IT202000007912A1 - ADDITIONAL KEYBOARD FOR COMPUTER, INDEPENDENT OR INTEGRATED ON ANOTHER DEVICE WHICH, THROUGH EIGHT GROUPS OF LETTERS SET ACCORDING TO THE LANGUAGE IN USE, ALLOWS RAPID WRITING OF TEXTS FROM VARIOUS POSITIONS USING THREE FINGERS IN EACH HAND - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION of the invention having as TITLE:

ADDITIONAL KEYBOARD FOR COMPUTER, INDEPENDENT OR INTEGRATED ON ANOTHER DEVICE WHICH, THROUGH EIGHT GROUPS OF LETTERS SET ACCORDING TO THE LANGUAGE IN USE, ALLOWS RAPID WRITING OF TEXTS FROM VARIOUS POSITIONS USING THREE FINGERS IN EACH HAND

1? FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for communicating using a minimum number of keys. Pi? specifically the invention? represented by a computer keyboard with a few keys, easily accessible with minimal movements of the middle, index and thumb fingers. ? it can be created as a stand-alone device or can be integrated into other devices.

2 - CURRENT STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE

On the personal computer typing texts? usually carried out through a QWERTY keyboard, and the mobilization of the cursor? carried out through a mouse. In prolonged use of these devices, the operator? obliged to assume a correct posture on their station, in order to avoid, in the long term, pain and joint problems. Normally the correct position? the one indicated in figure 8. The operator keeps the back and neck straight and in axis with each other, keeps a distance of 40-75cm from the screen, and maintains an angle of about 90? -100? between arm and forearm, corresponding to an angle of less than 10? between arm and torso. This posture allows you not to strain your shoulders and back. The feet rest completely on the ground and the legs draw an angle of 90? between tibia and femur.

This position? generally well maintained in the first hours of work, but tends to be more? decomposed entering the fullness of the activity? working. There? occurs for various reasons, such as increasing mental stress, eyestrain in the evening, and the natural need? of the body to change position avoiding the staticity? prolonged. So the need arises? to move the keyboard closer or further away from the body to relieve the shoulders. Furthermore, even the operator pi? shrewd in adopting a correct posture, very often not? able to write using 10 fingers, and often fails to type keys while looking at the screen. Most practitioners use very little of the little finger, and hardly ever use the ring finger. This reduces the range of action of the hand and therefore makes it necessary to articulate the wrists more to get to all the keys or even to activate the shoulder muscles to move the hands completely.

In the international patent database? an invention was found (

WO2010126393 (A1) - Keyboard for a personal computer), which involves the use of 8 keys arranged like the fingers of two hands for writing with T9 technology on a personal computer. This configuration allows you to write texts while keeping your fingers fixed on the keys and thus facilitating the operator to keep his gaze on the screen. However, it is believed that this invention retains some limitations, in particular:

? the use of the fingers pi? external, and in particular the ring finger, is impractical for most people;

? if made as a device in its own right, the keyboard cos? set has a footprint similar to the QWERTY keyboard;

? the T9 technology cited by the author pu? be improved by varying the combinations of letters according to the language in use, to limit the number of words with multiple results.

The above T9 technology (original patent of J? Character pattern recognition and communications apparatus? Patent Number 4674112, Jun.16,1987), once implemented on mobile phones, allowed to type texts with a remarkable speed? using the numeric keypad. To date, small electronic devices (essentially smartphones and tablets) are equipped with a QWERTY alphanumeric keyboard of the capacitive touch screen type, therefore T9 technology? now gone into disuse. ? experience of the writer, however, that through the T9 some people have reached a speed? of typing of texts higher than the pi? recent technology, which forces them to alternate their gaze from text to keys (whether physical or touch screen).

The world-wide T9 method divides the letters of the English alphabet over 8 keys as follows:

In commonly used T9 keypads the? 1? key? corresponds to numeric key 2; there? ? however irrelevant to the understanding of the functionality? of the method. For clarity and simplicity in the following pages we will refer? to the ordinal number of the key, so the eight keys will be numbered from 1 to 8.

