International Business Machines Corporation

Jeffery Daniel Allison

Winslow Scott Burleson

Kim Wesley May

Disclosed is a folding keyboard of at least two sections, each having an opening therein which is open on the facing ends thereof, and a multilayer sheet for making the electrical connections upon actuation of the keys, the multilayer sheet having substantial stiffness in the flat, planar direction and limited flexibility perpendicular to the planar direction which allows bending about a curvature, the multilayer sheet being fixed in only one of the sections, whereby when the sections are in the open, unfolded position, the multilayer sheet is straightened into a flat, planar shape and registered with the keys of the other sections, and when in the closed, folded position is curved in the perpendicular, cylindrical direction between the sections and slid from the registered position in the other section towards the open facing end thereof. Additionally, the multilayer sheet is cut along any keys which protrude beyond the folding axis so as to allow the cylindrical curving thereof. Further, a coating is provided to assist in the slidability of the multilayer sheet.

Folding keyboard

A folding keyboard is described having keyboard sections, each bearing a subset of keys of the keyboard, and a slider mounted to one of the keyboard sections bearing a row of keys of the keyboard section, the slider movable between a first position withdrawn into the keyboard section behind a pivot axis so as to facilitate folding of the keyboard into a closed position, and a second position, corresponding with an open position of the keyboard, extended beyond the pivot axis to nest with a corresponding notch in the other keyboard section, so that the subset of keys of the slider are in a configuration for use when in the nested position. A key of each of the keyboard sections positioned at the abutting edges thereof are narrowed, from the standard width of other of said keys, along the edge thereof adjoining the abutting edges, so that the abutting edges are straight edges when the slider is in the withdrawn position, allowing a straight edge at the folding side of the keyboard.

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Jeffery Daniel Allison