Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Multiple circuit control – Multiple switch
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-16
2003-06-03
Friedhofer, Michael (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Multiple circuit control
Multiple switch
C200S517000, C200S302200, C200S341000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06573463
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a structure of an electronic instrument having operation keys for, such as a telephone terminal and a portable calculator, and a manufacturing method thereof.
Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1
is a perspective view showing a conventional structure of an electronic instrument having operation keys. As shown in
FIG. 1
, the conventional structure of the electronic instrument provides an upper cabinet
1
and a lower cabinet
2
both formed by resin molding, operation keys
4
in an operating section
3
, and a displaying section
6
. And a key sheet
5
is composed of that the operation keys
4
are connected with a resin film covering the upper surfaces of the operation keys
4
one another.
Next, a manufacturing method of the key sheet
5
is explained.
FIG. 2
is a sectional view showing a first manufacturing process of the key sheet
5
at the conventional structure of the electronic instrument shown in FIG.
1
. First, a resin film
7
, whose printing surface
8
designated images and figures were printed on, is put between an upper die
9
having the same shape surface that the cosmetic design surfaces of the operation keys
4
have and a first lower die
10
that has the shape reversed the upper die
9
and that the thickness of the resin film
7
is offset, and pressure is applied to the upper die
9
and/or the first lower die
10
, and the resin film
7
is formed. In this, the resin film
7
is made of a thermoplastic resin material such as polyester, nylon, and polycarbonate, and the thickness of the resin film
7
is 50 micrometers to 100 micrometers.
FIG. 3
is a sectional view showing a second manufacturing process of the key sheet
5
at the conventional structure of the electronic instrument shown in FIG.
1
. After the first manufacturing process mentioned above, as shown in
FIG. 3
, the first lower die
10
is replaced by a second lower die
11
whose upper surface is the same that the bottom surfaces of the operation keys
4
have, and a filler resin
13
such as an ABS resin and polycarbonate is injected from a gate
12
formed at the second lower die
11
.
FIG. 4
is a sectional view showing a third manufacturing process of the key sheet
5
at the conventional structure of the electronic instrument shown in FIG.
1
. As shown in
FIG. 4
, the space between the printing surface
8
of the resin film
7
and the second lower die
11
is filled with the filler resin
13
, after the filler resin
13
was hardened, both of the upper die
9
and the second lower die
11
are removed.
FIG. 5
is a sectional view of the key sheet
5
at the conventional structure of the electronic instrument. As shown in
FIG. 5
, the key sheet
5
with the operation keys
4
is formed.
FIG. 6
is a sectional view showing a structure of the operating part at the conventional structure of the electronic instrument. As shown in
FIG. 6
, the operating part at the conventional structure consists of the upper cabinet
1
, the key sheet
5
with the operation keys
4
, a rubber sheet
14
, dome shaped switches
15
, and a printed circuit board (PCB)
16
.
At the operating part at the conventional structure, the reason why the rubber sheet
14
is inserted between the key sheet
5
with the operation keys
4
and the PCB
16
is to prevent the PCB
16
and the dome shaped switches
15
from being corroded by that water and/or dust enter from a gap between the upper cabinet
1
and the key sheet
5
.
At the conventional structure of the electronic instrument, as shown in
FIG. 6
, the key sheet
5
with the operation keys
4
, which was formed by that the filler resin
13
was filled under the resin film
7
, is set into the opening part of the upper cabinet
1
.
However, at the conventional structure of the electronic instrument, there is a possibility that water and/or dust enter the inside of the electronic instrument from the gap between the key sheet
5
with the operation keys
4
and the upper cabinet
1
. Therefore, the rubber sheet
14
is inserted between the key sheet
5
with the operation keys
4
and the PCB
16
to which the dome shaped switches
15
were mounted, and the water and/or dust are prevented from entering the inside of the electronic instrument. However, the key sheet
5
with the operation keys
4
is set into the opening part of the upper cabinet
1
in the state that the key sheet
5
with the operation keys
4
only presses the PCB
16
, therefore, the water and/or the dust can not be entirely prevented from entering the inside of the electronic instrument. Furthermore, the number of the components is too large, and must be reduced in order to meet that the electronic instrument is small (thin) sized and light weighted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a structure of an electronic instrument having operation keys and a manufacturing method thereof, in which a dustproof and waterproof function can be secured by a simple structure.
According to a first aspect of the present invention for achieving the object mentioned above, there is provided a structure of an electronic instrument having operation keys. The structure of the electronic instrument having operation keys provides a cabinet providing an opening part for operation keys, operation keys that are disposed in the opening part of the cabinet so that each of the operation keys is movable in the orthogonal direction to the front surface of the cabinet, and a resin film that covers the surface of the cabinet and the surfaces of the operation keys in the state that the resin film is not cut on the surfaces of the cabinet and the operation keys, and covers a gap formed between the cabinet and the operation keys, and gaps formed among the operation keys.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, designated images and figures are printed on the surface contacting the cabinet and the operation keys of the resin film.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the cabinet is divided into an upper cabinet and a lower cabinet and composed of the upper cabinet and the lower cabinet, and the operation keys are disposed in an opening part of the upper cabinet, and the edge part of the resin film is extended to the part where the upper cabinet and the lower cabinet are joined.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the cabinet provides a displaying part and the displaying part is at least transparent, and the part of the resin film where the displaying part is disposed is transparent.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the upper cabinet provides a displaying part and the displaying part is at least transparent, and the part of the resin film where the displaying part is disposed is transparent.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, a printed circuit board in which switches contacting to each of the operation keys are mounted is provided in the cabinet.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a manufacturing method of an electronic instrument having operation keys. At the manufacturing method of the electronic instrument having operation keys, the electronic instrument having operation keys provides a cabinet providing an opening part for operation keys, and operation keys that are disposed in the opening part of the cabinet so that each of the operation keys is movable in the orthogonal direction to the front surface of the cabinet, and a resin film is formed on a cavity plate having concave parts being the same shape of the outer shape of the cabinet and the outer shape of the operation keys at the state that the operation keys are disposed at the designated positions in the opening part of the cabinet by using a first core plate having convex parts (the concave parts are reversed and the thickness of the resin film is reduced) being the similar figure of the concave parts of the ca
Friedhofer Michael
McGinn & Gibb PLLC
NEC Corporation
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