The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 17, 1998
Filed:
Apr. 01, 1996
Rudy Krolopp, Lake Zurich, IL (US);
Dominic Errichiello, Roselle, IL (US);
Thomas C Reardon, deceased, late of Marengo, IL (US);
Motorola, Inc., Schaumburg, IL (US);
Abstract
A keypad configuration for an electronic device has a housing (180) with one or more push buttons (110) having centers (113), a maximum radius (115), and a maximum height (215). A specific area (118) surrounds each push button and has a minimum radius (129) that is at least five times as long as the maximum radius of the push button or at least three times as long as the maximum height of the push button. No additional push buttons are within this specific area. The size, height, and spacing of the push buttons provide a point contact sensation to a user's fingertip, which prevents a user from pressing more than one key at a time and provides space for alphanumeric labels beside each push button. This keypad configuration is particularly suited for portable electronic devices where a small keypad is desirable, such as cellular telephones.