JPH1092259A - Key top and its manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a key top having a smooth surface with no conspicuous irregularity by laminating a display section on a curve-shaped upper face to be kept in contact with a finger, and providing a protective film covering the whole upper face including the display section in parallel with the upper face. SOLUTION: The upper face of a key top 6 is formed into a curve shape, e.g. a recessed spherical face shape or a recessed cylindrical face shape, to be kept in contact with an operating finger. A display section 11 showing a character or a symbol is laminated at the prescribed portion of the upper face 61. A protective film 12 covering the nearly whole area of the upper face 61, covering the display section 11, and displaying it on the upper face 61 is formed nearly in parallel with the upper face 61. The character, symbol, or protective paint film applied on another portion than the upper face 61 is transferred to the display section 11 and protective film 12 via a flexible pad having a circular arc-shaped cross section.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of a key top constituting a keyboard used for an input device of a computer and the like, and more particularly to a character / symbol printed on a three-dimensional curved surface of a top of the key top. The present invention relates to a key top structure in which a transparent or translucent protective film is printed on the entire top surface.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A keyboard is a personal computer,
It is used for word processors, information input devices of various electronic devices, and the like. The keyboard has a plurality of key tops arranged on the front side operated by humans, and a contact mechanism for opening and closing an electric circuit such as a membrane switch is arranged on the back side thereof. , Display characters, numbers, symbols, etc., representing the respective functions are displayed. When the keytop is pressed, the contacts on the back side of the keytop are operated to close the electric circuit.

[0003] On the other hand, the top surface, that is, the top surface of the key top is formed to be flat. However, in order to prevent eyestrain due to reflection of light from the top surface, the cover or key top of the keyboard body is provided. A semi-gloss treatment or a matting treatment is performed, and the upper surface is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape or a semi-spherical spherical shape, and the reflected light is dispersed and reflected.

[0004] As described above, the surface of the key top, especially the upper surface, is subjected to a matting treatment by sandblasting, and characters,
Symbols and the like are indicated. For this notation, a pad printing method similar to the offset printing method is usually used. According to this printing method, a printing ink is filled in the engraved portion of a concave plate engraved with a written character or a figure of a key top, and the head formed in a spherical shape and formed of a soft substance such as silicon rubber is engraved with the engraved portion. After pressing the ink on the surface of the key top and transferring the ink in it to the pad, the tip of this pad is pressed against the surface of the key top to re-transfer the ink on the tip of the pad to the surface of the key top and to the surface of the key top. Print and display text and graphics.

[0005] In general, the upper surface of characters, symbols, etc. printed on the surface of the key tops of a keyboard is provided with the actual fairness 7-2474.
As shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8 (1996) -1994, a protective film is formed only on a portion substantially covering these characters and symbols. The reason for providing this protective film is mainly to improve the abrasion resistance of printed characters and symbols, and therefore, the printed portion of the key top surface rises in a convex shape and does not have a smooth surface. Since the printed characters, symbols, and the like are raised in this way, the fingertips feel rough when used, and the raised portions are poor in appearance, and have not been considered in terms of appearance quality.

