An Apple patent application (20080001787) for “Dynamically Controlled Keyboard” published today describes a chameleonic keyboard with changeable OLED key faces. The patent app was filed on March 13, 2007.
Apple’s Abstract:
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for providing a computer peripheral including one or more keys. Each key has several light emitting diodes disposed on a face of the key. Each of the light emitting diodes can switch on or off in response to a data signal received from an application specific integrated circuit dedicated to the key. A corresponding key and manufacturing method, as well as a computer system including one or more such keys are also described.
Apple’s Description, in part:
Broadly speaking, the present invention provides methods and apparatus for dynamically altering the key faces of keyboard keys, such that they show an accurate representation of what action will occur when a particular key is depressed. In one embodiment the altering key faces are accomplished by placing a number of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) on each key face, and using an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) placed inside each key to turn on and turn off the respective diodes. The respective ASICs are controlled by signals originating from the software application in which the user is currently working and by the selected language locale. As a result, the users always have current and accurate information in front of them about what will happen when a particular key is depressed on the keyboard, and there is no need to memorize what actions particular key depressions will cause.
In general, in one aspect, the invention provides methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for providing a computer peripheral including one or more keys. Each key has several light emitting diodes disposed on a face of the key. Each of the light emitting diodes can switch on or off in response to a data signal received from an application specific integrated circuit dedicated to the key.
Full U.S. patent app here.
MacDailyNews Take: If it comes to fruition, hopefully it’ll cost a fraction of the Optimus Maximus LED keyboard which is currently going for US$462.27.
Way cool!!!!
I have a hard time believing that this is an Apple product since Apple have always used a “Delete” key and not a “BackSpace” key.
How can Apple patent this when Art Lebedev introduced the Optimus Maximus Keyboard ages ago?
Stupid link wouldn’t work.
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Never mind.
OLED? I just got used to QWERTY….
This isn’t a new idea.
I saw a security keypad back in late 80s that had clear plastic keys and LED matrix display under. Every time you entered the code, key values were shuffled so onlooker could not figure out which values you pressed.
There’s a Klingon version for special needs customers. Like Zune owners.
“Apple looks to patent chameleonic keyboard…”
WTF? More toys from Cupertino. I can hear the MAC sheep now: “Ohhhhh look at the fancy lights! It will be a couple of years before Microsoft has anything close to this.” Whatever. Is this where the R & D money goes from your expensive computers?
Hey Apple, how about coming up with a phone that can integrate with an Exchange server?
Your potential. Our passion.™
My mother-in-law lives in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
I would like to get her a MacBook so she and my wife can communicate (and so she can see the grandkids) via iChat.
I am not thrilled with the keyboard stickers that place the Cyrillic characters on the keyboard. A chameleonic keyboard that changes the layout automatically with the language would be the beesknees.
JMHO. Why use LEDs for each key? It would be much cheaper to just offer different keyboards for each language.
A better idea is a row of keys on the top of the keyboard that have LEDS. Then the application could allow direct entry/choice for select keys and show you the function directly. Now that would make sense.
en
Wouldn’t it be easier if everyone in the world just learnt English, like God intended?
It’d be useful if you switched between the more usual crop of business apps and programs like Final Cut a lot – with the key caps reflecting what the FC edit keys were without having to pull the keyboard apart and replace the keys (or have two keyboards…)
Oh great! A chameleonic keyboard! Now it will blend in with all the other clutter on my desk and I’ll never find it!
This would be handy for games or specialized apps (as mentioned above) such as video editing, 3D modeling, etc.
@ TT
I would think He’d be pissed off that we don’t all speak Latin.
Like they do in Latin America.
True TT, but apparently there are people (with money) that don’t pray to the great white god in the sky!
The keyboard sounds cool, but I guess this will take time to implement. I believe the iPhone already uses that approach with its soft-keyboard.
@ TowerTone
Don’t be an idiot! Everyone knows that God intended for people to speak Klingon!
Or we could learn Esperanto and use the Dvorak keyboard.
capnkirk: those drawings are using generic PeeSea key layouts. Alt? WTF?
That could be an amazing piece of hardware. Imagine holding down the Option key and having the keyboard show all those extended characters instantly.
