Modified Keyboard Arrangement with Distinct Vowel Keys

• US 20080075517A1
• Filed: 09/27/2006
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Vuong, Thanh Vinh
• Granted Patent: US 7,658,561 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 400/486
• 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 1/1658 related to the mounting of internal components, e.g. disc drive or any other functional module
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation methods for entering alphabetical characters per se G06F3/0237

Abstract

A key arrangement includes a plurality of keys associated with alphabetic characters that include consonants and vowels. Each key within the plurality of keys is associated with a plurality of consonants and no more than one vowel. The plurality of keys is arranged in a grid pattern having at least five keys. The consonants are arranged in a standard keyboard format. Numbers may also be associated with the keys. A mobile communication device includes the key arrangement, a display, a processor, a housing, and a plurality of toggle switches associated with the keys. A method of using a key arrangement is also described.

Claims

1. A key arrangement comprising:

a plurality of keys associated with alphabetic characters that include consonants and vowels, wherein each key within the plurality of keys is associated with a plurality of consonants and no more than one vowel and said plurality of keys is arranged in a grid pattern having at least five keys.

2. The key arrangement of claim 1, wherein the consonants are arranged in the format of a standard key arrangement.

3. The key arrangement of claim 2, wherein the standard key arrangement is selected from the group of QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, DVORAK, and FITALY.

4. The key arrangement of claim 1, wherein said plurality of keys are further associated with at least one of symbols, functions, and numbers.

5. The key arrangement of claim 1, further comprising one or more additional keys associated with at least one of symbols, functions, and numbers.

6. The key arrangement of claim 4, wherein each of the keys within the plurality of keys comprises indicia that is positioned on a surface of the respective key, said indicia identifying the associated consonants, vowels, symbols, functions or numbers.

7. The key arrangement of claim 1, wherein the plurality of keys associated with alphabetic characters comprises at least 6, the key arrangement further comprises a key associated with a space function, and the plurality of alphabetic keys and space key further are associated with numbers, the numbers being arranged in a layout consistent with a standard telephone keypad arrangement.

8. The key arrangement of claim 1, wherein the plurality of keys associated with alphabetic characters comprises six keys.

9. The key arrangement of claim 8, wherein the six keys are arranged in a two column by three row grid.

10. The key arrangement of claim 9, further comprising a key associated with a space function and a key associated with a toggle function.

11. The key arrangement of claim 4, wherein the keys associated with alphabetic characters comprise:

a first key associated with alphabetic characters Q, W, E, R, and T;

a second key associated with alphabetic characters S, D, A, F, and G;

a third key associated with alphabetic characters Z, X, I, C, and V;

a fourth key associated with alphabetic characters Y, O, and P;

a fifth key associated with alphabetic characters H, J, U, K, and L; and

a sixth key associated with alphabetic characters B, N, and M and symbols comma (,) and period (.).

12. The key arrangement of claim 4, wherein the keys associated with alphabetic characters comprise:

a first key associated with letter characters Q, W, E, R, and T;

a second key associated with letter characters S, D, A, F, and C;

a third key associated with letter characters Z, X, C, and V and a symbol comma (,);

a fourth key associated with letter characters Y, U, and P;

a fifth key associated with letter characters H, J, I, K, and L; and

a sixth key associated with letter characters B, N, O, and M and a symbol period (.).

13. The key arrangement of claim 4, wherein the plurality of keys associated with alphabetic characters comprise:

a first key associated with the numbers 1 and 2;

a second key associated with the numbers 3 and 4;

a third key associated with the numbers 5 and 6;

a fourth key associated with the numbers 7 and 8;

a fifth key associated with the number 9 and a symbol star (*);

a sixth key associated with a symbol pound (#); and

further comprising an additional key associated with the space function and the number “

0”

.

14. The key arrangement of claim 4, wherein the plurality of keys associated with alphabetic characters comprise:

a first key associated with the numbers 1 and 2;

a second key associated with numbers 3 and 4;

a third key associated with numbers 5 and 6;

a fourth key associated with numbers 7 and 8;

a fifth key associated with number 9 and a symbol star (*); and

a sixth key associated with number 0.

15. The key arrangement of claim 14, further comprising a key associated with a space function and a symbol pound (#).

16. The key arrangement of claim 1, wherein said plurality of keys associated with alphabetic characters are further associated with numbers, and further comprising at least three additional keys including a first additional key being associated with a symbol (*), a second additional key being associated with a space function and zero or more numbers, and a third key being associated with a symbol (#).

17. The key arrangement of claim 1, further comprising one or more communication keys that comprise at least a send function and an end function.

18. The key arrangement of claim 17, wherein said communication keys include a key associated with a send function, a key associated with an end function, and a convenience key, all of which are aligned adjacent one another in a common row that is positioned above the plurality of keys associated with alphabetic characters.

19. The key arrangement of claim 6, wherein each of said plurality of keys associated with alphabetic characters includes a body having a plurality of sections that comprise at least two outer sections and an inner section, with consonant indicia being positioned in a section of the respective key that is distinct from the vowel indicia.

20. The key arrangement of claim 19, wherein the vowel indicia is associated with the inner section and the consonant indicia is associated with the outer sections.

21. The key arrangement of claim 19, wherein the plurality of sections each have a top surface that is one of aligned with or not aligned with the top surfaces of the other sections.

22. The key arrangement of claim 21, wherein the top surfaces of the two outer sections are associated with a common plane, and the top surface of the inner section is associated with a different plane, with the different plane being one of higher than or lower than the common plane.

23. The key arrangement of claim 21, further comprising a recess positioned between adjacent sections.

24. The key arrangement of claim 21, wherein the outer sections comprise a first outer section and a second outer section, with the inner section, the first outer section and the second outer section each being associated with a different plane.

25. The key arrangement of claim 21, wherein each of the sections is associated with a surface treatment.

26. A mobile communication device comprising the key arrangement of claim 19, further comprising:

a housing, with the plurality of keys associated with alphabetic characters being associated with the housing, a display coupled to the housing;

a processor positioned inside the housing for communicating with the keys and the display; and

a plurality of switches coupled to the keys for communicating an input command based upon the selected key section of each key to the processor,

wherein the plurality of switches are toggle switches.

27. The mobile device of claim 26, further comprising predictive text programming associated with the processor for predicting the desired input command based upon the selected section of the key.

28. The mobile device of claim 26, further comprising a key associated with a send function and a key associated with an end function, both of which are associated with a common row that is positioned above the plurality of keys associated with alphabetic characters.

29. A method of using a key arrangement comprising:

manipulating a plurality of keys comprising at least one space key, at least one function key, and a plurality of alphabetic keys, wherein each alphabetic key is associated with a plurality of non-vowel characters and no more than one vowel character;

tapping each alphabetic key once to select a vowel character; and

tapping each alphabetic key more than one time to select a non-vowel character.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising utilizing a predictive text technique to select subsequent vowel or non-vowel characters based on the key tapping sequence.

31. A method of using a key arrangement comprising:

manipulating a plurality of keys comprising at least one space key, at least one function key, and a plurality of alphabetic keys, wherein each alphabetic key is associated with a plurality of non-vowel characters and no more than one vowel character and includes at least two outer sections and at least one center section;

tapping each alphabetic key once in the center section to select a vowel character; and

tapping each alphabetic key one or more times in an outer section to select a non-vowel character.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising utilizing a predictive text technique to select subsequent vowel or non-vowel characters based on the key tapping sequence.