Abstract: A stenotype machine has a casing with a rear panel and a front panel. The casing is substantially symmetrical with respect to a plane bisecting and perpendicular to the rear and front panels. The casing further has a top panel intersecting the front panel at an upper edge thereof and of maximum width at its intersection with the front panel. The machine further includes a keyboard with keys on first, second, third and fourth additional panels which have keys to be operated by the user's right thumb, right fingers, left thumb and left fingers. The second and fourth additional panels intersect vertical side edges of the front panel and make an angle of 60.degree.-70.degree. with each other. The first and third additional panels intersect the second and fourth additional panels, respectively. The second additional panel intersects the first additional panel at right angles thereto and the fourth additional panel intersects the third additional panel at right angles thereto.

Abstract: A stenographic machine includes a keyboard having a first area containing keys designated for at least some of numerals "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8" and "9", a second area containing keys designated for consonant letters, a third area containing, in order from left to right, keys designated for vowel letters "A", "O", "E" and "U", a first additional key designated for numeral "5" and a second additional key designated for numeral "0". The additional keys are located elsewhere than in the first area and are preferably directly below the keys designated for the letters "A" and "O".