Keyboard For A Typewriter

Abstract

A typewriter keyboard includes a plurality of rows of keys with two elongated typewriter mechanism actuating bars positioned forwardly of the keys of the keyboard. The first bar extends at least part way across one-half of the width of the keyboard and the second bar extends at least part way across the other half of the width of the keyboard. One bar operates a space mechanism and the other operates a carriage return.

Description

This invention relates to a typewriter keyboard.

In a conventional typewriter keyboard, keys are arranged generally in four parallel rows. When a particular key is depressed, a system of levers and linkages cause the corresponding type bar to strike paper through an inked ribbon. The paper is supported on a rotatable cylinder known as a platen. On release of the type bar from the paper and return to its original location, the carriage advances by one space. Each individual type bar produces two characters, generally the upper and lower case forms of a particular letter but some type bars have special characters such as numerals and punctuation marks.

A typewriter normally prints the lower case letter or the character appearing in the lower case position on the type bar. Means operable by a key or keys is provided to shift the carriage whereby upon actuation of the means, the typewriter prints the upper case letter or the character appearing in the upper case position. Upon release of the key actuating the means, the carriage returns to its original position. The conventional keyboard generally is provided with releasable means operable by a key or keys to lock the carriage in the upper case position.

There is provided on the conventional keyboard forwardly of the rows of keys a bar extending at least partway across and generally substantially the extent of the keys across the keyboard. The typewriter is provided with means to move the carriage a distance equivalent to a space. The latter means is operable by the bar.

A number of other mechanisms are provided in conventional typewriters generally operably by keys located on the keyboard including means to return the carriage to a preset starting point when the end of a line of typing is reached, the platen being rotated by a preset amount during the return whereby the next line of typing may be commenced. Also, included is a tabulator together with a tabulator set and tabulator clear mechanisms. A further mechanism is a back space mechanism allowing the carriage to be back spaced.

Sophisticated typewriters may include a number of further mechanisms to perform automatically specific operations normally performed manually. Such operations include margin reset and margin release, half-space and ribbon set.

All of the operations and the mechanisms to perform such operations of the typewriter are well known and well understood. The present invention utilizes such well-known operations and mechanisms and no further description thereof is necessary. The present invention is concerned with an arrangement of the keyboard to operate such mechanisms such arrangement producing a more efficient typing operation.

The present invention provides a novel typewriter keyboard having a plurality of rows of keys. The invention consists in the location of first and second elongated bars each positioned forwardly of the keys on the keyboard. The first elongated bar extends at least part way across one-half of the width of the keyboard and the second elongated bar extends at least part way across the other half of the width of the keyboard.

The invention is further identified by the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 represents a plan view of one embodiment of a typewriter keyboard of the present invention,

and FIG. 2 represents a side view of part of a typewriter including the keyboard of FIG. 1.

In the drawing: a typewriter keyboard 10 is situated on a typewriter 11 and has first and second elongated bars 12 and 14 respectively located forwardly of a plurality of rows of keys generally indicated at 16. The bar 12 is intended to activate the carriage return mechanism of the typewriter 11 and is connected thereto through linkage 13 and the bar 14 is intended to activate the space mechanism of the typewriter 11 and is connected thereto through linkage 15. With conventional typewriters the thumb of the left hand of an operator is not used to depress any key or the space bar, the latter being depressed conventionally by the right thumb.

With the keyboard 10 of the present invention by the provision of both a space bar 14 and a carriage return bar 12, the thumb of the left hand is brought into use to depress the carriage return bar 12 thereby actuating the carriage return mechanism. It is intended that the thumb of the right hand still be used to depress the space bar 14 as in a conventional typewriter. The present invention therefore provides a typewriter 11 in which all the digits of each hand of an operator are utilized thereby giving rise to a more efficient typing operation.

The keyboard 10 is arranged in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention with the keys 16 arranged in two groups divided by a space 18 which diverges towards the operator. It will be seen from FIG. 1 that the carriage return bar 12 is located forwardly of the left hand group and the space bar 14 forwardly of the right hand group. Arrangement of the keyboard 10 in this manner allows a more natural relative location of digits, hands, wrists and arms of an operator than in the conventional typewriter, thereby reducing cramp.

As may be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the plurality of rows of keys 16 are divided into two groups. The keys in each of the groups are arranged in a plurality of straight lines generally parallel to each other. In each of the groups the keys are located in a single sloping plane. Each of the bars 12 and 14 extends in a straight line which is parallel to the straight lines of the rows of keys of the associated respective group.

Arrangement of the keyboard 10 in this way has given rise to modification of the design of the leading edge of the frame 17 supporting the keyboard 10. The frame 17 is bent at 19 to accommodate the divergence of the two groups of keys 16. Support rods 21 are provided for the connectors to the appropriate mechanism.

