[FSUG-Bangalore] first Kannada PC?

[Anivar Aravind]

On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 11:54 AM, sankarshan
<sankarshan.mukhopadhyay at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 9:50 AM, Anivar Aravind
> <anivar.aravind at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I came across this strange news. It seems like a GNU/Linux
>> Customization. He talks about Free Software & RMS aldo about the
>> patent application for his input method. kannada Support is already
>> existing is GNU/Linux
>
> My comprehension is that the patent pertains to the input method. For
> example, <http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=AneHAAAAEBAJ&dq=Brahmi+Keyboard>
> provides the following details:
>
> What is claimed is:
>
> 1. A character input system using a keyboard comprising a plurality of
> keys, at least some of the keys each being assigned at least one Hindi
> script character, and at least one key being assigned a halant, the
> key assignments being spatially grouped on the keyboard according to
> their phonetic characteristics.
>
> 2. The character input system of claim 1 wherein the key assignments
> are also grouped according to the vowels and consonants.
>
> 3. The character input system of claim 2 wherein Hindi script
> consonants are spatially grouped according to Vargs and Non-Vargs.
>
> 4. The character input system of claim 3 wherein the keys comprising
> each Varg are grouped on keys that are adjacent or diagonal to one
> another on the keyboard.
>
> 5. The character input system of claim 4 wherein the keys comprising
> each Varg are grouped in a single row on the keyboard.
>
> 6. The character input system of claim 5 wherein the keyboard
> comprises five Vargs of consonant keys that each contain five
> phonetically-related consonants.
>
> 7. The character input system of claim 6 wherein the five Varg
> consonant sets are assigned to keys that correspond to q-w-e-r-t,
> a-s-d-f-g, z-x-c-v-b, y-u-i-o-p, and h-j-k-l-; on a standard keyboard.
>
> 8. The character input system of claim 1 wherein the Hindi final
> consonant keys are grouped together on the keyboard.
>
> 9. The character input system of claim 8 wherein the Hindi final
> consonant keys are grouped together on a row of the keyboard.
>
> 10. The character input system of claim 8 wherein Hindi final
> consonant keys are assigned to keys that correspond to n-m-,-.-/ on a
> standard keyboard.
>
> 11. The character input system of claim 1 wherein the keyboard
> comprises a plurality of Hindi script vowel keys, each vowel key being
> assigned to a Hindi script vowel.
>
> 12. The character input system of claim 11 wherein the Hindi vowel
> keys are grouped together on the keyboard.
>
> 13. The character input system of claim 12 wherein the Hindi vowel
> keys are grouped on keys that are adjacent or diagonal to one another
> on the keyboard.
>
> 14. The character input system of claim 13 wherein at least some of
> the Hindi vowels are assigned to keys that correspond to the
> number-row on a standard keyboard.
>
> 15. The character input system of claim 14 wherein the diacritic Hindi
> "vowel signs" (Matras) may be accessed by pressing a modifier key with
> the appropriate vowel key.
>
> 16. The character input system of claim 1 wherein the keyboard is
> adapted for use with the Hindi language.
>
> 17. The character input system of claim 1 wherein the keyboard is
> adapted for use with an Indian Brahmi-based script based on
> similarities to Hindi.
>
> 18. The character input system of claim 1 wherein the keyboard is
> adapted for use with one of the group of Bengali, Telegu, Marathi,
> Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese,
> Manipuri and Sanskrit.
>
> 19. The character input system of claim 1 wherein the keyboard is
> adapted for use with any non-Indian Brahmi-based script.
>
> 20. The character input system of claim 1 wherein the keyboard is
> adapted for use with one of the group of Sinhala, Nepali, Burmese,
> Tibetan, Laotian, Thai, Khmer, Javanese, Bali, Batak, Bugis/Buginese
> and Tagalog.
>
> 21. A keyboard for the use with a Brahmi-derived script comprising:
>
>    vowel keys mapped to the vowels, at least some of the vowel keys
