EP0186708A1 - Flat keyboard - Google Patents
Flat keyboard Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0186708A1 EP0186708A1 EP85902663A EP85902663A EP0186708A1 EP 0186708 A1 EP0186708 A1 EP 0186708A1 EP 85902663 A EP85902663 A EP 85902663A EP 85902663 A EP85902663 A EP 85902663A EP 0186708 A1 EP0186708 A1 EP 0186708A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- keyboard
- flat
- surface sheet
- keyboard assembly
- smooth
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H13/00—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch
- H01H13/70—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboard
- H01H13/702—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboard with contacts carried by or formed from layers in a multilayer structure, e.g. membrane switches
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H2209/00—Layers
- H01H2209/016—Protection layer, e.g. for legend, anti-scratch
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H2223/00—Casings
- H01H2223/01—Mounting on appliance
- H01H2223/024—Screw
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H2223/00—Casings
- H01H2223/034—Bezel
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H2229/00—Manufacturing
- H01H2229/034—Positioning of layers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H2229/00—Manufacturing
- H01H2229/062—Maintenance or repair facilities
Abstract
A flat keyboard which is used as an operating board for numerical control units, and as an input device for calculators and electronic balances. It is an object of this invention to easily and accurately position an outer sheet (70) with which the outer surface of a keyboard assembly (100) is covered. A keyboard assembly (100) consisting of a printed board (1) on which keys (4) are arranged is attached to the rear surface of a smooth, flat panel (6) with holes therein. The outer surface of the keyboard assembly (100) and the outer sides of the holes in the smooth, flat panel (6) are covered with an outer sheet (70). The positioning means (11,12) which are opposed to the keyboard assembly (100) are provided on a peripheral portion of the outer sheet (70). A smooth, flat frame (8) placed on the peripheral portion of the outer sheet (70) is fastened to the smooth, flat panel (6) by fixing means (9) to hold the peripheral portion firmly between the smooth, flat panel (6) and smooth, flat frame (8).
Description
- This invention relates to a flat keyboard and, more particularly, to a flat keyboard used in an operator's panel of a numerical control unit, an input unit of a computer, an input unit of an electronic weigher and the like.
- Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate an example of a conventionally used flat keyboard. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of Fig. 5, and Fig. 5 is a plan view. The structure of the conventionally used flat keyboard will now be described based on Figs. 4 and 5. In the Figure,
numeral 1 denotes a printed board on which wiring is formed by a printing method. Numeral 2 denotes a reed switch a plurality whereof are arranged on the printed board. Numeral 4 denotes a key a plurality of which oppose and overlie respective ones of theplural reed switches 2. Fixed to the bottom surface of each key is amagnet 3 for turning thereed switch 2 on and off. Thekey 4 is urged upwardly by a spring or the like, not shown, so that themagnet 3 fixed to the bottom surface ordinarily is spaced away from thereed switch 2. By pressing the key, themagnet 3 is made to approach thereed switch 2. Numeral 5 denotes a guide plate ofkey 4. The central portion of the guide plate is so formed as to project upwardly and is equipped with aguide hole 51a into which the crown portion of the key is fitted, thus constructing aguide portion 51. Theperipheral portion 52 thereof is attached to the printedboard 1 via aspacer 10. Numeral 7 denotes a surface sheet covering the surface of theguide plate 5 andkeys 4 and fixed to the overall surface of theguide plate 5 as by an adhesive. The above-described printedboard 1, readswitches 2,keys 4,magnets 3,guide plate 5,spacer 10 andsurface sheet 7 construct a keyboard assembly. This keyboard assembly is mounted on adecorative panel 6, which has an opening 6a, from the inner side thereof (the lower side in Fig. 4) and is attached to the back side of thedecorative panel 6 with theguide portion 51 being fitted into the opening 6a. - Since the
surface sheet 7 is affixed to theguide plate 5 as by an adhesive, it is difficult to position the surface sheet. In particular, if a large number of keys are provided, affixing the surface sheet in such a manner that the sheet accurately coincides with the keys is a very difficult operation. In addition, there is the possibility that thesurface sheet 7 will be damaged. How to readily position the surface sheet and improve positioning accuracy when the sheet is replaced are problems to be solved. - The present invention has been devised to solve the foregoing problems of the above-described conventionally employed flat keyboard and its object is to provide a flat keyboard in which the surface sheet covering the surface of the keyboard assembly can be readily positioned and accurately affixed.
