Expandable and contractible keyboard device

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/339,663, filed on Dec. 12, 2001, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference thereto.

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 include a plurality of self-hinged segments, and each self-hinged segment may be formed of plastic.

The web may be formed of a stretchable material, an elastic material, etc. The keytops may correspond to at least one of an alphanumeric keyboard arrangement, a telephone keypad arrangement and a calculator keypad arrangement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1

is a schematic top plan view of a keyboard device in a contracted state.

FIG. 2

is a schematic side elevational view of the keyboard device illustrated in

FIG. 1

in the contracted state.

FIG. 3

is a schematic top plan view of the keyboard device illustrated in

FIGS. 1 and 2

in an expanded state.

FIG. 4

is a schematic side elevational view of the keyboard device illustrated in

FIGS. 1

to

3

in the expanded state.

FIG. 5

is a schematic side elevational view of a fingertip on a keytop in a contracted state.

FIG. 6

is a schematic side elevational view of a fingertip on the keytop in an expanded state.

FIG. 7

is a schematic side elevational view of a fingertip on the keytop in a contracted state.

FIG. 8

is a schematic side elevational view of a force vectoring device.

FIG. 9

is a schematic side elevational view of a fingertip on the keytop in an expanded state.

FIG. 10

is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the expanding keytop with a force vectoring device in a contracted state.

FIG. 11

is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the expanding keytop with the force vectoring device illustrated in

FIG. 10

in an expanded state.

FIG. 12

is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the expanding keytop with the force vectoring device illustrated in

FIGS. 10 and 11

illustrating the force vectoring action thereof.

FIG. 13

is a schematic side view of an example embodiment of an expanding keytop in a contracted state.

FIG. 14

is a schematic side view of the example embodiment of the expanding keytop illustrated in

FIG. 13

in an expanded state.

FIG. 15

is a schematic side view of another example embodiment of an expanding keytop in a contracted state.

FIG. 16

is a schematic side view of the example embodiment of an expanding keytop illustrated in

FIG. 15

in an expanded state.

FIG. 17

is a schematic top plan view of an expandable keyboard with expandable-width keytops in a contracted state.

FIG. 18

is a schematic side view of the expandable keyboard illustrated in

FIG. 17

in the contracted state.

FIG. 19

is a schematic top plan view of the expandable keyboard illustrated in

FIGS. 17 and 18

in an expanded state.

FIG. 20

is a schematic side view of the expandable keyboard illustrated in

FIGS. 17

to

19

in the expanded state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 7

is a schematic side elevational view of a keyboard device

110

according to the present invention. The keyboard device

110

includes an expandable keytop

112

and a membrane keyswitch

116

fixed to a stretchable web

118

.

FIG. 7

illustrates the keytop in a contracted state. Disposed between the keytop

112

and the keyswitch

116

is a force vectoring device

130

. The force vectoring device

130

may include, for example, a plurality of vectoring members arranged in, for example, an elastomeric fill material

138

. Pressure exerted by a fingertip

128

on the keytop

112

in the direction of arrow

132

is transmitted by the force vectoring device

130

to the keyswitch

116

in the direction of arrows

134

.

FIG. 8

is a schematic side elevational view of the force vectoring device

130

. The top of the force vectoring device

130

may be fixed to the expandable keytop

112

by, for example, an adhesive. It should be appreciated that the top of the force vectoring device is expandable with the keytop

112

and that the bottom of the force vectoring device has a fixed width since the bottom of the force vectoring device is fixed to the keyswitch or to a baseplate. Thus, when the stretchable web

118

is and keytop(s)

112

are expanded for touch-typing use, the top of the force vectoring device

130

will expand with the keytop

112

, but the bottom of the force vectoring device

130

will not expand.

FIG. 9

is a schematic side elevational view of a fingertip

128

on the keytop

112

in an expanded state. As illustrated in

FIG. 9

, the fingertip pressure

132

is directed by the force vectoring device

130

to the keyswitch

116

in the direction of arrows

134

regardless of the position of the fingertip

128

on the keyswitch

112

.

