US20090195508A1 - Portable electronic device with keyboard - Google Patents

Portable electronic device with keyboard Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US20090195508A1
US20090195508A1 US12/363,306 US36330609A US2009195508A1 US 20090195508 A1 US20090195508 A1 US 20090195508A1 US 36330609 A US36330609 A US 36330609A US 2009195508 A1 US2009195508 A1 US 2009195508A1
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
keyboard
alphanumeric
key
keys
electronic device
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US12/363,306
Inventor
Jason T. Griffin
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Malikie Innovations Ltd
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to US12/363,306 priority Critical patent/US20090195508A1/en
Publication of US20090195508A1 publication Critical patent/US20090195508A1/en
Assigned to RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED reassignment RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: GRIFFIN, JASON T.
Assigned to BLACKBERRY LIMITED reassignment BLACKBERRY LIMITED CHANGE OF NAME (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
Assigned to MALIKIE INNOVATIONS LIMITED reassignment MALIKIE INNOVATIONS LIMITED ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: BLACKBERRY LIMITED
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/02Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
    • G06F3/023Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/02Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
    • G06F3/023Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
    • G06F3/0233Character input methods
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/02Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
    • G06F3/023Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
    • G06F3/0233Character input methods
    • G06F3/0237Character input methods using prediction or retrieval techniques

