TW202418320A - Keyswitch with noise reduction effect - Google Patents

Abstract

A keyswitch includes a cap, a board, a first link, and a circuit membrane. A connection structure of the board defines a first vertical hole, a first abutting block and a first board hole communicated with the first vertical hole. The first link includes a first connection rod with an end being movably inserted into the first vertical hole. The circuit membrane has a carrier portion disposed between the end of the first connection rod and the first board hole. When the cap returns to a non-pressed position, the end of the first connection rod slides on the carrier portion of the membrane circuit, and moves outward along the first vertical hole, until the end of the first connection rod is stopped at a position where the first abutting block is abutting underneath the carrier portion of the circuit membrane.

Description

Keys with noise reduction effect

The present invention relates to a key, and in particular to a key with reduced pressing vibration.

Keyboards have become a common input peripheral device for data processing devices. The operating surface of general keyboard keys is mostly square in shape. However, the operating surface of some keys has a longer side, such as the "ENTER", "SPACE", "SHIFT" keys, etc. These special keys are generally called multiple keys.

Most multiplier keys are equipped with a balance bar connected between the key cap and the base plate, so that when the user presses one end of the multiplier key, the other end of the multiplier key that is not pressed can also drop accordingly.

However, in order to facilitate assembly, there is a gap between the balance bar and the base plate, so it is easy for the button structure to shake during the pressing process.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a key with reduced pressing shake to solve the above problem.

According to one embodiment, a key of one embodiment of the present invention includes a key cap, a base plate, a thin film circuit board, and a first balance bar. The base plate has at least one connection structure defining a first vertical hole, a first plate hole, and a first abutment block, the first plate hole and the first abutment block are parallel to the first vertical hole, and the first plate hole is connected to the first vertical hole. The thin film circuit board has at least one bearing area corresponding to the first vertical hole and at least partially overlapping the first plate hole and the first abutment block. The first balance bar has a first key cap section and at least one first connection section, the first key cap section is rotatably connected to the key cap, and the end of the first connection section can be movably inserted into the first vertical hole, so that the bearing area of the thin film circuit board is located between the first plate hole and the end of the first connection section. When the key cap returns from the pressed position to the unpressed position, the end of the first connecting section slides on the bearing area and moves outward along the first vertical hole until the end of the first connecting section is stopped at a position where the top of the first abutting block is against the bottom of the bearing area.

According to another embodiment, a key of an embodiment of the present invention comprises a key cap, a base plate, a thin film circuit board, at least one lifting bracket, at least one reset member, and a first balance bar. The base plate has at least one connection structure defining a first vertical hole, a first plate hole, and a first abutment block, the first plate hole and the first abutment block are parallel to and correspond to the first vertical hole, and the first plate hole is connected to the first vertical hole. The thin film circuit board has at least one bearing area corresponding to the first vertical hole and at least partially overlapping the first plate hole and the first abutment block. The lifting bracket is connected between the key cap and the base plate; the reset member provides the reset force of the key cap. The first balance bar has a first key cap section and at least one first connecting section, the first key cap section is rotatably connected to the key cap, and the end of the first connecting section can be movably inserted into the first vertical hole, so that the supporting area of the thin film circuit board is located between the first plate hole and the end of the first connecting section; wherein, when the key cap returns from the pressed position to the unpressed position, the end of the first connecting section slides on the supporting area and moves outward along the first vertical hole until the end of the first connecting section is stopped at a position where the top of the first abutment block is against the bottom of the supporting area.

Therefore, the present invention can effectively solve the problem of key structure shaking when pressed due to the existence of gaps, and can also avoid the balance bar from generating impact noise or resonance noise during the pressing/releasing process by eliminating the gaps, thereby further improving the noise reduction effect. At the same time, after the design of the present invention is introduced, since the sliding of the balance bar is controlled, the present invention can overcome the structural shaking or pressing shaking, resonance noise/impact noise, and also realize the possibility of controlling the height of the key cap with the balance bar.

