Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Multiple circuit control – Pivoted contact
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-02
2001-07-17
Friedhofer, Michael (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Multiple circuit control
Pivoted contact
Reexamination Certificate
active
06262381
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-contact inputting device, and more particularly to a multi-contact inputting device which has a center switch and plural side switches that are placed around the center switch, and in which the center switch and the side switches are individually opened and closed by operating an operation member.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A multi-contact inputting device is used for inputting and outputting different signals by operating one or plural operation members. Among conventional art multi-contact inputting devices of this kind, a device is employed in which each of the center switch and the side switches is formed by combining a stationary electrode, and movable electrodes each configured by a snap plate covering the stationary electrode. In such a device, spaces for respectively accommodating the movable electrodes each configured by a snap plate are formed by partitioning the body so as not to overlap with each other.
In the multi-contact inputting device of the conventional art, the body in which the center switch and the side switches are placed must be formed into a size which allows the movable electrodes each configured by a snap plate to be placed so as not to overlap with each other in the thickness direction of the body. Consequently, there arises a situation in which the size of the body is determined by the size and the number of the snap plates forming the movable electrodes. As a result, the concept that the movable electrodes each configured by a snap plate are placed so as not to overlap with each other in the thickness direction of the body constitutes one of obstacles to reduce the size of the body so as to attain miniaturization and compaction of the whole shape of a multi-contact inputting device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been conducted in view of the above-mentioned circumstances under the concept that, unlike the conventional art, movable electrodes constituting a center switch and plural side switches and each configured by a snap plate are placed so as to overlap with each other in the thickness direction of the body.
It is an object of the invention to arrange movable electrodes in the manner described above, whereby miniaturization and compaction of the whole shape of a multi-contact inputting device are easily realized.
It is another object of the invention to prevent movable electrodes of a center switch and side switches from being positionally deviated, to enhance their operation reliability.
It is a further object of the invention to enable such movable electrodes to be positioned without increasing the number of parts.
It is a still further object of the invention to prevent a situation in which a movable electrode of each of side switches that is placed overlapping with a movable electrode of a center switch interferes with the movable electrode of the center switch to damage the movable electrodes, from occurring even when the movable electrode of the side switch is operated via an operation member to be flexurally deformed.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, the multi-contact inputting device of the invention will be described. The reference numerals in the figures are used in this paragraph in order to facilitate the understanding of the invention, and the use of the reference numerals is not intended to restrict the contents of the invention to the illustrated embodiments.
The multi-contact inputting device according to the invention has a center switch S
1
, and plural side switches S
2
which are placed around the center switch S
1
. Each of the center switch S
1
and the plural side switches S
2
is formed by: a stationary electrode
31
or
32
disposed in a body
1
; and a stationary electrode
41
or
42
configured by a snap plate which is placed so as to be separable from and contactable with the stationary electrode
31
or
32
, and to cover the stationary electrode
31
or
32
. The device further comprises an operation member
7
which can individually open and close the center switch S
1
and the side switches S
2
. A plurality of such operation members may be provided for each of the center switch and the side switches. Alternatively, a single operation member which can individually operate the center switch and the plural side switches may be provided.
In the multi-contact inputting device according to the invention, the plural side switches S
2
are placed so that a part of the movable electrode
42
of each of the side switches overlaps with the movable electrode
41
of the center switch S
1
in a thickness direction of the body
1
. When this configuration is employed, the spaces for respectively accommodating the movable electrodes
41
and
42
can be narrowed by a length corresponding to the overlapping width D of the electrodes, as compared with a configuration such as that of the conventional multi-contact inputting device described in the beginning, in which the movable electrode of the center switch and the movable electrodes of the plural side switches are placed so as not to overlap with each other in the thickness direction of the body. This is useful for reducing the size of the body
1
to expedite miniaturization and compaction of the whole shape of a multi-contact inputting device. In the invention, the movable electrode of the center switch S
1
may be placed so as to overlap above the movable electrodes of the plural side switches S
2
, or alternatively the movable electrodes of the plural side switches S
2
may be placed so as to overlap above the movable electrode of the center switch S
1
.
In the invention, it is preferable to dispose positioning means for positioning the movable electrode
41
of the center switch S
1
and the movable electrodes
42
of the side switches S
2
to predetermined positions which are formed by partitioning the body
1
. According to this configuration, positional relationships among the movable electrodes
41
and
42
of the center switch S
1
and the side switches S
2
are suitably defined, and hence a situation in which any one of the movable electrodes
41
and
42
is positionally deviated to impair the operation reliability does not occur.
In the invention, preferably, a recess
22
into which the movable electrode
41
of the center switch S
1
is to be fitted, and recesses
21
into which the movable electrodes
42
of the side switches S
2
are to be respectively fitted are disposed in the body
1
, and the positioning means is formed by the recesses
22
and
21
. When the movable electrodes
41
and
42
are fitted into the recesses
22
and
21
formed in the body
1
so as to perform positioning as described above, extra parts for positioning the movable electrodes
41
and
42
are not necessary, and hence it is possible to prevent the body structure from being complicated.
In the case where the positioning means for the movable electrodes
41
and
42
is formed by the recesses
22
and
21
as described above, preferably, the movable electrode
41
of the center switch S
1
and the movable electrodes
42
of the side switches S
2
have an arcuate section shape which upward swells, an outer peripheral edge of the movable electrode
41
of the center switch S
1
is seated on a bottom face of the recess
22
for positioning the movable electrode
41
of the center switch S
1
, outer peripheral edges of the movable electrodes
42
of the side switches S
2
are seated on bottom faces of the recesses
21
for positioning the movable electrode
42
of the side switches S
2
, respectively, and steps H are formed between the bottom face of the recess
22
for positioning the movable electrode
41
of the center switch S
1
and the bottom faces of the recesses
21
for positioning the movable electrode
42
of the side switches S
2
, respectively. According to this configuration, the outer peripheral edge of the movable electrode
41
of the center switch S
1
is placed with being separated in the thickness direction of the body from the outer
Kikuchi Toshio
Mimata Yoshihisa
Friedhofer Michael
Hosiden Corporation
Jones Tullar & Cooper P.C.
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