Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Solid contact – Membrane type
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-29
2001-10-16
Friedhofer, Michael (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Solid contact
Membrane type
C200S406000, C200S516000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06303888
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switch used for an operation panel of en electronic device such as a portable telephone etc., for example, a click plate used for the switch and a method of attaching the click plate to a substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electronic device having an operation switch, for example, a portable telephone has been spread widely and the production thereof has been increased. Thus, the company for manufacturing portable telephones is required to cope with the variety of the needs of the market such as the addition of new functions increased in accordance with the spread thereof and to reduce the manufacturing cost thereof required in accordance with the increase of the production thereof. Accordingly, it becomes difficult for the portable telephone manufacturing company to manufacture all parts of the portable telephones and to assemble the parts, so that the portable telephone manufacturing company purchases various kinds of the parts from the parts manufacturing company and assembles the parts. On the other hand, cost of the parts can not be reduced when the parts manufacturing company provides the portable telephone manufacturing company with parts of different design specification at every type of the portable telephone. Thus, normally, the design specification is standardized so as to cope with various type of the portable telephones and the parts of the same design specification are provided.
Conventionally, the configuration shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
is employed as a switch such as ten keys, function keys etc. employed for an operation panel of a portable telephone.
FIG. 1
is a perspective view showing a state where a conventional switch is assembled on a substrate which is housed within the casing of a portable telephone.
FIG. 2A
is a sectional view showing a state where the switch is not operated and
FIG. 2B
is a sectional view showing a state where the switch is operated.
In the figures, a reference numeral
1
depicts a substrate which is housed within the casing of the portable telephone and on which the wiring is printed. The main circuit section of the portable telephone such as a control section, a radio section etc. (not shown) is provided and various kinds of electronic parts are mounted on the rear surface of the substrate. A reference numeral
2
depicts electronic parts such as LEDs, resistors etc. mounted on the substrate
1
,
3
a liquid crystal display element for displaying a telephone number and a menu screen,
4
a speaker,
5
a microphone,
6
and
7
first and second contact patterns formed on the substrate
1
with a predetermined distance therebetween concentrically, and
8
an outer chassis which is formed by molding resin and constitutes a part of the casing of the portable telephone. A reference numeral
9
depicts a click plate which is made from electric conductive material and includes a peripheral portion
10
and a convex portion
11
which center portion is expanded and made hollow. The peripheral portion
10
is coupled to the contact pattern
6
and the convex portion
11
is arranged in a manner that the inner surface of its hollow portion can be coupled to the contact pattern
7
when it is pushed and deformed. A reference numeral
12
depicts an adhesive sheet adhered to the click plates in a state that the click plates
9
are respectively disposed at predetermined positions in advance. The arrangement of the click plates
9
is made correspond to the arrangement of the contact patterns
6
in a manner that the peripheral portions
10
of the click plates
9
are coupled to the corresponding contact patterns
6
respectively when the adhesive sheet is pasted on the substrate
1
. A reference numeral
13
depicts a hole provided at the adhesive sheet
12
so as to correspond to the position of the associated electronic part
2
when the adhesive sheet
12
is pasted on the substrate
1
. A reference numeral
14
depicts a key switch which is formed by silicon rubber and includes a key top portion
15
and an actuator portion
16
.
The manufacturing procedure of the conventional switch thus configured will be explained with reference to FIG.
1
.
That is, the adhesive sheet
12
to which the click plates
9
are pasted is fabricated by the parts manufacturing company. The click plates
9
are pasted on the adhesive surface of the adhesive sheet
12
in the arrangement determined by the standard specification. The adhesive surface of the adhesive sheet
12
is pasted on the substrate
1
so that the peripheral portions
10
of the click plates
9
are disposed on the corresponding first contact patterns
6
respectively. In this case, the convex portions
11
of the click plates
9
are positioned at the portions corresponding to the associated second contact patterns
7
, respectively. Further, the electronic parts
2
on the substrate
1
fit into the corresponding holes
13
of the adhesive sheet
12
so as to be positioned at portions not covered by the adhesive sheet
12
.
The electronic parts
2
are attached to the substrate
1
normally in a manner that the electronic parts are mounted on the substrate by using a mounting machine and then soldered by the reflow soldering process. The electronic parts are attached on the substrate in the following procedures. First, a metal plate calling a metal mask is superimposed on the substrate
1
to mask the substrate, and the cream solder is pasted. The metal mask is provided with holes at the portions corresponding to pad portions on the substrate
1
to which the electronic parts are attached. Thus, when the substrate
1
is masked and the cream solder is pasted, the cream solder is pasted only on the pad portions. Then, the terminal portions of the electronic parts
6
are positioned on the pad portions on which the cream solder is pasted and then mounted on the pad portions. The mounting procedure of the electronic parts
2
on the substrate
1
is performed in a manner that, for example, a computer reads the soldering portions of the electronic parts
2
and the electronic parts are mounted on the substrate by using a mounting machine. Then, the substrate
1
on which the electronic parts
6
are mounted is subjected to the reflow process to apply predetermined heat on the substrate
1
to melt the cream solder, whereby the terminal portions of the electronic parts
2
are soldered on the corresponding pads, respectively.
Further, at the time of assembling a portable telephone, as shown in
FIG. 2A
, the key switch
14
is disposed in a manner that the tip portion of the actuator
16
is positioned almost at the center portion of the convex portion
11
of the corresponding click plate
9
and the key switch
14
is held such that it is sandwiched between the substrate
1
and the outer chassis
8
.
The liquid crystal display element
3
, the speaker
4
and the microphone
5
are coupled to and mounted on the substrate
1
by solder and connectors. In recent years, due to the improvement of the part mounting technique and the part manufacturing technique, these parts are made cope with the mounting machine and the automatic mounting technique employing the reflow process so long as the parts are not such ones as the liquid crystal display element
3
which is largely influenced by the breakage caused by the heat at the time of the reflow process.
Then, the operation of the switch will be explained with reference to
FIGS. 2A and 2B
.
When a user of the portable telephone pushes the key top portion
15
as the key operation, the actuator
16
pushes and deforms almost the center portion of the convex portion
11
of the corresponding click plate
2
in an interlocked manner with the key top portion
15
as shown in
FIG. 2B
, so that the inner surface of the hollow portion of the convex portion contacts with the corresponding second contact pattern
7
. In this case, the first contact pattern
6
is made conductive with the corresponding second contact pattern
7
through the corre
Inubushi Toshiya
Okamoto Satoshi
Saito Koji
Friedhofer Michael
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck
LandOfFree
Switch, click plate and switch and method of attaching click... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Switch, click plate and switch and method of attaching click..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Switch, click plate and switch and method of attaching click... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2576623