KR20040020212A - Apparatus and method for finger to finger typing - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A glove-type keyboard is provided to install half the number of keys on a bottom surface of glove fingers of one hand, and to install other keys on the back of the other hand, so that a user can type fingers of the other hand with the fingers of the one hand by being far from a disk. CONSTITUTION: Two glove bodies(10,12) are formed with plural glove fingers. Plural keys are installed on the back of the hand of each glove finger in one of the two glove bodies(10,12). Other plural keys are installed on a bottom surface of each glove finger of the other one of the glove bodies(10,12). By pressing a specific key, a specific functional item is selected. The two glove bodies(10,12) are put on a flat surface. The right hand glove body(10) is put on the left hand of a user such that the fingers can be toward the user. The left hand glove body(12) is put on the right hand of the user such that the fingers can indicate a side far from the user.

Description

Armored keyboard and input method using it {Apparatus and method for finger to finger typing}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an input device and an input method in an information processing system. More specifically, a pair of gloves and a computer equipped with a key button used as a keyboard, a personal digital assistant , PDA) or a ten-finger typing method for data input in a cellular phone or the like.

Keyboards are generally used for data entry in information processing devices such as computers, cellular phones, PDAs, and the like. When the user presses any key on the keyboard, the corresponding signal is sent to the information processing system so that the corresponding function item is input. Keyboards of different kinds of devices have different sizes and different features, providing different functionality and different levels of usability. However, among the various versatile keyboards, the traditional QWERTY keyboard ('QWERTY' is the alphabetic arrangement in the upper left corner of the keyboard currently in use) is still present because of its relatively good performance in terms of user habits, typing realization and typing speed. The most popular one.

However, traditional keyboards have a rigid structure and are bulky and must be placed on a flat surface such as on a desk. The user is required to get close to where the keyboard is placed to type, and carrying the keyboard is inconvenient. To overcome the above limitations, data gloves as a virtual keyboard and hand-held keyboards provide an alternative way of avoiding the aforementioned problems.

Instead of using only a press key for input, the armored virtual keyboard detects finger movements, such as finger bends, to decode the entry. U.S. Patent No. The system disclosed in 6304840 utilizes data gloves as a virtual keyboard that enables ten-finger-typing. The bend angle between adjacent joints sensed by the bend sensor is used to decode a particular row of the keyboard, each finger being responsible for one or more columns. Abduction / adduction sensors are used to distinguish the cloumns that are covered by the same finger.

A hand held data entry system is a small device that a user can type by holding in his hand. U.S. Patent No. The system disclosed in 6288709 B1 has a housing that includes a top and a bottom with multidirectional keys used to minimize finger movement.

However, with armored virtual keyboards or hand-held keyboards, the purpose of typing off the desk is achieved, but it is not possible to place and type the device on the desktop and the typing function is severely disturbed if there are other objects in the hand.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a armored keyboard that allows ten finger typing in a "finger to finger" manner away from a desk. The armored keyboard according to the invention does not interfere with its function as a keyboard for typing even when placed on a desk. The user can also type with the keyboard according to the invention while holding another object such as a PDA or stylus in one hand.

1 is a plan view of a key arrangement on the back of the hand of the right hand glove body of a glove-type keyboard worn on the user's right hand.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a key arrangement on the bottom surface of the left hand glove body of a glove-type keyboard worn on the user's left hand.

Figure 3 is an operation of the typing gesture for the input of the letter 'd' in the "finger to finger" typing method according to the present invention.

4 is a plan view of one embodiment according to the present invention placed on a desktop in preparation for typing;

<Description of Major Reference Drawings>

10 Right Hand Glove Body, 12 Left Hand Glove Body

20 KEY BUTTON 102 Right Hand Gloves Finger

122 Left Hand Gloves Fingers

Summary of the Invention

The armored keyboard according to the present invention is an input device of an information system, and is composed of two armored bodies each having five armored fingers, and each armored finger is provided with a number of pressing keys. The key input method by the keyboard gloves worn on both hands of the user is to use the five fingers of each hand to hit the keys installed on the fingers of the other hand. With each hand typing on the other hand, some of the keys are located at the base of each glove finger of the hand (where the finger is attached to the palm of the hand, the same below) and of the proximal and middle phalanxes. It is installed on the palm of the hand and the remaining keys are installed on the back of the hand of the other hand. The keys that must be pressed by a particular finger are installed in corresponding positions on the glove finger of the other hand. For example, the 'w', 's' and 'x' keys pressed by the ring finger of the left hand are placed on the ring finger of the right hand glove. This key and keyboard arrangement allows the user to type with ten fingers away from the desk by pressing the keys on the other hand using each of the five fingers of both hands.

