Apple Inc. has filed a patent for a notebook keyboard that includes in-key displays, haptic feedback motors and touch sensors.
The patent was published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and bears similar features to the Optimus Maximus keyboard, according to Apple Insider.
The filing covers both integrated and standalone laptop keyboards, but a current-generation Macbook Air is shown in the first illustration.
The microdisplays in each key can display different images and animation, depending on the type of program used and the language of the user, TechCrunch reported. Using the touch sensors, consumers can swipe across the keyboard to move through websites, scrolling by swiping up and down across the keys.
Haptic feedback motors let the key stacks use vibrations and clicks to offer custom key responses for typing, as well as vibration notifications for alerts and on-screen events.
For the in-key displays, the keystack can be configured to accept user input through a switch-type button, and a capacitive surface component can serve a second independent input through multitouch gestures, Apple Insider reported.
While the keyboard lets users reproduce glyphs, characters and symbols onscreen as they are displayed on the keys, it can also output visual and tactile information similar to the user's input. The touch-based gestures can act as a replacement for a mouse and multi-touch trackpad.
The Optimus Maximus cost $1,600 and included keys with built-in 64x64 OLED displays that users could program to display whatever they want. However, Apple's patent would reduce the cost for components by a large amount, TechCrunch reported.
The patent also discusses variations on display techniques, which feature less dynamic forms of visual feedback connected to optical filters and multi-colored light sources, Apple Insider reported.
The application claims benefit of a temporary application that was first filed in 2012. Credited inventors of Apple's new patent include Craig C. Leong, John M. Brock, Mikael Silvanto, James J. Niu, Keith J. Hendren, Thomas W. Wilson, Jr., Bartley K. Andre and Dinesh C. Mathew.