[0006] In order to avoid such inconvenience, it is conceivable to apply a protective film to the entire upper surface of the key top. As a method of applying to the entire surface, there is a spray coating or a dipping method. However, in these methods, when the surface of the key top has a concave spherical shape or a concave cylindrical shape, the paint is disadvantageously accumulated on the bottom surface. . In order to avoid such inconvenience, the viscosity must be kept high. However, in this case, there is also an inconvenience that the protective film on the surface is thickly attached, and the displayed characters and the like are difficult to see. In addition, in the immersion method, it is difficult to determine the immersion depth, that is, the coating range. However, at the time of lifting after immersion, drip prevention is affected by the viscosity of the paint, and control is difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and in a key top in which a printed portion such as a character or a symbol is formed on a portion of a curved upper surface, the entire upper surface is provided. The surface of the formed protective film is intended to provide a key top having a smooth surface without any noticeable unevenness, and furthermore, paint for forming the protective film is accumulated at the bottom of the upper surface of the curved key top. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a key top that allows a protective film to be formed without using a key top.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention as described above, the present invention provides a key top in which a display portion such as a character or a symbol is formed on a portion of the upper surface where a finger to be operated contacts. An upper surface formed in a curved shape, a display portion formed on a predetermined portion of the upper surface and representing characters / symbols stacked on the upper surface portion, and covering substantially the entire upper surface, and the surface is substantially parallel to the upper surface; And a protective film formed on the surface. The curved upper surface with which the finger comes into contact has a concave spherical shape and a concave cylindrical surface shape. The upper surface of the display unit is covered with a protective film or is exposed on the surface.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a key top manufacturing method in which a display portion such as a character or a symbol is formed on a portion of an upper surface with which a finger to be operated contacts.
Transferring the ink to the pad in the form of letters / symbols applied to parts other than the top of the keytop, and reprinting the characters / symbols transferred to the pad to a predetermined part of the top of the keytop where the finger to be operated contacts Transferring the paint, which is a protective film applied to an area other than the upper surface of the key top with an area approximately equal to the area of the upper surface of the key top, to the pad, and transferring the entire upper surface of the key top to the pad Re-transferring the paint to be a protective film,
A key top manufacturing method is provided, and the curvature of the arc at the tip of the pad having an arc-shaped cross section used for the manufacturing method is substantially equal to or smaller than the curvature of the key top upper surface. Pads are also provided.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present invention, printing of characters and symbols on the upper surface of the key top uses a pad printing method. Printing of characters and symbols on the upper surface of the key top using this printing method will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a recess 2 is formed on a concave plate 1 made of a metal plate such as a steel plate by using an etching method in the shape of printed characters and symbols. FIG. 2 shows AA of FIG.
It is sectional drawing cut | disconnected along the line. Next, an ink in which a pigment of a desired color is mixed is flown onto the upper surface of the concave plate 1, and then the upper surface of the concave plate 1 is wiped with a doctor blade 4 in the arrow direction. In this operation, the ink 3 is wiped off while leaving the ink 3 in the depression 2 on the concave plate 1.

Next, when the upper surface of the key top has a concave cylindrical shape, the pad 5 made of silicon rubber having a cylindrical lower surface is used. When the upper surface of the key top has a concave semi-spherical shape, the lower surface has a convex semi-spherical shape. Is pressed against the upper surface of the concave plate 1 as shown in FIG. By this operation, the ink 3 accumulated in the depression 2 of the concave plate 1 is transferred to the pad 5
Is transferred to the lower surface of. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the pad 5 onto which the ink has been transferred is pressed against the upper surface 61 of the key top 6 having a semi-cylindrical or concave spherical surface, and the ink 3 on the pad 5 is again applied to the upper surface of the key top 6. Transcribe. Thus, as shown in FIG. 6, characters and symbols are printed on the upper surface of the key top 6. Thereafter, the printed characters and symbols are dried.

Next, a method of forming a protective film for characters and symbols printed on the upper surface of the key top will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, a concave plate 7 made of a metal plate is prepared, and FIG.
5 is applied by the same operation as that described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 9 denotes a pad for transferring a protective film to the surface of the key top. The pad 9 is made of soft silicone rubber similarly to the pad 5, and its tip (lower end) has a slightly flat convexly curved spherical shape. The upper surface of the pad 9 is bonded to a supporter 10 made of a metal plate such as aluminum. As shown in FIG. 8 from the state of FIG. 7, the pad 9 is pressed onto the flat plate 7 to bring the lower surface of the pad 9 into contact with the paint 8. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, when the pad 9 is pulled up and separated from the flat plate 7, the paint 8 is transferred to the lower surface of the pad 9.

Next, the key top 6 having characters and symbols printed on the upper surface is moved, and the pad 9 is pressed against the upper surface of the key top 6 as shown in FIG. afterwards,
The pad 9 is pulled up to separate the pad 9 from the upper surface of the key top 6. At this time, the paint 8 adhered to the lower surface of the pad 9 is transferred to the entire upper surface of the key top with a uniform thickness. The paint 8 has a higher viscosity than those used in the method such as the spray method or the dipping method. For this reason, even if it is transferred to the upper surface of the key top, it does not flow to the bottom of the upper surface of the key top 6, and maintains a uniform thickness over the entire upper surface of the key top 6 in the same manner as when the image is transferred. Dried. FIG. 11 shows characters / symbols 11 printed on the upper surface of the key top 6 with ink (display unit).
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the upper surface is covered with a protective film 12. It should be noted that when the paint 8 covers the upper surface of the keytop 6, the thickness of the protective film 12 that covers the display portion on which the characters / symbols 11 are printed is formed to be thin. Is that the key top 6 is formed flat over the entire upper surface. Thus, when the key top is pressed with a finger, the character / symbol 11 does not feel at the tip of the finger. Further, when the protective film is transferred onto the upper surface of the keytop, if the pressure of the pad is increased, the paint 8 located on the upper surface of the character / symbol 11 is removed due to the pressure, and the character / symbol is transferred to the protective film 12. It becomes flat at the same height as, and this is exposed.

