GB2409257A

GB2409257A - Alphanumeric or command input using an actuator held by detents and a resiliently biased follower

Info

Publication number: GB2409257A
Application number: GB0329302A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Timothy Guy Carpenter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-12-17
Filing date: 2003-12-17
Publication date: 2005-06-22
Also published as: GB0329302D0

Abstract

An input device for entering alphanumeric or command data into electronic apparatus (e.g. a mobile phone) comprises an actuator 14 articulated relative to a hemi-spherical surface (16, fig 2) with a plurality of spaced docking stations, dimples, indentations or detents 17 formed on the surface, each representing at least one data or command input into the apparatus, and a resiliently biased follower 19 (e.g. a sprung ball) for engagement with the docking stations. The actuator 14 is movable by an operator to engage the follower 19 with any selected docking station 17, the operator receiving a tactile feedback as the follower engages and disengages with any docking station. An optical reader 23 or other sensors indicate which detent the actuator is aligned with, and depressing a switch 26 or another switch sends a signal to select the detent. The actuator 14 may have a ball snap-fitted into a cavity 13, or may be mounted on a flexible grommet (226, fig 8). The follower 19 maybe on the actuator or in the cavity engaging dimples on the actuator (fig 6). Regions of the surface or directions of movement may give different tactile feel, and the actuator may be biased to a neutral position.

Description

1 2409257 A Data and/or Command Input Device

Field

This invention relates to data/command input devices and in particular to devices used for the input of information, typically alphanumeric information, into telephones and in particular mobile phones.

Background of the Invention

Mobile telephones conventionally have key pads, arranged in a nearuniversal pattern of four rows of keys in three columns, and which are used to enter telephone numbers and other commands and in more recent times, text messages. Letters are entered via the rapid pressing of the number keys to select one of a series of letters assigned to each key, typically three letters per key. This is a time consuming process where the user repeatedly presses keys and the user must pause for an elongated time period between key operations where two letters are entered consecutively using the same key.

The dimensional size of a mobile phone is largely dictated my the size of the keyboard which must balance usability ofthe keys against compactness of design. Keys that are too small cannot be reliably or comfortably operated by large fingers and large keys compete for space with the telephone display screen.

Object of the present Invention The present invention provides a data and command input device for the input of information into an electronic apparatus such as a mobile telephone.

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Statements if Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention a data or command input device for entering data into electronic apparatus and which comprises an actuator articulated relative to a surface, a plurality of spaced apart docking stations formed on one of the actuator and said surface and each of which represents at least one data or command input into the apparatus, and a follower on the other of said actuator and surface, the actuator being moveable by an operator to engage the follower with any selected docking station, the actuator operator receiving a tactile feed back as the follower engages and disengages with any docking station.

The follower may be resiliently biased to engage the docking stations.

Preferably said surface is a curved surface, and preferably the docking stations comprise detents arranged in a desired formation on said surface.

The actuator may be articulated relative to a body having a cavity with said surface therein, preferably a hemi-spherical concave surface located within a cavity.

The actuator is moveable in any direction relative to said surface to engage the follower with particular detents and is biased to return to a home point which can be neutral point or a default domain. Detection means detect with which detent the follower is engaged and switch means may be provided which are operable to activate the selected input.

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eee e e e- e The follower may comprise a spring loaded ball and the engagement of the ball with the docking stations will provide tactile feedback to the operator when moving from one detent to another detent.

Preferably the actuator has a ball shaped inner end portion.

The detents are preferably arranged in a grid typical examples are a 3 X 4 grid, a 3 X 6 grid and a 5 X 5 depending upon the number of inputs required. At least some of the inputs are alpha-numeric inputs and a 3 X 4 grid will be arranged in the same manner as the conventional 3 X 4 key pad so that for example detent I located at the upper left position will be used to for the same alpha-numeric inputs as the key no. I in the key pad and so on.

In the preferred arrangement the detents are formed in the hemi-spherical surface of the 1 5 cavity.

The relative position of the inner end portion of the actuator in the cavity may be detected using any suitable means such as an optical wheel, electromagnetic means, non contact electromagnetic detection devices, sliding electrical contacts, and similar such as are commonly used in joystick and computer mouse systems.

The switch means may be located separately of the actuator. Alternately the switch means may be located on the actuator and may be operated independently thereof. In another arrangement the switch means may be operated through manipulation of the .. tee e e ë. e ..

. . . . ë .. e actuator. Preferably the switch means is operated by a downward load applied to the actuator.

The actuator is operable to move the follower from any detent in which it is engaged directly to any selected adjacent detent in the grid without necessarily passing through the home point.

Preferably at least some of the detents have surfaces therein which provide a different tactile feedback depending upon the direction of movement of the surface follower, and preferably at least some of said detents comprise inclined surfaces which are inclined at different angles dependent upon position of the surface within the detent.

With a larger grid of detents a central portion of detents can be provided for alphanumeric inputs and the other detents are used to input other command information. The detents on the margin of said central portion may be formed such that the actuator provides a change in feedback to move the follower further outwards from the central portion and away from the alpha-numeric portion of the detent grid.