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to the field of small handheld electronic devices such as wireless communications devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to keyboards for use in such devices.
  • keyboards or keypads for small handheld devices often use the standard 12-key telephone keypads (herein collectively referred to as keypads). Typing text using such keypads requires the user to input data in an unfamiliar manner.
  • Other kinds of keyboards follow the standard Dvorak or, more commonly, the QWERTY keyboard models and are used in portable handheld devices such as the RIM 950 Wireless HandheldTM.
  • This kind of keyboard when adapted to handheld devices uses a plurality of small individual keys optimised for operation with the thumbs of the user.
  • such a keyboard has considerably more keys than a keypad and the larger number of individual keys requires more space on a printed circuit board (PCB) than a keypad.
  • PCB printed circuit board
  • Each key requires its own footprint and switch on the PCB. Because of the relatively small size of such handheld devices, PCB space is limited and a QWERTY or Dvorak type keyboard takes up valuable real estate on the PCB.
  • Such a keyboard also requires a great deal of tooling in order to accommodate the large number of individual keys in the housing of a handheld device. This tooling adds to manufacturing costs.
  • a keyboard for an electronic device.
  • the keyboard has a plurality of alphanumeric keys, each alphanumeric key corresponding to a plurality of alphanumeric values, each key for providing an input signal corresponding to at least one of the corresponding alphanumeric values of the key, the plurality of keys arranged to provide a standard keyboard layout, as well as a non-alphanumeric key for providing an input signal corresponding to a command key value.
  • the plurality of alphanumeric keys and the non-alphanumeric key provide input to a keystroke interpreter which maps the received inputs to a sequence of alphanumeric and command values.
  • the keyboard layout is either a conventional QWERTY layout or a conventional Dvorak layout.
  • the plurality of keys provides one input signal, each of the keys has a single protuberance from an underside of said key which is adapted to engage a switching element located upon a printed circuit board underlying said keyboard and the keystroke interpreter employs predictive text routines for mapping the received inputs to a sequence of alphanumeric and command values.
  • each key of the plurality of keys provides a plurality of distinct input signals that correspond to one of the alphanumeric values of the key which has plural protuberances from an underside of said key which are adapted to engage corresponding switching elements located upon a printed circuit board underlying said keyboard and the keystroke interpreter employs predictive text routines for mapping the received inputs to a sequence of alphanumeric and command values.
  • the keys are arranged as a row that extends along a horizontal reference line through the handheld electronic device and said keys are of elongated shape with their longitudinal axes parallel to or tilted from a vertical reference line through the handheld electronic device, where a first group of keys is located on one side of said vertical reference line and a second group is located on an opposite side of said vertical reference line, said first group being tilted at a positive angle with respect to said vertical reference line and said second group being tilted at a corresponding negative angle with respect to said vertical reference line.
  • the keys are arranged as a row that extends along a vertical reference line through the handheld electronic device and said keys are of elongated shape with their longitudinal axes parallel to or tilted from a horizontal reference line through the handheld electronic device, wherein a first group of keys is located on one side of said horizontal reference line and a second group of keys is located on an opposite side of said horizontal reference line, said first group being tilted at a positive angle with respect to said horizontal reference line and said second group being tilted at a corresponding negative angle with respect to said horizontal reference line.
  • the keys are angled between about 20 degrees and about 70 degrees from vertical.
  • the non-alphanumeric key corresponds to one of the group consisting of an ALT key, a SYMBOL key, a SPACE key, a RETURN key, a BACKSPACE key and a SHIFT key.
  • a handheld electronic device that has a keyboard, a microprocessor and a software application.
  • the keyboard has a plurality of alphanumeric keys, each alphanumeric key corresponding to a plurality of alphanumeric values, each key for providing an input signal corresponding to at least one of the corresponding alphanumeric values of the key, the plurality of keys arranged to provide a standard keyboard layout, a non-alphanumeric key for providing an input signal corresponding to a command key value, and a keystroke interpreter for receiving the input signals from the plurality of alphanumeric keys and from the non-alphanumeric key and for mapping the received inputs to a sequence of alphanumeric and command values.
  • the microprocessor is operatively connected to the keyboard for receiving the sequence of alphanumeric and command values, and controls the operation of the device.
  • the software application is executable by the microprocessor, and provides a plurality of operational features and initiating such features upon certain inputs from the keyboard.
  • the handheld electronic device further includes a display.
  • the keyboard interpreter of the keyboard employs predictive text routines for mapping the received inputs to a sequence of alphanumeric and command values.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile communication device to which the present invention may be applied;
  • FIG. 2 comprises:
  • FIG. 2A is a plan view of a keyboard in accordance with one embodiment showing a user's thumb over a first key
  • FIG. 2B is a plan view of a keyboard in accordance with one embodiment showing a user's thumb over a second key
  • FIG. 2C is a plan view of a keyboard in accordance with one embodiment showing a user's thumb over a third key
  • FIG. 3 is a plan view of a keyboard in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, applied to a different type of handheld device;
  • FIG. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the reverse side of the keyboard shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 ;
  • FIG. 5 is a plan view of a portion of the reverse side of another embodiment of the keyboard shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 ;
  • FIG. 6 is a plan view of a further embodiment of the handheld device that has a touch display with an alphabetic key arrangement
  • FIG. 7 is a plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 6 that has a touch display with a numeric key arrangement.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile communication device 10 in which the present invention may be implemented.
  • the mobile communication device 10 is preferably a two-way communication device having at least voice and data communication capabilities.
  • the device preferably has the capability to communicate with other computer systems on the Internet.
  • the device may be referred to as a data messaging device, a two-way pager, a cellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, a wireless Internet appliance or a data communication device (with or without telephony capabilities).
  • the device 10 will incorporate a communication subsystem 11 , including a receiver 12 , a transmitter 14 , and associated components such as one or more, preferably embedded or internal, antenna elements 16 and 18 , local oscillators (LOs) 13 , and a processing module such as a digital signal processor (DSP) 20 .
  • a communication subsystem 11 including a receiver 12 , a transmitter 14 , and associated components such as one or more, preferably embedded or internal, antenna elements 16 and 18 , local oscillators (LOs) 13 , and a processing module such as a digital signal processor (DSP) 20 .
  • DSP digital signal processor
  • a device 10 destined for a North American market may include a communication subsystem 11 designed to operate within the MobitexTM mobile communication system or DataTACTM mobile communication system, whereas a device 10 intended for use in Europe may incorporate a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) communication subsystem 11 .
  • GPRS General Packet Radio Service
  • Network access requirements will also vary depending upon the type of network 19 .
  • mobile devices such as device 10 are registered on the network using a unique personal identification number or PIN associated with each device.
  • PIN personal identification number
  • network access is associated with a subscriber or user of a device 10 .
  • a GPRS device therefore requires a subscriber identity module (not shown), commonly referred to as a SIM card, in order to operate on a GPRS network. Without a SIM card, a GPRS device will not be fully functional. Local or non-network communication functions (if any) may be operable, but the device 10 will be unable to carry out any functions involving communications over network 19 .
  • a device 10 may send and receive communication signals over the network 19 .
  • Signals received by the antenna 16 through a communication network 19 are input to the receiver 12 , which may perform such common receiver functions as signal amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering, channel selection and the like, and in the example system shown in FIG. 1 , analog to digital conversion. Analog to digital conversion of a received signal allows more complex communication functions such as demodulation and decoding to be performed in the DSP 20 .
  • signals to be transmitted are processed, including modulation and encoding for example, by the DSP 20 and input to the transmitter 14 for digital to analog conversion, frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification and transmission over the communication network 19 via the antenna 18 .
  • the DSP 20 not only processes communication signals, but also provides for receiver and transmitter control.
  • the gains applied to communication signals in the receiver 12 and transmitter 14 may be adaptively controlled through automatic gain control algorithms implemented in the DSP 20 .
  • the device 10 preferably includes a microprocessor 38 that controls the overall operation of the device. Communication functions, including at least data and voice communications, are performed through the communication subsystem 11 .
  • the microprocessor 38 also interacts with further device subsystems such as the display 22 , flash memory 24 , random access memory (RAM) 26 , auxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystems 28 , serial port 30 , keyboard 32 , speaker 34 , microphone 36 , a short-range communications subsystem 40 and any other device subsystems generally designated as 42 .
  • Some of the subsystems shown in FIG. 1 perform communication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide “resident” or on-device functions.
  • some subsystems such as keyboard 32 and display 22 for example, may be used for both communication-related functions, such as entering a text message for transmission over a communication network, and device-resident functions such as a calculator or task list.
  • Operating system software used by the microprocessor 38 is preferably stored in a persistent store such as flash memory 24 , which may instead be a read only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown).
  • ROM read only memory
  • Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the operating system, specific device applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded into a volatile store such as RAM 26 . It is contemplated that received communication signals may also be stored to RAM 26 .
  • the microprocessor 38 in addition to its operating systems functions, preferably enables execution of software applications on the device.
  • a predetermined set of applications which control basic device operations, including at least data and voice communication applications for example, will normally be installed on the device 10 during manufacture.
  • a preferred application that may be loaded onto the device may be a personal information manager (PIM) application having the ability to organize and manage data items relating to the device user such as, but not limited to e-mail, calendar events, voice mails, appointments, and task items.
