Patent ID: 8723799

Claim:
A keyboard for detecting a key press and providing corresponding input data to an electronic device, the keyboard comprising: a substrate; at least two driver elements on the substrate; at least two sense elements on the substrate, each sense element overlying a respective driver element; a voltage source; a selector to selectively apply voltage from the voltage source to at least one of the at least two driver elements to induce an electric field about the respective driver element and its respective overlying sense element to create a charge and corresponding voltage on the respective sense element; a timer to determine the time required for the created corresponding voltage on the respective sense element to reach a predefined voltage; a keypad having at least one key formed thereon, the keypad being formed of a resilient and deformable material, the at least one key being located adjacent at least one of the at least two sense elements such that when the at least one key is depressed, the dielectric value of the materials within the induced electric field is altered, the altered dielectric value changing the time required for the created charge on the respective sense element to reach a predefined voltage; a computing device responsive to changes in the time required for the corresponding voltage on the respective sense element to reach the predefined voltage and responsive to a predefined key map relating keys on the keypad to the position of sense elements on the substrate to determine which key has been depressed and outputting an indication of that key as input data to the electronic device.