5 ms·

IBM Keyboard Patents

84 points by tart-lemonade 1y ago

pkdpic 1y ago
I wish I had had this 5 years ago. The early laptops are worth scrolling down for. Really amazing resource. Anybody aware of similar resources for other early computer patents for Apple, Commodore, Tandy etc? Or another IBM resource specifically covering more than just keyboards ie the 5150, PC Jr etc?
TacticalCoder 1y ago
There's a company who's remaking the IBM Model F (even better feeling than a Model M). https://www.modelfkeyboards.com/ https://www.modelfkeyboards.com/ Not cheap but I think he got the patent, tooling, and all.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
Duanemclemore 1y ago
Eliot Noyes Sighting! One of the GOATS. Thanks for posting - there's so much awesome stuff here beyond his designs, but as an architect I gotta rep my man.
- fuzzfactor 1y ago
  Take a look at 194,856 by Noyes. Expired in 1977 and instantly recognizable as the unique architectural profile almost exactly copied by Exxon Office Systems for the Exxon Intelligent Typewriter which was out by 1979. Later known as Qyx machines they had a magnetically levitated interchangeable daisy-wheel instead of an IBM typeball for the different fonts & symbols. Available with up to two 5 1/4" floppy drives, this was before IBM PC's arrived.
terrisdotcom 1y ago
Praise Kier!
tiltowait 1y ago
> German Utility Patent 1,279,693 This one's pretty amazing to see, given how close it is in appearance to the Ergodox and other "glove keyboards" (rather, the other way around—they all resemble IBM's patent!). > British Utility Patent 1,363,777 (GB1363777A) While the buckling spring switches used in the Model M (or, for those with more rarified tastes, Model F) are rightly lauded, the beamspring is less well-known. The individual modules are absolutely massive as far as keyswitches go, but they feel wonderful to type on. They were designed to evoke the Selectric so as to be familiar to new users, and some models, such as the 3278, even included a solenoid that would click with each keypress. They also featured doubleshot keycaps and were absolute bricks that make the Model M seem a featherweight by comparison.
- Asooka 1y ago
  Well, there are only so many ways to design a split mirrored keyboard that fits the shape of the human hand. The other "natural" keyboards that are a standard PC keyboard cut down the middle seem entirely pointless to me - you are already making people adapt to the split form factor, why not give them something a tad more ergonomic? Or are there other patents at play that prevented it before ErgoDox etc.?
- bjoli 1y ago
  The solenoids in IBMs keyboard did not click. It was more of a bang. I have had 2 (one F and one of those beamspring ones. Can't remember exactly which B it was). The F was loud, the model B was just spectacular. Amazing to type one after I fixed it, but with the solenoid plugged in it was unbearable.
nikanj 1y ago
I'm surprised buckling spring keyboards are not widely available, despite being years out of patent
- Asooka 1y ago
  They require higher manufacturing costs and aren't compatible with the standard Cherry keyswitch that every Chinese mechanical keyboard manufacturer uses. I know a while ago someone tried to produce a buckling spring keyswitch in a Cherry form factor, but I don't think anything came out of it. There is also very low demand. In any case, you can always buy a new one from Unicomp for a reasonable price.
  - tracker1 1y ago
    Love my Unicomp keyboards... but have had some minor issues... I've been mostly using brown-switch daskeyboard backlit models lately. My current desktop can't get into the bios via my unicomp 104-key, which is pretty annoying to say the least. I miss the bigger space bar and ctrl/win/alt positioning on the left side. There's really something to years of muscle memory that even years later a different keyboard can throw you off. I also liked the buckling spring feel a bit more than MX browns. And definitely prefer Cherry MX Brown to any other brown-like knockoff switch I've tried. I can hardly handle typing on an actual laptop keyboard... half the time, depending on my needs I'll stuff a full size keyboard in my bag. I'll also opt for either a BT mouse, or a magic pad.
2earth 1y ago
Exceptional archive, thanks for your work!
merelysounds 1y ago
Note that these are not just concepts but shipped projects. E.g. the description often says “An ornamental design depicting (name of the actual device)”.
- II2II 1y ago
  Mostly. It was noted that the split/ergonomic keyboard was never shipped by IBM. (Though it mentioned that the patent is cited by Kinesis, presumably because the 1968 patent had expired and was being used as prior art?)
barelysapient 1y ago
Ive been collecting Model M and Model F keyboards from IBM off from Ebay over the last few years. I've got quite a collection now. Only the IBM manufactured keyboards, no Lexmark or third-party. I remember typing on a Model M as a kid. My fingers pushing the empty spaces between CTRL and ALT, where on newer keyboards, an OS meta now lives. I remember writing Basic. Then Turbo Pascal. Full of curiosity and wonder. The IBM authentic keyboards have a badge on the back with the year and month of manufacture. Most of these keyboards are older than my co-workers. Many still function correctly. They're a joy to use.