FIG. 10

is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an example embodiment of an expandable keytop

212

having a force vectoring device

230

. The expandable keytop

212

may be formed, for example, of a woven or other elastomeric material. The force vectoring device

230

includes a plurality of blades

236

, which may be, for example, formed of a hard and/or rigid material, such as plastic. Each blade

236

is connected to the keytop

212

at a respective attachment point

240

and connected to a dome portion

246

via a respective hinge point

242

. The dome portion

246

is arranged over the active portion

244

of the membrane keyswitch

216

. The blades

236

may be connected to the keytop

212

at the respective attachment point

240

by, for example, glue or other adhesive material, and may be attached to the dome portion

246

at the respective hinge point

242

by, for example, glue strips. The dome portion

246

may be upwardly curved to prevent the blades from accidently touching the membrane keyswitch when no pressure is applied to the keytop

212

.

FIG. 11

is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the expanding keytop

212

and force vectoring device

230

in the expanded state, and

FIG. 12

is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the vectoring action of the expanding keytop

212

and force vectoring device

230

in the expanded state. The arrows

236

indicate the direction of force transmitted by force vectoring device

230

by fingertip pressure applied to the keytop in the region indicated by

248

. The arrows

250

indicate the direction of force used to expand the keytop

212

from the contracted state to the expanded state.

As illustrated in

FIG. 10

, the keytop

212

in the contracted state has a concave shape from the user's perspective. This shape is also illustrated in

FIG. 13

, which is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the keytop

212

in the contracted state. As illustrated in

FIGS. 11 and 12

, the keytop

212

in the expanded state is substantially flat.

FIG. 14

is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the keytop

212

in the expanded state.

FIG. 15

is a schematic side cross-sectional view of another example embodiment of the keytop

312

having a concave shape, from the user's perspective, in the contracted state, and

FIG. 16

is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the keytop

312

having a convex shape, from the user's perspective, in the expanded state. The keytop

212

illustrated in

FIGS. 10 and 13

has a greater concavity than the keytop

312

illustrated in FIG.

15

.

FIG. 17

is a schematic top plan view of an expandable keyboard

210

with expandable-width keytops

212

a

,

212

b

,

212

c

in a contracted state, and

FIG. 18

is a schematic side elevational view of the expandable keyboard

210

illustrated in

FIG. 17

in the contracted state. The keyboard

210

includes a plurality of keyswitches

216

a

,

216

b

,

216

c

, each corresponding to a respective one of the keytops

212

a

,

212

b

,

212

c

. The keytops may correspond, for example, to an alphanumeric keyboard arrangement, e.g., a QWERTY arrangement, a non-US variation thereof, e.g., AZERTY, etc., a telephone keypad arrangement, a calculator keypad arrangement, etc. Each keyswitch

216

a

,

216

b

,

216

c

is mounted to a stretchable web

218

at a mount

220

a

,

220

b

,

220

c

. Between each pair of keyswitches

216

a

,

216

b

,

216

c

is a hinge device

214

a

,

214

b

,

214

c

,

214

d

. Each hinge device

214

a

,

214

b

,

214

c

,

214

d

is secured to the adjacent keyswitch

216

a

,

216

b

,

216

d

and/or keytop

212

a

,

212

b

,

212

c

. Each hinge device

214

a

,

214

b

,

214

c

,

214

d

is also secured to the web

218

via a mount

222

a

,

222

b

,

222

c

,

222

d

. Arranged between each keytop

212

a

,

212

b

,

212

c

and the corresponding keyswitch

216

a

,

216

b

,

216

c

is a force vectoring device

230

a

,

230

b

,

230

c.

FIG. 19

is a schematic top plan view of the expandable keyboard

210

illustrated in

FIGS. 17 and 18

in an expanded state, and

FIG. 20

is a schematic side elevational view of the expandable keyboard

210

illustrated in

FIGS. 17

to

19

in the expanded state.