  • PIM personal information manager
  • the PIM data items are seamlessly integrated, synchronized and updated, via the wireless network, with the device user's corresponding data items stored or associated with a host computer system thereby creating a mirrored host computer on the mobile device with respect to the data items at least.
  • Further applications may also be loaded onto the device 10 through the network 19 , an auxiliary I/O subsystem 28 , serial port 30 , short-range communications subsystem 40 or any other suitable subsystem 42 , and installed by a user in the RAM 26 or preferably a non-volatile store (not shown) for execution by the micro processor 38 .
  • Such flexibility in application installation increases the functionality of the device and may provide enhanced on-device functions, communication-related functions, or both.
  • secure communication applications may enable electronic commerce functions and other such financial transactions to be performed using the device 10 .
  • a received signal such as a text message or web page download will be processed by the communication subsystem 11 and input to the microprocessor 38 , which will preferably further process the received signal for output to the display 22 , or alternatively to an auxiliary I/O device 28 .
  • a user of device 10 may also compose data items such as email messages for example, using the keyboard 32 , which is preferably a complete alphanumeric keyboard or telephone-type keypad, in conjunction with the display 22 and possibly an auxiliary I/O device 28 . Such composed items may then be transmitted over a communication network through the communication subsystem 11 .
  • the device 10 For voice communications, overall operation of the device 10 is substantially similar, except that received signals would preferably be output to a speaker 34 and signals for transmission would be generated by a microphone 36 .
  • Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems such as a voice message recording subsystem may also be implemented on the device 10 .
  • voice or audio signal output is preferably accomplished primarily through the speaker 34
  • the display 22 may also be used to provide an indication of the identity of a calling party, the duration of a voice call, or other voice call related information for example.
  • the serial port 30 in FIG. 1 would normally be implemented in a personal digital assistant (PDA)-type communication device for which synchronization with a user's desktop computer (not shown) may be desirable, but is an optional device component.
  • PDA personal digital assistant
  • Such a port 30 would enable a user to set preferences through an external device or software application and would extend the capabilities of the device by providing for information or software downloads to the device 10 other than through a wireless communication network.
  • the alternate download path may for example be used to load an encryption key onto the device through a direct and thus reliable and trusted connection to thereby enable secure device communication.
  • a short-range communications subsystem 40 is a further optional component which may provide for communication between the device 24 and different systems or devices, which need not necessarily be similar devices.
  • the subsystem 40 may include an infrared device and associated circuits and components or a BluetoothTM communication module to provide for communication with similarly enabled systems and devices.
  • handheld devices of this type perform a wide variety of complex functions and it is a challenge to provide a keyboard which is sufficiently compact to match the form factor of the handheld device but which provides the necessary level of functionality required by the user.
  • FIG. 2 is a plan view of a handheld device 100 incorporating a keyboard 32 of an embodiment of the present invention.
  • the keyboard consists of a horizontal array of ten adjacent elongated keys 102 .
  • Each key represents a plurality of alphanumeric characters.
  • the alphanumeric characters are positioned on the keys such that the keyboard will have a standard QWERTY layout but if desired, the arrangement could be modified to form a standard Dvorak layout. Therefore, each key 102 represents a plurality of different alphanumeric character inputs depending on its position on the keyboard. For example, the key furthest to the left represents a text input of ‘1’, ‘Q’, and ‘A’.
  • FIG. 2 includes alphanumeric keys representing two to four different inputs, each key may represent more or fewer inputs that can include any combination of alphabetic and/or numeric symbols.
  • the invention is in no way limited to the specific character assignments in FIG. 2 .
  • the keys are at an angle relative to vertical. It has been found that having the keys at an angle relative to vertical eases typing with thumbs.
  • the keys on the right side of the keyboard are rotated clockwise, while the keys on the left side of the keyboard are rotated counter-clockwise.
  • Complementary angles ranging from 20 degrees to 70 degrees are preferably used.
  • the keyboard may also include other non-alphanumeric, or command, keys such as a symbol key 104 . Such a key may access symbols or alternative functions when depressed in conjunction with the depression of another key or an auxiliary input.
  • a SPACE key 106 , RETURN key 110 , and BACKSPACE key 112 may also be provided in similar relative positions to those of a typical QWERTY keyboard.
  • a SHIFT key 108 may also be provided to access upper case letters when depressed in conjunction with alphanumeric inputs.
  • Typical handheld devices will include a display 118 , and possibility one or more auxiliary input devices, such as a thumbwheel 116 .
  • This arrangement allows the user's thumbs more accuracy when depressing the keys than would be possible if each input were represented by an individual key, since individual keys would be have to be very small in order to fit the form factor of a compact handheld device.
  • This arrangement is also less costly to produce than a keyboard where a single key represents each input since less tooling would be required for the housing of the handheld device and the mould for the keys would be less intricate.
  • FIG. 3 shows a similar keyboard in another kind of handheld device 1100 , which has a different form factor than the device 100 and may for example be a cellular telephone. They keyboard is positioned alongside the display 118 and is particularly useful in this embodiment because the keys 102 are laid out in a natural order for the user to easily use.
  • FIG. 4 is a plan view of the reverse side of a portion of a keyboard that would face the interior of a device in which the keyboard is implemented.
  • such keyboards may be manufactured in a web form, such that the keyboard is effectively a single component, comprising a plurality of independently displaceable keys formed in substantially planar pliable base material.
  • Each key 102 has protuberance 200 on the reverse side. This protuberance comes into contact with a switch on a circuit board located within the handheld device when the key is depressed.
  • one of the command keys serves as a number lock key. To enter a numeric value, the number lock key is depressed so that the keyboard interpreter recognizes the following key value as the corresponding numeric value of the key.
  • the number keys are disjoint from the alphabetic keys, obviating the need to depress a number lock key, and still providing a non-ambiguous numeric input.
  • the alphabetic keys still correspond to a plurality of alphabetic values.
  • the handheld device preferably uses some predictive text software application in order to deduce what the user is spelling. For example, if the user were to depress the left most key on the keyboard of FIGS. 2 and 3 , the software would determine whether the user intends to enter a ‘Q’, or an ‘A’. This may be initiated, for example, by appropriate inputs from the user through further keyboard or auxiliary inputs.
  • Predictive text routines as embodied in either Motorola iTapTM or Tegic T9® Text input are known to the art, and either these, or other predictive text routines can be employed. Such predictive text applications tend to become more accurate and thus more useful with subsequent keystrokes, as the “root” term upon which a prediction is based increases in length. As such, it is contemplated that the predictive text application may be activated after a certain number of keystrokes have been made, such that a root term has predetermined minimum length.
  • the initial characters in the minimum length root term may be manually selected in various ways, for example by depressing a key multiple times, by holding a key in a depressed position, or by operating a further key or input while holding a key in a depressed position.
  • Predictive text routines are typically executed by a keystroke interpreter which receives signals generated by the depressing of either the alphanumeric or the non-alphanumeric keys. It should be noted that common digital cellular phone employ non-predictive text routines which could easily be adapted by one of skill in the art for use in the keystroke interpreter of the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of a reverse side of the keyboard web.
  • Each key 102 has a plurality of protuberances 202 which preferably match the location of each input character marked on the individual key on the topside of the keyboard web.
  • a protuberance 202 would be located under the ‘1’ input on the leftmost key of the keyboard. That key would preferably also have a protuberance 202 under each of the ‘Q’ and ‘A’ inputs, totaling three protuberances on this particular key.
  • Each protuberance 202 is associated with a switch on the related printed circuit board, such that when the user depresses the key in the location of the input character, that input will be entered as a text or numeric value.
  • Predictive text software applications may also be implemented for this embodiment to predict what the user intends to enter, in case the user depresses a key in an incorrect location or more than one of the protuberances 202 makes contact with its associated switch on the PCB.
  • FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a further embodiment of the present invention.
  • Handheld device 1200 has an electronic touch display 1210 , which in a presently preferred embodiment is a touch sensitive liquid crystal display as is known to those of skill in the art.
  • Display 1210 is divided into a virtual keyboard 1230 , and a viewing area 1220 .
  • the alphanumeric keys of keyboard 1230 each have a plurality of alphanumeric values, and are arranged to provide a QWERTY keyboard layout, through a Dvorak layout can be implemented without departing from the scope of the present invention.
  • Virtual keyboard 1230 has a soft ‘num’ key 1240 , which toggles the displayed keyboard between an alphabetic keyboard and a numeric key arrangement key arrangement 1250 of FIG. 7 .
  • each key has numeric keys 1250 and a soft ‘txt’ key 1260 which is used to toggle back to the alphabetic display of FIG. 6 .
  • larger soft keys can be provided to the user than if individual keys were used, which is advantageous on a small device such as handheld 1200 .
  • the user touches the soft key that corresponds to the desired value.
  • the touch screen generates an input signal corresponding to the touched key, relays the signal to the keystroke interpreter, which optionally uses predictive text input routines to create an input stream provided to the rest of handheld 1200 .
  • each key generate a plurality of input signals depending upon the location at which contact with the key is made.
  • the keystroke interpreter With the virtual keyboard, it is possible to provide the keystroke interpreter with an input signal that has a probability of representing different values based on the location at which the key was depressed. These probability values can then be used by the predictive text routines to provide more accurate prediction of the text. It will be obvious to one of skill in the art that the arrangement of the command keys on display 1210 can be varied to provide different arrangement without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is foreseeable that another means of toggling between alphabetic and numeric entry could be implemented using another key arrangement.