84 points by tart-lemonade 1y ago

I wish I had had this 5 years ago. The early laptops are worth scrolling down for. Really amazing resource. Anybody aware of similar resources for other early computer patents for Apple, Commodore, Tandy etc? Or another IBM resource specifically covering more than just keyboards ie the 5150, PC Jr etc?

TacticalCoder 1y ago

There's a company who's remaking the IBM Model F (even better feeling than a Model M). https://www.modelfkeyboards.com/ https://www.modelfkeyboards.com/ Not cheap but I think he got the patent, tooling, and all.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

Duanemclemore 1y ago

Eliot Noyes Sighting! One of the GOATS. Thanks for posting - there's so much awesome stuff here beyond his designs, but as an architect I gotta rep my man.

fuzzfactor 1y ago
Take a look at 194,856 by Noyes. Expired in 1977 and instantly recognizable as the unique architectural profile almost exactly copied by Exxon Office Systems for the Exxon Intelligent Typewriter which was out by 1979. Later known as Qyx machines they had a magnetically levitated interchangeable daisy-wheel instead of an IBM typeball for the different fonts & symbols. Available with up to two 5 1/4" floppy drives, this was before IBM PC's arrived.

terrisdotcom 1y ago

Praise Kier!

tiltowait 1y ago

> German Utility Patent 1,279,693 This one's pretty amazing to see, given how close it is in appearance to the Ergodox and other "glove keyboards" (rather, the other way around—they all resemble IBM's patent!). > British Utility Patent 1,363,777 (GB1363777A) While the buckling spring switches used in the Model M (or, for those with more rarified tastes, Model F) are rightly lauded, the beamspring is less well-known. The individual modules are absolutely massive as far as keyswitches go, but they feel wonderful to type on. They were designed to evoke the Selectric so as to be familiar to new users, and some models, such as the 3278, even included a solenoid that would click with each keypress. They also featured doubleshot keycaps and were absolute bricks that make the Model M seem a featherweight by comparison.

Asooka 1y ago
Well, there are only so many ways to design a split mirrored keyboard that fits the shape of the human hand. The other "natural" keyboards that are a standard PC keyboard cut down the middle seem entirely pointless to me - you are already making people adapt to the split form factor, why not give them something a tad more ergonomic? Or are there other patents at play that prevented it before ErgoDox etc.?
bjoli 1y ago
The solenoids in IBMs keyboard did not click. It was more of a bang. I have had 2 (one F and one of those beamspring ones. Can't remember exactly which B it was). The F was loud, the model B was just spectacular. Amazing to type one after I fixed it, but with the solenoid plugged in it was unbearable.

nikanj 1y ago

I'm surprised buckling spring keyboards are not widely available, despite being years out of patent

Asooka 1y ago
They require higher manufacturing costs and aren't compatible with the standard Cherry keyswitch that every Chinese mechanical keyboard manufacturer uses. I know a while ago someone tried to produce a buckling spring keyswitch in a Cherry form factor, but I don't think anything came out of it. There is also very low demand. In any case, you can always buy a new one from Unicomp for a reasonable price.
- tracker1 1y ago
  Love my Unicomp keyboards... but have had some minor issues... I've been mostly using brown-switch daskeyboard backlit models lately. My current desktop can't get into the bios via my unicomp 104-key, which is pretty annoying to say the least. I miss the bigger space bar and ctrl/win/alt positioning on the left side. There's really something to years of muscle memory that even years later a different keyboard can throw you off. I also liked the buckling spring feel a bit more than MX browns. And definitely prefer Cherry MX Brown to any other brown-like knockoff switch I've tried. I can hardly handle typing on an actual laptop keyboard... half the time, depending on my needs I'll stuff a full size keyboard in my bag. I'll also opt for either a BT mouse, or a magic pad.

2earth 1y ago

Exceptional archive, thanks for your work!

merelysounds 1y ago

Note that these are not just concepts but shipped projects. E.g. the description often says “An ornamental design depicting (name of the actual device)”.

II2II 1y ago
Mostly. It was noted that the split/ergonomic keyboard was never shipped by IBM. (Though it mentioned that the patent is cited by Kinesis, presumably because the 1968 patent had expired and was being used as prior art?)

barelysapient 1y ago

Ive been collecting Model M and Model F keyboards from IBM off from Ebay over the last few years. I've got quite a collection now. Only the IBM manufactured keyboards, no Lexmark or third-party. I remember typing on a Model M as a kid. My fingers pushing the empty spaces between CTRL and ALT, where on newer keyboards, an OS meta now lives. I remember writing Basic. Then Turbo Pascal. Full of curiosity and wonder. The IBM authentic keyboards have a badge on the back with the year and month of manufacture. Most of these keyboards are older than my co-workers. Many still function correctly. They're a joy to use.