Control device for an electronic apparatus

• US 20030018397A1
• Filed: 06/26/2002
• Published: 01/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cellon France SAS
• Original Assignee: Cellon France SAS
• Inventors: Chanu, Frederic
• Application Number:
  US10/180,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20030018397A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/17
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04744 Switches
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04777 with additional push or pull action on the handle
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 9/047 the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks for switches H01H25/04
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 9/04796 for rectilinear control along the axis of the controlling member
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2025/048 having a separate central push, slide or tumbler button which is not integral with the operating part that surrounds it
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 25/041 having a generally flat operating member depressible at different locations to operate different controls

Abstract

The invention proposes a control device for an electronic apparatus of the type which consists of a control member (60) which has at least two opposite top lateral selection zones (62, 64, 66, 68) to which a control force can be applied and each of which is associated with a bottom actuation portion which is able to cooperate with a triggering member (26) associated with an electrical switch (28), characterized in that the control member (60) is produced in two parts (80, 82), a first top part (80) of which carries at least said two lateral validation zones (62, 64, 66, 68) and a second bottom part (82) of which carries at least said two bottom actuation portions and has a central stud (84) which passes vertically through the first part (80).

Claims

1. A device for controlling an electronic apparatus (10) of the type which consists of a control member (60) which has at least two opposite lateral top selection zones (62, 64, 66, 68) to which it is possible to apply a control force and each of which is associated with a bottom actuation portion (72, 74, 76, 78) which is able to cooperate with an associated triggering member (26) of an electrical switch (28), of the type in which the control member (60) is mounted so as to tilt about a selection axis (A1, A2) which extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction of alignment of the two switches (28), between an intermediate idle position and two opposite selection positions, when a force is applied to one or other of the top selection zones (62, 64, 66, 68), so that the corresponding bottom actuation portion (72, 74, 76, 78) cooperates with the associated triggering member (26) and activates a first or second selection function, and of the type in which the control member (60) is mounted so as to be able to move in translation in a vertical validation direction orthogonal to the direction of alignment and to the selection axis (A1, A2), between the idle position and a pressed-in position, when a validation force is applied to a third central validation zone (70) of the control member (60), in which the two opposite bottom actuation portions (72, 74, 76, 78) cooperate simultaneously with the two associated triggering members (26) so as to activate a validation function of the apparatus, characterized in that the control member (60) is produced in two parts (80, 82), a first top part (80) of which carries at least said two lateral validation zones (62, 64, 66, 68) and a second bottom part (82) of which carries at least said two bottom actuation portions (72, 74) and has a central stud (84) which passes vertically through the first part (80) and whose top free end face constitutes the third central validation zone (70).

2. A control device as claimed in the preceding claim, characterized in that the first part (80) has four lateral selection zones (62, 64, 66, 68) which are distributed angularly at 90°

around the central validation zone (70) and each of which is associated with a bottom portion (72, 74, 76, 78), and in that the four bottom portions (72, 74, 76, 78) are carried by the second part (82), so that, when a validation force is applied to the central validation zone (70), the four bottom portions (72, 74, 76, 78) cooperate simultaneously with the associated triggering members (26) in order to activate the validation function.

3. A control device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first part (80) has four lateral selection zones (62, 64, 66, 68) which are distributed angularly at 90°

around the central validation zone (70) and each of which is associated with a bottom portion (72, 74, 76, 78), and in that the two opposite bottom portions (72, 74) are carried by the second part (82), the other two opposite bottom portions (76, 78) being carried by the bottom face of the first part, so that, when a validation force is applied to the central validation zone (70), the two bottom portions (72, 74) carried by the second part cooperate simultaneously with the associated triggering members (26) in order to activate the validation function.

4. A control device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has means for the elastic return of the two parts (80, 82) against top stops which define their idle positions.

5. A control device as claimed in the preceding claim, characterized in that the top stop of the second part (82) is a bottom surface (96) of the first part (80).

6. A control device as claimed in one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the elastic return means belong to the associated electrical switches (28).

7. A control device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has means of guiding the second part in vertical translation so as to assist the simultaneous cooperation of the actuation portions (72, 74, 76, 78) which it carries with the associated triggering members (26), when the central zone (70) is controlled.

8. An electronic apparatus which comprises a control member (60) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it consists of a mobile telephone of the GSM type.