Abstract

A keyboard for a handheld electronic device having a row of alphanumeric keys, each alphanumeric key having a plurality of associated alphanumeric characters. A plurality of alphanumeric keys located on a left side of the vertical centerline of the keyboard are rotated counter-clockwise and a plurality of alphanumeric keys located on a right side of the vertical centerline of the keyboard are rotated clockwise.

Description

    CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
  • This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/480,614 which was filed on Dec. 11, 2003. Said application is fully incorporated by reference herein.
  • FIELD OF THE INVENTION
  • The present invention relates generally to the field of small handheld electronic devices such as wireless communications devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to keyboards for use in such devices.
  • BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  • Existing keyboards or keypads for small handheld devices often use the standard 12-key telephone keypads (herein collectively referred to as keypads). Typing text using such keypads requires the user to input data in an unfamiliar manner. Other kinds of keyboards follow the standard Dvorak or, more commonly, the QWERTY keyboard models and are used in portable handheld devices such as the RIM 950 Wireless Handheld™. This kind of keyboard when adapted to handheld devices uses a plurality of small individual keys optimised for operation with the thumbs of the user. However, such a keyboard has considerably more keys than a keypad and the larger number of individual keys requires more space on a printed circuit board (PCB) than a keypad. Each key requires its own footprint and switch on the PCB. Because of the relatively small size of such handheld devices, PCB space is limited and a QWERTY or Dvorak type keyboard takes up valuable real estate on the PCB.
  • Such a keyboard also requires a great deal of tooling in order to accommodate the large number of individual keys in the housing of a handheld device. This tooling adds to manufacturing costs.
  • It is, therefore, desirable to reduce the number of keys necessary for a QWERTY or Dvorak type keyboard layout used with small handheld devices.
  • SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
  • It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one disadvantage of existing keyboards or keypads used with handheld electronic devices.
  • In a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a keyboard for an electronic device. The keyboard has a plurality of alphanumeric keys, each alphanumeric key corresponding to a plurality of alphanumeric values, each key for providing an input signal corresponding to at least one of the corresponding alphanumeric values of the key, the plurality of keys arranged to provide a standard keyboard layout, as well as a non-alphanumeric key for providing an input signal corresponding to a command key value. The plurality of alphanumeric keys and the non-alphanumeric key provide input to a keystroke interpreter which maps the received inputs to a sequence of alphanumeric and command values.
  • In embodiments of the present invention the keyboard layout is either a conventional QWERTY layout or a conventional Dvorak layout. In other embodiments, the plurality of keys provides one input signal, each of the keys has a single protuberance from an underside of said key which is adapted to engage a switching element located upon a printed circuit board underlying said keyboard and the keystroke interpreter employs predictive text routines for mapping the received inputs to a sequence of alphanumeric and command values. In another embodiment each key of the plurality of keys provides a plurality of distinct input signals that correspond to one of the alphanumeric values of the key which has plural protuberances from an underside of said key which are adapted to engage corresponding switching elements located upon a printed circuit board underlying said keyboard and the keystroke interpreter employs predictive text routines for mapping the received inputs to a sequence of alphanumeric and command values. In another embodiment the keys are arranged as a row that extends along a horizontal reference line through the handheld electronic device and said keys are of elongated shape with their longitudinal axes parallel to or tilted from a vertical reference line through the handheld electronic device, where a first group of keys is located on one side of said vertical reference line and a second group is located on an opposite side of said vertical reference line, said first group being tilted at a positive angle with respect to said vertical reference line and said second group being tilted at a corresponding negative angle with respect to said vertical reference line.
  • In a further embodiment the keys are arranged as a row that extends along a vertical reference line through the handheld electronic device and said keys are of elongated shape with their longitudinal axes parallel to or tilted from a horizontal reference line through the handheld electronic device, wherein a first group of keys is located on one side of said horizontal reference line and a second group of keys is located on an opposite side of said horizontal reference line, said first group being tilted at a positive angle with respect to said horizontal reference line and said second group being tilted at a corresponding negative angle with respect to said horizontal reference line. In a presently preferred embodiment the keys are angled between about 20 degrees and about 70 degrees from vertical. In yet another embodiment the non-alphanumeric key corresponds to one of the group consisting of an ALT key, a SYMBOL key, a SPACE key, a RETURN key, a BACKSPACE key and a SHIFT key.
  • In a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a handheld electronic device that has a keyboard, a microprocessor and a software application. The keyboard has a plurality of alphanumeric keys, each alphanumeric key corresponding to a plurality of alphanumeric values, each key for providing an input signal corresponding to at least one of the corresponding alphanumeric values of the key, the plurality of keys arranged to provide a standard keyboard layout, a non-alphanumeric key for providing an input signal corresponding to a command key value, and a keystroke interpreter for receiving the input signals from the plurality of alphanumeric keys and from the non-alphanumeric key and for mapping the received inputs to a sequence of alphanumeric and command values. The microprocessor is operatively connected to the keyboard for receiving the sequence of alphanumeric and command values, and controls the operation of the device. The software application is executable by the microprocessor, and provides a plurality of operational features and initiating such features upon certain inputs from the keyboard. In a presently preferred embodiment of this aspect the handheld electronic device further includes a display. In another embodiment the keyboard interpreter of the keyboard employs predictive text routines for mapping the received inputs to a sequence of alphanumeric and command values.
  • Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
  • BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
  • Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached Figures, wherein:
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile communication device to which the present invention may be applied;
  • FIG. 2 comprises:
  • FIG. 2A is a plan view of a keyboard in accordance with one embodiment showing a user's thumb over a first key;
  • FIG. 2B is a plan view of a keyboard in accordance with one embodiment showing a user's thumb over a second key; and
  • FIG. 2C is a plan view of a keyboard in accordance with one embodiment showing a user's thumb over a third key;
  • FIG. 3 is a plan view of a keyboard in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, applied to a different type of handheld device;
  • FIG. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the reverse side of the keyboard shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;
  • FIG. 5 is a plan view of a portion of the reverse side of another embodiment of the keyboard shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;
  • FIG. 6 is a plan view of a further embodiment of the handheld device that has a touch display with an alphabetic key arrangement; and
  • FIG. 7 is a plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 6 that has a touch display with a numeric key arrangement.
  • DETAILED DESCRIPTION
  • Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile communication device 10 in which the present invention may be implemented. The mobile communication device 10 is preferably a two-way communication device having at least voice and data communication capabilities. The device preferably has the capability to communicate with other computer systems on the Internet. Depending on the functionality provided by the device, the device may be referred to as a data messaging device, a two-way pager, a cellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, a wireless Internet appliance or a data communication device (with or without telephony capabilities).
  • Where the device 10 is enabled for two-way communications, the device will incorporate a communication subsystem 11, including a receiver 12, a transmitter 14, and associated components such as one or more, preferably embedded or internal, antenna elements 16 and 18, local oscillators (LOs) 13, and a processing module such as a digital signal processor (DSP) 20. As will be apparent to those skilled in the field of communications, the particular design of the communication subsystem 11 will be dependent upon the communication network in which the device is intended to operate. For example, a device 10 destined for a North American market may include a communication subsystem 11 designed to operate within the Mobitex™ mobile communication system or DataTAC™ mobile communication system, whereas a device 10 intended for use in Europe may incorporate a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) communication subsystem 11.
  • Network access requirements will also vary depending upon the type of network 19. For example, in the Mobitex and DataTAC networks, mobile devices such as device 10 are registered on the network using a unique personal identification number or PIN associated with each device. In GPRS networks however, network access is associated with a subscriber or user of a device 10. A GPRS device therefore requires a subscriber identity module (not shown), commonly referred to as a SIM card, in order to operate on a GPRS network. Without a SIM card, a GPRS device will not be fully functional. Local or non-network communication functions (if any) may be operable, but the device 10 will be unable to carry out any functions involving communications over network 19. When required network registration or activation procedures have been completed, a device 10 may send and receive communication signals over the network 19. Signals received by the antenna 16 through a communication network 19 are input to the receiver 12, which may perform such common receiver functions as signal amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering, channel selection and the like, and in the example system shown in FIG. 1, analog to digital conversion. Analog to digital conversion of a received signal allows more complex communication functions such as demodulation and decoding to be performed in the DSP 20. In similar manner, signals to be transmitted are processed, including modulation and encoding for example, by the DSP 20 and input to the transmitter 14 for digital to analog conversion, frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification and transmission over the communication network 19 via the antenna 18.
  • The DSP 20 not only processes communication signals, but also provides for receiver and transmitter control. For example, the gains applied to communication signals in the receiver 12 and transmitter 14 may be adaptively controlled through automatic gain control algorithms implemented in the DSP 20.
  • The device 10 preferably includes a microprocessor 38 that controls the overall operation of the device. Communication functions, including at least data and voice communications, are performed through the communication subsystem 11. The microprocessor 38 also interacts with further device subsystems such as the display 22, flash memory 24, random access memory (RAM) 26, auxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystems 28, serial port 30, keyboard 32, speaker 34, microphone 36, a short-range communications subsystem 40 and any other device subsystems generally designated as 42.
  • Some of the subsystems shown in FIG. 1 perform communication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide “resident” or on-device functions. Notably, some subsystems, such as keyboard 32 and display 22 for example, may be used for both communication-related functions, such as entering a text message for transmission over a communication network, and device-resident functions such as a calculator or task list.
  • Operating system software used by the microprocessor 38 is preferably stored in a persistent store such as flash memory 24, which may instead be a read only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the operating system, specific device applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded into a volatile store such as RAM 26. It is contemplated that received communication signals may also be stored to RAM 26.
