Multi-touch mechanical-capacitive hybrid keyboard
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A touch type keyboard comprising:
- an array of tactile keys defining a home row of locations that allow each of 8 fingers to rest concurrently in the course of touch-typing, and providing single stroke access to every letter of a full alphabet through unique locations on the array; and
a controller that records a timestamp for each of a plurality of key actuation events at different key locations,wherein the array of tactile keys comprises mechanical keys, each key having a surface for actuation by a finger and a plurality of capacitive sensors to detect the finger'"'"'s location on the surface of the key,wherein each key surface has a plurality of the unique locations which provides access to all letters on that key, each unique location occupying a defined area of the surface of the key;
wherein actuation of the mechanical key and detection of the finger'"'"'s location selects a character at the finger'"'"'s location;
wherein the actuation of at least one of the home row locations while actuating a second location, alters a function of a third location in the array to a different keyboard function based, at least in part, on a temporal sequence of the timestamps; and
wherein the sequence can be evaluated after the events have occurred.
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Abstract
A touch type keyboard with an array of mechanical keys. Each key has a plurality of capacitive sensors to detect a finger'"'"'s location on the surface of the key. The array provides single strike access to an entire alphabet, while reducing hand motion. The invention overcomes previous conflicts, to combine wide finger-spacing with closer reach to each character. One embodiment also includes cursor control functions embedded within the home row, and layered labeling to improve visual simplicity.
134 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A touch type keyboard comprising:
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an array of tactile keys defining a home row of locations that allow each of 8 fingers to rest concurrently in the course of touch-typing, and providing single stroke access to every letter of a full alphabet through unique locations on the array; and a controller that records a timestamp for each of a plurality of key actuation events at different key locations, wherein the array of tactile keys comprises mechanical keys, each key having a surface for actuation by a finger and a plurality of capacitive sensors to detect the finger'"'"'s location on the surface of the key, wherein each key surface has a plurality of the unique locations which provides access to all letters on that key, each unique location occupying a defined area of the surface of the key; wherein actuation of the mechanical key and detection of the finger'"'"'s location selects a character at the finger'"'"'s location; wherein the actuation of at least one of the home row locations while actuating a second location, alters a function of a third location in the array to a different keyboard function based, at least in part, on a temporal sequence of the timestamps; and wherein the sequence can be evaluated after the events have occurred. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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7. A touch type keyboard comprising:
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an array of tactile keys defining a home row of locations that allow each of 8 fingers to rest concurrently in the course of touch-typing, and providing single stroke access to every letter of a full alphabet through unique locations on the array; and a controller that measures an amount of time between actuation events at two different key locations; wherein the array of tactile keys comprises mechanical keys, each key having a surface for actuation by a finger and a plurality of capacitive sensors to detect the finger'"'"'s location on the surface of the key, wherein each key surface has a plurality of the unique locations which provides access to all letters on that key, each unique location occupying a defined area of the surface of the key; wherein actuation of the mechanical key and detection of the finger'"'"'s location selects a character at the finger'"'"'s location; wherein the actuation of at least one of the home row locations while actuating a second location, alters a function of a third location in the array to a different keyboard function based, at least in part, on the time measured, wherein an alphabetic function location is altered to a cursor key function at a same location, a set of cursor key functions is arranged in an inverted T pattern of locations, and wherein the inverted T pattern overlays the cursor function up with an ‘
I’
location, down with a “
K”
location, right with an “
L”
location and left with a “
J”
location.
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13. A touch type keyboard comprising:
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an array of mechanical keys, each key having a surface for actuation by a finger and a plurality of capacitive sensors to detect the finger'"'"'s location on the surface of the key, the array defining a home row and a rest location for each of eight fingers on the home row; wherein each key surface has a plurality of discrete locations which provide access to all characters on that key, each discrete location occupying a defined area of the surface of the key; the array having discrete locations corresponding to all the letters of an alphabet and all numbers 0 through 9; wherein actuation of the mechanical key and detection of the finger'"'"'s location selects a character at the finger'"'"'s location; wherein all alphanumeric characters are accessible from the rest locations on the home row, or an immediately adjacent discrete location; and wherein a distance between adjacent finger rest locations is greater than a distance between a finger rest location and any alphanumeric character location associated with that same finger; wherein the distance between any two locations is defined as the center to center distance. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A touch type keyboard comprising:
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an array of tactile keys defining a home row and a rest location for each of eight fingers on the home row; wherein the array of tactile keys comprises mechanical keys, each key having a surface for actuation by a finger and a plurality of capacitive sensors for detecting the finger'"'"'s location on the surface of the key, wherein each key surface has a plurality of discrete locations which provide access to all characters on that key, each discrete location occupying a defined area of the surface of the key; wherein actuation of the mechanical key and detection of the finger'"'"'s location selects a character at the finger'"'"'s location; the array having discrete locations corresponding to all the letters of an alphabet and all numbers 0 through 9; wherein multiple functions reside at a same location; and
wherein at least one location has at least three layers of functions;wherein indicia for a first layer of alphabet functions is in a first color different from a background color, wherein at least one other layer of functions is distinguished by at least one of dimensionally engraved or raised markings that are not colored differently from the background wherein indicia for three layers of functions are permanently marked on a physical surface of the tactile keys. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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Specification