KR102572196B1 - Key caps for user interface - Google Patents

Abstract

Zinc alloy is injected to manufacture keycaps, but at this time, copper plates are inserted in the finger contact area to make them integrally. The keycap for user interface that can obtain antibacterial action through copper plates while preventing corrosion or damage through zinc alloy. provides In addition, by providing a place where the finger touches the keycap that is injected with zinc alloy, and compulsorily attaching a copper plate to this place so that it can be assembled, anyone can easily manufacture it and get antibacterial action without corrosion or damage. Provides keycaps for user interfaces that can be used. In addition, by attaching a copper plate to the finger-touching part of the injection-molded keycap by taping and integrally configuring it, a keycap for user interface that can be easily configured to obtain antibacterial action without such corrosion and damage is provided.

Description

Key caps for user interface {KEY CAPS FOR USER INTERFACE}

The present invention relates to a keycap used in a user interface such as a keyboard for inputting commands, and more particularly, the keycap is made of zinc alloy, and the keycap part that the user's finger touches when in use is made of copper plate, so that the keycap has a heavy feeling. Not only can keycaps be used to make them feel comfortable but not easily corroded by bodily fluids, etc., and an antibacterial effect can be obtained through the copper plate that the finger touches, so that it can be used safely and conveniently while enhancing the tactile feel.

In general, a user interface is used to input symbols or a command system so that a user and a computer can communicate with each other, and a typical user interface may include a keyboard. Such a keyboard, as shown in (Patent Document 1) to (Patent Document 3) below, is configured so that a user can input necessary symbols or commands using fingers by mounting several keycaps on the board.

(Patent Document 1) Korean public utility No. 20-2020-0002567

Disclosed is a keycap mechanism of a breakaway mechanical keyboard and a mechanical keyboard, which includes a middle plate and a plurality of keycaps positioned on the middle plate, and a plurality of through holes through which buttons can pass through the middle plate and edges of the through holes are upward. An extended tubular portion is formed, and at the bottom of the keycap, a plurality of pillars and two hook buckles inserted into the tubular portion and slidingly connected to the tubular portion are formed, and the inner wall of the tubular portion extends in the longitudinal direction of the tubular portion. Two hooking grooves installed relatively are installed, and the hook buckles correspond to the locking grooves, respectively, and are engaged in the locking groove to be slidably connected to the locking groove. This configuration realizes the sliding connection relationship between the keycap and the middle plate by the coupling action of the column and the barrel, and at the same time limits the sliding distance of the keycap by the coupling action of the hook buckle and the locking groove, thereby preventing separation. to satisfy user and market demand.

(Patent Document 2) Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1242212

It relates to a keyboard having a keycap that emits light, wherein a contact part is formed by using conductive ink at the lower end of a protrusion of a rubber part that rises and falls by the movement of the keycap so as to reduce the overall thickness of the keyboard, and the contact part is lowered when the keycap is lowered. It is made to reduce the thickness of the keyboard by making it contact with the circuit contact formed on the circuit board, and by forming a keycap using a semi-permeable material and arranging a light emitting means to emit light under the keycap, the light emitted from the light emitting means The present invention relates to a keyboard having a keycap that emits light so that light semi-transmits through the keycap and emits light through the entirety of the keycap.

(Patent Document 3) Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1042285

The surface of at least two consecutive keycaps among the plurality of keycaps on the keyboard is formed as a touchpad, detects the movement of the key input means applied on the touchpad, and detects the movement of the mouse or multi-touch corresponding to the detected movement. It relates to a keyboard in which a mouse allowing operations to be performed and a touchpad having a multi-touch function are integrated into keycaps. According to this configuration, a touchpad (trackpad) is formed on the surface of specific keycaps on the keyboard to perform mouse functions, so that when computer users work using a mouse and keyboard at the same time on a PC or a keyboard on a laptop ( Occurs when you move your hand back and forth between the keyboard and mouse or touchpad for key input and mouse operation input when simultaneously using the touchpad separately formed outside the keyboard (key input area) and the keyboard (key input area). A mouse that can improve productivity by increasing work efficiency by eliminating the time delay and inconvenience of having to reposition your fingers when you put your hands back on the keyboard after using the mouse, and a touchpad with multi-touch function are integrated into the keycap. A keyboard can be provided.

