Bizarre Patents
An extension member is attachable to a trailer hitch and extends away from the vehicle and is connected to a seating frame supporting a toilet seat.
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7405724 | Automated banking machine and method An automated banking machine (12) is operative to conduct transactions in response to HTML documents and TCP/IP messages exchanged with a local computer system (14) through an intranet (16), as well as in response to messages exchanged with fore... | 07/29/2008 |
| 7403191 | Tactile overlay for an imaging display A tactile overlay for a touchscreen includes one or more button structures, a flexible resilient membrane, and one or more nibs corresponding to the one or more button structures. The overlay is disposed over and in propinquity with the touchscreen display, with but... | 07/22/2008 |
| 7403190 | Context sensitive labels for a hardware input device A method and apparatus for hardware input devices provides context sensitive labels which can change according to an application running on a computer and/or the function assigned to an input element. An illustrative implementation of the method and apparatus includ... | 07/22/2008 |
| 7403188 | Handheld electronic device with text disambiquation employing advanced word frequency learning feature A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is enabled with disambiguation software. An enhanced word frequency learning feature is provided. The device provides output in the form of a default output and a number of variants. The output is b... | 07/22/2008 |
| 7400905 | Insertion of sound segments into a voice channel of a communication device The disclosure is directed to a software and hardware system that includes recording and storing audio data (digital or analog) for introduction into a voice channel of a communication device. The disclosure also includes establishing a voice channel (e.g., a phone ... | 07/15/2008 |
| 7400270 | Fully configurable trading keyboard The present invention provides a trading keyboard that can be configured both physically and functionally according to a user's preferences. The trading keyboard preferably includes self-identifying key covers that can be physically arranged on any of the keyboard's... | 07/15/2008 |
| 7397658 | Multi-function electronic device with split cover In a multi-function electronic device, consists of a display mounted on the device and a two part cover with each cover part slidable on the device in opposite directions for covering and exposing the display. The two part cover is equipped with a full function keyb... | 07/08/2008 |
| 7394367 | Keypad for building automation An exemplary embodiment of a keypad for building automation may comprise a sensing layer operable to detect user input. The sensing surface configured with a plurality of switching fields assigned to different automation functions. A printed label is layered over th... | 07/01/2008 |
| 7394455 | Electronic device A display unit which is electronically connected to a body to display data, and has an antenna electronically connected thereto for transferring data. The body has a first element, a second element, an index unit and an intermediate element. The second element is co... | 07/01/2008 |
| 7394456 | Raised keys on a miniature keyboard A miniature keyboard wherein the keys are arranged in a way to improve data entry and decrease the chance of depressing multiple keys at a time. Accordingly, the height of the keys are patterned to decrease the chance of multiple key depressions thus increasing the ... | 07/01/2008 |
| 7395100 | Portable communication apparatus having keys moved up/down by rotation A portable communication apparatus equipped with up/down keys. The portable communication apparatus includes a main housing, a sliding housing adapted to slide to be opened and closed while continuously facing the main housing, a number of keys arranged in a predete... | 07/01/2008 |
| 7391409 | Method and system for applying gearing effects to multi-channel mixed input A method and system for interactive interfacing with a computer gaming system is provided. The method includes providing an input device, where the input device is configured to convey mutlti-channel mixed input data that is to be interpreted by the computer gaming ... | 06/24/2008 |
| 7388536 | Remote control unit, electronic device and method for controlling electronic device A remote control unit, an electronic device and a method for controlling an electronic device using the same are provided. The remote control unit includes: a key input part including a menu key for allowing an electronic device to enter a setup mode, a numeric key ... | 06/17/2008 |
| 7388574 | Pointing device A pointing device is provided which facilitates the assembly, achieves downsizing and has a long life. Magnetic sensors 21 are placed symmetrically two by two along an X axis and Y axis on a printed circuit board 24. A switch 28 is placed on a s... | 06/17/2008 |
| 7388520 | Apparatus and method for decoding a key press Disclosed is an apparatus for decoding a key press. The apparatus includes an interface that performs conversion between parallel data and serial data and generates an interrupt when a key is pressed. The interface includes an output port, an input port, and a regis... | 06/17/2008 |
| 7388576 | Handheld electronic device and keypad providing enhanced usability and reduced size, and associated method An improved handheld electronic device, keypad, and method in accordance with the invention meet these and other needs. An improved handheld electronic device having an improved keypad provides enhanced usability and reduced size by organizing its keys in pairs, wit... | 06/17/2008 |
| 7389454 | Error detection in user input device using general purpose input-output A method and apparatus are disclosed for using a general purpose input-output (GPIO) interface to test a user input device such as a wireless keyboard or mouse. Operation of key-scan logic can be tested by the GPIO interface by temporarily disconnecting the outputs ... | 06/17/2008 |
| 7387457 | One-row keyboard and approximate typing In one aspect, an apparatus for character entry on an electronic device, comprising: a keyboard with one row of keys; and an electronic device in communication with the keyboard; wherein one or more keys on the keyboard has a correspondence with a plurality of chara... | 06/17/2008 |
| 7389124 | Handheld electronic device with text disambiguation A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is enabled with disambiguation software. The device provides output in the form of a default output and a number of variants. The output is based largely upon the frequency, i.e., the likelihood tha... | 06/17/2008 |
| 7389232 | Communication device and learning tool A portable communication device and learning tool for use by speech impaired individuals or monolinguistic individuals is provided by the present invention. The device is foldable for convenient carrying and storage. A method of using the communication device and le... | 06/17/2008 |
