Multifunctional keyboard for a mobile communication device and method of operating the same

Abstract

An apparatus and method for telephony tone signal and character code generation for QWERTY keyboards includes a QWERTY style keyboard, a processor and a keyboard mode control software module. The QWERTY style keyboard has a plurality of letter keys, wherein each letter key is configured to generate a unique input signal. The processor is coupled to the keyboard and is configured to convert each unique input signal generated by the letter keys into a character code and/or a telephony tone signal. The keyboard mode control software module operates on the processor, and controls whether the processor converts the unique input signals from the letter keys into character codes or telephony tone signals.

1 . A communication device, comprising:
 a plurality of character entry keys that can function as either letter entry keys or number entry keys, wherein each character entry key is labeled with a letter of the alphabet and with a number;   the device being configured to communicate the letter with which a character entry key is labeled when the character entry key is pressed while the device is in a letter entry mode and to communicate the number with which the character entry key is labeled when the character entry key is pressed while the device is in a number entry mode.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of character entry keys are arranged in a row of keys of the communication device. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the row is a top row of a keyboard of the communication device. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of character entry keys are arranged within a QWERTY configuration of a plurality of keys of the communication device. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of character entry keys are arranged within a QWERTY configuration of a plurality of keys of the communication device. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of character entry keys are arranged within a row of keys of the QWERTY configuration of the plurality of keys. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the row is a top row of a keyboard of the communication device. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of character entry keys are each labeled with a different number of the numbers 0-9. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein a first character entry key of the plurality of character entry keys is labeled with the letter Q and the number 1. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the plurality of character entry keys further comprises a first character entry key labeled with the letter Q and the number 1, a
 a second character entry key labeled with the letter W and the number 2, a third character entry key labeled with the letter E and the number 3, a fourth character entry key labeled with the letter R and the number 4, a fifth character entry key labeled with the letter T and the number 5, a sixth character entry key labeled with the letter Y and the number 6   a seventh character entry key labeled with the letter U and the number 7, an eighth character entry key labeled with the letter I and the number 8, a ninth character entry key labeled with the letter O and the number 9, and a tenth character entry key labeled with the letter P and the number 0.   
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of character entry keys are arranged within a row of keys of the QWERTY configuration of the plurality of keys. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the row is a top row of a keyboard of the communication device. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the plurality of character entry keys are arranged within a row of keys of the QWERTY configuration of the plurality of keys. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of character entry keys are arranged within a QWERTY configuration of at least twenty-six keys of the communication device. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of character entry keys comprise at least ten of the twenty-six keys. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of character entry keys comprise at least ten keys. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein in the letter entry mode the character entry key is mapped to the letter and the device is configured to communicate the letter when the character entry key is pressed and wherein in the number entry mode the character entry key is mapped to the number and the device is configured to communicate the number when the character entry key is pressed. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 17 , wherein the communication device further comprises a processor that maps the character entry key to the letter in the letter entry mode and maps the character entry key to the number in the number entry mode. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 17 , the communication device further comprising a processor and a keyboard control software module, wherein the keyboard control software module executing on the processor maps the character entry key to the letter in the letter entry mode and maps the character entry key to the number in the number entry mode. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 1 , the communication device further comprising a toggling element operable to toggle between the letter entry mode and the number entry mode. (claim  41 ) 
     
     
         21 . The communication device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a processor coupled to the plurality of character entry keys;   a keyboard mode control software module operating on the processor, the keyboard mode control software module controlling toggling between the letter entry mode in which the character entry key is mapped to the letter with which the character entry key is labeled and the number entry mode in which character entry key is mapped to the number with which the character entry key is labeled.   
     
     
         22 . The communication device of  claim 21 , wherein the keyboard mode control software module further controls whether keyboard output signals generated when the plurality of character entry keys are pressed are converted into character codes or telephony tone signals. 
     
     
         23 . The communication device of  claim 22 , further comprising:
 a plurality of software applications stored in a memory of the communication device and executed by the processor of the communication device, wherein the keyboard mode control software module detects which of the software applications is active in order to determine whether the generated keyboard output signals are converted into character codes or telephony tone signals.   
     
     
         24 . The communication device of  23 , wherein the memory comprises a service store memory location that associates each software application of the plurality of software applications with a keyboard mode that is detected by the keyboard mode control software module to determine whether the generated keyboard output signals are converted into character codes or telephony tone signals. 
     
     
         25 . The communication device of  22 , further comprising:
 a software application stored in a memory of the communication device and executed by the processor of the communication device, wherein the memory comprises a configuration store memory location that identifies a preferred keyboard mode for the software application, and wherein the preferred keyboard mode is detected by the keyboard mode control software module to determine whether the keyboard output signals are converted into character codes or telephone tone signals.   
     
     
         26 . The communication device of  22 , wherein the telephone tone signals are Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMP) signals. 
     
     
         27 . The communication device of  22 , wherein the character codes are American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) character codes. 
     
     
         28 . The communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of character entry keys are symmetrically distributed across a housing of the communication device. 
     
     
         29 . A method of controlling an operational mode of a communication device, comprising:
 providing a plurality of character entry keys that can function as either letter entry keys or number entry keys, wherein each character entry key of the plurality of character entry keys is labeled with a letter of the alphabet and with a number;   providing a letter entry mode in which a letter of a pressed character entry key of the plurality of character entry keys is communicated;   providing a number entry mode in which a number of a pressed character entry key of the plurality of character entry keys is communicated; and   communicating the letter of a character entry key of the plurality of character entry keys when the character entry key is pressed in the letter entry mode and communicating the number of the character entry key when the character entry key is pressed in the number entry mode.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 controlling toggling between the letter entry mode in which the character entry key is mapped to the letter with which the character entry key is labeled and the number entry mode in which character entry key is mapped to the number with which the character entry key is labeled.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein a keyboard mode control software module operating on a processor of the communication device controls toggling between the letter entry mode and the number entry mode and controls whether keyboard output signals generated when the plurality of character entry keys are pressed are converted into character codes or telephony tone signals. 
     
     
         32 . The method  claim 31 , further comprising:
 the keyboard mode control software module detecting which of a plurality of software applications stored in a memory of the communication device and executed by the processor is active in order to determine whether the generated keyboard output signals are converted into character codes or telephony tone signals.   
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 the keyboard mode control software module detecting a preferred keyboard mode of a software application executed by the processor of the communication device, the preferred keyboard mode identified in a configuration store memory location of a memory of the communication device.