Patent US6284988B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6284988B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Keyboard apparatus the operation side of which can be illuminated
Assignee: Alps Alpine Co Ltd
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Filing: 2000-01-18
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Granted: 2001-09-04
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Expires: 2020-01-18
Abstract
Abstract The keyboard apparatus includes a plurality of key switches manipulated by keytops and a backlight means comprising an EL sheet for illuminating the operation side S constituted of the keytops from under it wherein the key switches are provided with permeable keytops and impermeable character portions and the backlight means has light emission positions allocated corresponding to key placements.
Inventors
- 👤 Kazutoshi Watanabe
- 👤 Kazuhiro Yokoyama
- 👤 Katsuyuki Suzuki
- 👤 Satoru Takemori
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 17:18
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F1/00; G06F1/16; G06F1/1613; G06F1/1615; G06F1/1616; G06F1/1633; G06F1/1662; G06F3/00; G06F3/01; G06F3/02; G06F3/0202; H; H01; H01H; H01H9/00; H01H9/18; H01H9/182; H01H2009/186; H01H2219/00; H01H2219/002; H01H2219/018; H01H2219/036
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
210 words
A keyboard apparatus for a desk-top computer comprising a housing and a plurality of manually operated key switches, each key switch being slidably supported by a seat on the housing and having a keytop, an operation side of each of the keytops being illuminated from underneath by a backlight mechanism, wherein said backlight mechanism comprises an electroluminescent (EL) sheet placed on a top surface of the housing, said EL sheet having through holes corresponding to the positions of the key switches, said through holes permitting the seats on the housing to extend upwardly through the EL sheet, wherein said EL sheet has light emission portions corresponding to an area beneath each of the key switches, said light emission portions being formed by screen print stacking a transparent electrode layer, a fluorescent layer, a dielectric layer, a back electrode layer, and an isolation resist layer on a transparent sheet, and wherein the operation side of each of said keytops comprises a field portion and a character portion, said field portion being made of a light permeable material and said character portion being made of a light impermeable material so as to permit a transmission of light from said light emission portions through the field portion but not through the character portion.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
210 words
A keyboard apparatus for a desk-top computer comprising a housing and a plurality of manually operated key switches, each key switch being slidably supported by a seat on the housing and having a keytop, an operation side of each of the keytops being illuminated from underneath by a backlight mechanism, wherein said backlight mechanism comprises an electroluminescent (EL) sheet placed on a top surface of the housing, said EL sheet having through holes corresponding to the positions of the key switches, said through holes permitting the seats on the housing to extend upwardly through the EL sheet, wherein said EL sheet has light emission portions corresponding to an area beneath each of the key switches, said light emission portions being formed by screen print stacking a transparent electrode layer, a fluorescent layer, a dielectric layer, a back electrode layer, and an isolation resist layer on a transparent sheet, and wherein the operation side of each of said keytops comprises a field portion and a character portion, said field portion being made of a light permeable material and said character portion being made of a light impermeable material so as to permit a transmission of light from said light emission portions through the field portion but not through the character portion.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
The keyboard apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said EL sheet has secondary light emission portions corresponding to an area between each of the key switches so as to illuminate a plane contour of the key switches.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
42 words
The keyboard apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said secondary light emission portions are illuminated in a sequenced or randomized pattern so as to so as to only illuminate areas adjacent to fewer than all of the plurality of key switches.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
The keyboard apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said light emission portions are illuminated in a sequenced or randomized pattern so as to so as to only illuminate fewer than all of the plurality of key switches.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
210 words
A keyboard apparatus for a desk-top computer comprising a housing and a plurality of manually operated key switches, each key switch being slidably supported by a seat on the housing and having a keytop, an operation side of each of the keytops being illuminated from underneath by a backlight mechanism, wherein said backlight mechanism comprises an electroluminescent (EL) sheet placed on a top surface of the housing, said EL sheet having through holes corresponding to the positions of the key switches, said through holes permitting the seats on the housing to extend upwardly through the EL sheet, wherein said EL sheet has light emission portions corresponding to an area beneath each of the key switches, said light emission portions being formed by screen print stacking a transparent electrode layer, a fluorescent layer, a dielectric layer, a back electrode layer, and an isolation resist layer on a transparent sheet, and wherein the operation side of each of said keytops comprises a field portion and a character portion, said field portion being made of a light impermeable material and said character portion being made of a light permeable material so as to permit a transmission of light from said light emission portions through the character portion but not through the field portion.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
210 words
A keyboard apparatus for a desk-top computer comprising a housing and a plurality of manually operated key switches, each key switch being slidably supported by a seat on the housing and having a keytop, an operation side of each of the keytops being illuminated from underneath by a backlight mechanism, wherein said backlight mechanism comprises an electroluminescent (EL) sheet placed on a top surface of the housing, said EL sheet having through holes corresponding to the positions of the key switches, said through holes permitting the seats on the housing to extend upwardly through the EL sheet, wherein said EL sheet has light emission portions corresponding to an area beneath each of the key switches, said light emission portions being formed by screen print stacking a transparent electrode layer, a fluorescent layer, a dielectric layer, a back electrode layer, and an isolation resist layer on a transparent sheet, and wherein the operation side of each of said keytops comprises a field portion and a character portion, said field portion being made of a light impermeable material and said character portion being made of a light permeable material so as to permit a transmission of light from said light emission portions through the character portion but not through the field portion.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
The keyboard apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said EL sheet has secondary light emission portions corresponding to an area between each of the key switches so as to illuminate a plane contour of the key switches.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
The keyboard apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein said secondary light emission portions are illuminated in a sequenced or randomized pattern so as to so as to only illuminate areas adjacent to fewer than all of the plurality of key switches.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