  • The microprocessor 38, in addition to its operating systems functions, preferably enables execution of software applications on the device. A predetermined set of applications which control basic device operations, including at least data and voice communication applications for example, will normally be installed on the device 10 during manufacture. A preferred application that may be loaded onto the device may be a personal information manager (PIM) application having the ability to organize and manage data items relating to the device user such as, but not limited to e-mail, calendar events, voice mails, appointments, and task items. Naturally, one or more memory stores would be available on the device to facilitate storage of PIM data items on the device. Such PIM application would preferably have the ability to send and receive data items, via the wireless network. In a preferred embodiment, the PIM data items are seamlessly integrated, synchronized and updated, via the wireless network, with the device user's corresponding data items stored or associated with a host computer system thereby creating a mirrored host computer on the mobile device with respect to the data items at least. This would be especially advantageous in the case where the host computer system is the mobile device user's office computer system. Further applications may also be loaded onto the device 10 through the network 19, an auxiliary I/O subsystem 28, serial port 30, short-range communications subsystem 40 or any other suitable subsystem 42, and installed by a user in the RAM 26 or preferably a non-volatile store (not shown) for execution by the micro processor 38. Such flexibility in application installation increases the functionality of the device and may provide enhanced on-device functions, communication-related functions, or both. For example, secure communication applications may enable electronic commerce functions and other such financial transactions to be performed using the device 10.
  • In a data communication mode, a received signal such as a text message or web page download will be processed by the communication subsystem 11 and input to the microprocessor 38, which will preferably further process the received signal for output to the display 22, or alternatively to an auxiliary I/O device 28. A user of device 10 may also compose data items such as email messages for example, using the keyboard 32, which is preferably a complete alphanumeric keyboard or telephone-type keypad, in conjunction with the display 22 and possibly an auxiliary I/O device 28. Such composed items may then be transmitted over a communication network through the communication subsystem 11.
  • For voice communications, overall operation of the device 10 is substantially similar, except that received signals would preferably be output to a speaker 34 and signals for transmission would be generated by a microphone 36. Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems such as a voice message recording subsystem may also be implemented on the device 10. Although voice or audio signal output is preferably accomplished primarily through the speaker 34, the display 22 may also be used to provide an indication of the identity of a calling party, the duration of a voice call, or other voice call related information for example.
  • The serial port 30 in FIG. 1 would normally be implemented in a personal digital assistant (PDA)-type communication device for which synchronization with a user's desktop computer (not shown) may be desirable, but is an optional device component. Such a port 30 would enable a user to set preferences through an external device or software application and would extend the capabilities of the device by providing for information or software downloads to the device 10 other than through a wireless communication network. The alternate download path may for example be used to load an encryption key onto the device through a direct and thus reliable and trusted connection to thereby enable secure device communication.
  • A short-range communications subsystem 40 is a further optional component which may provide for communication between the device 24 and different systems or devices, which need not necessarily be similar devices. For example, the subsystem 40 may include an infrared device and associated circuits and components or a Bluetooth™ communication module to provide for communication with similarly enabled systems and devices.
  • Thus, it will be apparent that handheld devices of this type perform a wide variety of complex functions and it is a challenge to provide a keyboard which is sufficiently compact to match the form factor of the handheld device but which provides the necessary level of functionality required by the user.
  • FIG. 2 is a plan view of a handheld device 100 incorporating a keyboard 32 of an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the keyboard consists of a horizontal array of ten adjacent elongated keys 102. Each key represents a plurality of alphanumeric characters. The alphanumeric characters are positioned on the keys such that the keyboard will have a standard QWERTY layout but if desired, the arrangement could be modified to form a standard Dvorak layout. Therefore, each key 102 represents a plurality of different alphanumeric character inputs depending on its position on the keyboard. For example, the key furthest to the left represents a text input of ‘1’, ‘Q’, and ‘A’. Although the example shown in FIG. 2 includes alphanumeric keys representing two to four different inputs, each key may represent more or fewer inputs that can include any combination of alphabetic and/or numeric symbols. The invention is in no way limited to the specific character assignments in FIG. 2.
  • In a presently preferred embodiment, the keys are at an angle relative to vertical. It has been found that having the keys at an angle relative to vertical eases typing with thumbs. Preferably the keys on the right side of the keyboard are rotated clockwise, while the keys on the left side of the keyboard are rotated counter-clockwise. Complementary angles ranging from 20 degrees to 70 degrees are preferably used.
  • The keyboard may also include other non-alphanumeric, or command, keys such as a symbol key 104. Such a key may access symbols or alternative functions when depressed in conjunction with the depression of another key or an auxiliary input. A SPACE key 106, RETURN key 110, and BACKSPACE key 112, may also be provided in similar relative positions to those of a typical QWERTY keyboard. A SHIFT key 108 may also be provided to access upper case letters when depressed in conjunction with alphanumeric inputs. Typical handheld devices will include a display 118, and possibility one or more auxiliary input devices, such as a thumbwheel 116.
  • This arrangement allows the user's thumbs more accuracy when depressing the keys than would be possible if each input were represented by an individual key, since individual keys would be have to be very small in order to fit the form factor of a compact handheld device. This arrangement is also less costly to produce than a keyboard where a single key represents each input since less tooling would be required for the housing of the handheld device and the mould for the keys would be less intricate.
  • FIG. 3 shows a similar keyboard in another kind of handheld device 1100, which has a different form factor than the device 100 and may for example be a cellular telephone. They keyboard is positioned alongside the display 118 and is particularly useful in this embodiment because the keys 102 are laid out in a natural order for the user to easily use.
  • FIG. 4 is a plan view of the reverse side of a portion of a keyboard that would face the interior of a device in which the keyboard is implemented. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, such keyboards may be manufactured in a web form, such that the keyboard is effectively a single component, comprising a plurality of independently displaceable keys formed in substantially planar pliable base material. Each key 102 has protuberance 200 on the reverse side. This protuberance comes into contact with a switch on a circuit board located within the handheld device when the key is depressed. In a presently preferred embodiment, one of the command keys serves as a number lock key. To enter a numeric value, the number lock key is depressed so that the keyboard interpreter recognizes the following key value as the corresponding numeric value of the key. In a further embodiment, the number keys are disjoint from the alphabetic keys, obviating the need to depress a number lock key, and still providing a non-ambiguous numeric input. In this embodiment, the alphabetic keys still correspond to a plurality of alphabetic values. The handheld device preferably uses some predictive text software application in order to deduce what the user is spelling. For example, if the user were to depress the left most key on the keyboard of FIGS. 2 and 3, the software would determine whether the user intends to enter a ‘Q’, or an ‘A’. This may be initiated, for example, by appropriate inputs from the user through further keyboard or auxiliary inputs. Predictive text routines, as embodied in either Motorola iTap™ or Tegic T9® Text input are known to the art, and either these, or other predictive text routines can be employed. Such predictive text applications tend to become more accurate and thus more useful with subsequent keystrokes, as the “root” term upon which a prediction is based increases in length. As such, it is contemplated that the predictive text application may be activated after a certain number of keystrokes have been made, such that a root term has predetermined minimum length. Until that point is reached, the initial characters in the minimum length root term may be manually selected in various ways, for example by depressing a key multiple times, by holding a key in a depressed position, or by operating a further key or input while holding a key in a depressed position.
  • Predictive text routines are typically executed by a keystroke interpreter which receives signals generated by the depressing of either the alphanumeric or the non-alphanumeric keys. It should be noted that common digital cellular phone employ non-predictive text routines which could easily be adapted by one of skill in the art for use in the keystroke interpreter of the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of a reverse side of the keyboard web. Each key 102 has a plurality of protuberances 202 which preferably match the location of each input character marked on the individual key on the topside of the keyboard web. For example, a protuberance 202 would be located under the ‘1’ input on the leftmost key of the keyboard. That key would preferably also have a protuberance 202 under each of the ‘Q’ and ‘A’ inputs, totaling three protuberances on this particular key. Each protuberance 202 is associated with a switch on the related printed circuit board, such that when the user depresses the key in the location of the input character, that input will be entered as a text or numeric value. Predictive text software applications may also be implemented for this embodiment to predict what the user intends to enter, in case the user depresses a key in an incorrect location or more than one of the protuberances 202 makes contact with its associated switch on the PCB.
  • FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a further embodiment of the present invention. Handheld device 1200 has an electronic touch display 1210, which in a presently preferred embodiment is a touch sensitive liquid crystal display as is known to those of skill in the art. Display 1210 is divided into a virtual keyboard 1230, and a viewing area 1220. The alphanumeric keys of keyboard 1230, each have a plurality of alphanumeric values, and are arranged to provide a QWERTY keyboard layout, through a Dvorak layout can be implemented without departing from the scope of the present invention. Virtual keyboard 1230 has a soft ‘num’ key 1240, which toggles the displayed keyboard between an alphabetic keyboard and a numeric key arrangement key arrangement 1250 of FIG. 7. The virtual keyboard of FIG. 8 has numeric keys 1250 and a soft ‘txt’ key 1260 which is used to toggle back to the alphabetic display of FIG. 6. In the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7, larger soft keys can be provided to the user than if individual keys were used, which is advantageous on a small device such as handheld 1200. In operation, the user touches the soft key that corresponds to the desired value. The touch screen generates an input signal corresponding to the touched key, relays the signal to the keystroke interpreter, which optionally uses predictive text input routines to create an input stream provided to the rest of handheld 1200. As described earlier, it is possible to have each key generate a plurality of input signals depending upon the location at which contact with the key is made. With the virtual keyboard, it is possible to provide the keystroke interpreter with an input signal that has a probability of representing different values based on the location at which the key was depressed. These probability values can then be used by the predictive text routines to provide more accurate prediction of the text. It will be obvious to one of skill in the art that the arrangement of the command keys on display 1210 can be varied to provide different arrangement without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is foreseeable that another means of toggling between alphabetic and numeric entry could be implemented using another key arrangement.
  • The above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended to be examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations may be effected to the particular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.