- According to the present invention, there is provided a flat keyboard having a decorative panel equipped with an opening, a keyboard assembly arranged opposite the opening and attached to the back side of the decorative panel, a detachable surface sheet covering the surface of the keyboard assembly and the outer side surface of the decorative panel at the opening, positioning means provided on a peripheral portion of the surface sheet and corresponding to the keyboard assembly, and fixing means for detachably fixing the surface sheet to the decorative panel.
- Since the flat keyboard according to the present invention is constructed as described above and the surface sheet is provided at its peripheral portion with the positioning means located at a position corresponding to the keyboard assembly, the surface sheet can be easily and accurately positioned when affixing the same. In addition, assembly and replacement operations can be greatly facilitated.
- Other objects and features of the present invention will become clear from the description that follows.
- Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate an embodiment of a flat keyboard according to the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional view along line I-I of Fig. 2 and Fig. 2 is a plan view, Fig. 3 is a sectional view illustrating another embodiment of a flat keyboard according to the present invention, and Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate a conventionally used flat keyboard, in which Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of Fig. 5 and Fig. 5 is a plan view.
- The present invention will now be described in detail based on the illustrated embodiments.
- Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate an embodiment of a flat keyboard according to the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional view along line I-I of Fig. 2 and Fig. 2 is a plan view. Parts identical with those of the conventional flat keyboard shown in Figs. 4 and 5 are designated by like characters.
- In Figs. 1 and 2,
numeral 1 denotes a printed board on which wiring is'formed by printing. Numeral 2 denotes a reed switch arranged on the printedboard 1. Numeral 4 denotes a key arranged to oppose and overlie thereed switch 2 and having amagnet 3 fixed to its bottom surface. Numeral 5 denotes a guide plate comprising aguide portion 51 having a guide hole 5la into which the crown portion of thekey 4 is fitted, aperipheral mounting portion 52, and aconnection portion 53 connecting theperipheral mounting portion 52 andguide portion 51. Numeral 10 denotes a spacer interposed between theguide plate 5 and printedboard 1 for securing the two as by an adhesive. Akeyboard assembly 100 is constructed by assembling these members and is substantially the same as that shown in Figs. 4 and 5. For this reason, a detailed description thereof will be deleted. - In the present embodiment, the
peripheral portion 52 of theguide plate 5 constituting thekeyboard assembly 100 is provided with a plurality of implantedpositioning pins 11. - The
keyboard assembly 100 thus constructed is attached to thedecorative plate 6 by fitting theguide portion 51 ofguide plate 5 into an opening 6a, which is formed in thedecorative plate 6, from the inner side (the lower side in Fig. 1), and is positioned by inserting thepositioning pins 11 intoplural positioning holes 6b provided in thedecorative plate 6 at the portion thereof surrounding the opening 6a. - A surface sheet 70 covering the surface of the
keyboard assembly 100 is formed to be larger than the opening 6a formed indecorative panel 6 and the peripheral portion thereof is provided withpositioning holes 12 at positions corresponding to the positioning pins. The surface sheet 70 is attached from the outer side (the upper side in Fig. 1) of thedecorative plate 6 to which thekeyboard assembly 100 is attached and thepositioning holes 12 are fitted on the positioning pins, whereby the surface sheet can be easily and accurately mounted at a predetermined, prescribed position. Thus, the surface sheet 70 attached to the surface ofkeyboard assembly 100 anddecorative panel 6 is fixed by thedecorative frame 8 arranged on the upper side of the peripheral portion. In other words, the surface sheet 70 is clamped and secured by thedecorative panel 6 and thedecorative frame 8, which is attached to thedecorative panel 6 by screws 9. It should be noted that the degree to which the surface sheet 70 follows up manipulation of thekeys 4 can be improved by constructing the surface sheet of an elastic material such as rubber. - The flat keyboard according to the present embodiment is constructed as set forth above. In mounting the surface sheet 70, the
positioning holes 12 provided in the peripheral portion are fitted on thepositioning pins 12 implanted in the peripheral portion of theguide plate 5 constituting thekeyboard assembly 100, thereby positioning the surface sheet accurately and with facility. - Fig. 3 illustrates another embodiment of a flat keyboard according to the present invention, in which parts identical with those shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are designated by like reference characters and are not described again. The flat keyboard according to this embodiment includes a plurality of
projections 14 provided on the peripheral portion of asurface sheet 71 on the back side thereof. Theprojections 14 are inserted into the postioningholes 13 provided in thedecorative plate 6, whereby thesurface sheet 71 can be positioned and attached accurately and with facility. In the present embodiment, the positioning pins lla implanted in theguide plate 5 constituting thekeyboard assembly 100 are formed to have a length that will allow the pins to penetrate half way into positioningholes 13 provided in thedecorative plate 6. - A flat keyboard according to the present invention enables the surface sheet covering the surface of the keyboard assembly to be positioned easily and accurately. Accordingly, the flat keyboard is well-suited particularly for use on the operator's panel of a numerical control unit for a machine tool, where the surface sheet is likely to be damaged by scraps from cutting or the like and is therefore frequently replaced. The keyboard can also be used on an input unit of a computer or electronic weigher.