| 7385588 | Keyboard illumination system and method A keyboard illumination system comprises a computer device having a plurality of liquid crystal displays (LCDs). The system also comprises a display controller adapted to change an electrical state of at least one of the LCDs for providing a predetermined level of i... | 06/10/2008 |
| RE40368 | Data input device A data input device including an optically generated image of a data input device, the image including at least one input zone actuable by an action performed thereon by a user, a sensor operative to sense the action performed on the at least one input zone, and to ... | 06/10/2008 |
| 7385591 | Out-of-vocabulary word determination and user interface for text input via reduced keypad keys Out-of-vocabulary (OOV) word determination corresponding to a key sequence entered by the user on a (typically numeric) keypad, and a user interface for the user to select one of the words, are disclosed. A word-determining logic determines letter sequences correspo... | 06/10/2008 |
| 7382353 | Changing a function of a device based on tilt of the device for longer than a time period In various embodiments, changing the function involves disabling an input device, disabling an output device, changing a display mode of the output device from portrait to landscape, or increasing volume of the output device. In an embodiment, the change of the func... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7382356 | Input unit for games and musical keyboards A computer game system uses an infrared sensor which produces an infrared light to produce pulse of infrared light. Optics focus reflections from the infrared light pulse from different portions of the environment to different detectors in a 2D array of detectors. T... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7382355 | Extractable terminal keypad A terminal includes a terminal body, a data output interface, and a data input interface. The data output interface includes a display disposed on a face of the terminal body. The data input interface includes a keypad that is extractable from a storage space inside... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7382358 | System and method for continuous stroke word-based text input The disclosed System enables word-level text entry on a small displayed keyboard by tracing an input path that begins on or near the key of the first letter, passes through or near the key of each letter in sequence, and terminates in the vicinity of the key of the ... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7382357 | User interface incorporating emulated hard keys An emulated hard key that emulates a key of a user-selected keyboard is generated on a reconfigurable keyboard. In one exemplary embodiment, the reconfigurable keyboard has an array of microchambers. Each microchamber is operable to change from a first height to a s... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7383342 | Operating a browser to display first and second virtual keyboard areas that the user changes directly or indirectly Operating a browser that interprets a markup page and thereby displays a virtual keyboard (350) to a user. The operation comprises: displaying (405) a first keyboard area (350); presenting (410) first and second input fields of first and ... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7379055 | Data record method using a touch panel A data record method using a touch panel is disclosed. The touch panel can be separated from a computer. The computer and the touch panel store data having plural records respectively. The method includes the steps: (A) determining if the touch panel is connected wi... | 05/27/2008 |
| 7375721 | Keyboard with changeable key display A keyboard system comprises a first plurality of keys. The first plurality of keys have top surfaces with fixed indicia disposed thereon. The keyboard system further comprises a recessed section. The keyboard system further comprises a programmable display key modul... | 05/20/2008 |
| 7375296 | Keyboard A keyboard includes a main body and a plurality of keys arranged on a top plate of the main body. The main body includes the top plate, a bottom plate with a utility board arranged thereon, and a rear plate. The rear plate is flat so that the main body can be placed... | 05/20/2008 |
| 7375956 | Cover positioning structure of a dual-usage portable computer A cover positioning structure of a dual-usage portable computer is disclosed, which comprises a base, at least one slide block sliding on the base, at least one elastic slice imposing a pressure to the at least one slide block, and a rotary member rotated relative t... | 05/20/2008 |
| 7375295 | Collapsible keyboard A collapsible keyboard comprises a first key assembly, a second key assembly rotatably connected to the first key assembly and a third key assembly rotatably connected to the second key assembly. The first key assembly is located between the second and third key ass... | 05/20/2008 |
| 7372454 | Keyboard with variable-sized keys A computer keyboard is provided having keys that vary in size based on the keys' frequency of use. The keyboard may, for example, be modeled after the standard QWERTY keyboard, but modified such that keys for letters of the most-commonly used letters in the alphabet... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7372450 | Analog input mapping for hand-held computing devices A first hand-held computing device includes an analog input device and a processor. The analog input device generates analog input. The processor receives the analog input and converts the analog input to coordinates. The processor then maps the coordinates to a but... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7373180 | Method and apparatus for accentuating graphical elements on a mobile handset housing A transparent mobile handset housing with graphical elements such as alphanumeric characters, icons, and logos positioned directly onto the housing with visibility enhanced through backlighting. The transparent housing is covered with an opaque coating and omitted p... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7372959 | Handheld electronic device with reconfigurable keypad An improved handheld electronic device has a display and a keypad, with the keypad being movable among a number of configurations that enable the “real estate” occupied by the keypad to be increased or decreased, and to correspondingly enable the viewable area o... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7368921 | Printed capacitive sensor The invention relates to a flexible, resilient capacitive sensor suitable for large-scale manufacturing. The sensor includes a dielectric, an electrically conductive detector and trace layer on the first side of the dielectric layer comprising a detector and trace, ... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7369064 | Key and keyboard A key includes a light-permeable body, a light-shading layer and a first dye layer. The light-shading layer is formed on the surface of the light-permeable body and has a first light-permeable area and a second light-permeable area. The first dye layer is formed on ... | 05/06/2008 |