Claims (19)

1. A handheld electronic device comprising:
a display;
a keyboard, said keyboard comprising a row of a plurality of alphanumeric keys, each alphanumeric key having a plurality of associated alphanumeric characters; and
wherein the plurality of alphanumeric keys located on a left side of the vertical centerline of the keyboard are rotated counter-clockwise and the plurality of alphanumeric keys located on a right side of the vertical centerline of the keyboard are rotated clockwise.
2. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein a majority of the alphanumeric keys have three alphabetic characters associated therewith.
3. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least two of the alphanumeric keys have only two alphabetic characters associated therewith.
4. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the alphanumeric keys has one number and one alphabetic character associated therewith.
5. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a keystroke interpreter operating on a microprocessor of said device.
6. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein said keyboard has a width approximately equal to a width of said display.
7. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary input.
8. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein said plurality of associated alphanumeric characters comprise alphabetic characters arranged in a QWERTY keyboard layout.
9. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of alphanumeric keys is provided by an electronic touch display.
10. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein said keyboard further comprises an elongate SPACE key positioned below said plurality of alphanumeric keys.
11. A keyboard comprising:
a row of a plurality of alphanumeric keys, each alphanumeric key having a plurality of associated alphanumeric characters; and
wherein the plurality of alphanumeric keys located on a left side of the vertical centerline of the keyboard are rotated counter-clockwise and the plurality of alphanumeric keys located on a right side of the vertical centerline of the keyboard are rotated clockwise.
12. The keyboard of claim 11, wherein a majority of the alphanumeric keys have three alphabetic characters associated therewith.
13. The keyboard of claim 11, wherein at least two of the alphanumeric keys have only two alphabetic characters associated therewith.
14. The keyboard of claim 11, wherein at least one of the alphanumeric keys has one number and one alphabetic character associated therewith.
15. The keyboard of claim 11, further comprising a keystroke interpreter operating on a microprocessor of said device.
16. The keyboard of claim 11, further comprising an auxiliary input.
17. The keyboard of claim 11, wherein said plurality of associated alphanumeric characters comprise alphabetic characters arranged in a QWERTY keyboard layout.
18. The keyboard of claim 11, wherein the plurality of alphanumeric keys is provided by an electronic touch display.
19. The keyboard of claim 11, wherein said keyboard further comprises an elongate SPACE key positioned below said plurality of alphanumeric keys.
US12/363,306 2001-06-12 2009-01-30 Portable electronic device with keyboard Abandoned US20090195508A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US12/363,306 US20090195508A1 (en) 2001-06-12 2009-01-30 Portable electronic device with keyboard

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US29772301P 2001-06-12 2001-06-12
PCT/CA2002/000862 WO2002101531A1 (en) 2001-06-12 2002-06-10 Portable electronic device with keyboard
US10/480,614 US7504967B2 (en) 2001-06-12 2002-06-10 Portable electronic device with keyboard
US12/363,306 US20090195508A1 (en) 2001-06-12 2009-01-30 Portable electronic device with keyboard

Related Parent Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/480,614 Continuation US7504967B2 (en) 2001-06-12 2002-06-10 Portable electronic device with keyboard
PCT/CA2002/000862 Continuation WO2002101531A1 (en) 2001-06-12 2002-06-10 Portable electronic device with keyboard

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20090195508A1 true US20090195508A1 (en) 2009-08-06

Family

ID=23147473

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/480,614 Expired - Lifetime US7504967B2 (en) 2001-06-12 2002-06-10 Portable electronic device with keyboard
US12/363,306 Abandoned US20090195508A1 (en) 2001-06-12 2009-01-30 Portable electronic device with keyboard

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/480,614 Expired - Lifetime US7504967B2 (en) 2001-06-12 2002-06-10 Portable electronic device with keyboard

Country Status (11)

Country Link
US (2) US7504967B2 (en)
EP (1) EP1399803B1 (en)
JP (2) JP4531393B2 (en)
KR (1) KR100636718B1 (en)
CN (1) CN100545788C (en)
AT (1) ATE470897T1 (en)
BR (1) BR0210353A (en)
CA (1) CA2450568C (en)
DE (1) DE60236652D1 (en)
HK (1) HK1062481A1 (en)
WO (1) WO2002101531A1 (en)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20100188348A1 (en) * 2007-06-20 2010-07-29 Kyocera Corporation Input terminal apparatus
US8492666B2 (en) 2010-07-07 2013-07-23 Research In Motion Limited Key assembly for a mobile device

Families Citing this family (62)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7083342B2 (en) 2001-12-21 2006-08-01 Griffin Jason T Keyboard arrangement
SG125895A1 (en) * 2002-04-04 2006-10-30 Xrgomics Pte Ltd Reduced keyboard system that emulates qwerty-type mapping and typing
US7257430B2 (en) * 2002-05-11 2007-08-14 Motorola, Inc. Self configuring multiple element portable electronic device
JP2004164618A (en) * 2002-10-14 2004-06-10 Oce Technol Bv Selection mechanism in portable terminal
BR0300474A (en) * 2003-02-25 2004-11-03 Banco Itau S A Method of generating a virtual keyboard for entering a user's security password or positive identification
US7310053B2 (en) * 2003-04-24 2007-12-18 Taylor Bollman Compressed standardized keyboard
US7081837B2 (en) * 2003-04-24 2006-07-25 Taylor Bollman Compressed standardized keyboard
US20040222979A1 (en) 2003-05-08 2004-11-11 Knighton Mark S. Multifunction floating button
US20050052419A1 (en) * 2003-08-22 2005-03-10 Kyocera Wireless Corp. Hand-held electronic device with improved keyboard
US8734036B2 (en) 2003-08-29 2014-05-27 Steven B. Hirsch Keyboard and keys
US7131780B2 (en) 2003-08-29 2006-11-07 Hirsch Steven B Keyboard
EP1515527A1 (en) * 2003-09-10 2005-03-16 Research In Motion Limited Dual-mode keypad for a mobile device
US7096036B2 (en) 2003-09-10 2006-08-22 Research In Motion Limited Dual-mode keypad for a mobile device
KR100846410B1 (en) 2003-12-31 2008-07-16 리서치 인 모션 리미티드 Keyboard arrangement
EP1569070A1 (en) * 2004-02-26 2005-08-31 Research In Motion Limited A keyboard for a device
US7056043B2 (en) 2004-02-26 2006-06-06 Research In Motion Limited Keyboard for a mobile device
GB0405972D0 (en) * 2004-03-17 2004-04-21 Dibble Stuart S Modification of keyboard, typewriter format and layout,to word recognition capacity
DE102004027261A1 (en) * 2004-06-03 2005-12-22 Frogdesign Hartmut Esslinger Gmbh mobile
US7322759B2 (en) 2004-07-22 2008-01-29 Research In Motion Limited Keyboard apparatus
ATE353524T1 (en) * 2004-07-22 2007-02-15 Research In Motion Ltd KEYBOARD DEVICE
US7439959B2 (en) 2004-07-30 2008-10-21 Research In Motion Limited Key arrangement for a keyboard
FR2878062A1 (en) * 2004-11-18 2006-05-19 Finsecur Sa MANUAL TRIGGER METHOD AND DEVICE
US7580518B2 (en) * 2004-12-01 2009-08-25 Motorola, Inc. Dual-axes hinge part for hinged components
US7320111B2 (en) 2004-12-01 2008-01-15 Oded Volovitz Method for assigning large sets of characters in different modes to keys of a number keypad for low keypress-data-entry ratio
US7499540B2 (en) 2004-12-30 2009-03-03 Motorola, Inc. Device having pivotable hinges
US7272411B2 (en) 2005-01-07 2007-09-18 Research In Motion Limited Dual-mode keypad for a mobile device
ATE380432T1 (en) * 2005-01-07 2007-12-15 Research In Motion Ltd DUAL MODE KEYBOARD FOR A MOBILE DEVICE
EP1691256A1 (en) 2005-02-11 2006-08-16 Research In Motion Limited Apparatus and method of determining characters typed in a mobile communication device
US20060183477A1 (en) * 2005-02-15 2006-08-17 Research In Motion Limited Network selection user interface for wireless devices
US7953448B2 (en) * 2006-05-31 2011-05-31 Research In Motion Limited Keyboard for mobile device
EP2381341A3 (en) * 2005-06-16 2013-03-06 Keyless Systems Ltd Data entry system
US7719520B2 (en) * 2005-08-18 2010-05-18 Scenera Technologies, Llc Systems and methods for processing data entered using an eye-tracking system
US20070076862A1 (en) * 2005-09-30 2007-04-05 Chatterjee Manjirnath A System and method for abbreviated text messaging
EP1808744A1 (en) 2005-12-06 2007-07-18 Research In Motion Limited Keyboard integrated navigation pad
US7663509B2 (en) * 2005-12-23 2010-02-16 Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ab Hand-held electronic equipment
US8537117B2 (en) * 2006-02-13 2013-09-17 Blackberry Limited Handheld wireless communication device that selectively generates a menu in response to received commands
US20070188460A1 (en) * 2006-02-13 2007-08-16 Research In Motion Limited Adjustable on-screen cursor sensitivity on a handheld communication device having a full alphabetic keyboard
US20070188459A1 (en) * 2006-02-13 2007-08-16 Research In Motion Limited Adjustable on-screen cursor sensitivity on a wireless handheld communication device
US20070188461A1 (en) * 2006-02-13 2007-08-16 Research In Motion Limited Adjustable on-screen cursor sensitivity on a handheld communication device having a reduced alphabetic keyboard
US8232965B2 (en) * 2006-02-13 2012-07-31 Research In Motion Limited Adjustable on-screen cursor sensitivity on a handheld communication device
EP1818776A1 (en) * 2006-02-13 2007-08-15 Research In Motion Limited Lockable keyboard for a handheld communication device having a reduced alphabetic keyboard
EP1942395A1 (en) * 2006-03-10 2008-07-09 E-Lead Electronic Co., Ltd. Miniaturized keyboard
KR100790070B1 (en) 2006-04-25 2008-01-02 삼성전자주식회사 Device and method for inputting key in wireless terminal
US8564544B2 (en) 2006-09-06 2013-10-22 Apple Inc. Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for customizing display of content category icons
US7941760B2 (en) * 2006-09-06 2011-05-10 Apple Inc. Soft keyboard display for a portable multifunction device
US8775931B2 (en) * 2007-03-30 2014-07-08 Blackberry Limited Spell check function that applies a preference to a spell check algorithm based upon extensive user selection of spell check results generated by the algorithm, and associated handheld electronic device
KR101485537B1 (en) 2007-08-07 2015-01-23 삼성전자 주식회사 Method and apparatus for using OSK by input device
EP2031482A1 (en) 2007-08-27 2009-03-04 Research In Motion Limited Reduced key arrangement for a mobile communication device
US20100066570A1 (en) * 2008-09-16 2010-03-18 Tessens Guy Lh QWERTY keypad
US8264383B2 (en) * 2009-04-30 2012-09-11 National Cheng Kung University Group keypads in compliance with standard keyboard installation
US8232485B2 (en) * 2009-09-28 2012-07-31 Research In Motion Limited Key assembly for an electronic device having a multi-character keycap
US8362371B2 (en) * 2009-09-28 2013-01-29 Research In Motion Limited Key assembly for an electronic device having one-piece keycaps and multi-touch preventing supports
US8183478B2 (en) 2009-10-26 2012-05-22 Research In Motion Limited Key assembly for an electronic device having a connected keycap
DE102010002402A1 (en) 2010-02-26 2011-09-01 Endress + Hauser Conducta Gesellschaft für Mess- und Regeltechnik mbH + Co. KG Field device of process automation technology, as well as methods for editing text and / or numbers, and device with a display unit and with a control unit
US8384566B2 (en) * 2010-05-19 2013-02-26 Mckesson Financial Holdings Pressure-sensitive keyboard and associated method of operation
US8896539B2 (en) 2012-02-03 2014-11-25 Synerdyne Corporation Touch-type keyboard with character selection through finger location on multifunction keys
US8686948B2 (en) 2012-02-03 2014-04-01 Synerdyne Corporation Highly mobile keyboard in separable components
US8414207B1 (en) 2012-02-03 2013-04-09 Synerdyne Corporation Ultra-compact mobile touch-type keyboard
US9235270B2 (en) 2013-02-26 2016-01-12 Synerdyne Corporation Multi-touch mechanical-capacitive hybrid keyboard
JP6346808B2 (en) 2014-07-07 2018-06-20 久保田 正志 Keyboard for character input
US20160357411A1 (en) * 2015-06-08 2016-12-08 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Modifying a user-interactive display with one or more rows of keys
JP6733611B2 (en) * 2017-06-12 2020-08-05 京セラドキュメントソリューションズ株式会社 Image forming apparatus and authentication method executed by image forming apparatus

