GB2181283A - Electronically reconfigurable keyboard - Google Patents

Abstract

A keyboard (1) having keys (2) through which are visible electronically displayed legends (3) produced by electronic display panels (4). Standard keyboard mechanisms detect the operation of any key. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Electronically reconfigurable keyboard The present invention relates to keyboards and keypads intended for use with computer and other electronic equipment.

Currently available keyboards have keys with fixed legends (or symbols) marked on each keytopto denote the function of each key. This practise has proved unsatisfactory in that in certain circumstances it is desirable to have flexibility of both the function and the legend assigned to some or all of the keys (e.g. in multi-lingual word processing).

Attempts have been made to overcome these limitations by displaying the legends currently assigned to each key on a section of a computervisual display unit (VDU) however this solution requires the userto relate the legends displayed on the VDU with the marked legends on the keytops. Many users find difficu Ity in relating the virtual keyboard to the physical keyboard.

The ideal solution is that any change in thefunction ofthe keys is also accompanied with a change in the legend displayed on the actual keys (i.e. each key will always display the legend associated with the current function of that key). Such a change has been accomplished by the physical removal of the keytop legend and its replacement with a newkeytop marked with the new legend - but this procedure is inconvenient. The present invention proposes a totally electronic method of changing the legend.

Thepresentinvention provideskeysforakey- board where an electronically displayed legend is displayed on either the upper surface of each key or where the key is of such a construction that an electronically displayed legend can be viewed through the key structure.

Any change in function of any individual key is accompanied by a change in the key's electronically displayed legend and therefore at any point in time only legends denoting currently obtainable func tions will be displayed. Entire keyboards or sections of keyboards may therefore be quickly and easily reconfigured under software control.

When a keyboard is not in use all keys will appear blank, or if desired a default set of legends could be displayed. When the keyboard is applied to apart- iculartaskthe function associated with each key will be allocated by the software and the displayed legends for each key will change accordingly.

Advantageously the invention can be applied to the complete range of currently available keyboard mechanisms e.g.

(a) Keyboards where the key pressed is detected by the scanning action ofthe connected external computersystem or electronic equipment.

(b) Keyboards where the key pressed is detected by a scanning and encoding system resident on the keyboard.

Equally advantageously the invention may be employed with the current range of key registration technologies e.g.

(a) Keys which register by electrical contact.

(b) Keys which register by capacitive action.

(c) Keys which register by magnetic action.

(d) Keys which register by inductive action.

In orderthatthe present invention may be more readily understood, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a plan view of a keyboard.

Figure 2 shows a side view of a key with a display functioning on the top surface ofthe key.

Figure 3 shows a side view of a key with a display functioning underneath the key structure but where the appropriate section of the display can be viewed through a transparent section in the structure of the key.

Figure 4 shows a side view of a key with a display functioning underneath the key structure but where an appropriate section of the display is projected onto the uppertranslucent surface of the key.

Figure 5shows a membrane style keyboard with apertures cut in the surface to allow viewing of a section of a display beneath the keyboard.

Figure 6shows a side view of the constructional detail of a single row of keys in a keyboard or keypad.

Figure 7shows an end view of a single row of keys in a keyboard or keypad.

Referring to Figure 1 a keyboard (1) has a plurality of keys (2) with electronic display legends (3) visable on or through each ofthe keys (2).

Referring to Figure 2 a key (2) has a small electronic display (4) on the top surface of key (2) displaying selected legend (3). Connections from the display run down the stem of key (2) to the controlling circuitry.

Referring to Figure 3 a key (2) has a transparenttop surface (6) through which may be viewed the legend (3) generated on the display panel (4) mounted underneath key mechanism (2).

Referring to Figure4 a key (2) has a translucent top surface (7) onto which is projected via optical system (8) a legend (3) generated be light emitting display panel (4).

Referring to Figure 5 a membrane style keyboard (9) has apertures (10) cut in orderthat legends (3) can be viewed when displayed on display panel (4) mounted underneath keyboard (9).

Referring to Figure 6 and 7 a complete row of keys (2) has a fixed electronic display in the form of a strip passing through aperture (11 cut in the sides ofthe keys. The characters (3) formed by the display are visablethroughthetransparentkeytop (6).The aperture (11) is cut to a large enough size to permit key travel u pand down about the fixed electronic strip display. Movement of the key operates standard key mechanism (12). Advantageously this method of construction permits the use ofalltypes of key mechanism in use with existing keyboards. A keyboard or keypad can by this means consist of a keyboard frame into which are fixed a number of strip electronic displays (e.g. strip light emitting diode displays). Rows of keys are aligned along the display with the display passing through the aligned apertures cut in the sides of each of the keys. An individual strip display therefore generates all the legends required for a whole row of keys advantageously minimising cost and complexity of electronic connection. Individual keys can move up and down aboutthe fixed display strips operating the chosen type of key mechanism (12). The function allocated to each key and the legend generated by the display can therefore both be under the control of the computer or other electronic equipment to which the keyboard is attached.

Claims (6)

1) A keyboard comprising ofa plurality of keys through which or on which electronic display panels are capable of displaying electronically generated legends.

2) A keyboard as claimed in claim 1 where the display consists of an individual display mounted on the top of each key.

3) A keyboard as claimed in claim 1 where the display consists of a multicharacter display and where the characters generated are visable through the transparent tops of each key.

4) A keyboard as claimed in claim 1 where the display consists of a multicharacter display and where the image of a character isfocused onto the translucent surface ofthe keys by an optical system.

5) A keyboard as claimed in claim where the display panels consist of a plurality of fixed electronic strip displays capable of generating legends, keys consist of of a key structure with an aperture formed in the side and permitting movement of the keys up and down aboutthe fixed display strips and transparent tops on the keys permitting the viewing of characters generated by the display.

6) A keyboard comprising of a plurality of elec- tronicstripdisplaypanels,a pluralityofkeystructurves with the electronic strip display panels passing through apertures in the key structures, the a pertures permitting key movement about the display, each key having a transparent key top permitting the viewing of a section of the displaythrough the key