Did You Know...
...that Robert Adler has the dubious distinction of being the Father of the Couch Potato? Back in 1955 Adler was employed by what was then Zenith Radio Corp., where he was charged to invent something that would allow viewers to turn down the TV volume without leaving their chairs. After a series of flops (such as a wired contraption that people tripped over), Adler hit on the idea of using sound waves. Thus the Remote Control was born...
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 |
| 7433177 | Keyboard with recharge function A keyboard with a recharge function for a computer system having a rechargeable wireless peripheral is described. The keyboard includes a charger and a charging dock. The charger is disposed inside the keyboard and charges the rechargeable wireless peripheral with p... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7371985 | Watertight key switch assembly and its fabrication A bendable, washable, watertight key switch assembly is disclosed to include a polymeric flexible top layer made, which has key caps and a conducting member respectively bonded to the inside wall of each key cap, a polymeric flexible bottom layer defining with the f... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7339795 | Structure for fastening a circuit board on a case A structure for fastening a circuit board on a case includes a strut which has one end coupled on the case and other end coupled on the circuit board, and a coupling member which has two distal ends with surfaces not parallel with each other. One distal end is coupl... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7324018 | Press key structure A press key structure comprises two first plates disposed between a casing and a circuit board, wherein one side of each first plate is exposed to the outside of the casing, the other side thereof faces the circuit board and includes a groove, and each of the groove... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7279732 | Enhanced atomic layer deposition A method of enhanced atomic layer deposition is described. In an embodiment, the enhancement is the use of plasma. Plasma begins prior to flowing a second precursor into the chamber. The second precursor reacts with a prior precursor to deposit a layer on the substr... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7271361 | Input key and input apparatus An input key of the present invention, which is assigned a plurality of information items to be inputted, and which is assigned each of the information items to be inputted, according to a direction of a force exerted on the input key. And the input key includes a p... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7261481 | UV feature illumination In an aspect of the present invention, methods and systems for providing an input device are disclosed. In an aspect of the present invention, the input device includes a symbol and a UV light source is provided to direct UV light on the symbol. The symbol includes ... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7180022 | Illuminated keypad An illuminated keypad includes a baseboard, a plurality of keys protruded from the baseboard, a plurality of sets of light guiding bars and a plurality of light-emitting components. Each set of light guiding bars is disposed under the baseboard. Each light guiding b... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7156693 | Electronic apparatus with pointing device on the housing An electronic apparatus has a housing and a pointing device. The housing has an outside wall that includes an outer surface exposed outward of said housing, and an operation area in the outer surface. The pointing device has a flat input surface laid on the inner su... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7133030 | 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... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7123241 | Quantitatively force-sensing computer keyboard A computer keyboard includes a frame, a grid of conductors located on the frame and forming a plurality of intersections, and a plurality of keys located above the plurality of intersections. Each key is associated with an intersection and configured to create an el... | 10/17/2006 |
| 7106222 | Keypad assembly A keypad assembly utilizes touch-detecting apparatus such as force sensors or touchpad assemblies for registering key presses. In exemplary embodiments, the keypad assembly is suitable for use in electronic devices such as a mobile telephones, calculators, hand-held... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7059790 | Keyboard and method of making the same A method and an apparatus for communicating data to a remote device, the apparatus comprising a keyboard having a plurality of keys. The lower surface of the keyboard is attached to an object along at least a portion of the lower surface of the keyboard. The object ... | 06/13/2006 |
| 7005588 | Keyboard and a method for manufacturing it A keyboard comprising at least one flap forming a key, the flap being pressed against a contact point when depressed from above, and rising back after the depressing. The flap is attached by its one end to the frame sheet of the keyboard in such a way that this stru... | 02/28/2006 |
| 7002090 | Key switches A key switch includes a front cover formed with a cursor key hole. In the front cover, a first rib is formed on a first support wall and a second rib is formed on a second support wall. Accordingly, when a cursor key part disposed in the cursor key hole is pressed, ... | 02/21/2006 |
| 6992600 | Method for configuring button keys on a membrane A method for configuring button keys on a membrane includes the steps of: mapping the membrane under the conditions of without jumping and without generating ghost keys; gathering adjacent button keys on a same cluster; defining a button key configuration chart acco... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6980095 | Illuminated vehicle remote entry device A remote keyless entry electroluminiescent (EL) device includes at least one depressible button segment for activating a vehicle function. The entry device includes an upper housing with at least one aperture in the upper housing. An EL film is integral to the upper... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6977811 | Keyboard with mouse for a hand-held portable computer A hand-held portable computer has a mouse button that is surrounded in close proximity by directional buttons. Placing the directional buttons in close proximity around the mouse button makes on-screen navigation easier, since the same single finger need only be mov... | 12/20/2005 |
| 6965789 | Portable communication device A portable communication device is disclosed comprising a front face (3) having a plurality of openings therein, and an array (6) of keys. Each key has a switch actuator, a switching element, and coupling means. The switch actuator has an upper surface... | 11/15/2005 |
