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What is a Keypad?
A keypad is a block or pad of buttons arranged with digits, symbols, or alphabetical letters. Pads mainly contain numbers and are used with computers as numeric keypads. Keypads are found on devices requiring primarily numeric input, such as calculators, television remotes, push-button telephones, vending machines, ATMs, point-of-sale terminals, combination locks, safes, and digital door locks. Many devices follow the E.161 standard for their layout.
Evolution of Keypads
The following is the evolution of the keypad −
1901: Standard Adding Machine
- A small keypad started on the Standard Adding Machine in 1901.
- The calculator had keys arranged in one row from 0 to 9, with zero on the left and 9 on the right.
1911: Sundstrand Adding Machine
- The modern four-row arrangement appeared in 1911 with the Sundstrand Adding Machine.
- There was no standard for the arrangement of the decimal point, arithmetic operations (plus, minus, multiplication, division), equal sign (=), or other advanced mathematical functions.
Late 1950s - Early 1960s: The Order Difference
- Although calculator keypads followed telephone keypads for almost thirty years, John Karlin led a Human Factors group at Bell Labs that developed the top-to-bottom order for the telephone layout.
- They tried various layouts such as Facit’s two-row arrangement, rows of three buttons, buttons in an arc, and buttons in a circle. The chosen layout was the best, based on the Human Factor Engineering study.
- Folk histories and popular theories explain the reverse order of calculators and telephone keypads.
- The unfamiliar order in the late 1950s and early 1960s slowed users to accommodate slow switches.
- Another explanation is that U.S. telephone numbers were given out with alphabetical characters for the first two digits. For instance, 666-4321 would be given as KL5-4321.
Mid-20th Century: Push-Button Telephone Keypad
- John E. Karlin, an industrial psychologist at Bell Labs in Murray Hill NJ, invented the push-button telephone keypad.
- Numbers 1 to 9 were arranged left to right, top to bottom, with zero placed in a row under 789, centered on the keypad.
Key Features of Telephone Keypads
- Telephone keypads included specific buttons such as a star (*) and # (hash, number sign, hex, octothorpe, or pound) on either side of the 0 key.
- Telephone keys also had letters for various functions, like whole telephone numbers or remembering area codes.
Keypad Uses and Functions
A computer keyboard typically has a small numeric keypad on the side, alongside the number keys at the top, but with a calculator-style button arrangement that enables more efficient input of numerical data. This number pad (commonly called numpad) is usually placed on the right side of the keyboard, as most people are right-handed.
Many laptop computers feature special function keys that convert part of the alphabetical keyboard into a numerical keypad since there isn't enough room for a separate keypad in the laptop's chassis. Separate external plug-in keypads are available for purchase.
Keypads for entering PINs and selecting products appear on many devices, including ATMs, vending machines, point-of-sale payment devices, time clocks, combination locks, and digital door locks.
Keypad Applications
The following are some applications of Keypad:
Security Breaches − For security systems, the keypad serves as a means of access control. Users must enter a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to allow access to secured locations like buildings or alarm systems.
ATM − At Automated Teller Machines, users use the access keypad to enter their PIN and transaction particulars. This is a safe method of accessing a designated bank account and performing transactions.
Personal Computers − Most Personal Computers, be it a desktop or a laptop, have a separate numeric keypad. These keypads enable the fast and efficient entry of numbers. However, due to space limitations, certain laptops do not have a built-in numeric keypad, but they can be purchased as peripherals.
Smartphones and Tablets − Older models of mobile phones had physical keypads for every input, but modern smartphones have a touch screen with an on screen keyboard.” These phones now feature keyboards that can be touched rather than clicked. A numeric keypad is displayed when dialing a number or entering a personal secret number (PIN) while on-screen keyboards are used when typing.
FAQ's on Keypad
1. What devices have a keypad?
Numeric keypads are typically found on desktop computers, laptops, and specialized input devices like point-of-sale terminals or cash registers.
2. Is a keypad input or output?
A keypad is an input device. It transfers data to a computer system and allows control over it.
3. How is the layout of a keypad organized?
The keypad layout typically features numbers 1-9 arranged top-to-bottom, with 0 below, and may include additional symbols like * and #.
4. What are the uses and functions of keypads?
Keypads are used in devices like ATMs, vending machines, and point-of-sale systems for numeric input and PIN entry.
5. What caused the difference in the order of the calculator and telephone keypads?
John Karlin's Bell Labs group designed the top-to-bottom telephone layout, which was found more efficient than the calculator's bottom-to-top design.
6. What are the details of telephone keypads' letter mapping?
Letters on telephone keypads were mapped to numbers for easier recall, with the system varying by country.