US4338502A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Metallic housing for an electronic apparatus with a flat keyboard
Assignee: Sharp Corp
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Filing: 1980-10-06
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Granted: 1982-07-06
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Expires: 2000-10-06
Abstract
Abstract An upper member of a housing and a plurality of key actuators are unified into a single flat sheet made of stainless steel. The respective key actuators are made movable by providing a "U" shaped slot and a hinge at the corresponding limited regions of the stainless steel sheet. The hinge and key indicia are formed at the same time by a half etching step. When a particular one of the key actuators is actuated, a movable contact on a conductive silicon rubber sheet will come into contact with a stationary contact on a circuit board.
Inventors
- 👤 Shintaro Hashimoto
- 👤 Shigeki Komaki
- 👤 Akira Tanimoto
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 11:18
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01H; H01H13/00; H01H13/70; H01H13/702; H01H13/02; H01H13/12; H01H13/14; H01H2209/00; H01H2209/024; H01H2209/026; H01H2219/00; H01H2219/028; H01H2221/00; H01H2221/002; H01H2221/004; H01H2223/00; H01H2223/008; H01H2229/00; H01H2229/016; H01H2231/00; H01H2231/002
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 3
Claim 1
Independent Claim
167 words
A hand-held electronic calculator having a keyboard comprising: a housing having an upper member and a lower member for said hand-held electronic calculator, said upper member being made of metallic material; said upper metallic housing member of said housing constituting a plurality of key actuators, each of said key actuators being defined by a continuous slot which connects with itself and completely penetrates the upper metallic housing member; a flexible sheet fixed to the rear surface of the upper metallic housing member in a manner to cover all of the key actuators, said flexible sheet carrying an electrically non-conductive silicon rubber sheet and a plurality of electrically conductive silicon rubber contacts forming the movable contacts for the keyboard; and a plurality of stationary contacts including means for their support, disposed within said housing, said stationary contacts being positioned to correspond to said movable contacts, whereby a particular movable contact comes into contact with a particular stationary contact when a particular one of said key actuators is depressed.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
167 words
A hand-held electronic calculator having a keyboard comprising: a housing having an upper member and a lower member for said hand-held electronic calculator, said upper member being made of metallic material; said upper metallic housing member of said housing constituting a plurality of key actuators, each of said key actuators being defined by a continuous slot which connects with itself and completely penetrates the upper metallic housing member; a flexible sheet fixed to the rear surface of the upper metallic housing member in a manner to cover all of the key actuators, said flexible sheet carrying an electrically non-conductive silicon rubber sheet and a plurality of electrically conductive silicon rubber contacts forming the movable contacts for the keyboard; and a plurality of stationary contacts including means for their support, disposed within said housing, said stationary contacts being positioned to correspond to said movable contacts, whereby a particular movable contact comes into contact with a particular stationary contact when a particular one of said key actuators is depressed.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The hand-held electronic calculator of claim 1, wherein each key actuator is defined by four slots which connect with each other to form a square or rectangular configuration.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1985-07-05 | 1986-01-04 | 1986-07-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1989-07-05 | 1990-01-04 | 1990-07-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1993-07-05 | 1994-01-04 | 1994-07-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |