Appeal No. 96-1904
Application 08/164,854
disclosure that, at the time of the present invention,
computer keyboards included a large number of additional keys
required to operate computers, e.g., function keys, which,
according to appellant, have made computer keyboards large and
bulky.8
The rejection of claims 3 through 9, 11, 12, 14, 15
17, 18, 21, and 22
We reverse the rejection of claims 3 through 7 under
35 U.S.C. § 103.
8We recognize that known computer keyboards reflect the
longstanding practice of using a single key for multi-
functions or multi-purposes, which practice effects a smaller
keyboard size as compared to the larger keyboard size that
would be required if the keyboard had one separate key for
each specific function. For example, it is well known in the
art that rather than includ- ing separate keys for upper and
lower case letters, a single key can represent both, with the
shift key selecting the caps letter form over the lower case
letter form. Further, it is well known to continuously switch
the entire group of lower case letters to the caps form by
including a caps lock key. Similarly, the NumLock key can
continuously and alternatively switch the group of multi-
purpose or multi-function numeric/arrow and
numeric/directional word function keys between their numeric
function and their directional function. Thus, the practice
of joining functions into multi-function or multi-purpose keys
is seen to be longstanding and well known to those having
ordinary skill in the keyboard art.
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