Typing a word with these 8 keys often leads to pi? words compatible with the key sequence used. For example, in the Italian language, the key combination 21555 corresponds to both the word? Damage? what the word? do ?; the combination 57571 corresponds to both the word? swim? that the word? milked? etc ..? it is therefore possible that there are multiple correspondences between ci? you want to type and the word actually obtained (ambiguity?). As noted in the context of the design of the present invention, the ambiguity? it depends on the language used. With regard to the English language, there are multiple correspondences in the typing of 18.8% of the common words typed (analyzing a database of commonly used words of 10,000 elements); this percentage decreases slightly using a database of common and uncommon words of 194,000 items.

At the date of preparation of this paper, no studies concerning the optimization of the T9 technology for the various Western languages have been found.

3? GENERAL DESCRIPTION

3.1? AIMS OF THE INVENTION

Although T9 technology has now given way to the use of QWERTY keyboards integrated into devices of any size, it still provides the advantage of allowing text to be written rather quickly using only 9 keys (8 keys for letters and 1 for spacing). .

In the following chapters it is first of all shown that, for each language used, by changing the arrangement of the letters on the 8 keys? Is it possible to increase the number of unique matches, that is, to increase the probability? that the text typed immediately matches the word the operator intends to type. There? ? particularly effective in Latin languages such as Italian and French. Therefore, some groupings of consecutive letters are proposed that are particularly advantageous for the purpose, and are integrated into a particular keypad with a central touchpad and a few keys that can be reached by the most? agile of the hand. The aforementioned keypad, equipped with a reduced number of keys, allows the operator to quickly learn the position of the keys, who can quickly type texts while looking at the monitor. The found so? realized can? represent an extension of the normal computer keyboard (or other similar electronic device), when the operator wants to rest his torso and shoulders by changing posture and continuing his activity? of word processing.

The purposes of the present invention are therefore:

? improve reliability of the technology known as T9, making pi? efficient word prediction;

? facilitate the observation of the screen when writing texts;

? allow the writing of texts with only the fingers more? agile hands, thus excluding ring and little fingers;

? allow different postures and more? relaxed with respect to that imposed by the use of the qwerty keyboard;

? write texts and move the pointer on the screen without lifting your hands from their position.

3.2 - BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The essential constructive elements of the invention are shown in figure 1. How can the invention be observed? it can be integrated into other devices or can be created as a stand-alone device (hereinafter also called stand-alone). In any form? consisting of a small keyboard (hereinafter called keypad) with four main keys on the left side and 4 on the right side, used for typing letters with the use of the index and middle fingers (references from 1 to 8 in fig. 1). In the center ? present a main touchpad, to position the pointer in the right place of a text sheet or a web page by moving only an index from its writing position. In the extremity? bottom of the invention there is an accessory touchpad (reference 11 in fig. 1, replaceable with a key or rotating element) and a further key (12 in fig. 1, with main function of? Shift?) reachable with two thumbs. At points 9 and 10 (in fig. 1), there are two keys that can be reached with the thumb to which the characters Enter and Space are attributed. The keypad so? compound operates autonomously or in support of the classic alphanumeric keyboard, and allows the operator a relaxing change of posture during work.

The general aspects of the invention, some embodiments and some benefits deriving from the use of the present invention are illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the set of drawings in which:

? Figure 1 shows an overview of the invention and suggests its various applications. The found can? for example, be realized as a stand-alone device (fig. 1.2) or integrated with other devices, such as a notebook (using the touchpad already present, fig. 1.1), a mouse mat (fig. 1.3), a rest wrists for qwerty keyboard (fig.1.4), etc .;

? Figure 2 shows an example of implementation of the keypad on Notebook, with a top view, a front view and a section;

? Figure 3 shows an example of a keypad realized as a standalone device, with a top view and two sections;

? Figure 4, in addition to Figure 3, shows further explanatory sections of the keypad realized as a separate device, paying attention to the practical effectiveness of the release (17a) that can be made to exploit the edge of the work table;

? Figure 5 shows an example of implementation of the keypad on the underside of a mouse mat, with a top view for both faces of the mat;

? Figure 6, in addition to Figure 5, shows three explanatory sections of the keypad implemented on the underside of a mouse mat, a front elevation and a top view;

