My-T-Soft ® Build-A-BoardBuild-A-Board

MES Time Cards Create Assistive Technology Your Own Automated Test Equipment Keyboards! Automated Mnfg. Data Acquisition Home Automation Industrial Automation Instrumentation Kiosks On-Screen Medical Systems Keyboards Human Machine Interface (MMI) & Panels Interactive Whiteboards Simulators MRP / Shop Floor Warehousing Configuration Support Windows Measurement & Control CE Point of Sale/Point of Purchase Automated Teller Machines Support Production Control Security / Logon Portable / Wireless Robotic Controllers Machine Tool Controllers Powerful Network / Telecom Creation Embedded Executive Stations Tools Rapid Deployment Industrial Process Control

Industrial Grade Software Solution for ALL Pointing Devices! The My-T-Soft on-screen keyboards interface within the Windo ws environment seamlessly, allowing any pointing device to eliminate the need for a physical keyboard! Any Pen, , or other pointing device can take advantage of the My-T-Soft On-Screen Keyboards and panels in all graphic modes & hardware configurations. Replace outdated equipment with newer The Worlds Premier On-Screen Keyboard! systems utilizing today's technology,

TM while preserving ® existing methodology

WINDOWSTM COMPATIBLE & procedures. With the on-screen keyboard technology Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP used in My-T-Soft, and a completely Familiar interfaces Windows CE (MIPS, ARM, SH3, SH4) customizable user design tool, Build-A-Board eliminates the need for addresses the needs of Pen & Touchscreen OEM versions, Individual users, developers, and integrators everywhere! additional user-training. Components, Network and Site Licenses are available.

Innovation Management Group, Inc. Order: 1-800-889-0987 User Interface 22311 Ventura Blvd., Suite 104 Office: 1-818-346-3581 Enhancement Woodland Hills, CA 91364 Fax: 1-818-346-3973 Web Site: www.imgpresents.com E-mail: [email protected] My-T-Soft ® Build-A-BoardBuild-A-Board

White Paper: Pen & Touchscreen interfaces - The Ultimate Soft Keyboard

The Build-A-Board Concept

Technology allows small & powerful devices As the microprocessor continues its relentless march into all types of devices, and the human interface to computing systems continues its evolution, finding solutions to new & existing problems remains an on-going battle faced by designers, integrators, and end-users. The on-going process to reduce the size, weight, and power requirements of computing devices, while utilizing the ever-growing available computing power and integrating new and familiar human interfaces presents a fertile environment for a software based tool that can address many of these needs.

As computing devices have become smaller, and are moving towards hand-held & wearable sizes, carrying around a full-size physical keyboard provides an unwanted anchor to the past. By providing a virtual, on-screen keyboard presented to the user, the user can remain focused on the task at hand, and through various software techniques using text field edit control events such as OnEnter and OnExit, the keyboard can be activated only when needed, returning the full screen display back to the user when a keyboard is not relevant.

The Human Factor The Human factor plays another role (Human Machine Interface (HMI) or Man Machine Interface (MMI)) that must be addressed by technology. Humans are rooted in their education & training experiences, and as studies have shown, the QWERTY (or standard for more than140 years), is still one of the most effective layouts for soft, or virtual on-screen keyboards. However, there are numerous modifications based on different cultures & languages to this standard keyboard. Because of multi-national concerns that occur in many large roll-outs of high-technology equipment, presenting the user's own familiar keyboard layout is an ideal solution, and one that can be easily accomplished with a flexible soft-keyboard solution.

In many cases, for security, validation, and system maintenance, the user is viewed as an operator (rather than a highly privileged user), so removing function keys or system control keys that would otherwise be available is another requirement which can easily be met by a soft-keyboard that can modified as necessary.

In other situations, older systems that have been in use by operators for many years may need to be upgraded, and fixed membrane & control panels that are familiar to well-trained users need to remain consistent. Presenting a soft-keypad that has been designed to replicate the original familiar panels on a touchscreen based graphical system, which can provide the same keyboard events as the replaced control panels, allows newer operating systems, networking systems, and faster, more flexible computer systems as a replacement to older, outdated equipment and continued user acceptance.

When dealing with a low-level of operator skill, or in a high turn-over employment situation, presenting a point and press image interface to the user, while integrating it into legacy software (where terminal software may require keyboard input as the only option for user input), adds another dimension to utlizing todays technology in the most cost effective manner.

Multiple Targets & Resource issues The current high-technology environment presents a splintering of operating systems, computing platforms, and smaller devices, where resources are at a premium. The open- source allows embedded designers the ability to add only the required code to accomplish the tasks required for the device. Cost issues limit the amount of memory and storage available, creating an environment where only what is actually required can be accommodated.

Ideal Requirements The ideal soft-keyboard / key-pad / user-interface builder would allow the following: * Easy-to-use layout engine to allow quick creation of new layouts, and quick modification of existing layouts that can be sized and fit to each user and the system with a minimum of effort. * Resource management - managing the target requirements to allow high-resolution graphics only in systems where these would not be a burden, and only carrying the absolute bare minimum information when the target is limited in resources. * Integration of text, fonts, and graphical images, along w ith support for international & cultural differences * A selection of pre-built common layouts and templates

The ideal target components (run-time files) would require the following: * Ability to integrate with all major computing platforms * Ability to operate with common touchscreen & pen based in terfaces * Rock-solid, tested & field proven code * Complete control of the system from both the O/S and appl ication level * Tools to integrate with industry accepted applications * Integration with word prediction / completion software to enhance user-input speed (in applications where multiple words or sentences are required)

IMG Build-A-Board Build-A-Board has been in design and development for the past 4 years, working with knowledge gained by the acceptance of our My-T-Soft(r) family of on-screen keyboards. Utilizing the existing base of interface software & support for all Windows platforms, along with support for numerous industrial, commercial, Assistive Technology, and common pointing devices (such as mouse, touchscreen, pen, laser based, virtual, and others). The only missing components to the ideal soft-keyboard solution are the modifiable human interface and the developer's interface builder (customizable keys & panels, resource management, and targetable end-user systems). These components have been developed into the Build-A-Board builder. With the IMG My-T-Soft Build-A-Board Builder, you can: Replace or create any keypad, keyboard, or membrane layout Select Colors of Text, Keys, and Panels, Select Fonts Build for Multiple Target systems within Builder Cut / Copy / Paste and Drag & Drop layout design Align, Space, Size, and Center Keys Build & Test separately from Target system ASCII, ANSI, Int'l Character codes Create full featured Macros for Keystrokes Save and Manage Projects

Innovation Management Group, Inc. Software Requirements Order: 1-800-889-0987 Builder requires Microsoft Windows 95 / 98 / Me / NT / 2000 / XP. Target systems also include Windows CE - MIPS, ARM, SH3, Office: 1-818-346-3581 Fax: 1-818-346-3973 SH4. Contact IMG for Licensing options. Web Site: www.imgpresents.com