Patent Application
20240341419
The present invention relates generally to typing devices. More specifically, the present invention is a finger-mounted typing apparatus that can help a user type on a keyboard or other input devices. The present invention is specifically designed for typing on the keyboard or a touch screen. However, the present invention is not limited to this option, and it may further be adapted for different purposes.
Typing on a keyboard or similar devices can be tedious and monotonous. Certain people who type and write can develop hand, wrist, and arm issues from the repeated action of hitting keyboard buttons such as carpal tunnel. Ergonomics helps alleviate some of the issues and symptoms but does not eliminate the repetitive finger motion used while typing. There is also a large number of keys that are used for typing on a typical keyboard or similar device. The fingers at times need to stretch in order to be able to push the appropriate keys. Moreover, long prosthetic fingernails are quite a popular accessory for people to wear.
Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a typing apparatus which overcomes the problems set forth above.
The present invention discloses a finger-mounted typing apparatus that comprises a finger ring, a neck portion, and a typing member. The neck portion comprises a first end and a second end. The first end is connected to the finger ring, while the second end is connected to the typing member. The typing member comprises a typing protrusion.
In one embodiment, the neck portion tapers from the second end to the first end.
In one embodiment, the neck portion is frustoconical in shape.
In one embodiment, a central axis of the neck portion is collinear with a diameter of the finger ring.
In one embodiment, the typing member further comprises a base portion affixed to the second end of the neck portion, and the typing protrusion is arranged on the base portion.
In one embodiment, the base portion is a round base portion.
In one embodiment, the typing protrusion is a round protrusion.
In one embodiment, the round protrusion further comprises a typing surface.
In one embodiment, the typing surface is a flat typing surface.
In one embodiment, the flat typing surface is located at a center of the base portion.
In one embodiment, the flat typing surface is perpendicular to the central axis. In one embodiment, the typing protrusion comprises a sloped surface that transitions from the base portion to the flat typing surface.
In one embodiment, the sloped surface has an angle of less than 15 degrees with respect to the flat typing surface.
In one embodiment, the sloped surface has an angle of 15-40 degrees with respect to the flat typing surface.
In one embodiment, the typing member is made of silicone.
In one embodiment, the finger ring and the neck portion are made of silicone.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. They are meant to be exemplary illustrations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to practice the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. That is, the dimensions of the components of the present invention, independently and in relation to each other can be different. It should be noted that the drawings are schematic and not necessarily drawn to scale. Some drawings are enlarged or reduced to improve drawing legibility.
As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art that the present disclosure has broad utility and application. As should be understood, any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed aspects of the disclosure and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being “preferred” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Accordingly, while embodiments are described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present disclosure and is made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded in any claim of a patent issuing here from, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of patent protection is to be defined by the issued claim(s) rather than the description set forth herein.
Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which an ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. When not explicitly defined herein, to the extent that the meaning of a term used herein—as understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such term—differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail.
Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an” each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. When used herein to join a list of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list.”
The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While many embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims. The present disclosure contains headers. It should be understood that these headers are used as references and are not to be construed as limiting upon the subject matter disclosed under the header.
Other technical advantages may become readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after review of the following figures and description. It should be understood at the outset that, although exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the figures and described below, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations and techniques illustrated in the drawings and described below.
Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together with the specification and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this invention. As used in the following description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up”, “down” and the like, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, “radially”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure as the particular drawing figure faces the reader. Similarly, the terms “inwardly,” “outwardly” and “radially” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate. As used herein, the term “proximate” refers to positions that are situated close/near in relationship to a structure. As used in the following description, the term “distal” refers to positions that are situated away from positions.
The present disclosure includes many aspects and features. Moreover, while many aspects and features relate to, and are described in the context of finger-mounted typing apparatus, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to use only in this context.
The present invention is a finger-mounted typing apparatus that is specifically designed to assist in typing on a keyboard or other similar devices (e.g., touch screen, etc.). It is an aim of the present invention to provide a typing apparatus that reduces fatigue and injury associated with long-time typing. It is another aim of the present invention to allow users with long fingernails to type in a fast and comfortable way without unintentionally dislodging the prosthetic fingernails. It is yet another aim of the present invention to provide a typing assistance apparatus that is simple in structure, inexpensive to manufacture, and easy to use.
Referring now to the figures of the present disclosure.