? Figure 7 shows an example of implementation of the keypad on a palm rest for qwerty keyboard, with a top view, a section and a side elevation;

? Figure 8 shows the theoretical correct posture in front of a PC;

? Figure 9 shows the incorrect posture often assumed by the operator after a few hours in front of a PC, highlighting the excessive angle that the operator's arm assumes with respect to the axis of the back, favoring shoulder pathologies;

? Figures 10A and 10B show alternative writing positions which can be assumed with the use of the invention;

? Figure 11A shows the position assumed by the operator during writing with notebook on a support surface that is too high;

? Figure 11B shows the position that the operator can? assume while writing on a support surface that is too high with a notebook equipped with the keypad in question;

? Figure 12 shows the advantages of using the integrated keypad on notebook in the absence of the need? to look at the keyboard;

? Figure 13 shows the advantages of using the integrated keypad on notebooks when writing from the supine position.

Figures 2,3,4,5,6,7 show examples of various applications of the invention. The references of the various components are indicated with a number and a letter. The number refers to the same component in the general scheme of fig. 1: for example the element 14c of figure 5 corresponds to the element 14 of the general scheme in figure 1.

3.3 - DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of the general form of the invention and of the elements that compose it.

The found? essentially consisting of a small keyboard with four main keys on the left side and four on the right side for typing letters with the use of the index and middle fingers of both hands, without the need? moving the wrists and keeping the elbows close to the body. As can be seen in Figure 1, the arrangement of the keys (references 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) allows them to be easily operated with the index and middle fingers when the operator's hand is placed on the invention. In the top view, the two rows of keys are slightly oblique (that is, arranged in a? V? Shape, drawing an angle of 100-120? Between them, see figure 1) in order to orient themselves perpendicularly to the direction of the arms of the operator placed in front of the found and with relaxed arms and elbows. The little and ring fingers are resting on the work surface and immobile, giving stability? hands while typing.

In the center ? there is a main touchpad to position the pointer in the right place of a text sheet, or a web page, moving only an index from its writing position (reference 14 in fig. 1). This touchpad can be attributed the touch and double-touch characteristics typical of touchpads usually integrated in notebooks. In the extremity? bottom of the invention (the one closest to the operator) there is an accessory touchpad (11 in fig. 1, replaceable with a key or rotating element) and a further key (12 in fig. 1, with dual function of? Shift? and? Caps Lock?), reachable with two thumbs. The direction of actuation of the touchpad 11 can? be limited to a diagonal axis, since the operating directions provided for the latter are included in the range indicated at reference 11 in figure 1.

In the central part of the invention, under the main touchpad,? there is a button (or a selector), used to switch the device on and off quickly (15 in figure 1). The activation of the invention, accompanied by the start of a specific intelligent writing software,? indicated by a clearly visible warning light on the invention itself (13 in figure 1).

The keypad so? conceived can? be integrated into electronic equipment already? existing or developed in a stand-alone device.

Where the invention is part of a device physically distant from the QWERTY keyboard (as in the case in which the keypad in question is made in an independent version -figure 1.2, 3, 4-; or integrated with a mouse pad -fig.1.3, 5 , 6-) pu? be equipped with keys for typing less frequent punctuation (see box? B? in figures 3,4,5,6). These keys are characterized by the fact that they can be reached by the user's indexes with minimal movements of the palms of the hands. At these keys you can? assign the following frequent punctuation as an example; : () -. A part of these keys (keys PR1 and PR2 in figures 3,4,5,6) can? have a user-programmable function or generate a list of characters that can be used with the accessory touchpad (11 in fig. 1).

In all versions, the advantages deriving from the use of this device compared to a normal QWERTY keyboard, lie in the movements pi? contents of the wrists and fingers when writing and in flexibility? of use deriving from the reduced dimensions of the invention. The presence of a few keys, reachable with the fingers on which you have a better mental control (index, middle and thumb), facilitates the rapid learning of their position. The operator therefore quickly begins to write while observing the computer monitor.

Compared to the gi? cited patent WO2010126393 a keyboard like this? conceived? more? easy to use why? does not include the use of the ring and little fingers, maximizing the exploitation of the fingers pi? fast (index, middle and thumb); also has larger dimensions? contained.

Compared to the touchscreen qwerty keyboards present in tablets and smartphones, which by their nature can be used with only two fingers, the invention has the advantage of being able to use three fingers of each hand.

The letter groups typical of T9 can be attributed to the alphabetic keys (references from 1 to 8 in fig. 1) or, pi? advantageously, the groupings of letters optimized for the language used by the user, which will be described below.

The device, whether made independently or integrated with other devices, has hardware independent of the language chosen by the user. The specific assignment of characters to the keys is set via software during installation. Possibly an adhesive mask indicating the characters corresponding to the various keys can? be affixed by the user directly on the keypad, once the language in use has been set.

The procedure used to define the groupings of letters pi? advantages attributable to the eight alphabetic keys of the six-finger keypad.

Refinement of T9 technology for the invention

How already? cited in the chapter? current state of the art ?, writing devices that have made use of T9 technology are characterized by standard groupings of letters of the alphabet. Yup ? discovered how these clusters can be modified to improve reliability? of the method according to the language used by the user.

Looking for the best groupings of letters in the 8 keys? was carried out by imposing the condition that each key contains consecutive letters in the alphabet, that is? is of the type:

By resorting to combinatorial calculus you can? show that, in this condition, the number of combinations? C? possible for 8 keys? equal to 480700 and? given by the formula:

with:

n = 25 (the number of letters in the English alphabet minus one: 26 - 1 = 25)

k = 7 (the number of keys minus one: 8-1 = 7)

Given the large number of possible combinations, data analysis? It was developed via software, carrying out a first search on a small number of frequently used words, followed by a selection on the complete vocabulary. Yup ? proceeded in summary as follows:

1) Construction of a matrix of combinations with dimensions 480701x26 which, in each row, associates the ordinal number of the key (number from 1 to 8) to each letter of the English alphabet following each of the possible combinations;

2) choice of a list of frequently used words of a specific language (list of? X? Elements, see table 3);

3) taking a row (combination) of the matrix referred to in point 1, replacement of the letters making up the words referred to in point 2 with the corresponding number, converting the list of words into a list of numeric strings. Then it measures the percentage of unique numeric strings out of the total;

4) repetition of the procedure referred to in point 3 for all 480700 combinations or for each row of the matrix referred to in point 1;

5) replacement of the letters making up the words referred to in point 2 with the number of the respective key of the typical T9 groupings, generating a list of numeric strings. Then it measures the percentage of unique numeric strings out of the total;

6) extraction of the? M? combinations that from the analysis referred to in point 4 have produced a higher percentage of unique numerical strings than the analysis carried out with the standard T9 groupings referred to in point 5;

7) construction of an Mx26 matrix with the combinations selected at point 6;

8) choice of a new list of words, corresponding to the complete vocabulary of the language in use (list of? Y? Elements, see table 4);

9) starting from the combinations referred to in point 7, execution of procedures similar to those described from point 3 to point 6 on the detailed list of words referred to in point 8, reaching the combinations pi? definitive performance.

Vocabularies used for the refinement of T9 technology

The most commonly used word lists used for the first selection (point 2 above) were found from the following link:

https://onedrive.live.com/?id=3732E80B128D016F%213584&cid=3732E80B128D016F

, obtained through the portal https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Frequency_lists.

Numerous wordlists are published on this portal, deriving from the transcription of hundreds of thousands of TV subtitles (dated 2012), with an indication of the number of occurrences of the individual words.

Starting from these lists, the words that make up 90% of the commonly used words have been selected.

Tab. 3

The in-depth lists of words used for the second selection (point 8 above), were found in public domain sites, mostly? at the link:

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Frequency_lists.

For this second analysis, wordlists deriving from the transcription of subtitles of film products were avoided when possible, as yes? observed that the less frequent strings are very often represented by slang words or words from other languages, uncommon proper names, acronyms, abbreviations etc. The words of the first analysis phase were always integrated to the word lists analyzed in the second phase.

The extension of the vocabularies used in the second analysis? the following:

Tab. 4

Accented characters (acute, grave, circumflex etc.) have been systematically replaced with the unaccented equivalent. This ? an assumption of precautionary fact as it slightly overestimates the non-univocal correspondences.

From the research described above, the best letter associations on the eight keys were identified. The combinations pi? performing are those that return a pi? high probability an immediate and unique match between the keystroke you type and the word you must actually type. The combinations pi? performances are shown, for each language, in table 5 and compared with the standard performances of the T9. In table 5 the combinations pi? performing are those that give the lowest possible number of non-unique matches, that is, the values in bold.

Analyzing table 5, you can? note how the greatest advantages deriving from the variation of the arrangement of the letters in the 8 keys occur in the case of the Italian and French languages, where the probability? to have a non-unique answer following the typing of a word? almost? the half? of the standard T9. Less obvious advantages are however appreciable in the Spanish language. With regard to the English and German languages, the advantages are lower.

Tab. 5

4 - BEST WAY TO IMPLEMENT THE INVENTION

How already? illustrated, the found cos? conceived? it can be created as a stand-alone device (hereinafter also called stand-alone) or can be integrated into other devices (fig. 1). Some possible embodiments are described below by way of example.

Found in standalone (or stand-alone) version

Figure 3 shows a top view of the independent version of the invention.

It is a keypad with 8 main trapezoidal keys (keys 1a to 8a in figure 3), of which four on the left and four on the right of a main touchpad (14a). This arrangement allows you to reach all eight keys with your middle and index fingers without moving your wrists. The little and ring fingers perform only the function of stabilizing and supporting the hands.

In the lower center of the main body of the device there are 2 keys of approximately triangular shape (9a and 10a in figure 3) which can be easily reached with the thumbs (but also with the index fingers), and have the main function of? Enter? the one on the left side (9a in figure 3), and? Space? the one on the right side (10a in figure 3). On the lower part of the invention (band marked with the reference 16a in Figures 3 and 4) there are two elements. They are a key that corresponds to the? Shift? Key, marked in the figure with the reference 12a, and a small touchpad (11a in figure 3), which can also be replaced with a rotating element or with a key similar to the one adjacent to it. Said touchpad allows the choice of the word searched for from a list on the screen if the result of the typing is not unique.

In the center of the device, under the main touchpad,? located the quick on and off key (15a in figure 3), useful in the dynamic transition to the use of the QWERTY keyboard.

Above the main touchpad? instead there is an LED that confirms the switching on of the instrument (13a in figure 3), and some keys to which it can? less common punctuation (such as;: () - etc. see box? B? in figure 3). Two of these keys, named PR1 and PR2 in the figure, allow you to activate via software a special character selection list and a numeric character selection list respectively. These lists can be browsed through the selector (touchpad / rotating element / secondary key) referred to in reference 11a in figure 3. Ci? in order to make more? The appearance of the keypad can be simple by reducing the number of keys to the essentials.

The particular body of the invention (which takes the form of a "manta ray" which can be seen in the top view of figure 3)? provided with a release (reference 17a in figure 4) which allows the lower portion to be rotated by 90? downwards, when the operator wants to bring the keypad closer to him. Pi? precisely, as can be observed in Figure 4 sections C-C 'and D-D', if the invention is positioned in the vicinity of of the edge of a table, the 16a portion can? rotate downwards, resting on the edge of the table itself, and the operator can? continue to act on the sensors 11a and 12a with a different position of the hands. This particularity? ? also applicable to other computer input devices and allows a double advantage:

? to bring the invention very close to the operator, who can? raise the elbows to the body by relaxing the shoulders while writing;

? to vary the position of the hands if necessary, limiting any joint pain associated with staticity.

Some particular functions can be attributed to the keys on the device by pressing 2 (or more?) Of them at the same time. This functionality? can be reached both via software and via hardware. Being this functionality? elementary compared to the current state of the art will not come? further addressed.

To maximize practicality? of use, the key combinations shown in the following table 6 are proposed as a non-limiting example. The numerical references shown below refer to figures 3 and 4.

