40results about "Keyboards" patented technology

An improved opaque computer keyboard cover (10) which covers only the three- or four alpha-numeric rows of the keyboard (12). Function and format keys (12) are not covered which provides a one-size-fits-all design. This configuration eliminates the need to order from 3000 various keyboard cover sizes. This cover is for use in keyboarding instruction and prevents peeking to accelerate user memorization. This cover can also be imprinted with a language option layout or Dvorak keyboard layout thus fully conforming the keyboard layout to one of the 60 or so languages available in the computer operating system keyboard preference options.

A calculator which generally possesses a flat, compact and portable housing construction, and which includes a calculator lid mechanism which pivots a flat cover of the calculator in a predetermined controlled manner between a first position causing the flat cover to form a lid which overlies a calculator display, and a second operational position in which the cover is pivoted towards the rear of the calculator so as to form a stand for tilting the calculator into an upwardly inclined ergonomic position relative to a horizontal support surface during intended use thereof. Upon the actuation of a switch, a release mechanism enables the lid to be pivoted rearwardly in a controlled damped manner about a hinge connection, which articulates the lid to the calculator housing, under the urging of a torsion spring and damping drum arrangement constituting the lid mechanism located within a tubular bore within the hinge portion of the lid structure into an essentially perpendicular orientation relative to the rear surface of the calculator housing so as to form the stand for tiltingly support the calculator when positioned on a horizontal surface.

The specification and drawings present a new method and apparatus for a touch actuation in an electronic device using a general purpose input board. The input board comprises of a grating of conductors running in one direction (y-lines). Between these conductors there are contacts connected to a grating running in the perpendicular direction a layer below (x-lines). The grating layers are separated by an insulating layer. Various known methods can be used to read the position of, e.g., a conductive actuator touching the input board. The input board can be used as a configurable UI board under a keymat. The input devices on the keymat can be a key, a joystick, a touchpad top membrane, etc. Also, the actuators can be made force-sensitive by detecting a contact surface area. In addition, all components of the general purpose input board can be made of materials substantially transparent to light.

Disclosed herein is a light guide plate for keypad backlight panels, which is mounted at the rear of a keypad having numerals or characters printed thereon for supplying light emitted from a light source mounted at one side of the keypad to the keypad. The light guide plate is made of polycarbonate and is provided at the rear surface thereof with a concave-convex pattern, the density of which is increased as pattern elements of the pattern become more distant from the light source, such that light emitted from the light source is reflected and is uniformly supplied to the keypad, the pattern being formed on the light guide plate by hot stamping, injection molding, or micro blasting. The density of the pattern is adjusted by adjusting the distance between the pattern elements of the pattern or by adjusting the size of the pattern elements of the pattern. Consequently, it is possible to manufacture a keypad module in a slim structure or a curved structure. It is also possible to manufacture a keypad module that is capable of uniformly supplying light.

Methods and apparatuses are disclosed for a keyboard. A removable part of a keyboard includes keyboard keys and stores identification data for indicating software for the particular removable keyboard or model of removable keyboard. The removable part of a keyboard can be combined with a fixed part of the keyboard. A computer system can include the keyboard.

An electronic digital controller, such as a load cell indicator, is disclosed in which a number of components, such as a circuit board, display, and keypad are placed within an enclosure, and the enclosure is bonded closed, such as using an adhesive, to render the enclosure watertight. The keypad is a touch sensitive, capacitive keypad with no moving parts, and it is housed behind a rigid panel. An optoelectronic transceiver allows for data exchange with an electronic memory device housed in the adhesively sealed enclosure and allows for data exchange and for updating or modification of software code housed therein. Other components, such as another circuit board, a power supply, and block connectors, are placed in an adjacent enclosure, and the circuit boards in the two enclosures are electrically connected. The power supply is preferably a potted AC power supply but may also include a battery.