The advantages and spirit of the present invention can be further understood through the following detailed description of the invention and the attached drawings.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a key 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged exploded schematic diagram of the key 10 in FIG. 1. In order to clearly show the internal structural connection relationship of the key 10, the key cap 12 is only briefly shown by perspective dashed lines in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the key 10 is preferably a keyboard key with a balance bar (such as multiple keys such as "ENTER", "SPACE", "SHIFT" keys, but not limited thereto) and includes a key cap 12, a bottom plate 14, at least one lifting bracket 16 (two are shown in FIG. 1, but not limited thereto), a first balance bar 18, a second balance bar 20, and a thin film circuit board 22. The base plate 14 is formed with at least one connecting structure 24 (two are shown in FIG. 1, but not limited thereto) for connecting the balance bar 18/20. The balance bar 18/20 is inserted between the end of the connecting structure 24 and the abutment block 56/60 of the connecting structure 24, and a carrying area 220 for the thin film circuit board 22 is provided. The lifting bracket 16 can preferably adopt a scissor foot bracket (other common key brackets, such as a butterfly bracket, can also be adopted) and is connected between the key cap 12 and the base plate 14, so that the key cap 12 can move up and down between the unpressed position and the pressed position relative to the base plate 14. The thin film circuit board 22 can be disposed on the bottom plate 14. When the key cap 12 is pressed to the pressed position, the switch (omitted and not shown) on the thin film circuit board 22 can be correspondingly triggered by a trigger part (omitted and not shown), so that the key 10 can perform the function that the user wants to input. As for the related description of the lifting support design of the above-mentioned key 10 and the thin film circuit trigger design, it is commonly seen in the prior art and will not be repeated here. In practical applications, the key 10 may further include a reset member such as various elastic bodies or a magnetic return design (omitted and not shown). The reset member may be disposed between the key cap 12 and the bottom plate 14 to provide a restoring force to the key cap 12, so that the key cap 12 can automatically return from the pressed position to the unpressed position when the external force is released. The aforementioned triggering part may be disposed on the reset member, the lifting bracket 16 or the key cap 12 so as to move up and down as the key 10 is pressed.

Regarding the connection design between the base plate 14 and the first balance bar 18 and the second balance bar 20, please refer to Figures 1, 2, 3A, 3B, and 4. Figure 3A is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the key 10 in Figure 1, Figure 3B is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of Figure 3A with the thin film circuit board 22 and the lifting bracket 16 removed, and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the key 10 in Figure 1 along the section line A-A. As can be seen from the above figures, the connecting structure 24 of the bottom plate 14 may have a flat plate portion 26 and an upright portion 28; the first balance bar 18 may have a first key cap segment 30 and at least one first connecting segment 32 (preferably two are shown in FIG. 1 to form a C-shaped bar structure), the second balance bar 20 and the first balance bar 18 are opposite to each other and have a second key cap segment 34 and at least one second connecting segment 36 (preferably two are shown in FIG. 1 to form a C-shaped bar structure), and the first key cap segment 30 and the second key cap segment 34 are rotatably connected to the key cap 12 so as to rotate accordingly with the up and down movement of the key cap 12. The flat plate portion 26 and the upright portion 28 are approximately perpendicular to each other, or the angle between them is within the range of 90 degrees plus or minus 10 degrees. For the sake of simplicity, the following description only describes the connection design between one of the connection structures 24 and the corresponding connection segments of the first balance rod 18 and the second balance rod 20. The description of the connection design between other connection structures and their corresponding connection segments can be deduced from this description and will not be repeated here.

In this embodiment, the upright portion 28 has a first vertical hole 46 and a second vertical hole 48. Specifically, the upright portion 28 may include an eave 38 and a first vertical wall 40, a second vertical wall 42, and a third vertical wall 44 formed by protruding from the flat portion 26. The second vertical wall 42 and the third vertical wall 44 are respectively located on both sides of the first vertical wall 40 (i.e., the second vertical wall 42 and the third vertical wall 44 are respectively arranged outwardly relative to the first vertical wall 40). A first vertical hole 46 is defined at the first vertical wall 40 and the second vertical wall 42, and the eave 38 is bridged between the first vertical wall 40 and the third vertical wall 44 to define a second vertical hole 48. The first bent end 50 of the first connecting section 32 is movably inserted into the first vertical hole 46, and the second bent end 52 of the second connecting section 36 is movably inserted into the second vertical hole 48.