Claims (3)
1. A flat keyboard comprising:
a keyboard assembly;
a surface sheet covering a surface of said keyboard assembly; and
positioning means provided on a peripheral portion of said surface sheet and corresponding to said keyboard assembly.
2. A flat keyboard according to claim 1, characterized in that the positioning means provided on the peripheral portion of said surface sheet is a positioning hole fitted on a positioning pin implanted in said keyboard assembly.
3. A flat keyboard according to claim 1, characterized in that the positioning means provided on the peripheral portion of said surface sheet is a projection fitted into a positioning hole formed in said decorative panel provided at a position corresponding to said keyboard assembly.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP83875/84U | 1984-06-06 | ||
JP8387584U JPS60194828U (en) | 1984-06-06 | 1984-06-06 | flat keyboard |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0186708A1 true EP0186708A1 (en) | 1986-07-09 |
EP0186708A4 EP0186708A4 (en) | 1988-07-14 |
Family
ID=13814828
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP19850902663 Withdrawn EP0186708A4 (en) | 1984-06-06 | 1985-06-04 | Flat keyboard. |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0186708A4 (en) |
JP (1) | JPS60194828U (en) |
WO (1) | WO1985005732A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2294158A (en) * | 1994-10-14 | 1996-04-17 | Peter Stefan Jones | Switch assembly |
Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3591749A (en) * | 1969-05-12 | 1971-07-06 | Singer Co | Printed circuit keyboard |
US4421966A (en) * | 1982-07-26 | 1983-12-20 | Kb Denver, Inc. | Keyboard elastomeric cover with buttons having changeable legends |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3317698A (en) * | 1966-03-11 | 1967-05-02 | Nichols Engineering Inc | Switch including sealing and shielding means therefor |
JPS474466U (en) * | 1971-02-05 | 1972-09-11 | ||
JPS5444647U (en) * | 1977-09-02 | 1979-03-27 |
-
1984
- 1984-06-06 JP JP8387584U patent/JPS60194828U/en active Pending
-
1985
- 1985-06-04 WO PCT/JP1985/000311 patent/WO1985005732A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1985-06-04 EP EP19850902663 patent/EP0186708A4/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3591749A (en) * | 1969-05-12 | 1971-07-06 | Singer Co | Printed circuit keyboard |
US4421966A (en) * | 1982-07-26 | 1983-12-20 | Kb Denver, Inc. | Keyboard elastomeric cover with buttons having changeable legends |
Non-Patent Citations (2)
Title |
---|
IBM TECHNICAL DISCLOSURE BULLETIN, vol. 19, no. 2, July 1976, pages 405-406, New York, US; G.G. PROMIS et al.: "Control panel" * |
See also references of WO8505732A1 * |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2294158A (en) * | 1994-10-14 | 1996-04-17 | Peter Stefan Jones | Switch assembly |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP0186708A4 (en) | 1988-07-14 |
WO1985005732A1 (en) | 1985-12-19 |
JPS60194828U (en) | 1985-12-25 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 19851219 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): DE FR GB |
|
A4 | Supplementary search report drawn up and despatched |
Effective date: 19880714 |
|
17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 19900530 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN |
|
18D | Application deemed to be withdrawn |
Effective date: 19930105 |
|
RIN1 | Information on inventor provided before grant (corrected) |
Inventor name: INOUE, MICHIYA |