The keyboard apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said light emission portions are illuminated in a sequenced or randomized pattern so as to so as to only illuminate fewer than all of the plurality of key switches.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
214 words
A keyboard apparatus incorporated into a portable notebook type personal computer comprising a housing and a plurality of manually operated key switches, each key switch being slidably supported by a seat on the housing and having a keytop, an operation side of each of the keytops being illuminated from underneath by a backlight mechanism, wherein said backlight mechanism comprises an electroluminescent (EL) sheet placed on a top surface of the housing, said EL sheet having through holes corresponding to the positions of the key switches, said through holes permitting the seats on the housing to extend upwardly through the EL sheet, wherein said EL sheet has light emission portions corresponding to an area beneath each of the key switches, said light emission portions being formed by screen print stacking a transparent electrode layer, a fluorescent layer, a dielectric layer, a back electrode layer, and an isolation resist layer on a transparent sheet, and wherein the operation side of each of said keytops comprises a field portion and a character portion, said field portion being made of a light permeable material and said character portion being made of a light impermeable material so as to permit a transmission of light from said light emission portions through the field portion but not through the character portion.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
214 words
A keyboard apparatus incorporated into a portable notebook type personal computer comprising a housing and a plurality of manually operated key switches, each key switch being slidably supported by a seat on the housing and having a keytop, an operation side of each of the keytops being illuminated from underneath by a backlight mechanism, wherein said backlight mechanism comprises an electroluminescent (EL) sheet placed on a top surface of the housing, said EL sheet having through holes corresponding to the positions of the key switches, said through holes permitting the seats on the housing to extend upwardly through the EL sheet, wherein said EL sheet has light emission portions corresponding to an area beneath each of the key switches, said light emission portions being formed by screen print stacking a transparent electrode layer, a fluorescent layer, a dielectric layer, a back electrode layer, and an isolation resist layer on a transparent sheet, and wherein the operation side of each of said keytops comprises a field portion and a character portion, said field portion being made of a light permeable material and said character portion being made of a light impermeable material so as to permit a transmission of light from said light emission portions through the field portion but not through the character portion.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
38 words
The keyboard apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein said EL sheet has secondary light emission portions corresponding to an area between each of the key switches so as to illuminate a plane contour of the key switches.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
42 words
The keyboard apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein said secondary light emission portions are illuminated in a sequenced or randomized pattern so as to so as to only illuminate areas adjacent to fewer than all of the plurality of key switches.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
38 words
The keyboard apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein said light emission portions are illuminated in a sequenced or randomized pattern so as to so as to only illuminate fewer than all of the plurality of key switches.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
30 words
The keyboard apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein said portable notebook type personal computer comprises a cover, and said backlight mechanism is turned on when said cover is opened.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
214 words
A keyboard apparatus incorporated into a portable notebook type personal computer comprising a housing and a plurality of manually operated key switches, each key switch being slidably supported by a seat on the housing and having a keytop, an operation side of each of the keytops being illuminated from underneath by a backlight mechanism, wherein said backlight mechanism comprises an electroluminescent (EL) sheet placed on a top surface of the housing, said EL sheet having through holes corresponding to the positions of the key switches, said through holes permitting the seats on the housing to extend upwardly through the EL sheet, wherein said EL sheet has light emission portions corresponding to an area beneath each of the key switches, said light emission portions being formed by screen print stacking a transparent electrode layer, a fluorescent layer, a dielectric layer, a back electrode layer, and an isolation resist layer on a transparent sheet, and wherein the operation side of each of said keytops comprises a field portion and a character portion, said field portion being made of a light impermeable material and said character portion being made of a light permeable material so as to permit a transmission of light from said light emission portions through the character portion but not through the field portion.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
214 words
A keyboard apparatus incorporated into a portable notebook type personal computer comprising a housing and a plurality of manually operated key switches, each key switch being slidably supported by a seat on the housing and having a keytop, an operation side of each of the keytops being illuminated from underneath by a backlight mechanism, wherein said backlight mechanism comprises an electroluminescent (EL) sheet placed on a top surface of the housing, said EL sheet having through holes corresponding to the positions of the key switches, said through holes permitting the seats on the housing to extend upwardly through the EL sheet, wherein said EL sheet has light emission portions corresponding to an area beneath each of the key switches, said light emission portions being formed by screen print stacking a transparent electrode layer, a fluorescent layer, a dielectric layer, a back electrode layer, and an isolation resist layer on a transparent sheet, and wherein the operation side of each of said keytops comprises a field portion and a character portion, said field portion being made of a light impermeable material and said character portion being made of a light permeable material so as to permit a transmission of light from said light emission portions through the character portion but not through the field portion.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
38 words
The keyboard apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein said EL sheet has secondary light emission portions corresponding to an area between each of the key switches so as to illuminate a plane contour of the key switches.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
42 words
The keyboard apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein said secondary light emission portions are illuminated in a sequenced or randomized pattern so as to so as to only illuminate areas adjacent to fewer than all of the plurality of key switches.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
38 words
The keyboard apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein said light emission portions are illuminated in a sequenced or randomized pattern so as to so as to only illuminate fewer than all of the plurality of key switches.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
30 words
The keyboard apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein said portable notebook type personal computer comprises a cover, and said backlight mechanism is turned on when said cover is opened.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2004-09-03 | 2005-03-05 | 2005-09-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-09-03 | 2009-03-05 | 2009-09-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-09-03 | 2013-03-05 | 2013-09-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |