Data entry device (DED)

摘要

The present invention provides a Data Entry Device for computers and other devices. An embodiment of the present invention provides a Data Entry Device combining a keyboard and pointing device for computers and other devices; The Data Entry Device of the present invention introduces a completely new ergonomic construction for all keys. In the Data Entry Device of the present invention the keyboard and pointing device can both be used without shifting the hands from its initial resting position and where the shift key has to be used only for capitals and a few rarely used punctuations and symbols. The vowels are all on one side thus making them easy to access and use. All the letters are arranged so that on maximum occasions the letters are alternating between hands. The character keys are separated into alphabets, numerals, mathematical operators, punctuations and symbols. The placement of the characters on the DED is based on their frequency of occurrence in the environment, the ideal workload that should be allotted to each finger, the order of ease of use of keys, their pattern of use and similarity of type. In the present invention the concept of Home Row for fingers has been replaced by Home Keys for each finger being the keys on which the fingers tend to rest naturally and is not in one row. All this together makes the DED easy to comprehend, easy to learn, easy to use, more difficult to forget, increase the speed of typing, reduce errors and makes the user less prone to medical problems.

主权项

1. A Data Entry Device comprising:
a first area and a second area symmetrical to the first area; each of the first and the second area including an upper row of five alphabet keys, a middle row of four alphabet keys and a bottom row of four alphabet keys so as to define an Alphabet Keypad; each of the first area and the second area also includes three modifier keys selected from ‘Control’, ‘Shift’ and ‘Alt’ Keys with one each on an outer extremity of the upper, middle and bottom row of the first and second areas; a third area disposed in between the first and the second area, the third area including four rows of keys with six keys in each row so as to define a Mathematical Keypad and ‘Enter’ and ‘Space’ Keys disposed below the Mathematical Keypad; a fourth area located immediately above the third area, the fourth area including three rows of keys with each row being provided with four punctuation/symbol keys so as to define a Punctuation and Symbols Keypad; a fifth area located above the first area, the fifth area including a ‘Caps Lock’ Key located at an extreme left position in the fifth area and above the modifier key of the upper row of the first area, an ‘Escape’ Key and a ‘Tab’ Key located at the extreme left position in the fifth area and above the ‘Caps Lock’ Key, and a pointing device located to the right side of the ‘Escape’ Key, the ‘Tab’ Key and Caps Lock Key; a sixth area located above the second area, the sixth area including two rows provided with six keys in each row including Navigation Keys and Edit Keys in which the Navigation Keys are selected from the group comprising an ‘Up Arrow’ Key, a ‘Down Arrow’ Key, a ‘Left Arrow’ Key, a ‘Right Arrow’ Key, a ‘Page-Up’ Key, a ‘Page Down’ Key, a ‘Home’ Key, an ‘End’ Key, a ‘Windows’ Key and ‘Context Menu’ Key and the Edit Keys are selected from a ‘Backspace’ Key and a ‘Delete’ Key; a seventh area and an eighth area located above the fifth area and the sixth area respectively; each of the seventh area and the eighth area are provided with a row of six F keys each comprising keys F1, F2, F3, F4, F5 and F6 being disposed on the seventh area and keys F7, F8, F9, F10, F11 and F12 being disposed on the eighth area; and a ninth area located above the fourth area and disposed between the fifth and seventh area on the left and the sixth and eighth areas on the right and, the ninth area including two rows of keys with each row provided with four keys and a set of indicators above the two rows of keys.