Patent Application
20140361992
The present invention relates generally to the field of input apparatuses for electronic devices, and particularly to condensed keyboards. It also relates to control apparatuses for games, particularly for small electronic devices.
Typing on mobile phones and other small electronic devices has always been relatively slow and inconvenient compared to full-sized keyboards. Recent improvements in both on-screen and hardware keyboards have significantly increased the ease and speed of typing, but still the most widespread methods are designed to engage only one or two of the user's fingers. A character inputting system that makes use of all of the user's fingers would be more efficient. It is also the case that many users tend to produce fewer typographical errors on hardware keyboards than on on-screen keyboards; however, mobile phones without hardware keyboards have become much more common, due in part to lack of space for physical keys as screen sizes increase.
The prior art includes numerous hardware keyboards which are condensed so as not to require a separate key for each character. The reduced numbers of keys allow the keyboards to fit on the back surfaces and/or the sides of small electronic devices. Since it may be tedious for users to learn a new typing system (as is necessary with chordal condensed keyboards), it is advantageous to employ a key-to-character mapping scheme that simulates the experience of typing on a conventional keyboard. One example is U.S. Pat. No. 8,130,199, in which a set of character keys represents a “home row” and a second set of control buttons shifts to the upper or lower row when pressed in combination with the character keys. However, there is room for an alternative having smoother row shifting than the keyboard of '199.
It is therefore a goal of the present invention to provide a character input apparatus that can be used more efficiently than the prior art. In one aspect of the present invention, a character input apparatus has eight keys on the back of an electronic device, each of the keys being capable of inputting a plurality of characters. A radially movable selection member (such as a joystick) on or near the top edge of the device can be manipulated by the user's thumb. The position of the selecting member at the time a key is pressed determines which of the characters associated with the key is inputted. Other embodiments may have two selection members, one for each thumb.
The selection member(s) can also be used to input direction commands, which can apply to scrolling, switching between interactive elements on the screen, and controlling video games.
The attainment of the foregoing and related advantages and features of the invention should be more readily apparent to those skilled in the art, after review of the following more detailed description of the invention taken together with the drawings.
In
Each of keys 101, 102 is capable of inputting a plurality of characters, while selection members 103, 104 are used to shift between the available characters for keys 101, 102. Right and left selection members 103 and 104 may exclusively control right and left keys 101 and 102 respectively, or both selection members 103, 104 may control all keys 101, 102. When a key 101, 102 is pressed, the current position of selection members 103, 104 determines which of the characters available to that key is inputted.
Other embodiments may have additional function keys which can be pressed individually or in combination with keys 101, 102 to produce numbers or less commonly used characters, among other possible functions.
Selection members 103, 104 may also be used as to input direction commands when not being used for typing. For instance, selection members 103, 104 can be used to switch between interactive components on the screen of device 100, or for scrolling. Selection members 103, 104 can also be used to input direction commands in video games, with keys 101, 102 performing various other functions within the game.
The embodiment described above and shown in the figures has two selection members 103 and 104, but other embodiments may have a single selection member. Also, the embodiment shown and described is part of a cover 200 for device 100, but in other embodiments the input apparatus may be built into the device itself, or may be an attachable accessory other than a case or cover.
