Typewriting machines – Key-board or key lever-actuating mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-01
2001-11-06
Hilten, John S. (Department: 2854)
Typewriting machines
Key-board or key lever-actuating mechanism
C400S496000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06312176
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a keyboard apparatus ideally used for a personal computer of a notebook type or the like for which thinness is required.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional keyboard apparatus will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 6
is a partial sectional view of the conventional keyboard apparatus, and
FIG. 7
is a sectional view taken at the line
7
—
7
of FIG.
6
.
FIG. 8
is a schematic representation of a supporting substrate used for the conventional keyboard apparatus, wherein
FIG. 8A
is a partial top plan view of the supporting substrate, and
FIG. 8B
is a sectional view taken at the line
8
B—
8
B of FIG.
8
A.
A plate-like supporting substrate
51
made of a metal has: a pair of rectangular slits
51
a
and two pairs of rectangular slits
51
b
provided in parallel; a first retaining portion
51
c
which is positioned between the paired slits
51
a
, provided by cutting and raising a square wall so that it protrudes upward, and has a trapezoidal section; two second retaining portions
51
d
, each of which is positioned between the slits
51
b
of each pair, provided by cutting raising square walls so that they protrude upward, and have U-shaped sections; and vertical through holes
51
e
formed by providing the slits
51
a
and
51
b
, the first retaining portion
51
c
, and the second retaining portions
51
d.
The single first retaining portion
51
c
and the two second retaining portions
51
d
are disposed triangularly on the supporting substrate
51
. A plurality of sets, each set consisting of the three retaining portions, are formed on the supporting substrate
51
.
A contact sheet
52
composed of two layers of flexible resinous films (not shown) has printed contacts on two opposing surfaces of the resinous films disposed with a predetermined gap provided therebetween. The sheet
52
has a plurality of apertures
52
a.
The first retaining portion
51
c
and the second retaining portions
51
d
are mounted on the supporting substrate
51
, being inserted in the respective apertures
52
a.
A link assembly L formed of a synthetic resin is constituted by a first supporting member
53
and a second supporting member
54
. The first supporting member
53
is composed of: a plate-like base
53
a;
a round aperture
53
b
provided at the center of the base
53
a;
pivot shafts
53
c
installed on both sides at the center of the base
53
a;
a rotary shaft
53
d
which is provided about the pivot shafts
53
c
and which projects from the sidewall of one end of the base
53
a;
a pair of arms
53
e
which are provided around the pivot shaft
53
c,
coupled to the base
53
a
on the opposite side thereof, and protrude in parallel to each other; and slide retaining pins
53
f
provided so that they protrude inward with respect to the ends of the arms
53
e.
The second supporting member
54
is constituted by a base
54
a,
a pair of arms
54
b
which are formed approximately in a U shape by being coupled to the base
54
a
and which are provided in parallel to each other, a slide pin
54
c
provided in such a manner that it protrudes outward on the free end of each of the arms
54
b;
a pair of pivot apertures
54
d
provided at the middle of each of the arms
54
b
such that they face each other; and a T-shaped rotary retaining pin
54
e
which is coupled to the base
54
a
and extends in the opposite direction from the arms
54
b.
The first supporting member
53
and the second supporting member
54
are connected by the pivot shafts
53
c
that are fitted from inside into the pivot apertures
54
d
so that they intersect with each other. The slide retaining pin
53
f
is slidably retained in the single first retaining portion
51
c
, and the rotary retaining pin
54
e
is rotatably retained and held in the two second retaining portions
51
d
, thus configuring a set retaining portions of the link assembly L.
A key top
55
composed of a molding made of a synthetic resin has supporting portions
55
a
and
55
b
on the bottom surface thereof. The rotary shaft
53
d
of the first supporting member
53
and the slide pin
54
c
of the second supporting member
54
are retained by the supporting portions
55
a
and
55
b,
respectively.
A rubber spring
56
formed of a rubber constituent is constructed of a dome portion
56
a
that has a section shaped like an inverted U and a flat top surface, a cylindrical contact portion
56
b
provided on the top of the dome portion
56
a,
and a protuberance
56
c
provided so that it protrudes downward in the dome portion
56
a.
The bottom of the dome portion
56
a
of the rubber spring
56
is fixed onto the sheet
52
by an appropriate means, and the dome portion
56
a
is inserted in the round aperture
53
b
of the first supporting member
53
so that the contact portion
56
b
comes in contact with the bottom surface of the key top
55
. The springiness of the dome portion
56
a
urges the link assembly L and the key top
55
upward at all times. At this time, the protuberance
56
c
provided on the dome portion
56
a
is positioned above the sheet
52
.
A plurality of the link assemblies L, the key tops
55
, the rubber springs
56
configured as discussed above are arranged on the supporting substrate
51
and the sheet
52
to make up the keyboard apparatus. This keyboard apparatus is installed on a personal computer or the like. In using the personal computer, when the key top
55
is pressed downward against the springiness of the rubber spring
56
, the link assembly L moves down with the intersecting point as its center. At this time, the slide retaining pin
53
f
slides in the first retaining portion
51
c
, while the slide pin
54
c
slides in the supporting portion
55
b,
causing the link assembly L to be collapsed. This squeezes and deforms the dome portion
56
a,
causing the protuberance
56
c
to push the contact sheet
52
. The pushing force turns ON the contact provided on the sheet
52
, so that the input signal of the key is transmitted to a control member (not shown) of the personal computer or the like. The moment the key top
55
is released, the deformed dome portion
56
a
resets itself by its own springiness, the link assembly L and the key top
55
accordingly restore their original conditions, and the contact of the sheet
52
turns OFF. In this way, the contact is turned ON/OFF.
In the process for assembling the conventional keyboard apparatus described above, to dispose the slide retaining pin
53
f
such that it is held by the first retaining portion
51
c
, the arms
53
e
of the first supporting member
53
are flexibly spread outward to insert them into the first retaining portion
51
c
to hold them therein. Similarly, in order to dispose the rotary retaining pin
54
e
so that it is held in the second retaining portion
51
d
, the arms
54
b
of the second supporting members
54
are flexed inward to insert them into the second retaining portions
51
d
to hold them therein.
The first retaining portion
51
c
, however, has the following disadvantage because of its square shape. In the assembly process of the conventional keyboard apparatus, the two arms
53
e
provided with the slide retaining pins
53
f
have to be flexed to insert them into the first retaining portion
51
c
as described above, resulting in poor assemblability.
Further, the slits
51
a
and
51
b
are formed in the supporting substrate
51
, then the wall between the slits are cut and raised to form the first retaining portion
51
c
and the second retaining portions
51
d
. As a result, the through holes
51
e
are formed in the supporting substrate
51
as mentioned above. Dust intrudes into the keyboard apparatus from the back face of the supporting substrate
51
, adversely affecting the operation or the like of the link assembly L.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention has been made with a view toward solving the problems described above, and it is an object thereof to p
Fukuyama Teruyasu
Kageyama Masaaki
Narusawa Tsuyoshi
Suga Seiichi
Suganami Shouji
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Cone Darius
Hilten John S.
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