	US 12,387,620 B1
	Variable force keyboard
Lawrence R. Happ, Lake Geneva, WI (US); Kate Meredith, Williams Bay, WI (US); and Katya Gozman, Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Assigned to Geneva Lake Astrophysics and STEAM, Inc., Walworth, WI (US)
Filed by Geneva Lake Astrophysics and STEAM, Inc., Walworth, WI (US)
Filed on Dec. 14, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/550,853.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/125,222, filed on Dec. 14, 2020.
Int. Cl. G09B 21/00 (2006.01)

CPC G09B 21/004 (2013.01)

20 Claims

1. A variable force keyboard comprising:

a keyboard box;

a plurality of keys operatively connected to the keyboard box for movement relative to the keyboard box; and

for each of the plurality of keys, a key spring operatively connected between the keyboard box and a corresponding one of the plurality of keys to provide a resistive force that opposes movement of the corresponding one of the plurality of keys, wherein the variable force keyboard is configured to model a graphical, mathematical or physics relationship by varying the resistive force of the key spring of each of the plurality of keys to correspond to values of the graphical, mathematical or physics relationship modeled by the variable force keyboard, wherein resistive forces are varied between adjacent keys to create a progression of the resistive forces when moving between a sequence of the plurality of keys to model the graphical, mathematical or physics relationship.

10. A method for providing a tactile representation of a graphical, mathematical or physics relationship on a variable force keyboard, the method comprising:

providing a keyboard box;

mounting a plurality of keys to the keyboard box, wherein each of the plurality of keys is movable relative to the keyboard box; and

providing a resistive force on each of the plurality of keys against movement relative to the keyboard box, whereby the resistive force on each of the plurality of keys is varied to correspond to values of the graphical, mathematical or physics relationship to provide the tactile representation of the graphical, mathematical or physics relationship on the variable force keyboard, wherein resistive forces are varied between adjacent keys to create a progression of the resistive forces when moving between a sequence of the plurality of keys to model the graphical, mathematical or physics relationship.

15. A variable force keyboard comprising:

a keyboard box; and

a plurality of keys operatively connected to the keyboard box for movement relative to the keyboard box, wherein each of the plurality of keys has a resistive force applied thereto that opposes movement of a corresponding one of the plurality of keys relative to the keyboard box, wherein the variable force keyboard is configured to model a graphical, mathematical or physics relationship by varying the resistive force applied to each of the plurality of keys to correspond to values of the graphical, mathematical or physics relationship modeled so that depressing the plurality of keys provides a tactile representation of the graphical, mathematical or physics relationship, wherein resistive forces are varied between adjacent keys to create a progression of the resistive forces when moving between a sequence of the plurality of keys to model the graphical, mathematical or physics relationship.