Patent Document ID: 3945482
Application ID: 05424799

Base Claim:
1. An input keyboard for the transfer of information to a machine by a human operator, comprising: a plurality of keys arranged in transversely oriented key rows as viewed by the operator: a number key row being situated at the greatest distance from the operator; an upper letter key row being situated closer to the operator than the number key row; a home key row being situated closer to the operator than the upper letter key row; a lower letter key row being situated closer to the operator than the home key row; and a thumb key row being situated closer to the operator than the lower letter key row; wherein the home key row comprises twelve keys: six keys on the left hand side of the keyboard as viewed by the operator, and six keys on the right hand side of the keyboard as viewed by the operator; wherein the lower letter row comprises eight keys: four keys on the left hand side of the keyboard as viewed by the operator, and four keys on the right hand side of the keyboard as viewed by the operator; wherein the thumb row comprises six keys: three keys on the left hand side of the keyboard as viewed by the operator, and three keys on the right hand side of the keyboard as viewed by the operator; wherein the keys on the home row are designated in serial order along the home key row as viewed by the operator from the outer edge of the keyboard to the center of the keyboard as follows: on the left hand side of the keyboard as viewed by the operator--the first home key, the second home key, the third home key, the fourth home key, the fifth home key, and the sixth home key, respectively; and on the right hand side of the keyboard as viewed by the operator--the seventh home key, the eighth home key, the ninth home key, the tenth home key, the eleventh home key, and the twelfth home key, respectively; wherein the keys on the lower letter key rows are designated in serial order along the lower letter key row as viewed by the operator from the outer edge of the keyboard to the center of the keyboard as follows: on the left hand side of the keyboard as viewed by the operator--the first lower letter key, the second lower letter key, the third lower letter key, and the fourth lower letter key; and on the right hand side of the keyboard as viewed by the operator-- the fifth lower letter key, the sixth lower letter key, the seventh lower letter key, and the eighth lower letter key; wherein the keys on the thumb key row are designated in serial order along the thumb row as viewed by the operator from the outer edge of the keyboard to the center of the keyboard as follows: on the left hand side of the keyboard as viewed by the operator--the first thumb key, the second thumb key, and the third thumb key; and on the right hand side of the keyboard as viewed by the operator--the fourth thumb key, the fifth thumb key, and the sixth thumb key; wherein space and letter keys are arranged on the left hand side of the keyboard as viewed by the operator as follows: the space key, which generates the separation between words, is assigned to the second thumb key; one high frequency vowel is assigned to the second home key; a second high frequency vowel is assigned to the third home key; a third high frequency vowel is assigned to the fourth home key; and a fourth high frequency vowel is assigned to the fifth home key; wherein each of these four high frequency vowels is a different letter; wherein letter keys are arranged on the right hand side of the keyboard as viewed by the operator as follows: one high frequency consonant is assigned to the fifth thumb key; a second high frequency consonant is assigned to the eighth home key; a third high frequency consonant is assigned to the ninth home key; and a fourth high frequency consonant is assigned to the tenth home key; and a fifth high frequency consonant is assigned to the eleventh home key; wherein each of these five high frequency consonants is a different letter; wherein the key tops of the second thumb key, the fifth thumb key, the second home key, the third home key, the fourth home key, the fifth home key, the eighth home key, the ninth home key, the tenth home key, and the eleventh home key are each parallel to the base of the machine to which the keyboard is attached, so that when the machine rests on a horizontal surface, the key top of each of these keys is horizontally oriented; wherein the stroking surface of the third thumb key, the sixth thumb key, and all eight keys on the lower letter key row are each perpendicular to the base of the machine to which the keyboard is attached, so that when the machine rests on a horizontal surface, the stroking surface of each of these keys is vertically oriented with respect to this horizontal surface, and when fingers resting on home keys are bent toward the palm, they strike continguous vertically oriented keys; and wherein the first lower letter key is contiguous to the second home key, the second lower letter key is contiguous to the third home key, the third lower letter key is contiguous to the fourth home key, the fourth lower letter key is contiguous to the fifth home key, the fifth lower letter key is contiguous to the eighth home key, the sixth lower letter key is contiguous to the ninth home key, the seventh lower letter key is contiguous to the tenth home key, and the eighth lower letter key is continguous to the eleventh home key.

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Claim 2:
2. A keyboard, as in claim 1, comprising letter keys arranged as follows: on the left hand side of the keyboard as viewed by the operator: a vowel assigned to the first thumb key; and on the right hand side of the keyboard as viewed by the operator: a consonant assigned to the fourth thumb key, a second consonant assigned to the fifth lower letter key, a third consonant assigned to the sixth lower letter key, a fourth consonant assigned to the seventh lower letter key, and a fifth consonant assigned to the eighth lower letter key; wherein each of these five consonants is a different letter.