Ultra-compact mobile touch-type keyboard

• US 8,414,207 B1
• Filed: 02/03/2012
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synerdyne Corporation
• Original Assignee: Synerdyne Corporation
• Inventors: Knighton, Mark S., Logan, J. Douglas, Vuong, Kevin H., Sung, Tzyy-Woei R., Islam, Mydul R.
• Primary Examiner(s): COLILLA, DANIEL JAMES
• Application Number:
  US13/366,221
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 400/472, 400/473, 400/480, 400/490, 400/492, 400/496, 400/485, 400/489
• US Class Current: 400/485
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0221 Arrangements for reducing keyboard size for transport or storage, e.g. foldable keyboards, keyboards with collapsible keys G06F3/0216 takes precedence; for keyboards integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/1666
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards

Abstract

An ultra compact mobile keyboard. The keyboard has a plurality of mechanical keys suitable for touch typing. Each such key has a travel distance sufficient to provide a touch type feel and a rigid cap for crisp actuation by a user. The keyboard has a deployed configuration for touch-typing use and a collapsed configuration for transport and storage. In the collapsed configuration, the keyboard fits within bounding volume of less than 180 cubic centimeters.

Claims

1. A touch type keyboard having a unique physical location mapped to each letter of an entire alphabet comprising:

a plurality of mechanical keys each associated with at least one rigid element and at least one capacitive sensor, which keys move at least 1.0 mm responsive to an actuation by a finger, the capacitive sensor detecting a capacitance of the finger during actuation;

an internal power source; and

a wireless interface to communicate with a host;

wherein the keyboard has a deployed configuration and a collapsed configuration; and

wherein a center to center spacing of adjacent keys in the array is greater than 17 millimeters, and

wherein the collapsed configuration can fit within a bounding volume of less than 180 cubic centimeters.

2. The touch type keyboard of claim 1:

wherein the key board has a footprint on a work surface in the deployed configuration of less than 180 square centimeters.

3. The touch type keyboard of claim 1 having a maximum height above a work surface, in the deployed configuration, of less than 9 mm.

4. The touch type keyboard of claim 1 wherein a key has a maximum height above a work surface, in the deployed configuration, of less than 5 mm more than the mechanical travel of the key.

5. The keyboard of claim 1 wherein the mechanical keys comprise:

a first array of keys mounted on a first substrate;

a second array of keys mounted on a second substrate.

6. The keyboard of claim 5 wherein the first and second array are dissociable such that when dissociated no physical interconnection exists between the arrays.

7. The keyboard of claim 5 further comprising:

a connector having no interleaved hinge, the connector to hold the arrays together in the deployed configuration.

8. The keyboard of claim 1 wherein a maximum cross dimension of the keyboard in the collapsed configuration is less than 130 mm.

9. A touch type keyboard comprising:

a plurality of mechanical keys each containing at least one rigid element, which keys move at least 1.0 mm responsive to an actuation by a finger, the mechanical keys having a first array of keys mounted on a first substrate and a second array of keys mounted on a second substrate wherein each array has a magnetic mass within the array, the respective magnetic masses from each array interacting together to retain the keyboard in the collapsed configuration and causing the keys to reside in a down state when the keyboard is in the collapsed configuration;

an internal power source; and

a wireless interface to communicate with a host;

wherein the keyboard has a deployed configuration and a collapsed configuration, and wherein the collapsed configuration can fit within a bounding volume of less than 180 cubic centimeters.

10. A touch type keyboard having a deployed and collapsed configuration, the keyboard comprising:

a plurality of mechanical keys each containing at least one rigid element, which keys move at least 1.0 mm responsive to an actuation by a finger the keys divided between at least a first array and a second array;

a connector having no interleaved hinge, the connector to hold the arrays together in the deployed configuration and provide a signaling path between the first array and the second array;

an internal power source; and

a wireless interface to communicate with a host; and

wherein the collapsed configuration can fit within a bounding volume of less than 180 cubic centimeters.

11. A touch type keyboard comprising:

a plurality of mechanical keys each containing at least one rigid element, which keys move at least 1.0 mm responsive to an actuation by a finger the mechanical keys distributed such that a first array resides on a first substrate and a second array of keys resides on a second substrate,

an internal power source; and

a wireless interface to communicate with a host;

wherein the keyboard has a deployed configuration and a collapsed configuration, and

wherein the collapsed configuration can fit within a bounding volume of less than 180 cubic centimeters;

an element that provides space bar functions that is physically dissociable from the first and second arrays.