Ergonomically designed keyboard

• US 5,017,030 A
• Filed: 07/07/1986
• Issued: 05/21/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jay A. Crews
• Original Assignee: Jay A. Crews
• Inventors: Crews, Jay A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crowder, Clifford D.
• Application Number:
  US06/882,633
• Time in Patent Office: 1,779 Days
• Field of Search: 400/54, 400/100, 400/472, 400/476, 400/485, 400/489, 400/715
• US Class Current: 400/485
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 5/10 Arrangements of keyboards , e.g. key button disposition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0235 using chord techniques G06F3/0234 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/807 characterised by the spatial arrangement of the contact sites, e.g. superimposed sites
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2217/034 Support for hands or arms
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2225/022 other then row-column disposition

Abstract

A keyboard usable on a typewriter or a computer terminal and configured in accordance with ergonomic principles uses chording of one thumb and one finger to type the characters of the English alphabet. The keyboard includes right and left preloaded palm pads which are shaped and contoured to fit the hands. The palm pads support the hands and operate the SHIFT and SHIFT LOCK functions. The punctuation keys are not affected by the SHIFT function. Movement of the writing position or cursor with respect to the medium is controlled by thumb-operated keys which are pushed in the direction of the desired movement.

Claims

1. A keyboard comprising:

a body;

home keys attached to said body and on which the fingers of the user normally remain;

actuating means for mode changing, attached to said body and operable while the fingers remain on said home keys, and that when actuated alter the mode of the keyboard by assigning an alternative set of characters to said home keys; and

,

punctuation keys attached to said body and that produce characters that remain unchanged regardless of which mode the keyboard is in.

2. The keyboard of claim 1 wherein said punctuation keys are located distally of but immediately adjacent said home keys, whereby an individual punctuation key can be struck by a finger without the user having to remove the remaining fingers from their home keys.

3. A keyboard that eliminates the wristtwist that is common with thumb-ball supports and that eliminates the uncomfortable pressure on the wrist that is common with wrist supports, said keyboard comprising:

a body;

a palm pad attached to said body, and shaped like the proximal part of the palm of a hand, contoured to conform to the surface of the proximal part of the palm of the hand, and relieved at its proximal edge to accommodate the wrist without exerting pressure on the wrist.

4. A keyboard comprising:

a body;

a palm pad attached to said body; and

,

means connecting said palm pad to said body for preloading said palm pad to support the weight of a user'"'"'s forearm and hand, said palm pad depressable to an activated position by the user against the urging of said means for preloading.

5. The keyboard of claim 4 wherein said means further comprise means for adjusting the preloading force.

6. A keyboard comprising:

a body;

a set of keys mounted to said body and defining home positions for the fingers of the left and right hands;

a CURSOR LEFT key mounted to said body adjacent the left side of the left thumb when the fingers are in their home positions and actuatable by leftward movement of the left thumb for the purpose of effectuating leftward motion of a cursor;

a CURSOR UP key mounted to said body adjacent the tip of the left thumb when the fingers are in their home positions and actuatable by distal movement of the left thumb for the purpose of effectuating upward motion of the cursor;

a CURSOR RIGHT key mounted to said body adjacent the right side of the right thumb when the fingers are in their home positions and actuatable by rightward movement of the right thumb for the purpose of effectuating rightward motion of the cursor; and

,

a CURSOR DOWN key mounted to said body adjacent the tip of the right thumb when the fingers are in their home positions and actuatable by distal movement of the right thumb for the purpose of effectuating downward motion of the cursor.

7. The keyboard of claim 6 wherein said CURSOR UP key is also depressable by the user for the purpose of effectuating a function.

8. The keyboard of claim 7 wherein said function is the TAB LEFT function.

9. The keyboard of claim 6 wherein said CURSOR DOWN key is also depressable by the user for the purpose of effectuating a function.

10. The keyboard of claim 9 wherein said function is the TAB RIGHT function.

11. The keyboard of claim 6 wherein said CURSOR LEFT key is also depressable by the user for the purpose of effectuating a function.

12. The keyboard of claim 11 wherein said function is the ERASE LEFT function.

13. The keyboard of claim 6 wherein said CURSOR RIGHT key is also depressable by the user for the purpose of effectuating a function.

14. The keyboard of claim 13 wherein said function is the ERASE RIGHT function.

15. The keyboard of claim 6 wherein said CURSOR LEFT key is also depressable and wherein when said CURSOR LEFT key is depressed and simultaneously said CURSOR RIGHT key is actuated by the user, a function is effectuated.

16. The keyboard of claim 15 wherein the function is the ERASE RIGHT function.

17. The keyboard of claim 6 wherein said CURSOR RIGHT key is also depressable and wherein when said CURSOR RIGHT key is depressed and simultaneously said CURSOR LEFT key is actuated by the user, a function is effectuated.

