Abstract:
A keyboard for typewriters or similar machines has a key support, switching contacts and key push rods, each of which is acted upon by a spring. The design of the few individual parts assures their simple manufacture (extruded parts and a stamped part) as well as an assembly just as simple and therefore automated, and, if desired, even without screws or aids of that type. Activation of the individual keys takes place with satisfactory tactile feedback and without undesireable vibrations.
Abstract:
A rubber structure contact connector includes a support upon which is placed an electrical contact. An insulating material, such as rubber, is applied over the contact and overlies the support and it has a portion which is formed as a raised dome-shaped resilient compressible portion or actuating key. On the interior of the dome-shaped, resilient compressible portion, there is a surface which has an oil-resistant layer thereon and a conductive portion which overlies the oil-resistant layer. The conductive portion is aligned over the electrical contact. In another embodiment, instead of the covering on the interior surface of the key which includes only an oil-resistant layer and an electrical conductive part, there is an electro-conductive part on the interior surface followed by an oil-resistant layer and another electrical conductive part.
Abstract:
A covering member of keyboard prepared by separately fixing the push button elements to a base plate instead of integral molding is disclosed in which the plate has openings arranged conforming to the pattern of the fixed contact points on the circuit board. Fixing is carried out by using a silicone rubber-based adhesive or a pressure-sensitive adhesive optionally with the aid of tailing of protrusions on the base plate into the cavity of the base of the push button elements. A method of using unit bodies carrying push button elements is alternatively used. A base plate having openings arranged in the pattern corresponding to the fixed contact points is also disclosed for use in fixing the push button elements.
Abstract:
A conductive elastomeric ink is described comprised of very fine nickel particles admixed in a silicone binder. The ink has utility in elastomeric switch control devices, printed circuits and the like.
Abstract:
A keyboard construction including a metallic flat housing member and a metallic flat key actuator member closely laid upon the metallic flat housing member. The former has apertures in positions to correspond to respective ones of key actuator sections while the latter has cutouts to make respective ones of key actuators formed therein movable in a vertical direction. Key indicia are defined on the tops of the respective key actuators during the etching of the two members.
Abstract:
An electronic apparatus principally comprising a display unit, a mechanical contact type keyboard unit and several LSI (large-scale integrated circuit) elements including a computation circuit, a logical control circuit, a storage circuit, a program memory circuit, etc., these units and elements all being incorporated on a single flexible plate of electrical insulating material, such as a film of polyethylene-terephthalate or a polyamide. The metal depositing technology or the etching technology is applied to form a wiring pattern on the flexible plate. The LSI elements are directly mounted on the single flexible plate by utilizing the wireless bonding method, such as for example, a flip chip bond or a beam lead bond, before these elements are packed and sealed. The substratum may be secured in the inside of the apparatus in a serpentine fashion in order to make the best use of the inside space of the apparatus. It is easy to adjust the angle or the position of the display units with respect to the keyboard unit, since the display units are mounted on the flexible plate.
Abstract:
A keyboard structure which includes a circuit board or the like having a plurality of contacts, an insulator layer having a plurality of holes therethrough, said holes positioned above said board to expose said contacts, composite means comprising an electrically non-conductive elastomeric layer having adhered thereto and covering a major portion of one side thereof, a thin flexible electrically conductive non-selfsupporting and nonelastomeric plastic layer having electrically conductive particles dispersed therethrough, and means for pushing the nonconductive layer and the conductive layer through said holes to make electrical contact with contacts.
Abstract:
A binary code generator for generating a plural bit binary code from keyboard input data comprises a printed circuit including a plurality of conductive lead groupings arranged in registration with a plurality of pushbuttons on a keyboard frame. The circuit board includes a plurality of electrical terminals one of which is operatively electrically connected to a voltage source and the others of which are selectively operatively electrically connected to the lead patterns forming the conductive lead groupings in accordance with the binary code to be generated. Upon actuation of the pushbutton switch all of the lead patterns in the conductive lead grouping associated with that pushbutton are electrically connected together whereby selected ones of the output terminals are electrically connected to the voltage source thereby to produce a binary output code. The keyboard is formed of a single integral sheet of resilient material and includes a plurality of conductive resilient contacts normally spaced from the conductive lead groupings on the circuit board. In a preferred embodiment each of the lead patterns in a lead grouping comprises a plurality of radially extending branches and the contact member is formed with a contact surface in the form of a continuous generally circular rim adapted upon depression of its associated pushbutton to bridge a sufficient number of lead branches in the associated lead grouping to provide effective and reliable switching under all conditions. The contacts are electrically and structurally separated from each other by raised strips formed integral on the resilient keyboard sheet and secured by appropriate means to the circuit board, those strips being effective to reliably maintain independent actuation of individual pushbuttons.
Abstract:
An encoded keyboard device which includes a plurality of layers of insulator material, at least two of which have patterns of electrically conductive material supported thereby, a plurality of holes extending through one of said layers and positioned with respect to said conductive patterns so that electrically conductive material may extend through the holes and electrically interconnect the patterns, and a plurality of keys adapted to push electrically conductive material against one of said patterns to produce a coded output representative of the key depressed.