The invention also comprise an electronic apparatus having an alphanumeric input device according to the first aspect of the present invention, and in particular a mobile telephone.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of putting data and/or commands into an electronic apparatus using a multi position input device comprising an actuator articulated relative to a surface, a plurality of spaced #. .,.

# # . # C # # # # ## . .. a s apart docking stations formed on one of the actuator and said surface and each of which represents at least one data or command input into the apparatus, and a follower on the other of said actuator and surface, the actuator being moveable by an operator to engage the follower with any selected docking station, the actuator operator receiving a tactile feed back as the follower engages and disengages with any docking station, the actuator being articulated to manoeuvre the follower to engage a particular docking station and a switch means is then operated to activate the selected input.

Description of the Drawings

The invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. I is an alpha-numeric input device according to the present invention showing the device in operation in Figs 1B & IC, Fig.2 is a schematic view of a 3 X 4 grid of detents located in the cavity surface of the device of Fig. I, Fig.3 shows the detent number arrangement on development of the cavity surface.

Fig 4 is a section through a detent in the direction for horizontal movement, Fig.S is a section through the detent in the direction for diagonal movement, Fig.6 is a second input device also according to the present invention, Fig. 7 shows a 5 X 5 detent grid and Fig.8 is a yet another input device according to the present invention.

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Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention is illustrated by an alpha-numeric input device in particular but not exclusively for use with mobile telephones. With reference to Fig 1 and 2, there is S shown an input device 11 comprising a body or housing 12 having a hemi-spherical cavity 13 therein in which a ball headed actuator 14 is a snap-fit. The ball 15 of the actuator is rotatable within the cavity 13 which extends just beyond the equator of the ball thereby retaining the actuator within the housing 12.

The spherical surface 16 of the cavity shown in Fig.2 has a plurality of docking stations or detents 17, only some of which are referenced, formed in its surface and arranged in a 3 X 4 and like pattern with lands 18 on the spherical surface between adjacent detents. The detents 17 are in the form of dimples or indentations formed in the surface and which may be of any suitable shape and section.

A surface follower 19, in this case a spring loaded ball, is biased against the spherical surface 16 and can ride over the lands 18 as is shown in Fig I B as the follower moves between detentsl7. The follower 19 is resiliently engagable in the docking stations. A portion of the surface 16 of the ball may be covered in an optical pattern 22 and an optical reader 2310cated in the wall ofthe cavity 13 detects the movement and position of the actuator 14. The optical reader 23 provides signals to a processor 24 which transmits the input signal S to a further micro processor 25 forming part of the controls of a mobile telephone.

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a es The device 11 is also provided with a switch means 26 which is shown mounted on top of the actuator 14 and is independently operable to send an activation signal to the control 25 once the alpha-numeric input associated with a particular detent has been selected.

In alternative arrangements ( not shown), the switch means 26 may be located away from the actuator, or the actuator itself may be manipulated as part of the switch means. For example the ball head 15 may be pushed downwards (that is a substantially radial movement with respect to the cavity) to operate a switch associated with the housing 12.

With reference also to Fig.3, the detents shown in Fig. 2 are arranges in a 3 x 4 grid and are assigned numbers in positions that emulate a mobile telephone key pad with the bottom row containing *, 0 & # keys. The actuator 14 may be biased to return to a neutral or home position on release and the neutral position may for example be selected as detent 5. As an Example of the operation of the actuator from the home position detent 5 then: a) to move the follower towards position 0, the actuator follower 19 is moved through detent 8 and beyond to the second detent 0.

b) to then move to I the actuator is caused to either move two detent (8 & 5) vertically and then one detent diagonally ( from 5 to 1) leftwards or c) diagonally leftwards (0 to 7) and then two detent vertically ( 4 to 1).

Other numbers can be reached from 5 following the arrows shown in Fig..3.

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. .. . It is possible to go from for example detent I to detent 3 or detent 7 without passing through the home point.

By using the same arrangement as is used for the conventional key pad, the user will not have to relearn the already established relative positions of the numbers. The user can maintain continuous contact with the actuator. The sizing and location of the actuator and grid of detents is chosen to suit the operation of the device.

As can be seen in Figs. 4 & 5, the detents 17 are preferably shaped as depressions or dimples in the spherical surface 16 with the edge margins of the detents formed as inclined surfaces. The inclined surfaces 31 in the diagonal direction have a greater angle of inclination than the inclined surfaces 32 in the vertical and horizontal directions of movement. This gives a tactile feedback to the operator so that they can differentiate between a movement along rows or up and down columns and a diagonal movement from for example 5 to 9. Other surface characteristics may be used to provide tactile feedback.

The act of moving the actuator between detents 17 is detected by the sensor 23 and the supporting electronics 24,25 allowing the user to rapidly enter numbers or text which will be displayed in a screen 33 in the conventional manner. When two letters allocated to the same detent are entered sequentially the actuator is moved to remove the follower 19 from the detent and then back into the detent. The movement from and into the particular position is detected to generate the sequential letters eliminating a need for a pause in date entry.