Citations (36)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3967273A (en) * 1974-03-29 1976-06-29 Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated Method and apparatus for using pushbutton telephone keys for generation of alpha-numeric information
US4449839A (en) * 1982-09-22 1984-05-22 Bleuer Keith T Keyboard with elongate keys
US4769516A (en) * 1986-10-06 1988-09-06 Allen Donald E Finger operated switching apparatus
US5017030A (en) * 1986-07-07 1991-05-21 Crews Jay A Ergonomically designed keyboard
US5486058A (en) * 1994-08-09 1996-01-23 Allen; Donald E. Continuous touch keyboard
US5528235A (en) * 1991-09-03 1996-06-18 Edward D. Lin Multi-status multi-function data processing key and key array
US5581243A (en) * 1990-06-04 1996-12-03 Microslate Inc. Method and apparatus for displaying simulated keyboards on touch-sensitive displays
US5664896A (en) * 1996-08-29 1997-09-09 Blumberg; Marvin R. Speed typing apparatus and method
US5818437A (en) * 1995-07-26 1998-10-06 Tegic Communications, Inc. Reduced keyboard disambiguating computer
US5841374A (en) * 1997-01-28 1998-11-24 Abraham; Joseph N. Micro word-pad with tactile multifunctional keys
US5953541A (en) * 1997-01-24 1999-09-14 Tegic Communications, Inc. Disambiguating system for disambiguating ambiguous input sequences by displaying objects associated with the generated input sequences in the order of decreasing frequency of use
US6011554A (en) * 1995-07-26 2000-01-04 Tegic Communications, Inc. Reduced keyboard disambiguating system
US6070068A (en) * 1996-03-19 2000-05-30 Sony Corporation Communication terminal device and method for controlling a connecting state of a call into a desired connection state upon a predetermined operation by a user
US6103979A (en) * 1993-08-26 2000-08-15 Fujitsu Limited Keyboard having plurality of keys therein, each key establishing different electric contacts
US6121960A (en) * 1996-08-28 2000-09-19 Via, Inc. Touch screen systems and methods
US6150962A (en) * 1995-12-11 2000-11-21 Phone.Com, Inc. Predictive data entry method for a keyboard
US6157323A (en) * 1998-02-25 2000-12-05 Tso; Kevin H. K. Button-key/cylindrical-key alphabetizer
US6231252B1 (en) * 1998-10-05 2001-05-15 Nec Corporation Character input system and method using keyboard
US6278442B1 (en) * 1998-06-26 2001-08-21 Research In Motion Limited Hand-held electronic device with a keyboard optimized for use with the thumbs
US6295052B1 (en) * 1996-02-19 2001-09-25 Misawa Homes Co., Ltd. Screen display key input unit
US6333734B1 (en) * 1996-08-23 2001-12-25 Wolf Heider Rein Method and device for the one-handed input of data
US20020027549A1 (en) * 2000-03-03 2002-03-07 Jetway Technologies Ltd. Multifunctional keypad on touch screen
US6356258B1 (en) * 1997-01-24 2002-03-12 Misawa Homes Co., Ltd. Keypad
US20020041784A1 (en) * 2000-06-30 2002-04-11 Thomas Paul A. Key assembly
US6378234B1 (en) * 1999-04-09 2002-04-30 Ching-Hsing Luo Sequential stroke keyboard
US6396482B1 (en) * 1998-06-26 2002-05-28 Research In Motion Limited Hand-held electronic device with a keyboard optimized for use with the thumbs
US20020151283A1 (en) * 2001-04-02 2002-10-17 Pallakoff Matthew G. Coordinating images displayed on devices with two or more displays
US20030063070A1 (en) * 2001-10-02 2003-04-03 Kang Beng Hong Alex Keyboard optimized for use with the thumbs and handheld electronic device having the same
US20040067768A1 (en) * 2002-05-31 2004-04-08 Lavaflow, Llp User interface for a cellular telephone functioning as a personal digital assistant
US20040108994A1 (en) * 2001-04-27 2004-06-10 Misawa Homes Co., Ltd Touch-type key input apparatus
US6765556B2 (en) * 2001-11-16 2004-07-20 International Business Machines Corporation Two-key input per character text entry apparatus and method
US6801190B1 (en) * 1999-05-27 2004-10-05 America Online Incorporated Keyboard system with automatic correction
US20050054376A1 (en) * 2003-09-10 2005-03-10 Jason Griffin Dual-mode keypad for a mobile device
US6882859B1 (en) * 1996-12-16 2005-04-19 Sunil K. Rao Secure and custom configurable key, pen or voice based input/output scheme for mobile devices using a local or central server
US7075520B2 (en) * 2001-12-12 2006-07-11 Zi Technology Corporation Ltd Key press disambiguation using a keypad of multidirectional keys
US7356361B1 (en) * 2001-06-11 2008-04-08 Palm, Inc. Hand-held device

