Patent ID: 8175664

Claim:
A wireless handheld mobile communication device comprising: a housing configured to be cradled in a palm of a user's hand and having a display located in a top portion thereof for displaying information to the user and a keyboard exposed for user actuation below said display; said device having a vertical centerline and a length measured between a top and bottom edge of the device and a width measured between right and left lateral side edges of the device, said length of the device being greater than said width of the device; said keyboard being defined by right, left, upper and lower boundaries and said keyboard comprising a right-hand keyfield composed of a plurality of keys located on a right-hand side of said vertical centerline of the device and a left-hand keyfield composed of a plurality of keys located on a left-hand side of said vertical centerline of the device; each key of said plurality of keys located on the right-hand side of said vertical centerline having a longitudinal axis and said longitudinal axis being oriented at a left-to-right inclined angle from said vertical centerline; each key of said plurality of keys located on the left-hand side of said vertical centerline having a longitudinal axis and said longitudinal axis being oriented at a right-to-left inclined angle from said vertical centerline; wherein when said device is cradled in a right hand of the user, the longitudinal axis of each key of said plurality of keys located on the right-hand side of said vertical centerline is oriented to be substantially parallel with a widthwise axis of the user's right-hand thumb when the user thumb types upon said keyboard using the right-hand thumb; wherein when said device is cradled in a left hand of the user, the longitudinal axis of each key of said plurality of keys located on the left-hand side of said vertical centerline is oriented to be substantially parallel with a length wise axis of the user's left-hand thumb when the user thumb types upon said keyboard using the left-hand thumb; and wherein at least one key in said right-hand keyfield is isosceles trapezoidal shaped and at least one key in said left-hand keyfield is isosceles trapezoidal shaped.