SMART Awarded U.S. Patent for On-Screen Keyboard Technology
U.S. patent number 6,741,267 recognizes SMART’s innovative software for interactive whiteboards
Atlanta, GA – June 9, 2004 – SMART Technologies Inc. announces that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted SMART a patent for its on-screen keyboard concept. The patent is directed to, “An electronic writeboard for communicating with a computer including applications software and running an active application comprises a touch sensitive panel on which the screen image output of the computer is displayed. The touch sensitive panel is responsive to user contact and generates events. A keyboard window is displayed on the touch sensitive panel and includes a keyboard having a plurality of user selectable keys. A driver receives the events and senses user contact on the touch sensitive panel within the keyboard window and generates messages in response thereto. A controller executing a keyboard application receives the messages. The keyboard application processes the messages to provide data to the active application running on the computer corresponding to keys of the keyboard contacted by the user.” This is SMART’s third patent including software claims and adds to the seven U.S. patents and one Canadian patent that the company has been awarded, with additional U.S., Canadian and other foreign patents pending.
The SMART on-screen keyboard enables users to interact with other applications on the screen while the keyboard is open in the foreground, eliminating the need to use a physical keyboard. Users can simply touch the letter or symbol they wish to type, and they can navigate easily through the toolbar menus using arrow keys.
“We developed our on-screen keyboard by observing users interacting with our products,” says David Martin, SMART’s chairman and co-CEO. “This patent confirms the importance of user input in the design process. It’s this kind of commitment to our customers and to research and development that has made SMART the world leader in interactive whiteboards.”
For more information on this patent, visit http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/search-bool.html and type in 6,741,267 as the search term.
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For more information, please contact:
Public Relations
SMART Technologies Inc.
300, 1207 - 11th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB CANADA T3C 0M5
Phone +1.403.802.3337 Fax +1.403.228.2500
pr@smarttech.com
Please note that SMART is written in all capital letters.