The keyboard 10 includes a tabulator bar 20, a tab-clear bar 24 and a tab-set bar 22. These bars 20, 24 and 22 when depressed by an operator actuate the appropriate mechanism of the typewriter 11 and are connected to the mechanisms respectively through linkages 27, 25 and 23. The tab-clear and tab-set bars 24 and 22 may be depressed by the middle and third finger of the left hand of an operator while spacing is provided at the same time by depression of the space bar 14 by the right thumb of the operator. Alternatively, the tabulator bar 20 may be depressed using the middle and third fingers of the right hand of the operator. By the use of bars 20, 24 and 22 instead of keys the operator may manipulate the appropriate mechanism by touch, so that the work still may be observed while the tabs are set for tabulation, in contrast to the key arrangement of the prior art where the typist must look away from the work while setting the tabs. In the conventional typewriter, the tab set bar is depressed by the fourth finger of the right hand and the tab-clear bar in some models by the fourth finger of the left hand and in other models by the third and fourth finger of the right hand. In addition, the tabulator bar is depressed in a conventional typewriter by the third and fourth finger of the left hand.

The keyboard 10 includes a key 26 bearing the designation of a dash for the upper case position and a hyphen in the lower case position. This key 26 actuates a type bar having a dash in upper position and a hyphen in the lower case position. In a conventional keyboard a hyphen is provided in the lower case position. Many documents such as telegrams are typed in upper case characters with a space-dash-space between the particulars. Thus, it is necessary with a conventional keyboard to revert to lower case to insert the dash. By providing a dash in the upper case characters, such documents may be produced quicker than previously, due to the elimination of the movement to and from lower case characters to provide the dash.

The keyboard 10 includes a key 28 having a decimal point in the lower case position. This key 28 actuates a type bar having a decimal point in the lower case position. The specification for drawings and schematics are mainly hand printed. By the provision of a decimal point it is possible to type out appropriate decimal amounts and include the typed out material on an engineering schematic or the like prior to blue printing.

In order to retain the same number of keys on the keyboard 10 while at the same time adding two new characters i.e., the dash in the upper case position or key 26 and the decimal point in the lower case position or key 28, the conventional key and the associated type bar bearing the characters 1/4 and 1/2 have been eliminated. It is a simple operation to type these fractions in the same manner as fractions not otherwise provided for on the conventional keyboard, i.e., by the use of an oblique sign together with the relevant numerals.

In order to facilitate the typing of fractions, the key bearing the oblique has been relocated in the second row as key 30. The oblique sign appears in the lower case position.

The keyboard 10 further includes keys 32, 34, 36 and 38 bearing as designations all the conventional on-line punctuation marks. Thus, key 32 is designated by a period in both upper and lower case positions, key 34 is designated by a comma in both upper and lower case positions, key 36 is designated by a colon in the upper case position and a question mark in the lower case position and key 38 is designated by a semi-colon in the upper case position and an exclamation mark in the lower case position. Location of these keys 32, 34 and 36 above and below the so-called home row 40 of the keyboard 10 and in the left-hand group represents a distinct improvement over the conventional location of these keys, i.e., on or below the home row at the right-hand end of the keyboard.

In addition, two keys 52 and 54 located to actuate back space and margin release mechanisms of conventional construction and are connected to these mechanisms respectively through linkages 53 and 55. These keys 52 and 54 are located one at each end of the front row of keys.

With relocation of particular keys, the whole keyboard has been redesigned around the changes noted above to provide an improved overall layout of the keys of the keyboard 10 of a typewriter 11, having a greater efficiency enabling typing speeds to be increased.

The overall layout is shown in FIG. 1, the first row 42 containing the following keys from left to right: first key: asterisk in upper case position and decimal point in lower case position, second key: number sign in upper case position and numeral 7 in lower case position, third key: open-bracket sign in upper case position and numeral 5 in lower case position, fourth key: close-bracket sign in upper case position and numeral 3 in lower case position, fifth key: quotation mark in upper case position and numeral 1 in lower case position, sixth key: underlining sign in upper case position and numeral 9 in lower case position, seventh key: percentage sign in upper case position and numeral 0 in lower case position, eighth key: cent sign in upper case position and numeral 2 in lower case position, ninth key: dollar sign in upper case position and numeral 4 in lower case position, 10th key: at sign in upper case position and numeral 6 in lower case position, 11th key: apostrophe mark in upper case position and numeral 8 in lower case position, 12th key: plus sign in upper case position and equals sign in lower case position; the second row 44 containing the following keys from left to right: first key: key 36, second key: key 34, third key: key 32, fourth key: letter P, fifth key: letter Y, sixth key: letter F, seventh key: letter G, eighth key: letter C, ninth key: letter R, 10th key: letter L, 11th key: ampersand in upper case position and oblique in lower case position, the home row 40 containing the following keys from left to right: first key: letter A, second key: letter 0, third key: letter E, fourth key: letter U, fifth key: letter I, sixth key: letter D, seventh key: letter H, eighth key: letter T, ninth key: letter N, 10th key: letter S and 11th key: key 26; the fourth row 46 containing the following keys from left to right: first key: key 38, second key: letter Q, third key: letter J, fourth key: letter K, fifth key: letter X, sixth key: letter B, seventh key: letter M, eighth key: letter W, ninth key: letter V and 10th key: letter Z. Depression of a particular key actuates the equivalent type bar to print the particular letter or symbol.

