Wristwatch keyboard

• US 8,641,306 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2011
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Argotext
• Original Assignee: Argotext
• Inventors: Schaffer, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): HA, NGUYEN Q
• Application Number:
  US13/210,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20130045037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 400/477
• US Class Current: 400/477
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 17/08 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/08 Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items

Abstract

The present invention discloses a data entry device to be worn on a person'"'"'s wrist, similar to a wrist watch. Dimples are arrayed around the periphery of a digital display on the device. The dimples provide both a locating means for finger placement and a boundary for sensing the shift of a pressure point within, the shift in a preferred direction indicating a selection from a displayed menu to be made by lifting the finger from contact. A novel way of holding the device by its wrist band while fingering the dimples leads to a fluid method of keying functionalities for use as a phone and as an internet-enabled device.

Claims

1. A data entry device for wrist deployment, comprising:

a wrist-sized housing having a top surface and four side surfaces forming a periphery there around;

a digital display on the top surface;

a wrist-band connected to two opposing side surfaces, the wrist band functioning to removably attach the housing to a person'"'"'s wrist;

at least two panels on each of the two remaining, unbanded, side surfaces;

at least two dimples on each panel, each dimple configured to receive the touch of a finger-tip, each dimple enabled with sensor technology to respond to finger-tip pressure toward one of at least two preferred directions in the plane of the panel; and

a programmable processor coupled with memory inside the housing, the processor in signal communication with the sensor technology and the digital display and programmed to associate each dimple with a stored menu and each preferred direction with a functionality;

whereas, with the thumb and index fingers of each hand hovering over the unbanded side surfaces, a functionality can be selected by touching at least one of the dimples with one of the hovering fingers to cause a menu to be displayed by the integrated processor on the digital display and thereafter urging the touching finger toward one of the preferred directions as indicated by the menu and

wherein the at least two panels are in stacked configuration, on each of the two unhanded side surfaces, the panels angularly disposed to each other in side pairs and to the display upon which they flank.

2. The data entry device of claim 1, wherein each top stacked panel and one of the lower panels each have three dimples.

3. The data entry device of claim 2, wherein the display in a home state is divided into an entry part and a grid part, the entry part displaying the current selections, the grid part associating, by a layout of cells in correspondence to the nine dimple positions, each of the dimples with a sub-menu indicating selections available by touching said dimple, the layout of cells in rows and positioning of alphabet in cells corresponding to a QWERTY keyboard, the home state in display when no touching occurs.

4. The data entry device of claim 1, further comprising a timer inside the housing in signal communication with the sensor technology and the processor.

5. The data entry device of claim 4, wherein a timed sequence of finger touches is determined by the timer and the processor is programmed to associate different functionalities with different sequences.

6. The data entry device of claim 5, wherein the functionality is selected by a pincher movement of the thumb and index finger.

7. The data entry device of claim 1, wherein the selected functionality is executed by a release of the touch.

8. The data entry device of claim 1, wherein the functionality results in the selection of a letter, number or character to be entered in a data field in the display.

9. The data entry device of claim 1, wherein the functionality results in an operational command.

10. The data entry device of claim 1, wherein there are four preferred directions arrayed orthogonally.

11. A data entry device for wrist deployment, comprising:

a wrist-sized housing having a top surface and four side surfaces forming a periphery there around;

a digital display on the top surface;

a wrist-band connected to two opposing side surfaces, the wrist band functioning to removably attach the housing to a person'"'"'s wrist;

at least one panel on each of the two remaining, unbanded, side surfaces;

at least two dimples on each panel, each dimple configured to receive the touch of a finger-tip, each dimple enabled with sensor technology to respond to finger-tip pressure toward one of at least two preferred directions in the plane of the panel; and

a programmable processor coupled with memory inside the housing, the processor in signal communication with the sensor technology and the digital display and programmed to associate each dimple with a stored menu and each preferred direction with a functionality;

whereas, with the thumb and index fingers of each hand hovering over the unbanded side surfaces, a functionality can be selected by touching at least one of the dimples with one of the hovering fingers to cause a menu to be displayed by the integrated processor on the digital display and thereafter urging the touching finger toward one of the preferred directions as indicated by the menu

wherein the display in a home state is divided into an entry part and a grid part, the entry part displaying the current selections, the grid part associating, by a layout of cells in correspondence to the dimple positions, each dimple with a sub-menu indicating selections available by touching said dimple, the home state in display when no touching occurs.

12. A method of entering data by means of wrist deployment, comprising the steps:

providing to the wrist of a person for omnipresence a data entry device comprising a wrist-sized housing having a top surface and four side surfaces forming a periphery there around;

a digital display on the top surface;

a wrist-band connected to two opposing side surfaces, the wrist band functioning to removably attach the housing to the wrist;

at least two panels in stacked configuration on each of the two remaining, unbanded, side surfaces, the panels angularly disposed to each other in side pairs and to the display upon which they flank;

at least two dimples on each panel, each dimple configured to receive the touch of a finger-tip, each dimple enabled with sensor technology to respond to finger-tip pressure toward one of at least two preferred directions in the plane of the panel; and

a programmable processor coupled with memory and located inside the housing, the processor in signal communication with the sensor technology and the digital display and programmed to associate each dimple with a stored menu and each preferred direction with a functionality;

removing the data entry device from the wrist;

holding the data entry device in a reading position with at least one of the middle, ring or little fingers of each hand gripping the wrist-band from both sides, whereby the index fingers and thumbs are deployed to hover over the at least one panel;

touching at least one dimple with a thumb or index finger to cause a menu of selection choices to appear on the display;

selecting one of the choices by urging the touching finger or thumb in one of the preferred directions indicated by the menu; and

entering the selection by releasing the touch.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the touching step comprises touches by both the index finger and thumb of at least one hand.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the touches are determined to be simultaneous or sequential according to a preferred timer delay.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a simultaneous touch toggles between data entry modes.

16. The method claim 15, wherein data entry include lower case alpha, upper case alpha, number, and character.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein a sequential touch results in the display of a menu of functions assignable to dimple positions.

18. A data entry device for wrist deployment, comprising:

a wrist-sized housing having a top surface and side surfaces forming a periphery there around;

a wrist-band connected to two opposing side surfaces, the wrist band functioning to removably attach the housing to a person'"'"'s wrist;

at least two panels in stacked configuration, on each of two unbanded opposing side surfaces, the panels angularly disposed to each other in side pairs and to the display upon which they flank;

at least two sensors on each panel, each sensors configured to receive the touch of a finger-tip, each sensor enabled with sensor technology to respond to finger-tip pressure toward one of at least two preferred directions in the plane of the panel; and

a programmable processor coupled with memory inside the housing, the processor in signal communication with the sensor technology and programmed to associate each sensor with a stored menu and each preferred direction with a functionality;

whereas, with at least one of the person'"'"'s fingers hovering over the panels, a functionality can be selected by touching at least one of the sensors with one of the hovering fingers to cause the integrated processor to retrieve the stored menu and thereafter urging the touching finger toward one of the preferred directions to cause the integrated processor to perform the functionality associated with the direction.