In a personal digital assistant assembly, a coupling block disposed on an operating surface of a base module is rotatable about a pivot axle transverse to the operating surface. An elongated hinge unit interconnects pivotally a connecting end of a personal digital assistant and the coupling block such that the personal digital assistant is rotatable about a longitudinal axis parallel to the operating surface and transverse to the pivot axle and is movable to a desired angular position relative to the coupling block. The coupling block is movable between an expanded position, where the personal digital assistant uncovers a user input unit on the operating surface of the base module, and a closed position, where the personal digital assistant is capable of covering the user input unit.

An input device for a barcode label / tag printer is operable in a first or non-intelligent mode wherein the input device passes data, representing user actuable keys, to the printer without processing the data. The input device is also selectably operable in a second or intelligent mode wherein the input device operates in accordance with an application program to manipulate data before sending it to the printer.

A portable terminal includes a main housing having a display device and a second keypad positioned adjacently to the display device and a first keypad adapted to slide on the main housing to expose and hide at least a part of the display device. The first keypad overlaps the second keypad when the display device is exposed. The portable terminal having a movable keypad can expose a part of the movable keypad, which is adapted to slide, and to position it in such a manner that it overlaps another keypad when not used to provide a large screen. In addition, the movable keypad does not independently occupy a space on the terminal but can selectively overlap another keypad or the display device for making the terminal in a compact size.

An illuminating membrane switch includes an upper membrane sheet, an electroluminescent device and a lower membrane sheet. The electroluminescent device is interposed between the upper membrane sheet and lower membrane sheet on which switch circuits are printed. In addition to emitting rays through the upper membrane sheet, the electroluminescent device has a plurality of openings allowing the switch circuits of them to contact each other. The keyboard utilizes the illuminating membrane switch to detect any input of keystroke and light up the symbols on the surfaces of key caps for a user to identify the function or alphabetic input of each key cap.

An electronic digital controller, such as a load cell indicator, is disclosed in which a number of components, such as a circuit board, display, and keypad are placed within an enclosure, and the enclosure is bonded closed, such as using an adhesive, to render the enclosure watertight. The keypad is a touch sensitive, capacitive keypad with no moving parts, and it is housed behind a rigid panel. An optoelectronic transceiver allows for data exchange with an electronic memory device housed in the adhesively sealed enclosure and allows for data exchange and for updating or modification of software code housed therein. Other components, such as another circuit board, a power supply, and block connectors, are placed in an adjacent enclosure, and the circuit boards in the two enclosures are electrically connected. The power supply is preferably a potted AC power supply but may also include a battery.

An input device for applying a signal depending on a user-operated key to an information processing device is disclosed which includes a plurality of keys including a function-key pad and a ten-key pad; and a communication section for transmitting data to and from a non-contact IC card or a device equivalent to a non-contact IC card; the communication section having an antenna housed in the input device and disposed above the ten-key pad and rightward of the function-key pad.

A keyboard for use as an input device for a host computer comprising a removable part that comprises a set of specific of keys each of which having a contact and held by a foundation. The removable part is associated with a specific software application to be executed on the host computer using the set, and comprises a device for data-connection and a data storage device containing an Identification Data (ID) associated with the specific application. The keyboard also comprises a fixed part, into which the removable part is installed.

A multi-function key system for use with an electronic device can include at least one key (230) and an optical film (255) optically coupled to the key. The optical film (255) can include a first optical filter (260) corresponding to a first color of light and a second optical filter (265) corresponding to a second color of light. The multi-function key system further can include a first light source (275), disposed below the key, that emits the first color of light and a second light source (280), disposed below the key, that emits the second color of light. A controller (215) can selectively activate the first light source (275) or second light source (280) responsive to an event detected within the electronic device.

This invention describes a method for a touch actuation in an electronic device using a general purpose input board. The input board comprises of a grating of conductors running in one direction (y-lines). Between these conductors there are contacts connected to a grating running in the perpendicular direction a layer below (x-lines). The grating layers are separated by an insulating layer. The input board can be manufactured using a wide variety of technologies, e.g., printable resistive, conductive and insulating materials. Various known methods can be used to read the position of any conductive actuator touching the input board. The input board can be used as a configurable UI board under a keymat. The input devices on the keymat can be a key, a joystick, a touchpad top membrane, etc. and their configurations and positions can be freely varied on switchcovers. In addition, the actuators can be made force-sensitive by detecting a contact surface area.