Correspondingly, the flat plate portion 26 may have a first plate hole 54, a first abutment block 56, a second plate hole 58, and a second abutment block 60. The first plate hole 54 is connected to the first vertical hole 46 and is approximately perpendicular to the first vertical hole 46, and the second plate hole 58 is connected to the second vertical hole 48 and is approximately perpendicular to the second vertical hole 48. As shown in FIG. 4, the first abutment block 56 is formed by extending inward from the first outer side S1 of the flat plate portion 26 corresponding to the second vertical wall 42 toward the first plate hole 54, so that the width L2 of the first plate hole 54 is smaller than the width L1 of the first vertical hole 46, and the second abutment block 60 is formed by extending inward from the second outer side S2 of the flat plate portion 26 corresponding to the third vertical wall 44 toward the second plate hole 58, so that the width L4 of the second plate hole 58 is smaller than the width L3 of the second vertical hole 48. The abutment block 56/60 has two adjacent open sides that are adjacent to the vertical holes 46/48 and the plate holes 54/58, respectively. One of the two open sides of the abutment block 56/60 is parallel to the long side of the key cap 12, and the other is parallel to the short side of the key cap 12. The open side of the abutment block 56/60 that is parallel to the short side of the key cap 12 is approximately parallel to the outer surfaces of the first vertical wall 40 and the second vertical wall 42.

Here, the structural operation of the first balance bar 18 and the second balance bar 20 is described in detail. Please refer to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional diagram of the key 10 in Figure 4 when the key cap 12 is pressed to the pressed position. Since the key cap 12 is in a high position when not pressed, the first and second bent ends 50, 52 are both far from the first vertical wall 40 and close to the second vertical wall 42/third vertical wall 44, respectively. Therefore, the first outer side S1 and the second outer side S2 can be called the high side facing the outside of the key 10 (the side far from the geometric center of the key 10 is called the outside), and the side facing the first vertical wall 40, that is, the inner center of the key 10 is called the low side. At this time, the first and second bent ends 50, 52 are close to the first vertical wall 40 and far from the second vertical wall 42/third vertical wall 44, respectively, and the key cap 12 is pressed to the lowest pressing position. The diameter of the balance bar 18/20 can be set to be approximately close to the height of the vertical hole 46/48 (from the lower edge of the eave 38 to the upper surface of the abutment block 56/60), but because there is a supporting area 220 of the thin film circuit board 22 between the balance bar 18/20 and the abutment block 56/60, the balance bar 18/20 will not slide outward to the point where its entire structure is pressed directly above the supporting area 220 and the abutment block 56/60.

In detail, through the above design, when the key cap 12 is pressed from the unpressed position shown in FIG. 4 to the pressed position shown in FIG. 5 , the first bent end 50 of the first connecting section 32 can be separated from the upper and lower clamping of the eaves 38 of the upright portion 28 and the first abutment block 56 of the flat portion 26, and slide inwardly toward the first vertical wall 40 along the first vertical hole 46 as the key cap 12 moves downward, and the second bent end 52 of the second connecting section 36 can be separated from the upper and lower clamping of the eaves 38 and the second abutment block 60 of the flat portion 26, and slide inwardly toward the first vertical wall 40 along the second vertical hole 48 as the key cap 12 moves downward. During this process, the thin film circuit board 22 disposed on the bottom plate 14 to cushion between the first and second bent ends 50, 52 and the flat plate portion 26 can support the first bent end 50 and the second bent end 52 to slide smoothly thereon, thereby reducing the collision noise of the first bent end 50 and the second bent end 52 sliding in the first vertical hole 46 and the second vertical hole 48 respectively and further improving the pressing feel of the key 10.

