ASYMMETRIC SHUFFLE KEYBOARD

• US 20100110012A1
• Filed: 10/25/2007
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wai-Lin Maw
• Original Assignee: Wai-Lin Maw
• Inventors: Maw, Wai-Lin
• Granted Patent: US 9,152,238 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1622 with enclosures rotating around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define or with ball-joint coupling, e.g. PDA with display enclosure orientation changeable between portrait and landscape by rotation with respect to a coplanar body enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0216 Arrangements for ergonomically adjusting the disposition of keys of a keyboard for keyboards integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/1664
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• 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

An asymmetric keyboard with a QWERTY style layout comprising a plurality of sparse grids and a plurality of dense grids is provided. A sparse grid is substantially large in size containing large keys with large labels, whereas a dense grid is substantially small in size containing small keys with small labels. All keys are functional but the larger keys in the sparse grid offer greater visibility and operability than the smaller keys in the dense grid. The user makes use of the sparse grid as the primary grid to input data. A swipe across a designated boundary interchanges the key labels between corresponding pairs of keys in the designated sparse and dense grids. On the software-based version, a swipe across another designated boundary compresses or decompresses a corresponding grid. On the hardware-based version, a bi-axial hinge allows the display and the keyboard to rotate around two axes.

Claims

1. A keyboard for data input comprising:

a) at least one major and one minor key;

b) a set of core symbols wherein each core symbol has a large label and a small label to represent it;

c) a software subsystem in communication with said major and minor keys, and core symbols; and

d) a set of instructions defined within said software subsystem,

wherein said set of instructions is configured to;

i) mark said major key with a large label of an assigned core symbol belonging to said set of core symbols;

ii) mark said minor key with a small label of an assigned core symbol belonging to said set of core symbols;

iii) make each of said major and minor keys represent an attribute corresponding to said assigned core symbol;

iv) interchange said assigned core symbols of said major and minor keys; and

v) make each of said major and minor keys represent an attribute corresponding to said interchanged assigned core symbol.

2. An asymmetric keyboard for data input in claim 1 wherein said keyboard is a virtual keyboard.

3. An asymmetric keyboard for data input in claim 1 wherein said keyboard is a physical keyboard.

4. A computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions for a keyboard comprising instructions for:

a) defining at least one major and one minor region in a spatial medium;

b) providing a set of core symbols wherein each core symbol has a descriptive or expanded symbol, and an abbreviated or reduced symbol to represent it;

c) marking said major region with the descriptive or expanded symbol of an assigned core symbol belonging to said set of core symbols;

d) marking said minor regions with the abbreviated or reduced symbol of an assigned core symbol belonging to said set of core symbols;

e) making each of said major and minor regions represent an attribute corresponding to said assigned core symbol; and

g) detecting an interchange signal,

wherein said set of instructions interchange said assigned core symbols of said major and minor regions on detecting said interchange signal.

5. A computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions for a keyboard in claim 4 wherein said major regions is larger than said minor region.

6. A computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions for a keyboard in claim 4 wherein said computer readable medium is a carrier.

7. A computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions for a keyboard in claim 4 wherein said computer readable medium is volatile.

8. A computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions for a keyboard in claim 4 wherein said computer readable medium is nonvolatile.

9. A computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions for an asymmetric keyboard in claim 4 wherein said spatial medium allows tactile input.

10. A computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions for an asymmetric keyboard in claim 4 wherein said spatial medium provides visual feedback.

11. A computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions for an asymmetric keyboard in claim 4 wherein said spatial medium provides tactile feedback.

12. A computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions for changing the state of a set of regions configured for:

a) defining said set of regions in a spatial medium by a set of spatial boundaries;

b) tracking the state of an object in said spatial medium;

c) generating a traversal signal when said object traverses a designated boundary which is a member of said set of spatial boundaries; and

d) defining and maintaining a first and a second states of said set of regions,

wherein said instructions change said state of said set of regions from said first to second state when said traversal signal is detected.

13. A computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions for changing the state of a set of regions in claim 12 wherein:

a) said first state is a first definition of said set of spatial boundaries; and

b) said second state is a second definition of said set of spatial boundaries.

14. A computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions for changing the state of a set of regions in claim 12 further comprising an interpreter for translating said state of said object in said spatial medium into a signal to control a pointer wherein:

a) said first state is the state where said interpreter is active; and

b) said second state is the state where said interpreter is inactive.

15. A computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions for changing the state of a set of regions in claim 12 wherein said computer readable medium is a carrier.

16. A computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions for changing the state of a set of regions in claim 12 wherein said computer readable medium is volatile.

17. A computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions for changing the state of a set of regions in claim 12 wherein said computer readable medium is nonvolatile.

18. A bi-axial hinge mechanism comprising:

a) a first hinge mechanism allowing a set of attached branches to rotate around a first axis; and

b) a second hinge mechanism on each of said set of attached branches allowing an attached leaf component to rotate around a second axis which is perpendicular to said first axis,

thereby allowing each of said leaf components to rotate around said first and second axes.

19. A bi-axial hinge mechanism in claim 18 wherein said set of attached branches consists of two members, a first and a second attached branches.

20. A bi-axial hinge mechanism in claim 19 wherein:

a) said attached leaf component of said first attached branch is a display device; and

b) said attached leaf component of said second attached branch is an input device.