In one embodiment, the invention provides a keyboard overlay adapted to indicate which one of a plurality of menu commands provided by a particular software application is invoked when an alphanumeric key is pressed together with a modifier key on a computer keyboard. In this embodiment, the keyboard overlay has a portion overlaying the modifier key and displaying a predetermined color thereby associating the color with the modifier key. The keyboard overlay has a portion overlaying the alphanumeric key and displaying the predetermined color together with closely associated indicia identifying the menu command. More complex arrangements are described that indicate keyboard equivalents that involve pressing an alphanumeric key together with more than one modifier key.

A keyboard includes at least one special symbol key, a controller and a middleware. The controller asserts a code signal when the special symbol key is depressed. The middleware performs a matrix mapping procedure to convert the code signal into a new one conforming to an operation system of the data processing device if the code signal is not identical to that of the operation system.

A retainer clip receives a keypad and the like on a beltline molding. The clip has a face plate having a plurality of apertures. A wall extends from the face plate. The wall has a plurality of tangs spaced thereabout. The wall is configured to be received within an aperture in the beltline molding. The wall is sized to position the face plate in the aperture of the beltline molding. The tangs cooperate with the beltline molding to retain the faceplate to the beltline molding. The wall and keypad are configured to snappingly engage each other.

An illuminated film-covered keyboard includes: a backlit keyboard module which includes a plurality of keys that are light-permeable, and at least one backlight source; a frame body disposed on the backlit keyboard module, the frame body including a key area, wherein the top surface of each of the plurality of keys is exposed at the key area; and a cover film disposed at the key area and on top of the top surface of each of the plurality of keys, wherein the cover film includes a light-permeable film, a base color layer, a light-shielding layer that is opaque, and a protection layer disposed on a side of the light-shielding layer opposing the base color layer, and wherein the portions of the light-shielding layer that respectively correspond to each of the plurality of keys are removed so as to form a plurality of light-transparent patterns.

An input device. The input device may be coupled to an electronic device. The input device comprises a control capable of being moved to n activation points to respectively activate input functions, wherein n is an integer larger than or equal to ten. When activated, the input functions respectively enable n digits to be input to the electronic device.

An input device for applying a signal depending on a user-operated key to an information processing device is disclosed which includes a plurality of keys including a function-key pad and a ten-key pad; and a communication section for transmitting data to and from a non-contact IC card or a device equivalent to a non-contact IC card; the communication section having an antenna housed in the input device and disposed above the ten-key pad and rightward of the function-key pad.

The invention discloses a luminous leather sheath keyboard and a coating membrane thereof. The luminous leather sheath keyboard includes a backlight keyboard module, a frame body and the coating membrane; the backlight keyboard module includes multiple light-permeable keys and at least one backlight source; the frame body is configured on the backlight keyboard module and provided with a keypad area, and the top surfaces of the keys are exposed on the keypad area; the coating membrane is arranged above the keypad area and covers the top surfaces of the keys; the coating membrane includes a light-permeable membrane, a bottom color layer, a lightproof shielding layer and a protective layer; partial materials of the shielding layer are removed from the positions, corresponding to the top surfaces of the keys, of the shielding layer respectively to form multiple light-permeable patterns. By means of the technique above, a laser carving technique can be adopted for forming the light-permeable patterns on the shielding layer, and therefore there is no need to use tools for spraying graphs or typefaces of the keys, so that costs of the tools are saved, the manufacturing processes are simplified, and the shaped luminous patterns can be protected well and are not easy to abrade.

An electrical switching apparatus configured for low power operation includes: (a) a plurality of switching devices arranged in a switching array permitting sensing of individual switching events by selected switching devices; (b) a switching control device coupled with the switching array that provides power to the switching array for sensing and for a first time interval after a first switching device is actuated. The control device identifies the first switching device during the first time interval and interrupts power to the switching array after the first time interval until the first switching device is deactuated. The control device provides power to the switching array for a second time interval after the first switching device is deactuated. The control device determines during the second time interval whether a second switching device other than the first switching device is actuated.