> being arranged in a row;
>    initial consonant keys arranged in a plurality of subsets, each
> subset comprising keys mapped to a group of phonetically-related
> initial consonants, at least some of each subset of initial consonant
> keys being arranged on a single row;
>    final consonant keys mapped to final consonants, at least some of
> the final consonant keys being arranged in a row; and
>    a halant key mapped to halant character;
>
>        wherein Brahmi-derived script communications may be inputted
> quickly and efficiently as a result of the arrangement of character
> keys and a simplified character set provided through use of the halant
> character.
>
> 22. The keyboard of claim 21 wherein a row comprises horizontally adjacent keys.
>
> 23. The keyboard of claim 21 wherein the keyboard is adapted for use
> with the Hindi script.
>
> 24. The keyboard of claim 21 wherein the initial consonants comprise
> Varg consonants and the final consonant comprise non-Varg consonants.
>
> 25. A method of adapting a keyboard for a language that uses a
> Brahmi-derived script such as Hindi script, the method comprising:
>
>    mapping vowels to vowel keys arranged in a row;
>    mapping initial consonants to initial consonant keys arranged in a
> plurality of subsets, each subset comprising keys mapped to a group of
> phonetically-related initial consonants, each subset of initial
> consonant keys being arranged on a single row;
>    mapping final consonants to final consonant keys arranged in a row; and
>    mapping a halant character to a halant key;
>
>        wherein Brahmi-derived script communications may be inputted
> quickly and efficiently as a result of the arrangement of character
> keys and a simplified character set provided through use of the halant
> character.
>
> 26. A computer system for use with a language that uses Brahmi-derived
> script, the computer system comprising:
>
>    a processor;
>    a memory system;
>    a graphical user interface; and
>    a Brahmi-derived script keyboard comprising a plurality of keys,
> at least some of the keys each being assigned at least one
> Brahmi-derived script character, and at least one key being assigned a
> halant, the key assignments being spatially grouped on the keyboard
> according to phonetic characteristics of the characters.
>
> 27. The system of claim 26 wherein the keyboard comprises a virtual keyboard.
>
> 28. The system of claim 26 wherein the virtual keyboard comprises a
> touch-sensitive screen.
>
> 29. A keyboard adapted for use with Hindi script, the keyboard comprising:
>
>    a group of vowel keys each being assigned a Hindi script vowel,
> the vowel keys comprising keys corresponding to the number-row on a
> standard keyboard;
>    a first Varg group of phonetically-related consonant keys
> comprising keys corresponding to Q-W-E-R-T on a standard keyboard;
>    a second Varg group of phonetically-related consonant keys
> comprising keys corresponding to A-S-D-F-G on a standard keyboard;
>    a third Varg group of phonetically-related consonant keys
> comprising keys corresponding to Z-X-C-V-B on a standard keyboard;
>    a fourth Varg group of phonetically-related consonant keys
> comprising keys corresponding to Y-U-I-O-P on a standard keyboard; and
>    a fifth Varg group of phonetically-related consonant keys
> comprising keys corresponding to H-J-K-L-; on a standard keyboard.
>    a final group of Non-Varg consonant keys comprising keys
> corresponding to N-M-,-.-/-'-- on a standard keyboard.
>
> 30. A character input system using a keyboard comprising a plurality
> of keys, at least some of the keys each being assigned at least one
> Hindi script character, and at least one key being assigned a halant,
> the key assignments being spatially grouped on the keyboard according
> to the vowels and consonants, their phonetic characteristics and the
> method in which the characters are learned.


It reads like a patent on Indic Keyboard with more than one layer or
Indic  Phonetic Keyboard. Can anyone confirm this?


-- 
"[It is not] possible to distinguish between 'numerical' and
'nonnumerical' algorithms, as if numbers were somehow different from
other kinds of precise information." - Donald Knuth