US Patent 11009950 Arbitrary surface and finger position keyboard

A one-handed, chorded data entry system enables an operator to tap a combination of fingers on any surface, thereby causing a character or command to be entered on an electronic device. The fingers can be arranged in any position and neither the fingers nor the fingertips of the user need be aimed at any particular target. Data indicating contact by finger combinations sharing a similar characteristic is mapped to characters sharing a similar characteristic. For example, data indicating contact by only one of five fingers during a data collection period is mapped to a respective one of the five vowels.