MEMBRANE TOUCH KEYBOARD STRUCTURE FOR NOTEBOOK COMPUTERS

• US 20130076635A1
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: KO JA (Cayman) Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: KO JA (Cayman) Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: LIN, Yu-Kai
• Application Number:
  US13/245,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20130076635A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1666 Arrangements for reducing the size of the integrated keyboard for transport, e.g. foldable keyboards, keyboards with collapsible keys G06F1/1664 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device

Abstract

A membrane touch keyboard structure for notebook computers comprises a panel, a sensing layer, a backlight layer and a base layer. The panel includes hot key patterns, a key group pattern, a cursor control pattern, and a sensing key pattern. A first sensing block, first electrode blocks, a second sensing block, a third electrode block or a third sensing block, and a fourth sensing block correspond to sensing layers of the hot key patterns, key group pattern, cursor control pattern, and sensing key pattern. The sensing layers are resistive/capacitive films. The membrane touch keyboard and the touch panel are integrated to reduce the thickness of the notebook computer. When any hot key pattern, key group pattern, cursor control pattern or sensing key pattern is touched, the touch is sensed by the sensing layer to generate and output a sensing control signal to the notebook computer for an operation.

Claims

1. A membrane touch keyboard structure for notebook computers, comprising:

a panel, including a key group pattern and a cursor control pattern; and

a sensing layer, including a first transparent layer and a second transparent layer, the first transparent layer including a first front side and a first backside, the first backside including a plurality of first electrode blocks and a second sensing block, the plurality of first electrode blocks being corresponding to the key group pattern, the second sensing block being corresponding to the cursor control pattern;

wherein the second transparent layer includes a second front side and a second backside, the second front side includes a plurality of second electrode blocks corresponding to the first electrode blocks respectively, the second electrode block includes a convex body provided for forming a spacing between the corresponding first electrode block and the second electrode block.

2. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 1, wherein the panel further comprises a plurality of hot key patterns and at least one sensing key pattern, and the panel is a transparent plastic sheet.

3. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 2, wherein each of the key group pattern, the cursor control pattern, the plurality of hot key patterns and the sensing key pattern includes a touch layer composed of a plurality of protrusions.

4. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 3, wherein the first transparent layer and the second transparent layer are composed of two transparent plastic sheets.

5. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 4, wherein the first backside further includes a plurality of first sensing blocks and a third electrode block, the plurality of first sensing blocks correspond to the plurality of hot key patterns, the third electrode block corresponds to the sensing key pattern, and the first sensing block is coupled to a plurality of transmission lines.

6. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 5, wherein the second front side includes a plurality of second electrode blocks corresponding to the third electrode block, and the second electrode block includes a convex body, the convex body has a spacing formed between the corresponding second electrode block and third electrode block, the plurality of second electrode blocks are electrically coupled, and the second electrode block is coupled to a plurality of signal transmission lines.

7. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 6, wherein the plurality of first electrode blocks is electrically coupled, and the first electrode blocks are coupled to the plurality of signal transmission lines.

8. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 7, wherein the third electrode block and the first electrode block are electrically coupled.

9. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 8 further comprising a backlight layer disposed under the sensing layer and being a transparent plastic sheet, the backlight layer having a plurality of light emitting elements corresponding to the first sensing block and the first electrode block and the second electrode block, and the light emitting elements being electrically coupled and each light emitting element having a power transmission line.

10. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 9, wherein the light emitting element is a light emitting diode (LED), an electroluminescent panel or an LED backlight panel.

11. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 10, further comprising a base layer for carrying a combination of the panel, the sensing layer and the backlight layer.

12. A membrane touch keyboard structure for notebook computers, comprising:

a panel, including a key group pattern and a cursor control pattern; and

a sensing layer including a first transparent layer, the first transparent layer including a first front side and a first backside, the first backside including a plurality of third electrode blocks and a second sensing block, the plurality of third electrode blocks being corresponding to the key group pattern, and the second sensing block being corresponding to the cursor control pattern.

13. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 12, wherein the panel further comprises a plurality of hot key patterns and a sensing key pattern, and the panel is a transparent plastic sheet.

14. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 13, wherein the first backside includes a plurality of first sensing blocks and a fourth sensing block, the plurality of first sensing blocks correspond to the plurality of hot key patterns respectively, the fourth sensing block corresponds to the sensing key pattern, and the first sensing blocks are coupled to a plurality of transmission lines respectively.

15. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 14, wherein the plurality of third sensing blocks are electrically coupled, and the third sensing blocks are coupled to the plurality of signal transmission lines.

16. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 15, wherein the fourth sensing block and the third sensing block are electrically coupled.

17. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 16, further comprising a backlight layer disposed under the sensing layer, a transparent plastic sheet disposed on the backlight layer, and a plurality of light emitting elements installed on the corresponding first sensing block and third sensing block, the light emitting elements are electrically connected, and each light emitting element has a power transmission line extended from the light emitting element.

18. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 17, wherein the light emitting element is a light emitting diode (LED), an electroluminescent (EL) panel or an LED backlight panel.

19. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 18, further comprising a base layer for carrying a combination of the panel, the sensing layer and the backlight layer.

20. The membrane touch keyboard structure of claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of hot key patterns, key group patterns, cursor control patterns and sensing key patterns has a touch layer dispose on a surface thereof, and the touch layer is formed by a plurality of protrusions.