However, existing keycaps used for input in a user interface including such a keyboard have the following problems.

(1) The user's finger must touch the keycap while inputting a command. This may contaminate the keycap by transferring bodily fluids such as sweat from the fingers to the keycap as it is.

(2) In addition, as other users use such contaminated keycaps, there is a risk of contamination, and in particular, when contamination is likely to cause germs to develop, it may harm other users. This problem may occur in a place where the user interface is used in public or when several people use one user interface in turn, such as in an Internet cafe.

(3) On the other hand, if the keycap is stained with such bodily fluids for a long time, the keycap may be discolored or foreign substances such as dust may adhere to the keycap, causing malfunction of the keycap or interfering with its smooth operation.

(4) As one of the methods to solve this problem, a protective cover is covered on a user interface such as a keyboard and used, but this method causes the following problems.

(5) First of all, since the protective cover is covered on the keycap, it takes time for the user to find the position of the keycap to be pressed with his or her finger when using the user interface, or to adjust to the feeling of pressing it.

(6) Even on the protective cover, dust, foreign matter, and bodily fluids may adhere to the cover.

(7) A protective cover must be purchased separately, resulting in additional costs.

Korean Public Utility No. 20-2020-0002567 (Public date: 2020.11.26) Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1242212 (registration date: 2013.03.05) Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1042285 (registration date: 2011.06.10)

The present invention takes this point into consideration, and manufactures keycaps by injecting zinc alloy, but at this time, by inserting a copper plate in the part where the finger touches and manufacturing it integrally, corrosion or damage through the zinc alloy is not easy, but antibacterial through the copper plate Its purpose is to provide a keycap for a user interface capable of obtaining an action.

In addition, the present invention provides a place where the finger part touches the keycap injected with zinc alloy, and configures it so that it can be assembled by forcibly mounting a copper plate in this place, so that anyone can easily manufacture it to obtain antibacterial action without corrosion or damage. Another purpose is to provide a keycap for a user interface that allows users to use it with confidence while doing so.

In addition, the present invention provides a keycap for user interface that can be easily configured to obtain antibacterial action without such corrosion and damage by attaching a copper plate to the finger contact portion of the injection-molded keycap by taping and integrally configuring it. It has a different purpose.

A keycap for a user interface according to the present invention to solve these problems is a keycap for a user interface including a cap body 100 assembled to a keyboard; The cap body 100 is made of zinc alloy, and a copper plate 200 is formed on a surface of the cap body 100 that is touched by a user's finger when inputting.

In particular, the copper plate 200 is characterized in that it is integrally formed by inserting the cap body 100 during injection molding.

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The keycap for user interface according to the present invention has the following effects.

(1) As the cap body constituting the keycap is made of zinc alloy, corrosion of the cap body can be prevented even if bodily fluid or moisture is attached to the cap body.

(2) This not only prevents the cap body from being corroded and impairs aesthetics, but also prevents the key constituting the user interface from malfunctioning or malfunctioning due to corrosion of the cap body.

(3) On the other hand, by making the part of the cap body touched by the finger made of copper plate, it is not easily corroded by bodily fluids such as sweat, and even if harmful substances are attached to the keycap through the antibacterial effect of copper, it can be used with confidence by removing harmful substances. make it possible

(4) At this time, the copper plate is used as an insert during injection molding of the keycap and integrally molded, so that corrosion prevention and antibacterial effects can be obtained while manufacturing the keycap easily and conveniently.

