Collapsible Stylus Keyboard for Touchscreen Text Input

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Solution Overview

Problem

Frequent travelers face challenges with carrying external keyboards that occupy space and consume excessive power for text input on touchscreen devices, as touchscreens are inadequate for tasks like typing documents and sending emails.

Innovation Solution

A wireless, collapsible stylus keyboard with a stylus tip that can be rolled up to form a cylindrical handle, featuring touch-sensitive regions and a transceiver for wireless communication, allowing users to type on touchscreens and convert into a stylus for touchscreen manipulation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a traditional external keyboard is carried for text input on touchscreen devices, then text input capability is provided, but space occupation and power consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetext input capabilityVSAvoidspace occupation

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The keyboard is segmented into individual key elements that can be independently arranged on a flexible substrate, allowing the keyboard to be collapsed into a compact form factor while maintaining full text input functionality when deployed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The keyboard structure is designed to nest within itself when not in use, with key elements folding or rolling into a compact configuration that minimizes volume while expanding to full keyboard size when needed for text input

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Ease of operation

If a traditional external keyboard is carried for text input on touchscreen devices, then text input capability is provided, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetext input capabilityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The keyboard utilizes the touchscreen display's existing lighting and processing resources to illuminate and process key presses, eliminating the need for separate power-consuming components such as individual LED lights for each key or dedicated processing units, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining text input capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Volume of moving object

If a collapsible stylus keyboard is used, then space saving is achieved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespace savingVSAvoidcollapsible mechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The keyboard employs a flexible substrate that allows the key elements to be collapsed and rolled into a compact cylinder without requiring complex mechanical joints or moving parts, simplifying the overall structure while achieving space-saving functionality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The keyboard transitions between a flat deployed state for text input and a rolled-up compact state for storage, utilizing the flexibility of the substrate to enable dynamic reconfiguration without adding complex mechanical components

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

4Adaptability or versatility

If a stylus tip is integrated with the keyboard, then touchscreen compatibility is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetouchscreen compatibilityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The stylus tip is merged with the keyboard structure, where the flexible substrate serving as the keyboard base also functions as the stylus body, eliminating the need for separate stylus manufacturing and integration processes while providing both keyboard and stylus functionalities

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS9575577B2Stylus keyboard

Publication Date: 2017.02.21 AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I L P

AI summary

A combination of a stylus and a keyboard. A collapsible keyboard portion is coupled to a stylus tip. When in a collapsed state, the apparatus may be used as a stylus, or stored in a receptacle or a user's pocket. When a keyboard is needed, the stylus keyboard may be unrolled or unfolded, and used to control an electronic device via a wireless connection between a transceiver on the stylus keyboard and the electronic device.