A computer-terminal, hardware/software system with enhanced user input capabilities: the enhanced-input terminal system (EITS)

The Enhanced-Input Terminal project is directed at providing major new degrees of freedom for touch-type computer input, especially for on-line use of interactive computer systems. The terminal comprises an integrated of hardware and software. While various choices are available for the actual input and output devices, the present prototype utilizes video display for both devices and a "cross-wire", touch-sensitive input panel. The EITS allows an "author" to define an essentially infinite set of symbols, and an infinite variety of "keyboard" formats. Chord inputs (i.e., simultaneous, multiple-"key" combinations) are also supported. Symbols can be defined in terms of dot matrices, generalized graphics, symbol strings, and functional operations. In spite of the complete generality afforded, the integrated system develops a standard-type of binary-bit-coded input stream, in which the individual symbols are uniquely and canonically represented, and which is amenable to all of the usual "text-file" operations, such as character manipulation, editing, transmission and re-display.