GB2384106A - keyboard and camera combination for touch typing on a computer. - Google Patents

Abstract

The apparatus comprises a computer keyboard with one or more cameras mounted on it in such a way as to show the position of the typist's fingers in relation to the keys and display this information on the computer display. The camera is preferably connected to the computer and a program is provided for continuously displaying the position of the typist's fingers. The apparatus allows the user to see the position of their fingers in a heads up manner without having to look down at the keyboard. In this way touch typing skills can be learnt and improved.

Description

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IDEA FOR A DEVICE TO ASSIST IN TOUCH-TYPING WITH COMPUTER BACKGROUND Typing with computers is now widespread."Proper"touch typing is fast, accurate and allows clear, early recognition of on screen errors. It is a difficult skill to learn and most regular users do not master this technique which is a frustrating bar to their effective use of IT. A regular computer user wishing to touch-type will have to spend a long time learning and slow down considerably until full mastery is gained.

This device will overcome the greatest barrier to transferring from sight typing to touch typing without slowing down the user. There are also applications of this principle in other everday areas.

Attempts to deal with this problem have hitherto foundered on the difficulty of seeing both the hands in relation to the keyboard and the typing on the screen at the same time.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION This device, provisionally called the"Sight Typer", allows the user to see on the computer screen in a'head up'fashion a representation of both the keyboard and the user's fingers in relation to the keys whilst still seeing the typing as it is produced without any movement of the eyes from the screen.

DESCRIPTION The system consists of a modified dedicated keyboard with a digital camera and a software package for the computer. The camera is mounted securely on the far side of the keyboard a short distance above the level of the keys. Some keyboards (for example ergonomic/curved keyboards) will need more than one camera but the principle is the same however many are needed.

The camera (s) will be aligned to the keyboard and fixed in such a way as to"know" exactly where each key is so that the software can repesent the precise position of the user's fingers at all times on the screen. The user will thus have a representation of the postion of their fingers in relation to the keys at all times. Because the software will know where the keys are it will also enable a representation of the keys to be on the screen even when obscured by the user's hands, for example, by a faint image of the key'seen'through the image of the hands and maybe in a different colour.

The exact appearance of the screen display will depend upon trials and might be open to individual preference so that one of several modes/colours can be chosen in the light of experience and preference. At the simplest the display would be a representation of the keyboard on the screen which would obscure a part of the screen. The position would be variable in the usual way by dragging the display to over or under the centre of attention.

A more complex arrangement would involve the display superimposed over the actual work in progrees on the screen in a true'head up'fashion. The work and the representation of the keyboard would be visible through each other and differentiated by colour. Either way the user would see the exact position of their hands and fingers at all times as well as seeing at once the result of any typing done.

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IDEA FOR A DEVICE TO ASSIST IN TOUCH-TYPING WITH COMPUTER SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS A standard computer and screen would be used although as with much else a larger (17 inch or more) screen would be an advantage. The standard keyboard would be replaced with the camera equipped model (or supplied as an option from new) which would plug into the computer in usual way. A further lead would need to be run from the keyboard to the computer perhaps via a usual camera port. The software to handle the device would be supplied preloaded or as a disc with the keyboard as an uprade.

The exact system requirements would only become clear with develpment but the software should not be too complex and well within the capability of most modem computers.

FURTHER APPLICATIONS This basic principle could readliy be applied to other situations where it is of value to know where an operators's hand is in relation to specific controls. Examples of this would include car controls, aircraft controls, machine tools and medical instruments.

Tim Harlow 2/12/01

Claims (5)

1. CLAIMS 1. A computer keyboard with one or more cameras mounted on it in such a way as to show the position of the typist's fingers in relation to the keys and including computer programme to show this information on the computer screen.
2. 2. A computer keyboard and computer programme as claimed in Claim 1 where the cameras are digital and wired to the computer to allow information to be passed from them to the computer and thus displayed on the computer screen.
3. 3. A computer keyboard and computer programme as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 where the programme is such as to allow the information about the position of the typist's fingers in relation to the keys to be continuously displayed.
4. 4. A computer keyboard and computer programme as claimed in Claim 1, or Claim 2, or Claim 3 where the programme allows the information to be displayed either on a selected part of the computer screen or in a different coloured outline in such a way as to allow the typist to see the rest of the computer screen and the information displayed upon it through the information about the finger position in relation to the keyboard.
5. 5. A computer keyboard and computer programme as claimed in Claim 1, or Claim 2, or Claim 3, or Claim 4 which will work compatibly with standard existing commercially available computers and their operating systems.