Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-30
2001-10-23
Hall, Carl E. (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
C029S401100, C029S622000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305071
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Membrane switches are well known for providing electrical switching functions in a reliable, compact package. Membrane switches typically have a flexible plastic membrane layer normally separated from a substrate by a nonconductive spacer. Openings in the spacer permit a user to push the membrane through the spacer, bringing facing electrical contacts on the internal surfaces of the membrane and substrate into contact with one another, thereby closing a switch. The natural resilience of the membrane returns the membrane to its spaced position upon removal of the actuating force.
While this basic membrane switch construction has many advantages, it does not provide some features desirable in certain applications. For example, in some instances switch users are so accustomed to manipulating a particular type of mechanical actuator that they become confused by a membrane switch. The membrane switch is often a flat panel with graphical elements indicating where to press but having no protruding actuating member. Although membrane switches provide perfectly adequate electrical switching, manufacturers have found that users expecting to find a rotary switch or a slide switch or a push button switch for a certain function are resistant to having the familiar mechanical actuator replaced with a flat panel membrane switch. This is especially true with consumer products. Also, in automotive applications it can be important to provide a rotary or slide switch that a driver can find and manipulate with one hand while not diverting his or her attention from the road. Another difficulty with membrane switches is they are not readily adapted for use as a potentiometer such as might be desirable for, say, a volume control on a radio or CD player.
Rotary and slide switches suitable for use with flat panel switches such as membrane switches are known. Examples are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,523,730, 5,666,096, and 5,867,082. One of the problems in the past has been the inability to conveniently apply such switches directly to film-based switch panels. The present invention addresses this issue.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is a method and kit for converting a flat panel switch to a switch panel having discrete components thereon. Such a panel will be referred to herein as a raised panel switch. The method involves preparing a rotary switch mounting kit and applying it to a film-based flat panel switch. The flat panel switch has a carrier sheet with a set of conductors thereon forming an electrical circuit, e.g., spaced contact pads or a potentiometer, both with associated leads. The kit includes a front and a back cover which have cooperating latch members for holding the covers together on opposite sides of the carrier sheet of a flat panel switch. The latch members extend through perforations in the carrier. The front cover latches have hooks that engage notches in the back cover to clamp the pieces together on the carrier. The front cover rotatably mounts a rotor. The rotor has a head inside the front cover and a stem fixed to the head. The stem extends to the outside of the front cover where it mounts a knob which is manipulable by a user. The rotor head carries an electrically conductive contact member. The contact member is engageable with the electrical conductors to alter the state of the electrical circuit when the rotor is actuated. The contact member can be either a conductive wiper attached directly to the rotor head or a magnetically-retained armature that follows magnets mounted in the rotor. If desired a detent mechanism can be incorporated in the front cover and rotor. The carrier may be a single layer or it be one of several layers such as a flexible membrane, substrate and spacer having conventional membrane switches therein in addition to the rotary switch supplied by the kit of the present invention. Alternately, magnetically-actuated push button switches of the type described in the above patents may be incorporated in the carrier.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4303811 (1981-12-01), Parkinson
patent: 5666096 (1997-09-01), Van Zeeland
Cook Alex McFarron Manzo Cummings & Mehler, Ltd.
Duraswitch Industries Inc.
Hall Carl E.
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