The finger ring 10 is configured to be removably mounted on a finger of a user. It should be noted that the finger ring 10 can be of any shape, size, material, features, type or kind, orientation, location, quantity, components, and arrangements of components that would allow the present invention to fulfill the objectives and intents of the present invention. In one embodiment, the finger ring 10 may have an inner surface, as a typical jewelry ring, for contacting a thumb or finger of the user. Preferably, the finger ring 10 is designed with a round cross-section for optimal comfort and wearability. Nevertheless, it's worth noting that alternative cross-sectional shapes, such as rectangles, triangles, and others, are also possible. Preferably, the finger ring 10 is configured to be worn on the distal phalanx of a finger. For example, The present invention may be worn by sliding the finger ring 10 onto the selected finger until the finger ring 10 is at the base of a fingernail of the finger. In other embodiments, the finger ring 10 may also be worn on other locations of the finger. In one embodiment, the finger ring 10 is a strap having first and second connectors on opposing ends of the strap. In one embodiment, the first and second connectors may be hook portions and loop portions, respectively, or other mechanisms of joining ends of the strap.
The finger ring 10 may be made of a bendable material. Preferably it is made of at least one of a plastic such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic, rubber, synthetic material, or metal comprising an alloy of silver, gold, steel, or aluminum. The bendable material of the finger ring 10 permits sufficient flexibility for sizing the finger ring 10 to the circumference of the user's finger. The bendable material also has sufficient rigidity to maintain the user's thumb or finger size once the ring is positioned as desired. This feature of the invention also permits users of varying thumb and finger sizes to be accommodated by simply expanding or contracting the effective ring diameter as desired by the user.
The neck portion 20 of the present invention is configured to connect the typing member 30 and the finger ring 10. It should be noted that the neck portion 20 can be of any shape, size, material, features, type or kind, orientation, location, quantity, components, and arrangements of components that would allow the present invention to fulfill the objectives and intents of the present invention. In one embodiment, the neck portion 20 comprises a first end 22 and a second end 24. The first end 22 is connected to the finger ring 10, while the second end 24 is connected to the typing member 30. In a preferred embodiment, the neck portion tapers from the second end 24 to the first end 22. Moreover, the neck portion 20 is preferably frustoconical in shape. Preferably, a central axis 26 of the neck portion 20 is collinear with a diameter of the finger ring 10, as shown in
The typing member 30 is configured to physically contact an input device (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen, etc.). It should be noted that the typing member 30 can be of any shape, size, material, features, type or kind, orientation, location, quantity, components, and arrangements of components that would allow the present invention to fulfill the objectives and intents of the present invention. In one embodiment, the typing member 30 is designed to mimic the fingertip of the user so as to offer an optimized typing experience. The typing member 30 comprises a typing protrusion 32. In one embodiment, the typing member 30 further comprises a base portion 34 affixed to the second end 24 of the neck portion 20. The typing protrusion 32 may be arranged on the base portion 34. Preferably, the base portion 34 is a round base portion. Moreover, the typing protrusion 32 may be a round protrusion. In one embodiment, the round typing protrusion 32 further comprises a typing surface 36. Preferably, the typing surface 36 is a flat typing surface. The flat typing surface may be located at a center of the base portion 34. Moreover, the flat typing surface 36 may be perpendicular to the central axis 26. In one embodiment, the round typing protrusion 32 comprises a sloped surface 38 that transitions from the base portion 34 to the flat typing surface 36. Preferably, the sloped surface 38 has an angle a of less than 15 degrees with respect to the flat typing surface 36, as shown in
When someone is typing their fingertips typically angle slightly inward. The present invention allows the user to angle their finger to press the keys as they naturally would without budging the present. invention out of place. Moreover, the user could have a plurality of finger-mounted typing apparatuses on each finger of each hand. The typing member 30 will be directed away from the palm-side of the hand and angled toward a fingertip of the selected finger such that when typing the typing protrusion 32 will be optimally angled to strike a keyboard or a touch screen.
In the exemplary embodiment as disclosed herein, the general shapes of the finger ring 10, the neck portion 20, and/or the typing member 30 are not meant to be limiting. For example, the general shape of the base member could be pyramidal, and the general shape of the typing protrusion could be cubical.
It is envisioned that the sizes of the components forming the present invention such as the finger ring 10, the neck portion 20, and/or the typing member 30 can vary based on design requirements.
Although the disclosure has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63495463 | Apr 2023 | US |
