Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Multiple circuit control – Combined pivoted and reciprocating contact
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-03
2001-08-07
Scott, J. R. (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Multiple circuit control
Combined pivoted and reciprocating contact
C200S0050EA, C200S018000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06271488
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switch mechanism operable in three different directions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some conventional pocket or portable telephones use a switch mechanism which can be operated by rotating and pressing and thus serves as one controller. This type of switch mechanism used in such a portable telephone has a control member supported rotatably on a spindle perpendicular to a flat base and linearly movably in relation to the base. The control member is of a circular thin-plate structure designed to compact so as not to esthetically spoil the appearance of the telephone body.
The pocket telephone having such a switch mechanism is adapted to retrieve, by rotating the control member, a desired one of a plurality of telephone numbers stored in a memory incorporated in the telephone body, and transmit the retrieved telephone number by pressing the control member.
Some recently available pocket telephones have many functions including, in addition to the telephoning function, functions of composing a short sentence, transmitting it via electronic mail (E-mail) and receiving such a sentence via E-mail. As the pocket telephone is designed to have an increased number of functions, it should be provided with a correspondingly increased number of function control keys for performing the functions. The functions are to be performed by operating many combinations each of a plurality of control keys including the function control keys and dial keys. Therefore, because of the increased number of functions, the multi-functional pocket telephone cannot be designed compact and operated easily. Also, if the pocket telephone is designed to perform a function by operating a combination of a plurality of control keys, the operation itself is complicated. Anyway, the conventional multi-functional pocket telephones have no easy operability.
Also, since the control member used in the switch mechanism of the pocket telephone is of the circular thin-plate structure, it is not easy to operate.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention has an object to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art by providing an improved and novel switch mechanism operable in three different directions, permitting to perform many functions, easily operable and also permitting to design compact a main body of a pocket telephone or the like in which the switch mechanism is employed.
The above object can be attained by providing a switch mechanism comprising according to the present invention:
a rotatable control member;
means for supporting the control member rotatably and also movably in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the control member as well as along the axis of rotation;
a first detector to detect a rotation of the control member;
a second detector to detect a movement of the control member in the direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the control member; and
a third detector to detect a movement of the control member along the axis of rotation of the control member.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the supporting means includes supporting members for supporting the control member rotatably and movably in the direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the control member and a movement guide mechanism for supporting the control member movably along the axis of rotation of the control member, and when the switch mechanism is operated to move the control member along the axis of rotation of the control member, the supporting members move along the axis of rotation of the control member and the third detector detects the movement of the supporting member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the supporting means includes a shaft portion which is inserted into a through-hole formed in the control member along the axis of rotation of the latter and supporting members for supporting the shaft portion rotatably, and one of the shaft portion and through-hole has a guide recess formed therein along the axis of rotation of the control member while the other of the shaft portion and through-hole has formed thereon a projection which is engaged in the guide recess.
These objects and other objects, features and advantages of the present intention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2841659 (1958-07-01), Eitel
patent: 3293381 (1966-12-01), Eitel
patent: 3360620 (1967-12-01), Ward
patent: 3573412 (1971-04-01), Ulrich
patent: 4823634 (1989-04-01), Culver
patent: 5635926 (1997-06-01), Li
patent: B1 6194673 (2001-02-01), Sato et al.
patent: B1 6198057 (2001-03-01), Sato et al.
patent: 0588210 (1994-03-01), None
patent: 2260598 (1993-04-01), None
Maioli Jay H.
Scott J. R.
Sony Corporation
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