Patent ID: 8678685

Claim:
A keyboard assembly for a stenographic machine, comprising: a plurality of character keys making up an entirety of a standard stenographic keyboard, the plurality of keys including: a first set of vowel keys that, at a first rest position, together define a first upper touch surface plane; a second set of keys that, at a second rest position, together define a second upper touch surface plane that is higher than the first plane, the second set including at least one left-most key and at least one right-most key, each of the second set of keys: having a fully depressed position lower than the second plane by a given distance; and being operationally connected to a respective key sensor for registering movement of the respective key; and a third key assembly: having a first third-key-assembly key with an upper touch surface that, at a third rest position, is further from the second upper touch surface plane than the given distance, a depressed position of the first third-key-assembly key placing the upper touch surface of the first third-key-assembly key lower than the third rest position; having a second third-key-assembly key with an upper touch surface that, at the third rest position, is further from the second upper touch surface plane than the given distance, a depressed position of the second third-key-assembly key placing the upper touch surface of the second third-key-assembly key lower than the third rest position; and each key of the third key assembly being operationally connected to a respective third-key-assembly key sensor for registering movement of the first third-key-assembly key and the second third-key-assembly key, the first third-key-assembly key and the second third-key-assembly key being disposed at one of: to the left of the at least one left-most key; and to the right of the at least one fight-most key; and a processor associating at least one of the second set of keys with: a first definition when the first third-key-assembly key and second third-key-assembly key are in the third rest position; a second definition when the first third key-assembly-key is in the third rest position and the second third-key-assembly key is in the depressed position; a third definition when the first and second third-key-assembly keys are in the depressed position; and a fourth definition when the first third-key-assembly key is in the depressed position and the second third-key-assembly key is in the third rest position.