GB2363500A

GB2363500A - YES/NO keys on a keyboard or keypad

Info

Publication number: GB2363500A
Application number: GB0014101A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Mather
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-06-12
Filing date: 2000-06-12
Publication date: 2001-12-19
Also published as: GB0014101D0

Abstract

A device such as a keyboard, a remote control device for electrical apparatus, a playstation or computer control device or joystick, or a telephone handset, either mobile or fixed link, has respective keys, buttons or touch pads designated for positive and for negative instructions. These may be marked or otherwise designated by the words "YES" or "NO", or carry the symbols " ! " and " Í ".

Description

2363500 A DEVICE OPERABLE BY KEYS, BUTTONS OR TOUCH PADS This invention

concerns a device operable by keys buttons or touchpads. The invention is applicable to devices such as keyboards for wordprocessors and computers, remote control devices for apparatus such as televisions, video recorders, compact disc and tape playing equipment, control devices and joysticks for playstations and computers, and telephone handsets, whether mobile or fixed link.

When using such devices, it is often the case that a positive or negative instruction (yes/no) has to be given by the user. For example, when using a word processor the user may view an enquiry such as "Do you want to save changes to file ABC". It is then necessary to move a mouse to click on a "yes" or "no" icon on the screen. Another example is when programming a video recorder by using a remote control device, it is necessary to indicate whether the programme code details are correct. An "OK" button may be provided for use if it is correct, but if it is not, a button marked "CLEAR" may be used to progressively delete the incorrect sequence of numbers before re-entering the correct number(s). Finally, another example is the case of a telephone handset, when an automatic dialling system is in use and various options have to be keyed in by depressing the alphanumeric keys stated by the system e.g "Press 1 for accounts department, 2 for service department, 3 for sales department" etc.

The present invention proposes that additional keys, buttons or touchpads, respectively, depending on the device, should be provided to designate a positive or negative instruction, 2 for use whenever such an instruction is required during the course of operation of the relevant device.

The relevant keys, buttons or touchpads may be marked with indicia, such as the words "YES" or "NO" or abbreviations "Y" and "N".

Alternatively they may be marked with the symbols %C' and "X", as these may be more universally acceptable, i.e. not linked to the English affirmative and negative words. However, the 'W' would have to be different from the standard X in the alphabet part of any keyboard to avoid confusion, and this could be achieved by use of a different script style, for example as used for the "delete" icon in many word processing systems.

Alternatively, the keys, button or touchpads for positive and negative could be of particular colours, such as green for a "yes" instruction and red for a "no" instruction.

Most keyboards currently used for computers and wordprocessors have an area where there are 4 keys marked with arrows for moving a screen position marker up, down, right and left and these are invariably arranged with the up key placed centrally above the other three. This provides an ideal location for the additional positive and negative instruction keys proposed by the present invention: one at each side of the "up" key.

The accompanying drawing illustrates this and shows in Figure 1 a plan view of a keyboard which in other respects is conventional, but is provided with additional keys marked 'V" and "X", as shown again in enlarged detail in Figure 2. These are of course, for inputting positive 3 and negative instructions and it will be appreciated that by using such keys rather than a mouse, an experienced operator can save substantial time and complete jobs quicker.

Other variations in detail are possible within the scope of the invention, in particular use of different indicia for positive and negative as already outlined above, and the positioning of the keys will be a matter of design choice depending on the device to which the invention is being applied.

Claims

1. A device operable by keys, buttons or touch pads and having respective keys, buttons or touch pads designated for positive and for negative instructions.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the keys, buttons or touch pads carry indicia for the positive and the negative instructions, respectively.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the keys, buttons or touch pads are marked or otherwise designated by the words "YES" or "NO".

4. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the keys, buttons or touch pads are marked or otherwise designated by the symbols %P' and "X".

5. A device as claimed in any preceding claim in the form of a keyboard, a remote control device for electrical apparatus, a playstation or computer control device or joystick, or a telephone handset, either mobile or fixed link.