Typewriting machines – Key-board or key lever-actuating mechanism – Key-board having multiple-character – multiple-movement keys
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-20
2004-10-19
Eickholt, Eugene H. (Department: 2854)
Typewriting machines
Key-board or key lever-actuating mechanism
Key-board having multiple-character, multiple-movement keys
C235S14500A, C200S345000, C200SDIG009, C378S169000, C984S061000, C341S022000, C725S013000, C178S108000, C400S493000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06805506
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related to keyboard type devices that contain a set of systematically arranged keys used to operate a machine or device. More specifically, the invention relates to keyboards or keypads in which each key is selectably able to perform a function chosen from one or more sets of functions and to means of clearly displaying on the face of the key which function has been selected for that key.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In order to maximize the flexibility and reduce the number of individual keys on keyboards for input of data or instructions to machines and devices, such as typewriters, computers, telephones, etc., it is common practice to divide the total number of operations (functions) the keyboard is able to control into different subsets. The keyboard is provided with a control mechanism which allows the operator to choose which subset is required either for the entire keyboard or for each individual key. Within the chosen subset each individual key represents a different operation and when pressed will generate an appropriate signal. Switching to another subset will result in a corresponding change in the signal generated by each key. In order to display the alternate functions associated with each key to the user, the indicia for all the subsets are typically printed or engraved in some fashion on the individual keys. The difficulty with this is that typically there are two or more subsets and the keys are sometimes very small, therefore making it difficult for the operator to clearly see and to be able to easily distinguish between the various indicia on each key.
FIG. 1
is a photograph showing a portion of a dual-language (Hebrew-English) keyboard for a personal computer and
FIG. 2
shows a typical keypad for a cellular telephone. Both photographs illustrate the crowded and often confusing arrangement of indicia on the face of each key. This difficulty has long been recognized and keyboard manufacturers have provided many ingenious, if usually complicated, solutions to the problem.
One of the early attempts at solving this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,653,683. According to this patent, the indicia are written on the keys one behind the other, for example, numbers on the forward part of each key and letters behind. Each key is covered by a plate with a window large enough to allow only one of the indicia on each key to be seen at a time. The plates are connected to a mechanical mechanism that is in turn connected to a selecting mechanism such that, when, for example, the numerical function is selected, all the windows are pulled forward on the keys exposing the numbers and covering the letters.
A mechanical approach is used in U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,932 which discloses a mechanism for simultaneously rotating all of the keys on the keyboard. Each key has several characters on it and in each rotational position a different indicia, belonging to a common set of indicia for the entire keyboard, is brought into a readable position. Each key is connected to an electric circuit which provides an appropriate coded output to the device being controlled by the keyboard.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,792 combines a mechanical with an electrical approach. In a preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed in this patent, the individual hexagonally shaped keys are mounted on rods, one for each row of a typewriter keyboard, such that rotating the rod will bring a different face, corresponding to a different font type, of the key into view. The entire keyboard is arranged so that all the keys move together and the electronics of the system is integrated such that the indicia corresponding to the selected font type is typed when a key is pressed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,722 discloses a computer input keyboard whose keys are automatically relabeled by optical transfer of computer-generated labels from a visual display device to the keyboard.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,322 describes a keyboard wherein each key contains a small cathode-ray tube on which the labels are generated under control of a computer.
The above described solutions are representative of many others. All of these proposed solutions are either too expensive and/or too time-consuming to operate and/or too complicated to adapt to modern keyboard devices. In these keyboards the manufacturers sometimes use color coding to distinguish between indicia associated with different subgroups, but this is an unsatisfactory solution since with time the colors often fade and, in any case, the difficulty of the size of the indicia remains. As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
for two of the most widely used applications of keyboards today, the problem of clearly displaying multiple indicia on the face of each key is still unsolved.
It is therefore a purpose of this invention to provide a keyboard or keypad in which the multiple indicia representing the multiple functions of each key are displayed individually on the face of the key. The indicia that is displayed is determined by the choice of function made by the operator of the keyboard.
It is another purpose of this invention to provide a keyboard or keypad in which the multiple indicia representing the multiple functions of each key are displayed individually on the face of the key. The choice of indicia being displayed is determined by the operator of the keyboard by non-mechanical means and simply by changing the angle at which he views the keyboard.
It is yet another purpose of this invention to provide a keyboard or keypad in which the multiple indicia representing the multiple functions of each key are displayed individually and full-sized on the face of the key.
It is a further purpose of this invention to provide a method for providing a keyboard or keypad in which the multiple indicia representing the multiple functions of each key are displayed individually on the face of that key that is relatively inexpensive to produce and can be applied to virtually any input device that uses keys for selecting the information to be transferred to virtually any machine or device.
It is yet another purpose of the invention to provide a keyboard- or keypad-operated device in which the function of the keys is determined by the angle at which the device is held relative to the viewer.
Further purposes and advantages of this invention will appear as the description proceeds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The method of the present invention, for displaying individually the multiple indicia representing the multiple functions of each key of a keyboard or keypad, comprises dividing each of the images of the individual indicia into portions that are then printed in a predetermined manner, each individual portion being printed spaced from the adjacent portions containing information from the same indicia. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the portions containing information from the other indicia are printed in the spaces between adjacent portions of the first indicia such that a single composite interlaced image, containing information about all the indicia, is produced. This composite image is produced on the top surface of the key either by being affixed to or printed directly on it. When observed from different angles and by appropriate means, the information contained in the composite image is separated such that the indicia are observed individually.
Throughout this specification the terms “keyboard” and “keypad” are used interchangeably/ and are meant to indicate any arrangement of two or more keys used to operate any electric or electronic device.
In the abovementioned preferred embodiment of the invention, the methods of producing the composite image and observing the individual indicia are based on known lenticular technology, although alternate preferred embodiments using other methods are also encompassed by the invention, as described hereinafter. The basic principle of lenticular technology as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,906 band South African patent 2000/3312 by the same inventor, the descriptions of which are incorpor
Browdy and Neimark , P.L.L.C.
Eickholt Eugene H.
Lubartech Ltd.
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