(5) In addition, the copper plate forms a seat on the keycap surface and is configured to be assembled by forcibly fitting the copper plate into the seat, so that anyone can easily and safely assemble the copper plate by pressing the copper plate against the seat formed on the keycap surface. can be used

(6) Lastly, since the copper plate is integrally formed by taping the cap body using double-sided tape, etc., the copper plate can be easily attached to the cap body and used conveniently and safely.

[Figure 1] is a perspective view of a keyboard to which a keycap for user interface according to [Embodiment 1] of the present invention is applied.
[Figure 2] is a perspective view showing a part of a keyboard to which a keycap for user interface according to [Embodiment 1] of the present invention is applied.
[Figure 3] is a plan view showing a keycap for a user interface according to [Embodiment 1] of the present invention.
[FIG. 4] is a cross-sectional view taken along the line "AA" in [FIG. 3] showing a keycap for a user interface according to [Embodiment 1] of the present invention.
[Figure 5] is an image showing a front perspective view of a keycap for user interface according to [Embodiment 1] of the present invention.
[Figure 6] is an image showing a bottom perspective view of the keycap for user interface according to [Embodiment 1] of the present invention.
[Figure 7] is a cross-sectional view of a keycap for a user interface according to [Embodiment 2] of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, the terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be construed as being limited to their usual or dictionary meanings, and the inventors should properly define the concept of terms in order to best explain their invention. According to the principle that it can be interpreted as meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the present invention.

Therefore, since the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only one of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical spirit of the present invention, various equivalents that can replace them at the time of this application It should be understood that there may be variations.

A keycap for a user interface according to [Embodiment 1] of the present invention includes a cap body 100 assembled to a key plate, as shown in [Figs. 1] to [Fig. 6].

In particular, the cap body 100 is made of zinc alloy so that it can sufficiently withstand exposure to body fluids such as sweat without causing corrosion, and the portion of the cap body 100 that the finger touches is made of copper plate 200. By constructing it, it is possible to obtain an antibacterial effect through the antibacterial action of copper while preventing corrosion.

At this time, the cap body 100 is molded by injection of zinc alloy, and the copper plate 200 is inserted and integrally molded before injection molding in this way, so that the keycap can be easily manufactured, but safe and convenient through corrosion and antibacterial effects. made it readily available.

Hereinafter, this configuration will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the user interface is a connection between a computer and a user, such as a keyboard, and will be described using a keyboard as an example.

go. cap body

The cap body 100, as shown in [FIGS. 1] to [FIG. 4], generates an electrical signal by pressing a finger when a command or the like is input on the keyboard.

The cap body 100 has a cap shape with one side open, as shown in [Figs. 3] to [6]. And, inside the container shape, a mounting protrusion 120 protrudes from the bottom toward the outside. The mounting protrusion 120 forcibly inserts the cap body 100 into a stem configured to selectively press predetermined letters, numbers, or special characters on the board of the keyboard to function as a button. At this time, the cap body 100 receives the elastic force of an elastic member such as a spring or a hinge and is always installed to protrude out of the substrate.

Meanwhile, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cap body 100 is preferably made of zinc alloy. Here, the zinc alloy is an alloy made by adding a small amount of aluminum, antimony, magnesium, copper, tin, etc. to 90% zinc, and it is known that the magnesium component prevents corrosion in particular. In addition, it is well known that aluminum reinforces rigidity by refining the structure, and copper reduces impact strength. Therefore, the cap body 100 can be used for a long time without being easily corroded even if bodily fluid or the like adheres to the surface, and can feel the weight through the zinc alloy as shown in [Fig. 5] and [Fig. 6] It is desirable to configure to improve aesthetics and aesthetics by doing so.

In the cap body 100 formed as described above, a copper plate 200 is formed as shown in [FIGS. 3] to [FIG. 5].

me. copper

The copper plate 200, as shown in [Figs. 3] to [5], is composed of a part that the user's finger touches when the cap body 100 is assembled and used on a keyboard. This is to obtain an antibacterial effect against germs and the like on the user's finger through the antibacterial action of the copper plate 200 .

