Keyboard overlay that improves touch typing on small touch screen devices

• US 9,317,202 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2014
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Touchfire Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touchfire Inc.
• Inventors: Melmon, Bradley S., Isaac, Steven A., Levy, Ralph
• Primary Examiner(s): Sternbane, Larry
• Application Number:
  US14/484,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20150070281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 345/168
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A keyboard overlay for use with a virtual touch screen keyboard, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. In accordance with one embodiment of the present technology, a keyboard is overlaid over a plurality of virtual keys that have virtual key centers laterally spaced apart from each other. The keyboard can have a base configured to be coupled to the virtual touch screen keyboard and a plurality of overlay key structures corresponding to the virtual keys. The overlay key centers of the individual overlay key structures have overlay key centers, and at least a subset of the overlay key structures can be arranged such that the overlay key centers of the subset are offset relative to the virtual key centers of the corresponding virtual keys.

Claims

1. A keyboard overlay for use with a virtual touch screen keyboard having a plurality of virtual keys, wherein the virtual keys have virtual key centers laterally spaced apart in an East-West direction from each other, the overlay comprising:

a base configured to be coupled to the virtual touch screen keyboard; and

a plurality of overlay key structures, wherein individual overlay key structures have overlay key centers that are within active areas of the corresponding virtual keys, and wherein at least a subset of the overlay key structures are arranged such that the overlay key centers of the subset are offset relative to the virtual key centers of corresponding virtual keys.

2. The keyboard overlay of claim 1, wherein the overlay key centers of central overlay key structures are at least substantially aligned with their corresponding underlying virtual key centers, and wherein overlay key structures laterally outward of the central overlay key structures have a positive lateral offset relative to corresponding underlying virtual keys.

3. The keyboard overlay of claim 1, wherein the offsets of the outward overlay key structures increase with increasing distance from the central overlay key structures.

4. The keyboard overlay of claim 1, wherein the virtual keyboard has a QWERTY layout, and wherein the overlay key centers of at least the A, S, D, K, L and “

;

”

overlay key structures are laterally offset with respect to the virtual key centers of the A, S, D, K, L and “

;

”

virtual keys, respectively.

5. The keyboard overlay of claim 1, further comprising an obfuscation mechanism.

6. The keyboard overlay of claim 1, wherein the overlay key structures have a transparent top surface through which indicia of the virtual keys can be seen.

7. The keyboard overlay of claim 1, wherein the overlay keyboard comprises one or more dielectric materials, and the overlay key structures further comprise support structures configured to compress upon a keystroke by a user.

8. The keyboard overlay of claim 1, wherein the overlay key structures are elevationally offset in a North-South direction.

9. A keyboard overlay for use with a virtual touch screen keyboard having a plurality of virtual keys, wherein the virtual keys have virtual key centers laterally spaced apart in an East-West direction from each other, the overlay comprising:

a base configured to be coupled to the virtual touch screen keyboard; and

a plurality of overlay key structures, wherein individual overlay key structures have overlay key centers that are within active areas of the corresponding virtual keys, and wherein at least a subset of the overlay key structures are arranged such that the overlay key centers of the subset are offset relative to the virtual key centers of corresponding virtual keys, wherein the virtual keyboard has a QWERTY layout, wherein the overlay key centers of at least the A, S, D, K, L and “

;

”

overlay key structures are laterally offset with respect to the virtual key centers of the A, S, D, K, L and “

;

”

virtual keys, respectively, and wherein the lateral offset between the overlay key center of the A overlay key structure and the virtual key center of the A virtual key is greater than the lateral offset between the overlay key center of the D overlay key structure and the virtual key center of the D virtual key.

10. The keyboard overlay of claim 9, wherein the overlay key structures have a transparent top surface through which indicia of the virtual keys can be seen.

11. A keyboard overlay for use with a virtual touch screen keyboard having a plurality of virtual keys, wherein the virtual keys have virtual key centers laterally spaced apart from each other, the overlay comprising:

a base configured to be coupled to the virtual touch screen keyboard; and

a plurality of overlay key structures, wherein individual overlay key structures have overlay key centers that are within active areas of the corresponding virtual keys, and wherein at least a subset of the overlay key structures are arranged such that the overlay key centers of the subset are offset relative to the virtual key centers of corresponding virtual keys, wherein the offsets are elevational offsets in a North-South direction.

12. The keyboard overlay of claim 11, wherein the keyboard overlay has a first row and a home row south of the first row, and wherein key structures in the first row are offset elevationally with respect to corresponding virtual keys.

13. The keyboard overlay of claim 11, wherein the keyboard overlay has a home row and a southerly row south of the home row, and wherein the overlay key centers of overlay key structures of the southerly row are offset elevationally south of virtual key centers of corresponding virtual keys.