On the other hand, when the key cap 12 returns from the pressed position shown in FIG. 5 to the unpressed position shown in FIG. 4, the first bent end 50 can move outward along the first vertical hole 46 toward the second vertical wall 42 to a position corresponding to the first abutment block 56, so that the first abutment block 56 can clamp the first bent end 50 up and down with the eaves 38 through the thin film circuit board 22. Similarly, as the key cap 12 moves to the left, the first bent end 50 can move outward along the first vertical hole 46 toward the second vertical wall 42 to a position corresponding to the first abutment block 56. The second bent end 52 can also move outward along the second vertical hole 48 toward the third vertical wall 44 to a position corresponding to the second abutment block 60, so that the second abutment block 60 can clamp the second bent end 52 up and down with the eaves 38 via the thin film circuit board 22. In this way, the key cap 12 can be more stably maintained in the unpressed position as shown in FIG. 4, so that the user can perform subsequent pressing operations. In addition, since the first bent end 50 is clamped by the eaves 38 and the first abutment block 56 and the second bent end 52 is clamped by the eaves 38 and the second abutment block 60, there is no gap between the first bent end 50 and the second bent end 52 and the connecting structure 24. Therefore, the present invention can effectively solve the problem mentioned in the prior art that the key is prone to collision or resonance noise with the balance rod when the structure shakes or vibrates due to the gap between the connecting section and the slot, thereby further improving the noise reduction effect.

In actual application, as shown in FIG. 4, the width of the first abutment block 56 is preferably equal to the radius of the first bent end 50, so that the first bent end 50 can abut against the second vertical wall 42 when the first abutment block 56 is clamped up and down by the eave portion 38 as shown in FIG. 4, thereby enhancing the limiting effect of the connection structure 24 on the first bent end 50. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In another embodiment, the first abutment block 56 is preferably equal to the radius of the first bent end 50. The width of the abutment block 56 may be greater than the radius of the first bent end 50, so that the first bent end 50 can be separated from the second vertical wall 42 when clamped by the ledge 38 and the first abutment block 56, thereby effectively preventing the first bent end 50 from colliding with the connection structure 24 when the key cap 12 returns to the unpressed position. As for which design to adopt, it depends on the actual application requirements of the key of the present invention. The above-mentioned width design for the first abutment block can also be applied to the second abutment block, and the relevant description can be analogized based on the above-mentioned embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

Generally speaking, the first bent end 50 of the first connecting section 32 of the first balance bar 18 does not need to move outward until the first bent end 50 (geometric center or overall structure) is completely located above the supporting area 220 and the first abutting block 56 in order for the first bent end 50 to be abutted. The diameter of the first bent end 50 may be greater than the remaining height after deducting the thickness of the supporting area 220 of the thin film circuit board 22 and the thickness of the first abutting block 56 from the height of the first vertical hole 46, so that when the first bent end 50 slides outward to the corner position of the first abutting block 56, it is restricted due to space reduction and may finally be abutted by the supporting area 220 of the thin film circuit board 22 located above the corner of the first abutting block 56. In addition, although the above-described embodiment is to limit the sliding movement of the first connecting section 32 of the first balance bar 18 in the short side direction (suppress the shaking of the key cap 12 in the short side direction; there may be an offset component in the long side direction), in different embodiments, the design of the abutment block 56/60 can also be used to limit the offset of the first connecting section 32 of the first balance bar 18 in the long side direction; in particular, for the multiple key 10 with a smaller length and width, the end of the first connecting section 32 of the first balance bar 18 does not necessarily have the first bent end 50, and the offset of the straight end of the first connecting section 32 in the long side direction (for the shaking of the key cap 12 in the long side direction) can also be prevented by adopting the design of the abutment block 56/60.

In FIG. 4, the present invention adopts a design that the first abutting block 56 and the second abutting block 60 indirectly clamp the first bent end 50 and the second bent end 52 via the supporting area 220 of the thin film circuit board 22, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The thin film circuit board 22 disclosed in each embodiment and each figure of the present invention can be a single-layer or three-layer design; and the supporting area 220 disclosed in each embodiment and each figure of the present invention can be, for example, located in a single-layer thin film circuit board 22 or a lower thin film layer of a three-layer thin film circuit board 22; in another embodiment, the supporting area 220 can also be located in the middle spacer layer or the upper thin film layer of the thin film circuit board 22.

