Foldable Keyboard Hinge Mechanism and Staggered Key Layout

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional portable keyboards are difficult to type on for users accustomed to full-sized keyboards and are prone to damage during travel, with complex hinge mechanisms that increase costs and malfunction risks, and they often lack ergonomic comfort when used on flat surfaces.

Innovation Solution

A foldable keyboard design that pivots along a horizontal axis, featuring a spine member connecting upper and lower housings with a simplified hinge mechanism and a stand mechanism that supports the keyboard at an angle, allowing for easy folding and unfolding while protecting keys and providing ergonomic typing comfort.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of moving object

If conventional portable keyboards are made smaller to improve portability, then device size is reduced, but typing accuracy and user comfort deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvekeyboard sizeVSAvoidtyping accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The keyboard is divided into multiple keycaps arranged in a staggered configuration across a single key plane, allowing the keyboard to maintain a compact form factor while preserving the ergonomic spacing and layout of full-sized keyboards. This segmentation enables users to access keys in a familiar pattern without requiring a large physical footprint.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If foldable keyboards use staggered key arrangement to maintain full-sized layout, then typing comfort is improved, but hinge mechanism complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetyping comfortVSAvoidhinge mechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The keyboard is divided into multiple keycaps arranged in a staggered configuration across a single key plane, allowing the keyboard to maintain a compact form factor while preserving the ergonomic spacing and layout of full-sized keyboards. This segmentation enables users to access keys in a familiar pattern without requiring a large physical footprint.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Volume of moving object

If portable keyboards are made compact to improve portability, then device size is reduced, but key durability and resistance to damage deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvekeyboard sizeVSAvoidkey durability

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The keyboard is divided into multiple keycaps arranged in a staggered configuration across a single key plane, allowing the keyboard to maintain a compact form factor while preserving the ergonomic spacing and layout of full-sized keyboards. This segmentation enables users to access keys in a familiar pattern without requiring a large physical footprint.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS8941979B2Foldable keyboard

Publication Date: 2015.01.27 MALIKIE INNOVATIONS LTD

AI summary

A foldable keyboard including an upper housing having a plurality of keys, a lower housing having a plurality of keys, a spine member configured for pivotally connecting the upper and lower housings along a horizontal axis defined by the upper and lower housings, and a hinge mechanism provided in the spine member and configured for enabling movement of the upper housing relative to the lower housing to move the keyboard between a closed configuration and an open configuration.