KEYBOARD/KEYBOARD ENCLOSURE

• US 20170336875A1
• Filed: 05/18/2017
• Published: 11/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kevin R. Stoops
• Original Assignee: Kevin R. Stoops
• Inventors: Stoops, Kevin R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,345,920 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/702 with contacts carried by or formed from layers in a multilayer structure, e.g. membrane switches

Abstract

A keyboard/keyboard enclosure is provided. The keyboard/keyboard enclosure includes front and rear shells removably connected together and made of a durable metal material such as aluminum. The enclosure defines a cavity and various features for positioning and/or restraining a PCB within the cavity. A keypad is positioned on the front surface of the front shell. End caps extend into the cavity from opposed ends of the front and rear shells, thereby selectively securing the front and rear shells together and/or further positioning and/or restraining the PCB within the cavity.

Claims

1. A keyboard comprising:

a front shell portion;

a rear shell portion removably connected to said front shell portion so as to form a cavity;

a PCB positioned within said cavity, said end cap being displaced from a first end of said front shell; and

a first end cap extending from said first end of said front shell towards said PCB.

2. The keyboard as claimed in claim 1 wherein said front and rear shell portions are made from aluminum.

3. The keyboard as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a keypad selectively positioned in a first position over a generally flat and substantially solid front surface of said front shell; and

a keypad card moveable between a first position over said keypad and a second position displaced from said keypad,

wherein said keyboard is configured to retain said keypad in its first position while said keypad card is moved between its first and second positions,

wherein said keypad is completely operational with or without said keypad card inserted in its first position, such that moving said keypad card between its first and second positions has no impact on the functions of said keypad, and

wherein said front shell portion includes an inset in said front surface in which said keypad is positioned.

4. The keyboard as claimed in claim 3 wherein said keypad includes embossed buttons included as part of a unitary keypad membrane.

5. The keyboard as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a keypad cover having flexible side members that snap fit around said front shell portion and said rear shell portion, with said side members operable to secure the first end cap in place.

6. The keyboard claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a slot extending into the cavity,

wherein the slot is configured to receive a ribbon extending from the PCB to a keypad selectively positioned in a first position over a generally flat and substantially solid front surface of said front shell,

wherein a first edge of the slot is defined by the front shell,

wherein a second edge of the slot is defined by the first end cap, and

wherein the first and second edges are opposed to and displaced from each other so as to accommodate receiving a thickness of the ribbon.

7. The keyboard as claimed in claim 6 further comprising holes extending through an end wall of said first end cap, said holes being associated with a speaker mounted in said cavity.

8. The keyboard of claim 6, wherein a first portion of the slot is formed from the front shell and a second portion of the slot is formed from the rear shell.

9. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the front shell defines:

a first longitudinal slot positioned within the cavity; and

a longitudinal ledge opposed to the first longitudinal slot,

wherein the first longitudinal slot is configured to selectively receive a first longitudinal edge of the PCB when a second longitudinal edge of the PCB is rotated away from the longitudinal ledge, and

wherein the front shell is configured to restrain the PCB in at least two degrees of translational freedom and at least two degree of rotational freedom when the second longitudinal edge of the PCB is positioned adjacent to the longitudinal ledge of the front shell.

10. The keyboard of claim 9, wherein the rear shell defines a longitudinal ledge displaced from the longitudinal ledge of the front shell so as to define a second longitudinal slot opposed to the first longitudinal slot, wherein the rear shell is configured to further restrain the PCB in a third degree of rotational freedom.

11. The keyboard of claim 10, further comprising an indexing feature for indexing the PCB in a third degree of translational freedom.

12. The keyboard of claim 11, wherein said first end cap comprises a feature for selective engagement with a first end of the PCB, thereby inhibiting the PCB from moving in a first direction along the third degree of translational freedom.

13. The keyboard of claim 12, further comprising a second end cap extending from a second end of said front shell, said second end cap comprising a feature for selective engagement with a second end of the PCB, thereby inhibiting the PCB from moving in a second direction along the third degree of translational freedom, thereby restraining the PCB in the third degree of translational freedom.

14. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the front shell defines a first longitudinal slot positioned within the cavity, wherein the first longitudinal slot is configured to selectively receive a first longitudinal edge of the PCB, thereby restraining the PCB in at least one degree of translational freedom, at least one degree of rotational freedom, and a first direction along a second degree of translational freedom.

15. The keyboard of claim 14, further comprising an indexing feature for indexing the PCB in a third degree of translational freedom.

16. The keyboard of claim 15, wherein said first end cap comprises a feature for selective engagement with a first end of the PCB, thereby inhibiting the PCB from moving in a first direction along the third degree of translational freedom and thereby restraining the PCB in a second degree of rotational freedom.

17. The keyboard of claim 16, further comprising a second end cap extending from a second end of said front shell, said second end cap comprising a feature for selective engagement with a second end of the PCB, thereby inhibiting the PCB from moving in a second direction along the third degree of translational freedom, thereby restraining the PCB in the third degree of translational freedom.

18. A method of installing a PCB within a cavity of an enclosure, the method comprising:

inserting a first longitudinal edge of the PCB into a first longitudinal slot of a front shell of the enclosure, thereby restraining the PCB in at least one degree of translational freedom, at least one degree of rotational freedom, and at least one direction along a second degree of translational freedom;

installing a rear shell to the front shell so as to define a second longitudinal slot opposed to the first longitudinal slot, the second longitudinal slot being defined by corresponding longitudinal ledges of the front and rear shells, a second longitudinal edge of the PCB being positioned within the second longitudinal slot such that the PCB is restrained in the second degree of translational freedom and in a second and third degree of rotational freedom; and

installing a first end cap to a first end of the front shell such that a distal end of the first end cap engages with a first end of the PCB, thereby inhibiting the PCB from moving in a first direction along a third degree of translational freedom.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

positioning an indexing feature of the PCB relative to an indexing feature of the enclosure, thereby positioning the PCB along the third degree of translational freedom;

rotating the second longitudinal edge of the PCB into selective engagement with the longitudinal ledge of the front shell prior to installing the rear shell to the front shell; and

installing a second end cap to a second end of the front shell such that a distal end of the second end cap engages with a second end of the PCB, thereby inhibiting the PCB from moving in a second direction along the third degree of translational freedom.

20. A method of installing a PCB within a cavity of an enclosure, the method comprising:

inserting a first longitudinal edge of the PCB into a first longitudinal slot of a front shell of the enclosure, thereby restraining the PCB in at least one degree of translational freedom, at least one degree of rotational freedom, and at least one direction along a second degree of translational freedom;

installing a first end cap to a first end of the front shell such that a distal end of the first end cap engages with a first end of the PCB, thereby inhibiting the PCB from moving in a first direction along a third degree of translational freedom; and

installing a second end cap to a second end of the front shell such that a distal end of the second end cap engages with a second end of the PCB, thereby inhibiting the PCB from moving in a second direction along the third degree of translational freedom.