Apple patents flat keyless keyboard

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="90" mce_src="http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/7201/applepatentapplicationk.jpg" src="http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/7201/applepatentapplicationk.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="120" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Apple has patented a new flat keyless keyboard concept, which promises a future of computing in which we will never have to actually physically<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">press<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>a key ever again.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Apple's new idea for a virtual, flat keyboard is clearly a development of the current keyboard design on the iPod touch, iPhone and iPad. Yet what will speedy touch-typers think of the promise of a future without hard keys?</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The latest patent filing from Cupertino shows the idea for a virtual, flat keyboard for Apple's Mac laptops and iMac desktop lines.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Piezoelectric wizardry</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The patent details how the flat Apple keyboard will be constructed from metal, plastic and glass, using piezoelectrics, haptic feedback and acoustic pulse recognition.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The new Apple keyboard will also feature an LED-lit display (for typing in the dark) and capacitive sensors for your fingers to enjoy Apple's various multi-touch functionality.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Website Patently Apple was first with the info on Apple's new keyless keyboards, noting that the new flat surface keyboard might include a haptic or tactile feedback mechanism to let the user "feel" something on the tips of their fingers when they have hit a particular key, to take the place of old-style mechanical switches or buttons.</div> </div> </span></div>

Apple patents flat keyless keyboard

Apple has patented a new flat keyless keyboard concept, which promises a future of computing in which we will never have to actually ph...

Continue Reading>>