of the side faces corresponds to a letter or a character.

2. The cell phone according to claim 1, wherein each of said six keys located on the one of the side faces and said twenty keys located on the other one of the side faces corresponds to a single one of twenty-six alphabet letters.

3. A cell phone configured for ten finger typing by a user, the cell phone comprising:

a main body, wherein the main body comprises a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, with a first face and opposing side faces adjacent to the first face; and

a keyboard, wherein keyboard comprises;

at least two shift keys;

at least one joy stick;

at least six keys located on one of the side faces;

at least twenty keys located on the other one of the side faces; and

wherein each of said six keys located on the one of the side faces and said twenty keys located on the other one of the sides faces corresponds to a letter or a character; and

a frame located on each of the opposing side faces, wherein the frames are higher than adjacent keys.

4. The cell phone according to claim 3, wherein said frames are provided with concavities to identify specific keys.

5. The cell phone according to claim 3, wherein said frames are provided with projections to identify specific keys.