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS58102785A (en) 1981-12-15 1983-06-18 Kawaguchi Gakuen Inputting method for character
JPS59225431A (en) 1983-06-04 1984-12-18 Kawaguchi Gakuen Input method of character
JPH04143821A (en) 1990-10-04 1992-05-18 Hiroaki Kubota Deformed keyboard
JP3121642B2 (en) * 1991-10-14 2001-01-09 富士通株式会社 keyboard
US5847697A (en) 1995-01-31 1998-12-08 Fujitsu Limited Single-handed keyboard having keys with multiple characters and character ambiguity resolution logic

Patent Citations (38)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3967273A (en) * 1974-03-29 1976-06-29 Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated Method and apparatus for using pushbutton telephone keys for generation of alpha-numeric information
US4449839A (en) * 1982-09-22 1984-05-22 Bleuer Keith T Keyboard with elongate keys
US5017030A (en) * 1986-07-07 1991-05-21 Crews Jay A Ergonomically designed keyboard
US4769516A (en) * 1986-10-06 1988-09-06 Allen Donald E Finger operated switching apparatus
US5581243A (en) * 1990-06-04 1996-12-03 Microslate Inc. Method and apparatus for displaying simulated keyboards on touch-sensitive displays
US5528235A (en) * 1991-09-03 1996-06-18 Edward D. Lin Multi-status multi-function data processing key and key array
US6103979A (en) * 1993-08-26 2000-08-15 Fujitsu Limited Keyboard having plurality of keys therein, each key establishing different electric contacts
US5486058A (en) * 1994-08-09 1996-01-23 Allen; Donald E. Continuous touch keyboard
US6011554A (en) * 1995-07-26 2000-01-04 Tegic Communications, Inc. Reduced keyboard disambiguating system
US5818437A (en) * 1995-07-26 1998-10-06 Tegic Communications, Inc. Reduced keyboard disambiguating computer
US6150962A (en) * 1995-12-11 2000-11-21 Phone.Com, Inc. Predictive data entry method for a keyboard
US6295052B1 (en) * 1996-02-19 2001-09-25 Misawa Homes Co., Ltd. Screen display key input unit
US6070068A (en) * 1996-03-19 2000-05-30 Sony Corporation Communication terminal device and method for controlling a connecting state of a call into a desired connection state upon a predetermined operation by a user
US6333734B1 (en) * 1996-08-23 2001-12-25 Wolf Heider Rein Method and device for the one-handed input of data
US6121960A (en) * 1996-08-28 2000-09-19 Via, Inc. Touch screen systems and methods
US5664896A (en) * 1996-08-29 1997-09-09 Blumberg; Marvin R. Speed typing apparatus and method
US6882859B1 (en) * 1996-12-16 2005-04-19 Sunil K. Rao Secure and custom configurable key, pen or voice based input/output scheme for mobile devices using a local or central server
US5953541A (en) * 1997-01-24 1999-09-14 Tegic Communications, Inc. Disambiguating system for disambiguating ambiguous input sequences by displaying objects associated with the generated input sequences in the order of decreasing frequency of use
US6356258B1 (en) * 1997-01-24 2002-03-12 Misawa Homes Co., Ltd. Keypad
US5841374A (en) * 1997-01-28 1998-11-24 Abraham; Joseph N. Micro word-pad with tactile multifunctional keys
US6157323A (en) * 1998-02-25 2000-12-05 Tso; Kevin H. K. Button-key/cylindrical-key alphabetizer
US6278442B1 (en) * 1998-06-26 2001-08-21 Research In Motion Limited Hand-held electronic device with a keyboard optimized for use with the thumbs
US6873317B1 (en) * 1998-06-26 2005-03-29 Research In Motion Limited Hand-held electronic device with a keyboard optimized for use with the thumbs
US20010038382A1 (en) * 1998-06-26 2001-11-08 Griffin Jason T. Hand-held elctronic device with a keyboard optimized for use with the thumbs
US6396482B1 (en) * 1998-06-26 2002-05-28 Research In Motion Limited Hand-held electronic device with a keyboard optimized for use with the thumbs
US6231252B1 (en) * 1998-10-05 2001-05-15 Nec Corporation Character input system and method using keyboard
US6378234B1 (en) * 1999-04-09 2002-04-30 Ching-Hsing Luo Sequential stroke keyboard
US6801190B1 (en) * 1999-05-27 2004-10-05 America Online Incorporated Keyboard system with automatic correction
US20020027549A1 (en) * 2000-03-03 2002-03-07 Jetway Technologies Ltd. Multifunctional keypad on touch screen
US20020041784A1 (en) * 2000-06-30 2002-04-11 Thomas Paul A. Key assembly
US20020151283A1 (en) * 2001-04-02 2002-10-17 Pallakoff Matthew G. Coordinating images displayed on devices with two or more displays
US20040108994A1 (en) * 2001-04-27 2004-06-10 Misawa Homes Co., Ltd Touch-type key input apparatus
US7356361B1 (en) * 2001-06-11 2008-04-08 Palm, Inc. Hand-held device
US20030063070A1 (en) * 2001-10-02 2003-04-03 Kang Beng Hong Alex Keyboard optimized for use with the thumbs and handheld electronic device having the same
US6765556B2 (en) * 2001-11-16 2004-07-20 International Business Machines Corporation Two-key input per character text entry apparatus and method
US7075520B2 (en) * 2001-12-12 2006-07-11 Zi Technology Corporation Ltd Key press disambiguation using a keypad of multidirectional keys
US20040067768A1 (en) * 2002-05-31 2004-04-08 Lavaflow, Llp User interface for a cellular telephone functioning as a personal digital assistant
US20050054376A1 (en) * 2003-09-10 2005-03-10 Jason Griffin Dual-mode keypad for a mobile device

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20100188348A1 (en) * 2007-06-20 2010-07-29 Kyocera Corporation Input terminal apparatus
US8917246B2 (en) 2007-06-20 2014-12-23 Kyocera Corporation Input terminal apparatus
US8492666B2 (en) 2010-07-07 2013-07-23 Research In Motion Limited Key assembly for a mobile device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA2450568C (en) 2012-09-25
CN1541354A (en) 2004-10-27
JP2007149122A (en) 2007-06-14
KR100636718B1 (en) 2006-10-20
KR20040006035A (en) 2004-01-16
JP4531393B2 (en) 2010-08-25
CN100545788C (en) 2009-09-30
BR0210353A (en) 2004-06-29
DE60236652D1 (en) 2010-07-22
JP2004532486A (en) 2004-10-21
EP1399803B1 (en) 2010-06-09
WO2002101531A1 (en) 2002-12-19
CA2450568A1 (en) 2002-12-19
ATE470897T1 (en) 2010-06-15
HK1062481A1 (en) 2004-11-05
JP4146880B2 (en) 2008-09-10
US20040198249A1 (en) 2004-10-07
EP1399803A1 (en) 2004-03-24
US7504967B2 (en) 2009-03-17

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US7504967B2 (en) Portable electronic device with keyboard
US8824669B2 (en) Handheld electronic device with keyboard
KR100916619B1 (en) Handheld mobile communication device
US7439959B2 (en) Key arrangement for a keyboard
US7733330B2 (en) Mobile device keyboard having three-direction keys
US8346295B2 (en) Dual-mode keypad for a mobile device
US7805159B2 (en) Dual-mode keypad for a mobile device
US20070279256A1 (en) Reduced Keypad for Multi-Tap Input
US20080075517A1 (en) Modified Keyboard Arrangement with Distinct Vowel Keys
KR20060127923A (en) Keyboard arrangement

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED, CANADA

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:GRIFFIN, JASON T.;REEL/FRAME:026983/0518

Effective date: 20010606

STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION

AS Assignment

Owner name: BLACKBERRY LIMITED, ONTARIO

Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED;REEL/FRAME:034045/0741

Effective date: 20130709

AS Assignment

Owner name: MALIKIE INNOVATIONS LIMITED, IRELAND

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:BLACKBERRY LIMITED;REEL/FRAME:064104/0103

Effective date: 20230511