EP1028443B1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Key switch device, keyboard and electronic apparatus with key switch device
Assignee: Brother Industries Ltd
•
Filing: 2000-02-10
•
Granted: 2003-08-06
•
Expires: 2020-02-10
Abstract
Abstract In a key switch device 3, a guide member 10 constructed of a first and a second links 14 and 15, which guides a vertical movement of a key top 9, is movably mounted on a support plate 2 with a mounting member 6 provided with a rotatably supporting portion 7 which rotatably supports a rotatable shaft 18 formed at a lower end of the first link 14 and a slidably supporting portion 8 which slidably supports a slidable shaft 20 formed at a lower end of the second link 15. The mounting member 6 is fixed on the support plate 2 with a first, second, and third adhesive layers 24, 25, and 26. <IMAGE>
Inventors
- 👤 Mitsumasa Kako
- 👤 Isao Mochizuki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 14:51
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01H; H01H3/00; H01H3/02; H01H3/12; H01H3/122; H01H3/125; H01H2219/00; H01H2219/002; H01H2219/018; H01H2239/00; H01H2239/058; H01M; H01M6/00; H01M6/14; H01M6/18; H01M6/181
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 33
Claim 1
Independent Claim
209 words
A key switch device (3) including: a key top (9); a plate member (2) disposed below the key top; a guide member (10) provided with a first link (14)
and a second link (15) which are mutually movably
connected; and a switching section (11) which is disposed on the
plate member (2) and performs a switching operation in
association with a vertical movement of the key top (9); wherein the key switch device includes: a first shaft (18) formed at a lower end of the
first link (14); a second shaft (20) formed at a lower end of the
second link (15); and a mounting member (6,30,40) for movably supporting
the first (14) and second (15) shafts, the mounting
member (6,30,40) being fixed on a surface of the plate
member; characterised in that the plate member is a circuit board (60) disposed
below the key top, the circuit board having a switching
circuit formed thereon and the mounting member being
fixed on an upper surface of the circuit board; and
further-comprising: a fixing area formed on the circuit board, for
fixing the mounting member on the circuit board; wherein the fixing area is a metal land pattern (62,63)
formed when the switching circuit is formed on the
circuit board.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
27 words
The key switch device according to claim 1, wherein the
mounting member is formed in a chipped configuration having
a unit length of the key switch device.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
59 words
The key switch device according to claim 1, wherein a
plurality of the key switch devices are disposed on the plate
member, and the mounting member has a length required to
movably support the first shaft of the first link and the
second shaft of the second link of the guide member in each
of the key switch device.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
The key switch device according to claim 1, wherein the
mounting member is fixed on the surface of the plate member
with an adhesive applied to the surface of the plate member.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
50 words
The key switch device according to claim 1, wherein the
plate member is a support plate (2) disposed below the key
top, and the support plate and the mounting member are made
of metal material, and the mounting member is fixed on the
surface of the support plate by welding.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
The key switch device according to claim 5, wherein the
mounting member is fixed on the surface of the support plate
by soldering.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
The key switch device according to claim 5, wherein the
mounting member is fixed on the surface of the support plate
by laser welding.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
The key switch device according to claim 5, wherein the
mounting member is fixed on the surface of the support plate
by ultrasonic welding.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
The key switching device according to claim 1, wherein
the plate member is a membrane switch member (MS disposed below
the key top, and the mounting member being fixed on a surface
of the membrane switch member.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
48 words
The key switch device according to claim 9, wherein the
membrane switch member includes a film sheet with a switching
electrode, the switching member performs a switching operation in
cooperation with the film sheet and the switching electrode
in association with a vertical movement of the key top.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
56 words
The key switch device according to claim 9, wherein the
membrane switch member includes a membrane switch sheet (MS)
having a pair of an upper film sheet (S1) and a lower film
sheet (S2), the switching member performs a switching operation with
the membrane switch sheet in association with a vertical
movement of the key top.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
27 words
The key switch device according to claim 11, wherein the
mounting member is formed in a chipped shape having a unit
length of the key switch device.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
59 words
The switch device according to claim 9, wherein a plurality
of the key switch devices are disposed on the membrane switch
member, and the mounting member has a length required to
movably support the first shaft of the first link and the
second shaft of the second link of the guide member in each
of the key switch devices.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
34 words
The key switch device according to claim 9, wherein the
mounting member is fixed on the surface of the membrane switch
member with an adhesive applied to the surface of the membrane
switch member.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
28 words
The key switch device according to claim 1, wherein the
mounting member is made of metal, the mounting member being