.e tee . e e e ee e e e e e. e e e e e ee tee e ee With reference to Fig.6, there is shown an alternative arrangement for the input device in which the detents 117 are formed in a grid like pattern on the surface of the head 115. The follower 119 is a spring loaded ball mounted in the hemi- spherical surface 116 of the cavity 113.

Fig.7 shows an alternative arrangement of detents 17 which are formed into a 5 x 5 grid like formation. A central portion C of detents 17 may emulate the 3X 4 arrangement shown in Fig. 3. The detents outside of the area C may be designated for other input function. The detents marginal to the central portion C, that is either on the inner margin or outer margin, are arranged such that a different load must be applied to the actuator 14 to move the follower 19 beyond the 3 x 4 central area C so that the operator has a tactile feedback indicating that follower has moved out of the central area C. This could for example be achieved by having higher different inclination outer sides in the detents immediately inside said area, different length lands, or textured surfaces.

Another embodiment is shown in Fig.8 in which a joystick 214is mounted to the body 213 by means of a flexible grommet 226.The detents 217 are formed in a hemispherical surface 216 formed within the body. The inner end portion of the joystick 214 has a spring loaded follower 219 mounted thereon which is engagable with detents 218 in the surface 216. Alternatively, the resilient grommet 226 may bias the inner end surface ofthe joystick against the surface 216. The movement of the joystick 214 is monitored by a sensor 222 and the information passed to the processor 224. A separate sensor 222 may be provided for each axis, x or y, of movement.

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Claims

Claims 1. A data or command input device for entering data into electronic

apparatus and which comprises an actuator articulated relative to a surface, a plurality of spaced apart docking stations formed on one of the actuator and said surface and each of which represents at least one data or command input into the apparatus, and a follower on the other of said actuator and surface, the actuator being moveable by an operator to engage the follower with any selected docking station, the actuator operator receiving a tactile feed back as the follower engages and disengages with any docking station.
2. A device as claimed in Claim l wherein the follower is resiliently biased to engage the docking stations.
3. A device as claimed in Claim I or Claim 2 wherein said surface is a curved surface, and the docking stations comprises detents arranged in a desired formation on said 1 5 surface.
4. A device as claimed in Claim 3 wherein the actuator is articulated relative to a body having a cavity with said curved surface therein, preferably a hemi-spherical concave surface located within a cavity.
5. A device as claimed in any one of Claims I to 4 wherein the actuator is moveable in any direction relative to said surface to engage the follower with particular docking stations and is biased to return to a neutral point.

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6. A device as claimed in any one of Claims I to 6 and further provided with detection means to detect with which detent the follower is engaged and switch means which are operable to activate the selected input.
7. An input device as claimed in any one of Claims I to 6 wherein the follower comprises a resiliently loaded ball and the engagement of the ball with the docking stations providing tactile feedback to the operator when moving from one detent to another detent.
8. An input device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 7 Claim I wherein the docking stations are arranged in a rectangular grid.
9. An input device as claimed in Claim 8 wherein the docking stations are arranged in a 3 X 4 grid in the same manner as the conventional 3 X 4 key pad for a mobile 1 5 telephone.
10. An input device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 9 wherein the docking stations are formed in the said surface and the follower is on the actuator.
1 1. An input device as claimed in any one of Claims I to Claim 10 wherein the inner end portion of the actuator has a ball head thereon which is rotatably mounted relative to said surface which is a curved concave hemispherical cavity.
12. An input device as claimed in Claim 6 wherein the detect means comprise an optical reader.

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13. An input device as claimed in Claim 6 or Claim 12, wherein the switch means is located on the actuator and is operated independently thereof.
14. An input device as claimed Claim 6 or Claim 2, wherein the switch means is operated through manipulation of the actuator..
15. An input device as claimed in claim 5 and any Claim dependent thereon, wherein the actuator is operable to move the follower from any docking station in which it is engaged directly to any selected adjacent station without passing through the neutral point.
16. An input device as claimed in any one of Claims I to 15 wherein at least some of said docking stations have surfaces therein which provide a different tactile feedback 1 S depending upon the direction of movement of the surface follower.
17. An input device as claimed in Claim 8 wherein for a larger grid of docking stations a central portion thereof can be provided for inputs of one generic type and the other stations are used to input other commands or other information.
18. An input device as claimed in Claim 17, wherein the docking stations on the margin of said central portion may be formed such that the actuator requires a different load to move the follower further outwards from the central portion of the grid.

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19. An input device as claimed in Claim 17 or Claim 18 wherein the central grid portion is used for alpha-numeric inputs
20. Electronic apparatus having an alpha-numeric input device as claimed in any one of Claims I to 19
21. A method of putting data and/or commands into an electronic apparatus using a multi position input device comprising an actuator articulated relative to a surface, a plurality of spaced apart docking stations formed on one of the actuator and said surface and each of which represents at least one data or command input into the apparatus, and a follower on the other of said actuator and surface, the actuator being moveable by an operator to engage the follower with any selected docking station, the actuator operator receiving a tactile feed back as the follower engages and disengages with any docking station, the actuator being articulated to manoeuvre the follower to engage a particular docking station and a switch means is then operated to activate the selected input.

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