In summary, the key 10 disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention defines the first vertical hole 46, the first plate hole 54 and the first abutment block 56 in the connection structure 24 of the bottom plate 14. The first plate hole 54 on the horizontal plane of the bottom plate 14 and the first abutment block 56 parallel to the first plate hole 54 correspond to the vertical first vertical hole 46, and the first plate hole 54 is connected to the first vertical hole 46. The thin film circuit board 22 corresponds to the first vertical hole 46 with its supporting area 220, and the supporting area 220 at least partially overlaps the first plate hole 54 and the first abutment block 56. The first connecting section 32 of the first balance bar 18 extends downward from the first key cap section 30 to the connecting structure 24 connected to the bottom plate 14, and the end of the first connecting section 32 can be movably inserted into the first vertical hole 46 of the connecting structure 24, and the supporting area 220 of the thin film circuit board 22 is located between the first plate hole 54 and the end of the first connecting section 32. Through the above design, when the key cap 12 returns from the pressed position to the unpressed position, the end of the first connecting section 32 moves outward along the first vertical hole 46, and the end of the first connecting section 32 abuts against the supporting area 220 of the thin film circuit board 22 above the corner of the first abutting block 56, so as to reduce the deviation and shaking of the key cap 12, and also reduce the impact noise or resonance noise of the balance bar 18/20.

In addition, for buttons with different length-to-width ratios, the structure and number of the balance bar of the present invention are not limited to the double balance bar design of the above embodiment, and buttons with other size ratios can also adopt a single balance bar configuration. As for the detailed description of this embodiment and other derivative embodiments, it can be inferred from the above embodiment and will not be repeated here.

Finally, the height of the key cap 12 in the unpressed position can be determined by the upward resetting force of the resetting member on the key cap 12 and the activity limiting design of the lifting bracket 16 between the key cap 12 and the base plate 14. This also means that when the key cap 12 is in the highest unpressed position, the lifting bracket 16 is usually pushed by the resetting force to stretch to fit tightly between the key cap 12 and the base plate 14. However, at this time, the balance rod 18/20 is usually in a loose state due to the excessive gap, which is also one of the reasons for the structural shaking or pressing shaking. Such a design uses the resetting force and the lifting bracket 16 to control the maximum height (unpressed position) of the key cap 12. After the design of the present invention is introduced, if the width of the abutment block 56/60 is wide enough (which means that the thin film circuit board 22 has a narrower bearing area 220), the balance bar 18/20 may reach a tight state when it slides outward a short distance and is stopped by the abutment block 56/60 and the bearing area 220. At this time, the key cap 12 reaches the maximum height, but the lifting bracket 16 is still in a loose state. This design is that the height of the key cap 12 is controlled by the balance bar 18/20 in combination with the reset force. If the balance bar 18/20 is stopped by the abutment block 56/60 and the load area 220, the lifting bracket 16 and the balance bar 18/20 are close to a tight fit state, then under the premise that the reset force remains unchanged, the balance bar 18/20 and the lifting bracket 16 can cooperate to control the height of the key cap 12. In other words, the design of the abutment block 56/60 of the present invention not only overcomes structural shaking or pressing shaking, resonance noise/impact noise, but also realizes the possibility of using the balance bar 18/20 to participate in controlling the height of the key cap 12. The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and all equal changes and modifications made according to the scope of the patent application of the present invention should be covered by the present invention.

10: Button 12: Key cap 14: Bottom plate 16: Lifting bracket 18: First balance bar 20: Second balance bar 22: Thin film circuit board 220: Loading area 24: Connection structure 26: Flat plate 28: Upright part 30: First key cap section 32: First connecting section 34: Second key cap section 36: Second connecting section 38: Eaves 40: First vertical wall 42: Second vertical wall 44: Third vertical wall 46: First vertical hole 48: Second vertical hole 50: First bending end 52: Second bending end 54: First plate hole 56: First abutment block 58: Second plate hole 60: Second abutment block S1: first outer side S2: second outer side L1, L2, L3, L4: width

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a key according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged exploded schematic diagram of the key of FIG. 1. FIG. 3A is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the key of FIG. 1. FIG. 3B is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of FIG. 3A with the film circuit board and the lifting bracket removed. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the key of FIG. 1 along the section line A-A. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the key of FIG. 4 when the key cap is pressed to the pressed position.

