Abstract:
A tactile snap-action element for use in keyboards, the element comprising an arcuately shaped invertible first dome and a second dome shaped actuating protrusion extending from the invertible second dome, the actuating dome protrusion being integral with the invertible dome and being non-invertible. The element is operated by an actuation force which acts directly or indirectly through the non-inverting second dome to invert the first dome and to provide tactile feedback. The keyboard includes a plurality of keys, each key comprising an element, a conductive circuit associated with the first dome and movable with the inversion of the first dome to electrically contact a second conductive circuit associated with the element.
Abstract:
Wiring patterns and key contact patterns are directly formed on an inner surface of a casing of an electronic calculator. A printed board or a substrate can be eliminated by mounting electrode elements on the inner surface of the casing to establish electrical connection with the wiring patterns formed on the inner surface of the casing, thereby enabling the reduction of size, especially thickness, of the electronic calculator.
Abstract:
A push button switch has a spring contact plate and a circuit board in superposed position. The spring contact plate has one or more switch positions, each switch position comprising a prestressed domed portion surrounded by a flat sheet portion. The domed portion includes a central portion and radial webs connecting the central portion to the flat sheet portion. Spring contacts extend radially from the central portion, each contact between a pair of webs. The domed portion is prestressed to assume a stable position offset upwards from a plane coincident with the flat sheet portion, and the webs each have an upwardly bent portion at the junction with the flat sheet portion. A push button acts on the central portion and pressure on the push button causes the central portion to snap through the plane of the flat sheet portion, with the spring contacts contacting contact areas on the circuit board. Release of the push button enables the domed portion to snap back to the stable position.
Abstract:
A portable electronic calculator is provided with a housing carrying a first printed circuit board having the operating parts mounted thereon, i.e., keyboard, electronic arithmetic unit, and multi-digit display unit. The housing is of rectangular outline and of shallow height, and is provided at one end with a receptacle communicating with the first printed circuit board and opening at the end of the housing. An electrical supply unit is mounted on a second printed circuit board which slides into said receptacle, said two printed circuit boards having plug-and-socket connection means therebetween for automatically making and breaking connections when said second printed circuit board and electrical supply unit are inserted into or removed from said receptacle.
Abstract:
Disclosed is a keyboard encoder capable of directly encoding decimal input information into electrical binary code. The electrical encoding of the information appears at the output terminals of the encoder when the key representing the information to be encoded is depressed. The depressed key causes the selective shorting together of certain ones of a group of encoding conductors which are connected to the output terminals.
Abstract:
A key entry device including a housing, a keypad array disposed within the housing and including a plurality of keys, a key contact array disposed within the housing below the keypad array and including a plurality of contact pairs, a dome array underlying the keypad array and the key contact array and including a plurality of domes, and a protrusion array underlying the dome array and including a plurality of protrusions, whereby depression of one of the plurality of keys of the keypad array causes a corresponding one of the domes of the dome array to be displaced downwardly and to be deformed by pushing engagement with a corresponding one of the protrusions of the protrusion array into contact with at least one of the contact pairs of the key contact array.
Abstract:
A switching device for breaking an electric current including a main contact carrier, movable and stationary main contacts, the movable contact attached to the main contact carrier, an arcing contact carrier, a movable and stationary arcing contacts, the movable arcing contact attached to the arcing contact carrier and the stationary arcing contact arranged in parallel with the stationary main contact, and an actuating unit for the main and arcing contact carriers between open and close position at an actuating distance, wherein there are separation distances between the stationary and movable contacts of the main and arcing contact units respectively when the current is interrupted. The switching device further includes a first rack and a first gear for actuating the arcing contact carrier so that, when interrupting the current, a separation distance between the arcing contacts is longer than a separation distance between the main contacts.
Abstract:
A secure smartcard reader including a smartcard connector and a flexible printed circuit board wrapped around and at least partially surrounding the smartcard connector and at least partially defining a security volume enclosing the smartcard connector, the wrapped flexible printed circuit board defining on an outer-facing surface thereof a plurality of keypad contacts, the wrapped flexible printed circuit board defining electrical conductors connecting the plurality of keypad contacts to connector pads and the wrapped flexible printed circuit board defining a protective anti-tamper mesh protecting the electrical conductors.
Abstract:
A secure smartcard reader including a smartcard connector and a flexible printed circuit board wrapped around and at least partially surrounding the smartcard connector and at least partially defining a security volume enclosing the smartcard connector, the wrapped flexible printed circuit board defining on an outer-facing surface thereof a plurality of keypad contacts, the wrapped flexible printed circuit board defining electrical conductors connecting the plurality of keypad contacts to connector pads and the wrapped flexible printed circuit board defining a protective anti-tamper mesh protecting the electrical conductors.
Abstract:
Temperature protection device for use in an electrical power circuit for protecting said electrical power circuit against heating, comprising a first contact element and a second contact element, which are connected to one another by the ends thereof, and are designed in such a way that the ends of said first and said second contact elements that are connected to one another separate from one another when a limit temperature is exceeded because of a mechanical pretension between the two ends, thereby interrupting the electrical circuit, wherein at least the ends of the contact elements have a material with a higher recrystallization temperature than pure copper.