At this time, the copper plate 200, as shown in [Figs. 3] to [5], [Figs. 3] and [Fig. 4], when injection molding the cap body 100 described above, the copper plate 200 ) is inserted and molded integrally, it is possible to obtain a sense of unity between the copper plate 200 and the cap body 100 while preventing corrosion and antibacterial action.

As described above, according to the present invention, when manufacturing a keycap, as the cap body is made of zinc alloy, complex shapes can be easily manufactured without easily corroding. By inserting this copper plate and integrally forming it, an antibacterial effect can be obtained.

The keycap for user interface according to [Embodiment 2] of the present invention has the same configuration as the above-described [Embodiment 1] as shown in [Fig. 7], but the coupling structure of the cap body 100 and the copper plate 200 There is a difference in Accordingly, a detailed description of the cap body 100 and the copper plate 200 will be omitted here, and the coupling structure of the cap body 100 and the copper plate 200 will be mainly described.

In [Embodiment 2], as shown in [Fig. 7], a seat 110 is formed at a portion of the cap body 100 where the finger touches, and a copper plate 200 is forcibly installed in the seat 110 to form an integral body. It is different from [Example 1] in terms of configuration.

At this time, as shown in [Fig. 7], the seat 110 is configured so that the rest of the portion except for the surface of the copper plate 200 that the user's finger touches can be buried in the cap body 100, so that the cap body 100 It is preferable to manufacture so that there is no sense of difference between the copper plate 200.

In addition, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, irregularities 111 and 210 are formed on the surface where the seat 110 and the copper plate 200 face each other, so that the copper plate 200 is pressed against the seat 110. While the copper plate 200 is accommodated in the seat 110, it is preferable to configure the cap body 100 and the copper plate 200 to be firmly fixed and supported by combining the cap body 100 and the copper plate 200 into one while forming the irregularities 111 and 210.

Here, the irregularities 111 and 210 are shown as being formed on the side surfaces of the seat 110 and the copper plate 200 in [Fig. 7] as an example, but are not limited thereto and face the bottom surface of the seat 110. Anyone skilled in the art will be able to easily understand that the same effect can be obtained even if formed on the copper plate 200.

In addition, in the concavo-convex portions 111 and 210, the convex portion 210 protruding in [Fig. ), but the same effect can be obtained even if the iron part 210 is formed on the seat 110 and the concave part 111 is formed on the copper plate 200. Technical field to which the present invention belongs Anyone working in the field will be able to easily understand.

As described above, according to the present invention, as the copper plate is placed on the position formed on the cap body and pressurized, the copper plate can be easily assembled to the cap body using a concavo-convex coupling method and can be conveniently used.

The keycap for user interface according to [Embodiment 3] of the present invention is different in that the copper plate installed on the finger contact portion of the cap body is attached by a taping method. This is done by integrally attaching the cap body and the copper plate between the cap body and the copper plate using double-sided tape or the like, or by arranging the cap body and the copper plate with a film such as hot melt interposed therebetween, and then integrally molding the cap body and the copper plate while applying heat and pressure. It is firmly attached and can be used conveniently.

100: cap body
110: spot
111, 210: unevenness
200: copper plate

Claims (5)

In the keycap for a user interface comprising a cap body 100 assembled to a keyboard,
The cap body 100 is made of zinc alloy,
The zinc alloy constituting the cap body 100 is prepared by adding a small amount of aluminum, antimony, magnesium to prevent corrosion, copper and tin to reduce impact strength to 90% zinc to reinforce rigidity by making the structure fine, thereby reducing body fluid Even if the back is on the surface, it is not easily corroded so that it can be used for a long time,
When the cap body 100 is injection-molded, the copper plate 200 is inserted on the surface of the cap body 100 that the user touches when inputting, so that the copper plate 200 and the cap body 100 are integrally formed. A keycap for user interface, characterized in that it is possible to obtain a sense of unity while preventing corrosion and antibacterial action by the copper plate (200). delete delete delete delete

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