Pads 5, 9 used for the pad printing
Will be described. The upper surface of the keytop 6 has a concave spherical shape or a concave cylindrical shape. When the tip curvature of the pads 5 and 9 is larger than that of the key top 6, when the pad 5 or the pad 9 is pressed against the upper surface of the key top 6, the tip of the pad 5 or 9 is positioned at the deepest portion of the upper surface of the key top 6. Do not touch first. In such a state, for example, when the upper surface of the key top 6 has a concave cylindrical shape, a force is applied to the periphery of the key top 6, and when the pads 5 and 9 are separated from the key top 6, the protective film 12 has an even thickness. As a result, the protective film does not adhere to the upper surface of the key top 6 and the thickness of the protective film gradually decreases toward the periphery. Further, for example, when the upper surface of the keytop 6 has a concave spherical shape, when the pad 5 or 9 is pressed on the upper surface of the keytop 6, air is accumulated on the upper surface of the keytop 6, and smooth transfer of characters and symbols is not performed. Therefore, the shape of the tip of the pad 5 or the pad 9 is convex hemisphere when the upper surface of the key top is concave hemisphere, and the radius of curvature is the same as or smaller than that of the key top. Is good for performing the transfer, or when the top surface of the key top is a concave cylindrical shape, it is a convex cylindrical shape, and the radius of curvature is the same as or smaller than that of the key top shape. This is the condition to perform.

[0015]

As described in detail above, the present invention provides
An upper surface formed into a curved shape with which a finger comes into contact, a display portion formed on a predetermined portion of the upper surface and representing characters and symbols stacked on the upper surface portion, and covering substantially the entire upper surface,
Since the surface has a protective film formed substantially parallel to the upper surface, characters / symbols displayed on the upper surface of the keytop formed by a curved surface physically rise from the upper surface of the keytop. Since the surface of the protective film formed on the entire upper surface does not have any irregularities without any irregularities, the surface becomes smooth. For this reason, the operability is improved without feeling any roughness at the tip of the finger. Further, the protective film can be formed without the paint for forming the protective film remaining on the bottom of the upper surface of the curved key top.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a concave plate used for pad printing.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the concave plate.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a state where ink is placed on the concave plate.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating transfer of ink by a pad.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which transfer of ink by a pad has been completed.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the transfer of the ink by the pad is completed.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before a protective film paint is transferred to a protective film forming pad.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a state where a coating material for a protective film is transferred to a pad for forming a protective film.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a coating material for a protective film is transferred to a pad for forming a protective film.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a paint for a protective film has been transferred to the upper surface of the key top.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a key top according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1... Concave plate 2... Depression 3... Ink (color display layer) 4... Doctor blade 5... Pad 6. 61 Upper surface 7 Flat plate 8 Paint 9 Pad 10 Supporter 11 Characters and symbols 12 Protection film

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A key top in which a display portion such as a character or a symbol is formed on a portion of an upper surface with which a finger to be operated contacts, and a curved upper surface with which a finger touches, and a predetermined portion of the upper surface. A display unit that is formed and represents characters and symbols stacked on the upper surface portion; and a protective film that covers substantially the entire area of the upper surface and has a surface formed in a plane substantially parallel to the upper surface. Key top. 2. The key top according to claim 1, wherein the upper surface formed into a curved shape with which the finger contacts has a concave spherical shape. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper surface formed into a curved shape with which the finger comes into contact has a concave cylindrical surface shape.
Key cap described in. 4. The key top according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the display section is covered with a protective film. 5. The key top according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the display section is exposed on an upper surface of the protective film. 6. A method of manufacturing a key top in which a display portion for characters and symbols is formed on a portion of an upper surface with which a finger to be operated comes in contact, wherein the characters and symbols applied to portions other than the upper surface of the key top have an ink. Transferring the characters / symbols transferred to the pad to a predetermined portion of the top surface of the key top where the finger to be operated contacts, and transferring the characters and symbols transferred to the pad to a portion other than the top surface of the key top. Transferring the paint to be a protective film applied in an area approximately equal to the area of the pad to the pad; and retransferring the paint to be the protective film transferred to the pad over the entire upper surface of the keytop. Key top manufacturing method characterized by the following. 7. A pad for printing a pad made of a flexible material and having an arc-shaped cross section, wherein the curvature of the arc having a cross-section formed is substantially equal to the curvature of the upper surface of the key top. The pad used in the method of manufacturing a key top according to claim 6, wherein the pad is smaller than the pad.