The keyboard 10 also includes conventional carriage shift and lock keys 48 and 50 respectively, to actuate the corresponding mechanism of the typewriter 11.

Modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. A typewriter keyboard arrangement for use with a typewriter comprising a plurality of rows of keys, said plurality of rows of keys being separated into two groups by a space divergent towards an operator, the keys in each of said groups being arranged in a plurality of straight lines generally parallel to each other, the keys in each of said groups being located in a single plane, said plane being inclined to the horizontal and sloping upwardly in a direction away from the operator, each of said groups of keys including four horizontal rows with a first row farthest from the operator, a second row nearer to the operator than said first row, a third row nearer to the operator than said second row and a fourth row nearest to the operator, whereby cramping of the operator's hands, fingers and arms is substantially eliminated, first and second elongated typewriter mechanism actuating bars each positioned forwardly of said keys on said keyboard, said first elongated bar extending in a straight line at least part way across the width of said keyboard occupied by one of said groups and parallel to the straight lines of keys in said one group, and adapted to actuate a space mechanism of said typewriter, said second elongated bar extending in a straight line at least part way across the width of the keyboard occupied by the other of said groups and parallel to the straight lines of keys in said other group, and adapted to actuate a carriage return mechanism of said typewriter, whereby the thumbs on each hand of the operator are utilized one to actuate the space mechanism and the other to actuate the carriage return mechanism, three additional elongated typewriter mechanism actuating bars, one located rearwardly of said first group of keys and adapted to actuate a tabular bar of the typewriter and the other two located rearwardly of the other group of keys and adapted to actuate tab-set and tab-clear mechanisms of said typewriter, ones of said plurality of keys adapted respectively to actuate a back space mechanism and a margin release mechanism of said typewriter, said ones of said keys being located one at the outer end of the one of said straight lines of keys forming one of said groups nearest said first elongated bar and the other one at the outer end of the one of said straight lines of keys forming the other of said groups nearest said second elongated bar.

2. The keyboard arrangement of claim 1, wherein one of said plurality of keys bears the designation of a dash in the upper case position and adapted to actuate a similarly designated type bar.

3. The keyboard arrangement of claim 1, wherein one of said plurality of key bars bears the designation of a decimal point in the lower case position and adapted to actuate a similarly designated type bar.

4. The keyboard arrangement of claim 1, wherein said rows containing keys bear the designations thereon successively from left to right as viewed by an operator and adapted to actuate type bars bearing such designations; first row, first key: asterisk in upper case position and decimal point in lower case position, second key: number sign in upper case position and numeral 7 in lower case position, third key: open-bracket sign in upper case position and numeral 5 in lower case position, fourth key: close-bracket sign in upper case position and numeral 3 in lower case position, fifth key: quotation marks in upper case position and numeral 1 in lower case position, sixth key: underline in upper case position and numeral 9 in lower case position, seventh key: percentage sign in upper case position and numeral 0 in lower case position, eighth key: cent sign in upper case position and numeral 2 in lower case position, ninth key: dollar sign in upper case position and numeral 4 in lower case position, 10th key: "at" sign in upper case position and numeral 6 in lower case position, 11th key: apostrophe mark in upper case position and numeral 8 in lower case position and 12th key: plus sign in upper case position and equal signs in lower case position; second row, first key: colon in upper case position and question mark in lower case position, second key: comma in both upper and lower case positions, third key: period in both upper and lower case positions, fourth key: letter P, fifth key: letter Y, sixth key: letter F, seventh key: letter G, eighth key: letter C, ninth key: letter R, 10th key: letter L, 11th key: ampersand in upper case and oblique in lower case position; third row, first key: letter A, second key: letter O, third key: letter E, fourth key: letter U, fifth key: letter I, sixth key: letter D, seventh key: letter H, eighth key: letter T, ninth key: letter N, 10th key: letter S, 11th key: dash in upper case position and hyphen in lower case position; fourth row: first key:backspace, second key: semi-colon in upper case position and exclamation mark in lower case position, third key: letter Q, fourth key: letter J, fifth key: letter K, sixth key: letter X, seventh key: letter B, eighth key: letter M, ninth key: letter W, 10th key: letter V, 11th key: letter Z and 12th key: margin release.

5. The keyboard arrangement of claim 4, wherein the first to fifth keys of each of the first, second and third rows and the first to sixth keys of the fourth row are arranged in one group and the remaining keys of each of the rows are arranged in another group.

6. The keyboard arrangement of claim 5, wherein further keys are provided at the following locations on said keyboard adapted to actuate correspondingly designated type bars:

i.) left of said first key and right of said 11th key of said third row when moved by an operator both to actuate a carriage shift mechanism; and

ii.) left of said first key and right of said 11th key of said second row when moved by an operator both to actuate a carriage shift lock mechanism.