fixed to the metal land pattern by soldering.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
53 words
The key switch device according to claim 1, wherein the
mounting member includes at least a first mounting member and
a second mounting member, and the metal land pattern includes
at least a first land pattern to fix the first mounting member
and a second land pattern to fix the second mounting member.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
36 words
The key switch device according to claim 16, wherein the
first mounting member slidably supports the second shaft of
the second link and the second mounting member rotatably
supports the first shaft of the first link.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
100 words
The key switch device according to claim 17, wherein the
first mounting member has a slidably supporting portion (8,
32, 42) to slidably support the second shaft of the second
link between both fixing ends formed at both sides of the first
mounting member, each fixing end being fixed on the first land
pattern and the second mounting member has a rotatably
supporting portion (7, 31, 41) to rotatably support the first
shaft of the first link between both fixing ends formed at
both sides of the second mounting member, each fixing end being
fixed on the second land pattern.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
48 words
The key switch device according to claim 18, wherein the
first land pattern has a slidably supporting area
corresponding to the supporting portion of the first mounting
member and the second land pattern has a rotatably supporting
area corresponding to the supporting portion of the second
mounting member.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
50 words
The key switch device according to claim 19, wherein the
second shaft of the second link is slid while contacting with
the supporting area of the first land pattern and the first
shaft of the first link is rotated while contacting with the
supporting area of the second land pattern.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
58 words
The key switch device according to claim 19, wherein the
supporting area of the first land pattern separates from
fixing areas where both the fixing ends of the first mounting
member are fixed and the supporting area of the second land
pattern separates from fixing areas where both the fixing ends
of the second mounting member are fixed.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
116 words
The key switch device according to claim 19, further
comprising an insulating resist film (IF) applied on the first
and second land pattern; fixing areas formed both sides of the first land pattern
by applying the insulating resist film to the first land
pattern so as to expose both sides of the first land pattern,
both fixing ends of the first mounting member being fixed on
the fixing areas; and fixing areas formed both sides of the second land pattern
by applying the insulating resist film to the second land
pattern so as to expose both sides of the second land pattern,
both fixing ends of the second mounting member being fixed
on the fixing areas.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
27 words
The key switch device according to claim 22, wherein both
the supporting areas of the first and second land pattern are
covered by the insulating resist film.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
62 words
The key switch device according to claim 23, wherein the
second shaft of the second link is slid while contacting with
the insulating resist film corresponding to the supporting
area of the first land pattern and the first shaft of the first
link is rotated while contacting with the insulating resist
film corresponding to the supporting area of the second land
pattern.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
19 words
The key switch device according to claim 1, wherein the
circuit board is constructed from a rigid circuit board.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
19 words
The key switch device according to claim 1, wherein the
circuit board is constructed from a film circuit board.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
48 words
The key switch device according to claim 9, wherein the
membrane switch member is made transparent, the key switch device further comprises an electro-luminescent
sheet disposed below the membrane switch member,
the electro-luminescent sheet backlighting the key top when
a predetermined voltage is applied to the electro-luminescent
sheet.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
55 words
The key switch device according to claim 27, wherein the
membrane switch member includes a transparent membrane switch
sheet having a pair of an upper transparent sheet and a lower
transparent sheet, and the switching member performs a
switching operation with the membrane switch sheet in
association with a vertical movement of the key top.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
29 words
The key switch device according to claim 28, wherein the
mounting member is fixed on an upper transparent surface of
the upper film sheet of the membrane switch sheet.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
63 words
The key switch device according to claim 1, wherein the
plate member is a support plate (2) and a film circuit board
disposed on the support plate and below the key top (9), the
film circuit board having a switching circuit and a
through-hole formed thereon and the mounting member being
fixed on an upper surface of the support plate through the
through-hole.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
34 words
The key switch device according to claim 30, wherein the
support plate and the mounting member are made of metal, the
mounting member being fixed to the support plate through the
through-hole by soldering.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
12 words
A keyboard provided with a key switch device
according to claim 1.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
16 words
An electronic apparatus having a keyboard provided
with a key switch device according to claim 1.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.