10: Button

12: Key caps

14: Base plate

18: First balance bar

20: Second balance bar

22: Thin film circuit board

220: Loading area

24: Connection structure

26: Flat plate

28: Upright part

30: First keycap segment

32: First connection section

34: Second keycap segment

36: Second connection section

38: Eaves

40: First vertical wall

42: Second vertical wall

44: The third standing wall

46: First vertical hole

48: Second vertical hole

50: First bend end

52: Second bend end

54: First plate hole

56: First contact block

58: Second plate hole

60: Second contact block

S1: First outer side

S2: Second outer side

L1, L2, L3, L4: Width

Claims (10)

A key, comprising: a key cap; a base plate, having at least one connection structure defining a first vertical hole, a first plate hole and a first abutment block, the first plate hole and the first abutment block are parallel to and correspond to the first vertical hole, and the first plate hole is connected to the first vertical hole; a thin film circuit board, having at least one bearing area corresponding to the first vertical hole and at least partially overlapping the first plate hole and the first abutment block; and a first balance bar, having a first key cap section and at least one first connection section, the first key cap section is rotatably connected to the key cap, and the end of the first connection section can be movably inserted into the first vertical hole, so that the bearing area of the thin film circuit board is located between the first plate hole and the end of the first connection section; When the key cap returns from the pressed position to the unpressed position, the end of the first connecting section slides on the bearing area and moves outward along the first vertical hole until the end of the first connecting section is stopped at the position where the top of the first abutting block is against the bottom of the bearing area. A key as described in claim 1, wherein the width of the first abutment block is greater than or equal to the radius of the end of the first connecting section. A key as described in claim 1, wherein the width of the first plate hole is smaller than the width of the first vertical hole. A key as described in claim 1, wherein the first abutment block is located on the outer side of the first plate hole. The key as described in claim 1, wherein the connection structure of the base plate further defines a second vertical hole, a second plate hole and a second abutment block, the second plate hole and the second abutment block correspond to the second vertical hole in parallel, and the second plate hole is connected to the second vertical hole; wherein the thin film circuit board also has another bearing area corresponding to the second vertical hole, the other bearing area and at least partially overlapping the second plate hole and the second abutment block; the key also includes a second balance bar, which has a second key cap section and at least a second connection section, the second key cap section is rotatably connected to the key cap, and the end of the second connection section can be movably inserted into the second vertical hole, so that the other bearing area of the thin film circuit board is located between the second plate hole and the end of the second connection section. A key as described in claim 1, wherein the diameter of the end of the first connecting section is greater than the remaining height after deducting the thickness of the supporting area of the thin film circuit board and the thickness of the first abutment block from the height of the first vertical hole. A key as described in claim 1, wherein the key further includes at least one lifting bracket connected between the key cap and the base plate. A key as described in claim 1, wherein the key further comprises: A reset member disposed between the key cap and the base plate to provide a reset force to the key cap. A key as described in claim 1, wherein the first abutment block has an open edge adjacent to the first vertical hole; or, the first abutment block has an open edge adjacent to the first plate hole. A key, comprising: a key cap; a base plate, having at least one connection structure defining a first vertical hole, a first plate hole and a first abutment block, the first plate hole and the first abutment block corresponding to the first vertical hole in parallel, and the first plate hole and the first vertical hole are connected; a thin film circuit board, having at least one bearing area corresponding to the first vertical hole and at least partially overlapping the first plate hole and the first abutment block; at least one lifting bracket, connected between the key cap and the base plate; at least one reset member, providing the reset force of the key cap; and A first balancing rod, which has a first key cap section and at least one first connecting section, the first key cap section is rotatably connected to the key cap, and the end of the first connecting section can be movably inserted into the first vertical hole, so that the bearing area of the thin film circuit board is located between the first plate hole and the end of the first connecting section; Wherein, when the key cap returns from the pressed position to the unpressed position, the end of the first connecting section slides on the bearing area and moves outward along the first vertical hole until the end of the first connecting section is stopped at a position where the top of the first abutting block is against the bottom of the bearing area.

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