18. The keyboard of claim 17 wherein the function is the ERASE LEFT function.

19. A keyboard comprising:

a body;

a set of keys mounted to said body and defining home positions for the fingers of the left and right hands;

a LEFT key mounted to said body adjacent the left side of the left thumb when the fingers are in their home positions and actuatable by leftward movement of the left thumb for the purpose of effectuating leftward motion of a writing position;

an UP key mounted to said body adjacent the tip of the left thumb when the fingers are in their home positions and actuatable by distal movement of the left thumb for the purpose of effectuating upward motion of the writing position;

a RIGHT key mounted to said body adjacent the right side of the right thumb when the fingers are in their home positions and actuatable by rightward movement of the right thumb for the purpose of effectuating rightward motion of the writing position; and

,

a DOWN key mounted to said body adjacent the tip of the right thumb when the fingers are in their home positions and actuatable by distal movement of the right thumb for the purpose of effectuating downward motion of the writing position.

20. The keyboard of claim 19 wherein said UP key is also depressable by the user for the purpose of effectuating a function.

21. The keyboard of claim 20 wherein said function is the TAB LEFT function.

22. The keyboard of claim 19 wherein said DOWN key is also depressable by the user for the purpose of effectuating a function.

23. The keyboard of claim 22 wherein said function is the TAB RIGHT function.

24. The keyboard of claim 19 wherein said LEFT key is also depressable by the user for the purpose of effectuating a function.

25. The keyboard of claim 24 wherein said function is the ERASE LEFT function.

26. The keyboard of claim 19 wherein said RIGHT key is also depressable by the user for the purpose of effectuating a function.

27. The keyboard of claim 26 wherein said function is the ERASE RIGHT function.

28. The keyboard of claim 19 wherein said LEFT key is also depressable and wherein when said LEFT key is depressed and simultaneously said RIGHT key is actuated by the user, a function is effectuated.

29. The keyboard of claim 28 wherein the function is the ERASE RIGHT function.

30. The keyboard of claim 19 wherein said RIGHT key is also depressable and wherein when said RIGHT key is depressed and simultaneously said LEFT key is actuated by the user, a function is effectuated.

31. The keyboard of claim 30 wherein the function is the ERASE LEFT function.

32. A keyboard that permits a user to select the state (OFF or ON) of a two-valued variable and optionally to perpetuate the chosen state for as long as desired, said keyboard comprising in combination:

a body;

a left palm pad attached to said body and selectively depressable by the user;

a right palm pad attached to said body and selectively depressable by the user;

switching and logic means electrically connected to said left palm pad and to said right palm pad, and responsive when the variable is in the OFF state to depression of either palm pad to produce an ON output signal of limited duration, and responsive when the variable is in the OFF state to depression of both palm pads approximately simultaneously to produce and perpetuate the ON output signal, and responsive when the variable is in the perpetuated ON state to depression of either palm pad to produce and perpetuate the OFF output signal.

33. The keyboard of claim 32 wherein the two-valued variable is the SHIFT function.

34. A keyboard that permits a user to type a set of 26 different characters, comprising:

a body;

four left finger keys attached to said body and selectively depressable by the user;

four right finger keys attached to said body and selectively depressable by the user;

a left thumb key attached to said body and selectively depressable by the user;

a right thumb key attached to said body and selectively depressable by the user;

first means responsive to depression of only one of said four left finger keys to type, respectively, four distinct characters that make up a first subset;

second means responsive to substantially simultaneous depression of said left thumb key and one of said four left finger keys to type, respectively, four distinct characters that make up a second subset;

third means responsive to substantially simultaneous depression of said right thumb key and one of said four left finger keys to type, respectively, four distinct characters that make up a third subset;

fourth means responsive to depression of only one of said four right finger keys to type, respectively, four distinct characters that make up a fourth subset;

fifth means responsive to substantially simultaneous depression of said right thumb key and one of said four right finger keys to type, respectively, four distinct characters that make up a fifth subset;

sixth means responsive to substantially simultaneous depression of said left thumb key and one of said four right finger keys to type, respectively, four distinct characters that make up a sixth subset;

seventh means responsive to depression of only said left thumb key to type a distinct character; and

,

eighth means responsive to depression of only said right thumb key to type a distinct character.

35. A method of typing a set of 26 different characters comprising the steps of:

typing a first subset of ten characters using respectively the eight fingers and the thumbs of the left and right hands;

typing a second subset of four characters by using respectively the four fingers of the left hand and with each simultaneously using the thumb of the left hand;

typing a third subset of four characters by using respectively the four fingers of the right hand and with each simultaneously using the thumb of the right hand;

typing a fourth subset of four characters by using respectively the four fingers of the left hand and with each simultaneously using the thumb of the right hand; and

typing a fifth subset of four characters by using respectively the four fingers of the right hand and with each simultaneously using the thumb of the left hand.