By the above-described apparatus and cooperative typing method, a user can enter data into an information processing system efficiently and ergonomically under limited conditions.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Example

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the armored keyboard according to the present invention is composed of a right hand glove body 10 and a left hand glove body 12. The back of the hand of the right hand glove body 10 worn on the user's right hand is shown in FIG. 1, and the palm side of the left hand glove body 12 worn on the left hand is shown in FIG. 2. Five glove fingers 102 and 122 are included in each glove body to fit each hand of the user. 1 and 2, each symbol displayed on the glove body represents a key button 20, which inputs a function item (each symbol or function) into the information processing system by pressing one key button. A plurality of keybuttons 20 are installed on the back of the hand of each glove finger of the right hand glove body, while the other keybuttons 20 are installed on the palm side of each glove finger of the left hand glove body.

The arrangement of keys on the glove finger in this embodiment is intended to enable a typing method that is very similar to the typing on a traditional QWERTY keyboard, so that those who used the traditional keyboard had problems with switching to keyboard use according to the present invention. It was not. Keys for entry of items in the basic hand position on a traditional QWERTY keyboard (mostly alphabetic characters) are placed in the central phalanx of the back of the hand of the right hand glove and the base phalanx of the palm of the left hand glove. On traditional QWERTY keyboards, keys that need to be typed by moving fingers laterally are installed so that two key rows are formed in each phalanx by adding one key string to each phalanx. Numeric and function keys are placed on the central phalanx of each finger (except thumb) of the bottom of the left hand glove body and on the base phalanx of the back of the hand of the right glove body. The Ctrl, Alt and space bar keys are installed on the back of the phalanx of the thumb of the right hand glove. Keys for cursor movement and screen rolling are arranged on the palm side of the external armor thumb.

A glove-like keyboard having a key arrangement as described above can be worn on the hand for data entry to enable ten finger typing in a "finger to finger" fashion. Preparation for typing on a glove-like keyboard made by placing each fingertip on the corresponding key 20 is the same as for typing on a traditional keyboard except that the keys are at hand. In order to input a function item with a computer, the user presses a key provided on the palm surface of the corresponding finger phalanx of the left hand with his right finger or presses a key provided on the back surface of the phalanx of the corresponding finger of the right hand with his left finger. One example of operation is shown in Fig. 3, in which the middle finger of the left hand is pressing a key located in the middle row of the middle phalanx of the middle finger of the right hand to input the letter 'd'. In order to input the letters 'e' and 'c', the same finger presses the keys in the upper row and the lower row of the same phalanx as 'd', respectively. The behavior for entering other items is similar to that on a traditional keyboard.

Since the palm surface of the right hand body is not provided with any function keys, the keys of the glove body are exposed to the back of the hand of the finger, and the user can hold an object such as a PDA or a pointer in the right hand. In such a situation, the typing operation by the armored keyboard according to the invention is still ergonomically applicable.

It will not always be comfortable or comfortable for the user to wear gloves on his hands. In such cases, the armored keyboard can be used without wearing it on the hand. As shown in Fig. 4, the two glove bodies 10 and 12 are placed on a flat surface such as a desk. The right hand glove body 10 is placed on the user's left hand side with the finger facing the user, and also the left hand glove body ( 12) place the finger on the right hand side of the user to point away from the user. In this arrangement, the armored keyboard according to the invention can be placed on a flat surface such as on a desk for typing.

While many features and advantages of the present invention have been disclosed in the foregoing detailed description with detailed description of the structure and function of the invention, these disclosures are merely illustrative of the invention and are specific in shape, size and arrangement of components. The matter may be modified within the principles of the invention to the extent indicated by the general meaning of the terms represented in the appended claims.

According to the armored keyboard and the input method according to the present invention, unlike the conventional keyboard, it is possible to provide a keyboard that can be typed away from the desk, and can also be typed while holding an object in one hand. Of course, when wearing gloves is inconvenient, it is also possible to type on a desk.

Claims (4)

Two armored bodies with multiple armored fingers, A specific function by pressing a particular key, including a plurality of keys installed on the back of each glove finger of one of the two glove bodies, and a plurality of other keys installed on the bottom surface of each glove finger of the other glove body An armored keyboard for an information processing system, wherein an item is selected. The method of claim 1, Alphabetic characters keys are provided on the back surface of the middle phalanx of the glove fingers of one of the two glove body and the palm side of the base phalanx of the glove fingers of the other glove body. The method of claim 1, The numeric and function keys are armored keyboards for information processing systems, characterized in that they are installed on the back of the base of the base phalanx of one of the two glove bodies and the palm of the central phalanx of the glove fingers of the other glove body. . Wearing a glove keyboard with a function input key installed on the glove fingers, The user presses a key provided on the back surface of the phalanx of the second glove finger by using the first finger, and presses the key installed on the palm surface of the phalanx of the first glove finger using the second finger, thereby the first finger of one hand And operating a function input key with a second finger of the other hand corresponding thereto.