The key combinations 1a + 2a and 3a + 4a can be typed by joining the middle and index fingers with a quick and spontaneous gesture, effectively making the typing of the two buttons simultaneously. By holding down the Shift key (12a) and simultaneously pressing the 5a and 6a keys (once), you type the apostrophe character << '>>. By holding down the Shift key and pressing the 5th and 6th keys simultaneously and twice, you type the quotation mark <<? >>, which makes the operation presumably easy to remember as the symbol? quotation marks? can you? imagine it as a? double apostrophe ?. Using the same criterion, the characters <<? >> and <<! >> are typed by keeping the Shift key (12a) pressed and simultaneously pressing the 1st and 2nd keys once and twice respectively. We propose the use of the combination Shift + Enter to type the character period <<. >>; there? is presented of convenient use as to the? point? often follows a "newline" character.

By holding down the Shift key (12a) and pressing one of the keys from 1a to 8a, similarly to the QWERTY keyboard, you type an uppercase letter.

Found in the integrated version on notebook

Another version of the found? implementable directly on the body of a notebook, as shown in figure 2. In this case, the keys for typing the letters are located to the left and right of the touchpad already? present on the computer (keys 1b to 8b in figure 2). The instruments 11 and 12 of Figure 1 are integrated directly on the outer edge of the body (see Figure 2, front view, references 11b, 12b). As can be seen in figure 2 also the keys? Enter? and? Space? they trace the position of the analogs of the general diagram in figure 1 (keys 9 and 10 in figure 1, keys 9b and 10b in figure 2). Given the proximity of the standard QWERTY keyboard, it is believed that the keys relating to the less used characters (ie panel B in figure 3) are not necessary. Since an involuntary contact of the keypad with the user's wrists is possible during the use of the QWERTY keyboard, the use of a selector with lateral movement is proposed for the activation and deactivation of the invention (reference 15b in figure 2). The activation / deactivation of the found, accompanied by starting / deactivating the intelligent writing software required for writing with eight keys,? indicated by a clearly visible warning light on the invention itself (ref. 13b in figure 2).

The use of the 8-key keyboard in this case appears particularly advantageous, for example where the support surface of the notebook is too high to write comfortably with the qwerty keyboard. If so, the operator? pushed to widen the elbows causing discomfort in the shoulders (figure 11A). With the keypad in question the user can? keep your elbows down as they only need to reach the outer edge of the notebook and the top immediately adjacent to it (Figure 11B).

Found in the integrated mouse pad version

Another version of the found? integrable on the back of a mouse pad (see figures 5 and 6). Said mat, made of rigid or semi-rigid material, can? be used as a support surface for a common mouse but, if overturned, has the functionality? of the invention in question.

In this version of the invention the keys are necessarily not protruding in order not to be pressed when the device is used as a normal mouse mat. Once overturned and activated by means of the selector 15c (see figure 5), the functionality? the mouse automatically switches to the device's main central touchpad (14c in Figures 5 and 6). When the device is deactivated using the switch 15c, the standard mouse is reactivated.

Activation of the invention, indicated by a clearly visible indicator light on the invention itself (ref. 13c in figure 5),? accompanied by starting the intelligent writing software required for writing with eight keys. The layout, shape and function of the keys,? the same as the stand-alone version, with the exception of the keys on the block? B? (figures 5 and 6) which must necessarily be more? large to be pressed easily. Although it is also possible in this case to provide a mechanical release on the lower part of the invention for use on the edge of the table (that is, element 17a of figure 4), it is believed that it is more? simple and advantageous to make a? tablet? monobloc, which can also be placed on the operator's legs and then used from a relaxed position (figure 10B). The use of this version of the device? rather versatile and imaginable in three different configurations: on the work surface as a mouse mat, on the work surface as a keypad, on the operator's legs as a keypad.

5 - PURPOSES ACHIEVED

Is the user sitting at the PC for a few consecutive hours? pushed to assume incorrect postures (fig. 9) and feels the need to change his position to relax his back, neck, shoulders and wrists. Through the invention in question, the operator can? do it (figures 10A, 10B, 11B and 13), continuing the typing from different positions, hopefully without reducing the speed? of work.

The reduced number of keys and the fixed position of the hands on the latter allows the operator, once familiarized with it, to use the keypad while looking at the monitor. There? for example, in relation to the version integrated on a notebook, to write from the supine position (fig. 13) or, in relation to the version for notebook or integrated on a rigid mouse pad, to write with the keypad on the legs (figure 10B).

