Keypad
AssigneeNCR Corporation
InventorGrant A. McNicoll
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A keypad is described. The keypad comprises: a keypad housing defining a plurality of key apertures; a plurality of physical keys, each physical key located in a respective key aperture and being moveable with respect to the key aperture; and a non-contact (for example, capacitive) sensing layer located beneath the plurality of keys. A touch controller is coupled to the capacitive sensing layer and is operable to ascertain a touch location corresponding to a depressed key. A cryptographic controller may be provided in communication with the touch controller and is operable to interpret the touch location.
Claims20
A keypad comprising:
- a keypad housing defining a plurality of key apertures;
- a plurality of physical keys, each physical key located in a respective key aperture and being moveable with respect to the key aperture;
- a capacitive sensing layer located beneath the plurality of keys;
- and
- a touch controller coupled to the capacitive sensing layer and operable to ascertain a touch location corresponding to a depressed key.
A method of detecting data entered at an encrypting keypad, the method comprising the steps of:
- detecting physical depression of a key in the encrypting keypad using a touch sensitive controller, and
- providing a touch location to a cryptographic controller for interpreting and encrypting as part of a transaction.
A keypad comprising:
- a keypad housing providing individually depressable keys for selection by a user;
- and
- a sensing layer located beneath the individually depressable keys and operable to ascertain which of the individually depressable keys is depressed using proximity sensing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.