Touch control attachment

• US 20050184970A1
• Filed: 12/15/2004
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Schott Corporation (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Schott Corporation (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Haas, Alexander, Cary, Karen J., Astheimer, Steffen, Hoche, Jens, Wegert, Theodore A., Zenker, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US11/012,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20050184970A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/96 Touch switches specially adapted for electronic time-pieces with no moving parts G04G21/08
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96015 Constructional details for touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960755 Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches

Abstract

The present invention provides a touch control assembly including a substrate for interfacing with a user and a touch keypad removably connected to the substrate. The touch keypad includes a sensor.

Claims

1. A touch control assembly comprising:

at least one of a glass and a glass-ceramic substrate for interfacing with a user; and

a touch keypad, including at least one sensor, removably connected to the substrate.

2. The touch control assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one double-sided stretch release tape strip which connects the touch keypad with the substrate.

3. The touch control assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one spring which urges the keypad against the substrate to connect the keypad to the substrate.

4. The touch control assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one bracket connected to the substrate which removably connects the keypad to the substrate.

5. The touch control assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one clip which removably connects the keypad to the substrate.

6. The touch control assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one quarter-turn screw which removably connects the keypad to the substrate.

7. The touch control assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one grommet which removably connects the keypad to the substrate.

8. The touch control assembly of claim 1, further comprising insulating material positioned between the touch keypad and the substrate.

9. The touch control assembly of claim 1, further comprising a layer of silicone positioned between the touch keypad and the substrate.

10. The touch control assembly of claim 1, further comprising a coating of insulating material adhered to at least one of the keypad and the substrate.

11. The touch control assembly of claim 1, further comprising insulating material positioned to correspond to a position of the at least one sensor between the touch keypad and the substrate.

12. The touch control assembly of claim 1, further comprising an insulating material which is at least one of sprayed, screen printed and stencil printed and cured on at least one of the keypad and the substrate.

13. The touch control assembly of claim 1, further comprising a clear elastomer insulating layer adhered to at least one of the keypad and the substrate.

14. The touch control assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes a capacitive type sensor.

15. The touch control assembly of claim 1, further comprising a controller connected to the keypad.

16. A touch control assembly comprising:

a touch keypad including at least one sensor;

a substrate for interfacing with a user; and

at least one double-sided stretch release tape strip which connects the touch keypad with the substrate.

17. The touch control assembly of claim 16, wherein the substrate includes at least one of a glass and a glass ceramic plate.

18. The touch control assembly of claim 16, wherein the stretch release tape strip includes a release tab which extends past an edge of at least one of the keypad and the substrate.

19. The touch control assembly of claim 16, further comprising an insulating material positioned to correspond to a position of the at least one sensor.

20. The touch control assembly of claim 16, further comprising insulating material positioned between the touch keypad and the substrate.

21. The touch control assembly of claim 16, further comprising insulating material, having substantially the same thickness as a thickness of the at least one tape strip, positioned between the touch keypad and the substrate adjacent to the at least one tape strip.

22. A touch control assembly comprising:

a touch keypad;

a substrate for interfacing with a user;

at least one bracket connected to the substrate which removably connects the keypad to the substrate.

23. The touch control assembly of claim 22, wherein the at least one bracket is adhered to the substrate using an adhesive.

24. The touch control assembly of claim 22, wherein the at least one bracket includes a Z-bracket having a raised portion, and wherein the at least one keypad bracket is slidably retained by the raised portion of the at least one bracket.

25. The touch control assembly of claim 22, further comprising insulating material positioned between the touch keypad and the substrate.

26. The touch control assembly of claim 22, further comprising a spring connected to at least one of the bracket and the substrate which urges the keypad toward the substrate.

27. The touch control assembly of claim 22, further comprising a spring removably connected to the bracket which urges the keypad toward the substrate.

28. The touch control assembly of claim 22, wherein the at least one bracket includes at least two brackets, and further comprising a spring which is removably connected to the at least two brackets which urges the keypad toward the substrate.

29. The touch control assembly of claim 22, further comprising a locating member connected to the substrate for positioning the keypad relative to the substrate.

30. The touch control assembly of claim 22, wherein the at least one bracket includes at least a first and a second bracket, and wherein the at least the first bracket retains a first end of the keypad and the at least the second bracket includes a compliant detent for removably retaining a second end of the keypad against the substrate.

31. A touch control assembly comprising:

a touch keypad;

a substrate for interfacing with a user; and

at least one clip which removably connects the keypad to the substrate.

32. The touch control assembly according to claim 31, wherein the at least one clip is a tree clip.

33. The touch control assembly according to claim 31, further comprising a thin material sheet, wherein the at least one clip is connected to the thin material sheet.

34. The touch control assembly according to claim 31, further comprising a thin material sheet, wherein the at least one clip is connected to the thin material sheet, and the thin material sheet is adhered to the substrate.

35. The touch control assembly according to claim 31, further comprising a thin material sheet and at least one strip of VHB tape, wherein the at least one clip is adhered to the thin material sheet, and the thin material sheet is adhered to the substrate with the at least one strip of VHB tape.