Four column keypad

• US 7,831,037 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2006
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Bestle, Nikolaj
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tuan D
• Application Number:
  US11/475,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20070296703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,597 Days
• Field of Search: 379/428.01, 379/433.06, 379/433.07, 379/433.01, 379/433.02, 379/433.04, 345/156, 345/168, 345/169, 455/90.3, 455/575.1
• US Class Current: 379/433.07
• 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 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards

Abstract

A keypad arrangement and keypad arrangement of a handheld device implements a 12-key keypad to optimize space utilization on a handheld device. The display area on a user viewable side may occupy 25% or more of the available user side surface of the handheld device. The keypad is arranged as a three row by four column matrix. The number sign special function key may remain adjacent to the number 9 key of a standard keypad to facilitate effective changeover for the user when switching from a standard keypad.

Claims

1. A handheld device, comprising:

a user viewable surface comprising a left side, a right side, a top side, and a bottom side as viewed by a user viewing the user viewable surface;

a display disposed on the user viewable surface;

a keypad comprising a matrix of first keys on the user viewable surface, wherein the matrix of first keys comprises a plurality of rows of the first keys and a plurality of columns of the first keys, wherein a first three of the columns of keys, corresponding to leftmost columns of keys in the matrix have a primary designation of all numeric keys, and wherein the number of columns of the first keys is greater than the number of rows of the first keys;

a set of second keys disposed on the user viewable surface between the display and the keypad, wherein the set of second keys includes at least one function key; and

a speaker disposed on the user viewable surface between the keypad and the bottom side of the user viewable surface.

2. A handheld device according to claim 1, wherein a fourth column of the first keys of the keypad includes a numeric key.

3. A handheld device according to claim 2, wherein the fourth column of the first keys of the keypad includes two special function keys.

4. A handheld device according to claim 3, wherein the two special function keys are a number sign key and an asterisk key.

5. A handheld device according to claim 4, wherein a top key of the first three columns of the first keys of the keypad is numbered, from left to right, ‘

1,’

‘

2,’ and

‘

3.’

6. A handheld device according to claim 5, wherein a middle key of the first three columns of the first keys of the keypad is numbered, from left to right, as ‘

4,’

‘

5,’ and

‘

6,’ and

, a bottom key of the first three columns of the first keys of the keypad is numbered, from left to right, as ‘

7,’

‘

8,’ and

‘

9.’

7. A handheld device according to claim 6, wherein the fourth column, from top to bottom is marked with an asterisk, ‘

0,’ and

a number sign.

8. A handheld device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a housing that includes internal electronic processing circuitry for performing at least one function, the housing having a plurality of apertures on the user viewable side of the handheld device;

wherein the display is configured to mount in one of the plurality of apertures, and is configured to be in communication with the internal electronic processing circuitry;

wherein the matrix of the first keys of the keypad are configured to project through at least one of the apertures.

9. A handheld device according to claim 1, wherein the set of second keys includes a navigation key.

10. A handheld device according to claim 9, wherein the set of second keys includes a send key and an end key.

11. A handheld device according to claim 1, wherein the set of second keys includes five keys.

12. A handheld device according to claim 1, wherein the set of second keys includes seven keys.

13. A handheld device according to claim 1, wherein a leftmost column of the keys of the keypad has a primary designation as, from top to bottom, as ‘

1,’

‘

4,’ and

‘

7,’ and

wherein the ‘

4’

key has a secondary designation of ‘

G,’

‘

H,’ and

‘

I’ and

the ‘

7’

key has a secondary designation of ‘

P,’

‘

Q,’

‘

R,’ and

‘

S.’

14. A handheld device according to claim 13, wherein none of the keys of the rightmost column of the keys of the keypad has a secondary designation.

15. A handheld device according to claim 1, wherein the display comprises at least 25% of the user viewable surface.

16. A handheld device according to claim 1, wherein the handheld device is a wireless communications device.

17. A handheld device according to claim 1, wherein the navigation key is a web navigation key.

18. A handheld device according to claim 8, wherein the keypad is disposed proximate the bottom side of the handheld device and the display is disposed proximate the top side of the handheld device.