Those who find themselves writing for many hours generally do so to write reports or literary texts, therefore the text produced has few numbers or special characters. In this case, the operator can? find advantages in the use of the invention. If necessary, the writer can? type any special characters on the QWERTY keyboard, which will result? in any case operational on the pc, and / or return to the full use of it when he deems it? appropriate through the activation key of the invention (ref. 15 in figure 1).

The use of the found can? be of support even to people who have little experience in using the QWERTY keyboard and encounter difficulties? to find the keys of the individual letters quickly. Even visually impaired people may find it beneficial to use this keyboard which does not require moving your hands.

In all versions, the keypad allows you to rotate the torso back and continue writing by moving the head away from the monitor if necessary, bringing the elbows closer to the torso and resting the back completely against the back of the chair (figure 10A). Also in the integrated version on notebook? Is it possible to carry out the same operation as the position of the keys (references from 1b to 8b in figure 2)? next to the outer edge of the body and the bust of the operator can? then move back about 10cm. Even in a work surface placed at a considerable height, for example in a bar, the keypad allows typing from a lower position. comfortable (see figure 11B). In the integrated version with mouse pad this quality? ? expanded by the possibility? to place the instrument on the legs (figure 10B).

The arrangement of the letters on the keypad linked to the language in use allows, as already? described, to increase the accuracy of writing by decreasing the number of non-unique matches. There? ? particularly advantageous in the Italian language, where the probability? not to obtain a unique word following a key-in (ambiguity?) drops from 17.7% of the standard T9, to 7.3% (best configuration resulting from this study). Even in the French language, does the optimal key layout allow you to switch between ambiguities? of 16.1% (T9) to an ambiguity? 8.6%.

Optimization? less effective in the Spanish language, where? possible an increase in accuracy estimated in 4% and even lower as regards English, with an improvement in accuracy limited to 2.5% (from 16.7% to 14.2%). As for the German language yes? estimated potential for improvement limited to 2.2%.

The object of the invention? susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept expressed in the attached claims. All the details can be replaced by other technically equivalent elements, and the materials can be different according to the requirements, without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention.