My mother-in-law is Bulgarian. I bought her a USB keyboard with Cyrillic characters. All our Bulgarian friends learned to write Bulgarian using the QWERTY keyboard. They find that the Bulgarian – Phonetic keyboard layout in Mac OS X is actually much easier to use than the standard Bulgarian keyboard layout, since it’s easier to switch back and forth from English and Bulgarian.
Years ago I had these little clear keyboard key stickers that showed all the extended characters (Option and Shift-Option) in Red. It really was a nice to be able to easily access extended characters without resorting to KeyCaps or PopChar (which is STILL great!)
Does anyone know where to get key character stickers? I stopped looking.
chameleonic – so it can change… nice
To me this is simply a patent for the UE (user experience) UI to be used on the up coming MacSlate” and the “iJesture” *
A totally virtual keyboard on the upcoming ultra-slim sub-notebook for sure… Many laughed at the iPhone keyboard. Yet it is extremely accurate and in some cases better to use then the HackCherry’s keyboard. But also… the “iJesture” this will bridge new meaning for the rest of us and light will shine once 10.5.2 is provided. Expect “INK” to be enabled always after 10.5.2 is running.
Apple slimmed the iMac keyboard – the silver aluminum keyboard is very nice and clean. Yet the GOAL when introduce was not only to style the keyboard with the iMac Aluminum BUT to eventually make it almost disappear.
Dougless, ” In 2008, APPLE will delete the KEYBOARD as we once knew it from the face of computing. All input shall embrace this virtual chameleonic keyboard adaption. Soon we will be using our iPhones and MacSlate if we don’t own the new device called the “iJesture” *. This will stand to be a commading move for Apple to lead the industry in MULTI-TOUCH – UE for OSX 10.5.2 — as they will.” The revolution is peaked!
So you heard it hear… Apples goals for 2008 are:
1) no traditional keyboard or mouse to be sold
2) 10.5.2 to become heavily Multi-Touch empowered
chameleonic – because they will let you change the colours or appearance, yet it will always remain a QWERTY input UI system.
For me, this is just more PROOF that the MacSlate is coming!!!!
And a second extremely important cool device not many have dreamed of yet have tapped into on occassion.
MEET the all new
* “iJesture” :
A input device to eliminate the MOUSE and KEYBOARD forever. This shall be a fun (jester) device due to programability and personal customization. Just imagine creating function keys to do what you want. Like the iPhone front screen – KEYS are the way of the PAST… want a new function – need to tool new keyboard… lack of space… painful for engineers… this is why virtual makes super sense. Plus tactile feed back will be used when typing with “iJesture”.
BUT “iJesture” is more then just a virtual keyboard, as the name implies one can gesture multi-touch functionality… your finger is the mouse and many other tools also. The device will also be easy to use and easy to maintain. Enjoy your drinks while you work as this can be submerged in 100 feet of water and still work. A wireless and a USB version will be available. Gesturing on the device to navigate to any location just as you use to with your mouse… but this time your finger does the walking. Double click is ONE click TWO fingers. We know what pinching is… Zoom IN and OUT… but there are tones more – all revealed with the “iJesture”… even the Newtons features – already installed “INK” will jive with the “iJesture” and we will all see…
the convergence of CoreAnimation, CoreGraphics, and Ink make Apple and Multi-Touch the DREAM we all have been wanting.
Dougless
I think this is just a placeholder patent in case they need it. It would make way more sense to have the keyboard be a *single* OLED than it does to make it from 100 separate OLED’s.
If Apple’s patents on deformable multi-touch surfaces, haptic feedback multi-touch surfaces, combined with the automatic gesture/stylus detection don’t equal a much better solution than Art Lebedev could dream of, I guess they could use this as a fall-back position.
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A OLED keyboard sounds good but Dougless has a better idea.
If a low costing, low resolution, iJesture board is feasible which could be but I doubt it will also have tactile feed back, then it will be far better then an OLED keyboard.
And yes, imagine the keys re-colour to different application usage also. Still, a iJesture could be more universal in the sense of language, characters… always changing the way we need it.
Maybe a virtual slide bar – like on the iPhone to slide the keyboard off and show nothing but a blank space for multi-touch things, slide again and it’s a ink space for drawing like newton or character input for say Chinese characters or Hebrew…
An iJesture thingie could be amazing but cost is a factor.
RON
@Jeremy
U make a good point. by patenting the OLED, maybe the iJesture could be the end device.
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Oh shit wrong keyboard…..