Typewriting machines – Key-board or key lever-actuating mechanism – Key-cap or key-stem structure
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-12
2004-12-14
Colilla, Daniel J. (Department: 2854)
Typewriting machines
Key-board or key lever-actuating mechanism
Key-cap or key-stem structure
C400S490000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06830397
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an expandable and contractible keyboard device. More particularly, the present invention relates to an expandable and contractible keyboard device having a force vectoring device.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
It is possible to construct a keyboard that is laterally expandable and contractible. Such keyboards are described, for example, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/558, 866, entitled “Expandable and Contractible Keyboard with Adjustable Key Sizes, ” and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2001/0028712, entitled “Expandable and Contractible Keyboard with Adjustable Key Sizes, ” each of which is expressly incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto.
It is also possible to construct a keyboard that is laterally expandable but has fixed-width keytops. This arrangement allows the user to have a compact keyboard, e.g., with substantially less than ¾″ center-to-center spacing of keytops for “single-finger” typing but provides an expanded width keyboard, for example, having nominal ¾″ center-to-center spacing of the keytops, when “touch-typing” is desired, such as for long messages.
It may be desirable that the keyboard, when not expanded, is wide enough to permit single-finger typing. When touch-typing is desired, however, the keyboard, which may include, for example, an expandable fabric or other elastomeric web base, may include some form of laterally-expandable keytops. This arrangement permits a compact form of a keyboard for quick use with single-finger typing and an expanded form for touch-typing.
Conventional keyboards include fixed-size membrane keyswitches as the actuator to signal which of the keys is being pressed by the user's fingertip. Membrane switches are inexpensive but reliable. It is not common to provide membrane switches that are variable in size. A membrane keyswitch may include, for example, two flat conductive membranes spaced apart by a short distance. This spacing may be maintained by a thin insulative sheet with a central aperture between the two conductive membranes. The upper membrane is deformed down through the aperture so as to touch the lower membrane, and this contact completes a circuit and results in a logic signal being sent to a keyboard matrix decoder to send the correct character signal to the attached computer or other electronic device, such as, for example, a portable or handheld device.
Since the membrane keyswitch has a fixed size, but the keyboard mounting web and keytops may be expandable, the fingertip may not be positioned directly over the membrane keyswitch. If the fingertip is not positioned directly over the membrane keyswitch, the downward pressure may not actuate the keyswitch, thereby failing to produce the desired logic signal.
FIG. 1
is a top plan view of a keyboard device
10
in a contracted state, and
FIG. 2
is a schematic side elevational view of the keyboard device
10
illustrated in
FIG. 1
in the contracted state. Keyboard device
10
includes a plurality of keytops
12
a
,
12
b
,
12
c
, each of which is a fixed-size keytop. The keytops may be arranged according to the standard QWERTY arrangement, a non-US variation thereof, e.g., AZERTY, and/or a standard personal computer operating system arrangement. Arranged between each adjacent pair of keytops
12
a
,
12
b
,
12
c
is a hinge device
14
a
,
14
b
,
14
c
,
14
d
. Each hinge device
14
a
,
14
b
,
14
c
,
14
d
may include a plurality of self-hinged segments, which may be formed, for example, of hard plastic, polypropylene, an elastic material, a woven stretch material, etc. Beneath each keytop
12
a
,
12
b
,
12
c
is a respective keyswitch
16
a
,
16
b
,
16
c
, which may include, for example, a membrane keyswitch. Each keyswitch
16
a
,
16
b
,
16
c
and each hinge device
14
a
,
14
b
,
14
c
,
14
d
is secured to a stretchable web
18
via mounts
20
a
,
20
b
,
20
c
and
22
a
,
22
b
,
22
c
,
22
d.
FIG. 3
is a schematic top plan view of the keyboard device
10
illustrated in
FIGS. 1 and 2
in an expanded state, and
FIG. 4
is a schematic side elevational view of the keyboard device
10
illustrated in
FIGS. 1
to
3
in the expanded state. Each hinge device
14
a
,
14
b
,
14
c
,
14
d
includes a plurality of segments
26
connected to each other, to the respective keytop
12
a
,
12
b
,
12
c
, to keyswitch
16
a
,
16
b
,
16
c
and/or to mount
22
a
,
22
b
,
22
c
,
22
d
via hinges
24
. As illustrated in
FIGS. 2 and 4
, the width of each keytops
12
a
,
12
b
,
12
c
is approximately equal to the width of each keyswitch
16
a
,
16
b
,
16
c.
FIG. 5
is a schematic side elevational view of a fingertip
28
on a keytop
12
of the keyboard
10
in a contracted state, and
FIG. 6
is a schematic side elevational view of a fingertip
28
on the keytop
12
of the keyboard
10
in an expanded state. As illustrated in
FIG. 6
, it is seen that the fingertip
28
in positions a and c may not effectively close the keyswitch
16
. Thus, the user must position his fingertip
28
approximately in the center, i.e., in position b, to effectively close the keyswitch
16
.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an expandable keyboard device having a force vectoring device between the keytop and the respective keyswitch.
SUMMARY
The above and other beneficial objects of the present invention are achieved by providing an expandable keyboard device as described herein.
According to one example embodiment of the present invention, an expandable keyboard includes at least one keytop, a keyswitch corresponding to each keytop and a force vectoring device provided between each keytop and the respective keyswitch.
According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a keyboard device includes a web including a plurality of keytops, the web expandable and contractible between an expanded position and a contracted position, a plurality of keyswitches, and a force-vector device arranged between the keytops and the keyswitches, the force-vector device configured to transmit a force from the keytop toward a respective keyswitch in the expanded position and the contracted position.
The force-vector device may include a fill material arranged between the web and the keyswitches and a plurality of rigid members arranged in the fill material. The rigid members may be pivotally arranged with respect to the respective keyswitch. One end of each rigid member may be arranged in a substantially fixed positional relationship to the respective keyswitch and another end of each rigid member may be arranged in a substantially fixed positional relationship to the respective keytop.
The force-vector device may include a substantially fixed width on a keyswitch-side thereof and a width on a key-top side thereof expandable and contractible in accordance with the expansion and contraction of the web.
The force-vector device may include a plurality of blades arranged between the keytops and the keyswitches, each blade connected to the keytop at a respective attachment point and connected to a dome portion arranged over an active portion of the keyswitch at a respective pivot point. The blades may be rigid, and/or the blades may be formed of plastic.
In the contracted position, the keytops may have a concave shape, and in the expanded position, the keytops may have a substantially planar shape. Alternatively, or in addition, in the contracted position, the keytops may have a concave shape, and in the expanded position, the keytops may have a convex shape.
Each keyswitch may include a membrane keyswitch.
The keytops in the contracted position may be arranged for single-finger data entry, and the keytops in the expanded position may be arranged for touch-type data entry.
The keyboard device may include a plurality of hinge devices, each arranged between a respective pair of adjacent keytops, and the hinge devices may be configured to expand and contract in accordance with expansion and contraction of the web. Each hinge device may inclu
Colilla Daniel J.
Rast Associates, LLC
LandOfFree
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