Even if the object? been described with particular reference to the attached figures, the reference numbers used in the description and in the claims are used to improve the intelligence of the invention and do not constitute any limitation to the scope of protection claimed.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS 1) Computer input device which, in any form or version,? characterized by the fact that: ? allows to be used both for pointing (use as a mouse) and for typing texts (use as keyboard), using only the middle index fingers and thumb, without the need? to move the little and ring fingers; ? during its use, the keys for writing letters, which are only eight, and those for writing frequent punctuation, are accessible to the operator by keeping the palms still and exercising minimal movements of the index, middle and thumb fingers; ? if necessary, it allows the operator to choose the desired word from a list of related words, keeping the palms still and exercising minimal finger movements,? ? achievable as a unit? independent or integrable on other peripherals and, in any form or version, as by way of non-limiting example in figure 1, includes the following elements: ? eight keys for writing letters that can be operated with the index and middle fingers, to each of which? assigned a group of consecutive letters of the English alphabet that can be set via software (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8); ? a touchscreen pointing device operated with the index fingers, hereinafter referred to as the main touchpad (14); ? two keys used the first to enter the character? Enter? and the second to the typing of the character? Space?, which can be operated easily and preferably with the thumbs (9, 10); ? a key whose functions include the? Shift? command, operated with the thumb (12); ? a device for selecting the right word in the case of multiple correspondence operated with the thumb (11); ? an on and off system (15) that can be easily operated at will? of the operator; ? a specific software that allows the recognition and configuration of the device on a computer and allows the use, on the same computer, of the predictive writing method with eight groups of letters generally known as T9 or an equivalent method. 2) Method, which can be integrated in the computer input device as per claim 1 and in any other device comprising a keyboard with a reduced number of alphabetic keys, characterized by the fact that it allows to improve and optimize the performance of predictive writing software by assigning to said alphabetic keys groups of letters defined in advance according to the specific language used in the text to be written. 3) Method, according to claim 2, which can be integrated into the computer input device of claim 1, characterized by the fact that it allows to improve the capacity? forecasting of T9 technology using particular associations of letters optimized for the language used by the user, as defined below; given a device with eight alphabetic keys that allows the typing of texts using T9 technology, assigning groups of letters to said eight keys according to one of the associations listed in table 7 in relation to the language used (table 7 at the end of this claim), you get the least number of non-unique matches following the typing of a word, that is? it reduces the probability? that the key sequence typed matches pi? of a word: 4) Computer input device, according to claim 1, hereinafter referred to as a six-finger keypad, comprising a keyboard characterized in that the eight keys used for writing letters referred to in the same claim 1 are assigned via software, in phase installation of the six-finger keypad on the computer, groups of particular letters by choosing a specific association among the following; these associations include that typical of T9, which, for Western languages, corresponds to: and the five associations listed in table 7 in claim 3 in relation to the language used by the user. 5) Six-finger keypad, according to claims 1 and 4, comprising eight keys characterized in that: ? among the functions of said eight keys there? writing letters; ? at each key? associated with a group of letters of the alphabet according to claim 4; ? are reachable with the fingers pi? fast of the 2 hands, that is? index and middle fingers, without having to lift the palms from their operating position on the six-finger pad; ? are divided into two distinct groups of four keys each, one group on the left side and the other on the right side of the six-finger keypad, each group consisting of two parallel rows of two keys, in which said rows are oriented in such a way that the group of left keys can be easily reached from the index and middle fingers of the user's left hand (1, 2, 5, 6 in fig. 1) and the right group of keys can be easily reached from the index and middle fingers of the right hand of the user user (3, 4, 7, 8 in fig. 1) when the six-finger keypad is placed on a plane in front of said user sitting in a relaxed position with the elbows close to the body. 6) Six-finger keypad, according to claim 1, as by way of non-limiting example in Figure 1, comprising two keys (9, 10) located in the vicinity of of the lower left (9) and lower right (10) corner of the main touchpad (14), characterized by the fact that these keys are respectively used for the? Enter? (9) and? Space? (10), possibly invertible in the case of a left-handed operator, and by the fact that each of said keys can? be easily operated with the thumb of the hand ipsilateral to the key, exerting pressure with the side of the thumb. 7) Six-finger keypad, according to claim 1, as by way of non-limiting example in Figure 1, comprising a key used for the? Shift? and? Caps Lock? where said key? characterized by the fact: ? to be placed in the portion of the keypad with six fingers pi? next to the user when said keypad? resting on a work surface in front of said user, in a position such as to be easily operated by the user with one of the thumbs without the need? to move the other fingers from their position (12); ? to allow, if pressed an odd number of times, the activation of writing in uppercase characters, while, if pressed an even number of times, to return to writing in lowercase characters (command? Caps Lock?); ? to allow, in association with other keys, the typing of punctuation and special characters that can be defined during the installation of the software of the six-finger keypad (command? Shift?). 8) Six-finger keypad, according to claim 1, as by way of non-limiting example in Figure 1, comprising a device consisting of a tactile sensor or any other sensor that can be used as a selector, such as a touchpad, or a element that allows selection by rotation, or a key that allows you to make a choice by repeatedly pressing it, which, in all its forms,? characterized by the fact: ? to be placed in the portion of the keypad with six fingers pi? next to the user when said keypad? resting on a work surface in front of said user, in a position that can be operated by the user with one of the two thumbs with a spontaneous and natural gesture of touch and / or sliding, without the need? to move the other fingers from their position (11); ? to be used to select a specific element from any selection list visible on the screen, thus allowing the operator, among the many uses, to choose the word actually desired from a list of words consistent with the alphabetical key sequence typed. 9) Device that can be integrated into any computer input peripheral, consisting of a release characterized by the fact that it allows a portion of said peripheral to be rotated by 90? downwards, placing some sensors on the external vertical edge of the worktop, thus allowing? operator to use the device with an alternate hand position. 10) Six-finger keypad, according to claim 1, which can be produced in a single unit? independent as by way of non-limiting example in Figure 4, comprising a release (17a) according to claim 9, characterized in that it allows to rotate some sensors that can be operated with the thumb (11a, 12a) by 90? downwards, placing them on the external vertical edge of the worktop, thus allowing? operator to use the six-finger keypad with an alternate hand position.