| 6963040 | Illuminated touch switch An illuminated touch switch has a touch sensitive area and a plurality of light emitting diodes arranged in a predetermined pattern. The touch switch includes a first rigid circuit board with a first electrical conductor and a second flexible circuit board with a se... | 11/08/2005 |
| 6962452 | Keyboard having key floating device A keyboard includes a housing having a number of passages formed by cylindrical members, a number of keys each having a shank slidably engaged in the passages of the housing, and an electromagnetic floating force generating device having a number of coils arranged t... | 11/08/2005 |
| 6940030 | Hinge key switch An apparatus for a hinged key switch is presented which operates around a hinged pivot point located external to the four points of the key cap, and which comprises a rubber spring providing a vertical bias and an arm with an extension which acts as a stopper when i... | 09/06/2005 |
| 6935797 | Keyboard with built-in microphone An alphanumeric keyboard has a plurality of alphanumeric keys and includes at least one built-in microphone. The at least one microphone is controlled by a processor such that the at least one microphone is able to be operated in an automatic mode. When in the autom... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6917005 | Key top and key top lighting device in an electronic apparatus A key top, a key top lighting device and an electronic apparatus with improved operability for use in the dark is provided wherein the key top can be illuminated at a low power consumption rate and without disturbing the people nearby. Specifically, a transparent fl... | 07/12/2005 |
| 6824321 | Keypad assembly A keypad assembly utilizes touch-detecting apparatus such as force sensors or touchpad assemblies for registering key presses. In exemplary embodiments, the keypad assembly is suitable for use in electronic devices such as a mobile telephones, calculators, hand-held... | 11/30/2004 |
| 6758615 | Pressure sensitive functionality for keyboard keys Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a computer keyboard having a key sensing device that provides two levels of sensing by generating electrical signals depending on the force applied on the keys. The different levels of key sensing can be used to p... | 07/06/2004 |
| 6755582 | Key structure A key structure includes a set of key tops with contact footings of retaining hooks, an upper case with a plurality of insert holes wherein contact footings of retaining hooks are moveably inserted therein and a bottom case to be assembled with the upper case; the p... | 06/29/2004 |
| 6698957 | Foldable keyboard with point stick The present invention relates to a foldable keyboard, and more particularly, to a foldable keyboard adapted for a point stick and/or at least one hot key. Two or more keypad portions are hingably connected by a connection board on which a point stick or a... | 03/02/2004 |
| 6682235 | Computer keyboard Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a computer keyboard having user-manipulable components for multi-media applications and additional computer interface and control purposes that are desirably designed for ease of manufacturing and cost ... | 01/27/2004 |
| 6655863 | Pen-sized keyboard arrangement A pen-sized keyboard arrangement of the present invention comprises a flexible keyboard member, a rolling mechanism and an electrical connection unit. The rolling mechanism includes a base and an elongated rolling pole pivotally connected to the base. The... | 12/02/2003 |
| 6646631 | Input device An input device which provides excellent operability and reaction to a user, and which can be easily operated. The device comprises a casing, an operation unit supported parallel-movably in a direction along one surface of the casing, having a member to r... | 11/11/2003 |
| 6639523 | Resistive keyboard with status keys An arrangement of a plurality of status keys in a keyboard for entering information in an electronic device. The keyboard comprises a plurality of regular keys connected to a resistive strip at a plurality of locations for providing a first signal when on... | 10/28/2003 |
| 6585435 | Membrane keyboard An improved membrane keyboard includes a bottom layer, a second conductive membrane layer located above the bottom layer having an output section extended from one end thereof at a selected location linking to an interrupt device, an insulation layer loca... | 07/01/2003 |
| 6542354 | Device with interchangeable user-interfaces and method for doing same A compact device and method for communication and entertainment needs that include having interchangeable user-interfaces and combining various functions performed by different keypads and units into a single pad or unit. The device includes circuitry wit... | 04/01/2003 |
| 6491457 | Apparatus and method for deriving electric power efficiently from a keyboard A keyboard apparatus has keys for operation by a user. The keyboard includes a first plurality of keys being coupled to electrical generator apparatus for generating electricity from their operation. A second plurality of the keys is not coupled to electr... | 12/10/2002 |
| 6491456 | Keyboard thin film circuit board with trenches to release air from hollow rubber domes A key signal-generating device has a thin film circuit board to generate key signals and a plurality of hollow rubber domes set on the thin film circuit board that are compressed by their corresponding keys to activate the thin film circuit board to gener... | 12/10/2002 |
| 6195082 | Low noise circuit board for trackpoint pointing device A computer pointing device on a single, small printed wiring board includes all electronics necessary for providing a standard mouse-type output signal. The pointing device uses a balanced bridge strain gauge isometric sensor having a manipulation lever f... | 02/27/2001 |
| 6191776 | Compact key structure A compact key structure comprises a base plate, a conductive membrane, an elastic member, a frame and a cap wherein said key structure is characterized in that the conductive membrane is single-film structure and has a contact corresponding to each key an... | 02/20/2001 |
| 6142430 | Wrist support provided with computer input device A wrist support for computer keyboard in the form of an elongated cabinet, the wrist support being provided with an input device comprising a control stick uprightly arranged on a base plate, a number of strain gauge transducers adhered to the control sti... | 11/07/2000 |
| 6104604 | Modular keyboard A modular keyboard is provided which can be repeatedly and conveniently transferred between a portable computer or a desktop computer without damage to the modular keyboard. Both the portable computer and the keyboard base for the desktop computer have a ... | 08/15/2000 |
