Switch apparatus
First Claim
Patent Images
1. In a switch apparatus, the combination comprising:
- a first substrate having a generally planar surfacd with a ring pattern thereon, said ring pattern including a plurality of generally identical fully conductive arcuate segments with intervening arcuate segments interposed therebetween, said intervening arcuate segments being formed from interleaved non-contacting pairs of conductors, the arc of said intervening segments being approximately one-half the arc of the fully conductive segments;
a second substrate of a flexible material having a second generally identical ring pattern thereon;
means for maintaining said second substrate in spaced proximate relation to said first substrate with said ring patterns in facing relation with one of said ring patterns offset circumferentially relative to the other by an angle generally equal to the arc of one of said intervening segments; and
means for selectively urging any portion of said second ring pattern into conductive relation with the adjacent portion of the first ring pattern for providing a signal indicative of the portion so contacted.
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Abstract
A switch apparatus having first and second surfaces with conductive pattern segments thereon in proximate spaced overlying relation, each of the patterns being generally identical and having a circular array of alternating solid and interleaved conductive portion, one pattern being movable toward the other by tilting of a disc for providing a plurality of discrete signals.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. In a switch apparatus, the combination comprising:
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a first substrate having a generally planar surfacd with a ring pattern thereon, said ring pattern including a plurality of generally identical fully conductive arcuate segments with intervening arcuate segments interposed therebetween, said intervening arcuate segments being formed from interleaved non-contacting pairs of conductors, the arc of said intervening segments being approximately one-half the arc of the fully conductive segments; a second substrate of a flexible material having a second generally identical ring pattern thereon; means for maintaining said second substrate in spaced proximate relation to said first substrate with said ring patterns in facing relation with one of said ring patterns offset circumferentially relative to the other by an angle generally equal to the arc of one of said intervening segments; and means for selectively urging any portion of said second ring pattern into conductive relation with the adjacent portion of the first ring pattern for providing a signal indicative of the portion so contacted. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. In a switch apparatus, the combination comprising:
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housing means having first and second generally planar surfaces therein with trough portions formed on opposite sides of said first planar surface; a flexible substrate of insulating material having first, second and third sections similarly configured with two adjacent sections having generally identically arranged conductive areas for defining a keyboard portion, a directional control portion and an auxiliary switch portion, said third section having apertures therein so dimensioned and so arranged that with said third section folded over the adjacent section and with the other section folded over the first section, selective contact may be made through said apertures by depression of a conductive area of one section toward the conductive area of the other section, said sections when so folded being dimensionally arranged and configured for enabling the keyboard portion to rest on said first surface and the directional control portion to rest on said second surface, the edge portions of the so-folded substrate being bent into said trough portions in abutting relation with the sidewalls thereof for providing said auxiliary switch portion; means for retaining the so-folded substrate within said housing means with said first surface, said second surface and the sidewalls of said trough portions in abutting relation with and supporting said keyboard portion, said directional control portion and said auxiliary switch portion respectively; and means in said housing means for enabling the selective actuation of a conductive area of one section toward the adjacent conductive area of the other section for providing a signal indicative of the portion so contacted. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. In a switch apparatus, the combination comprising:
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housing means; a first substrate supported within said housing means and having a generally planar surface with a ring pattern thereon, said ring pattern including a plurality of generally identical fully conductive arcuate segments with intervening arcuate segments interposed therebetween, said intervening arcuate segments being formed from interleaved non-contacting pairs of conductors, the arc of said intervening segments being approximately one-half the arc of the fully conductive segments; a second substrate of a flexible material having a second generally identical ring pattern thereon; means within said housing means for maintaining said second substrate in spaced proximate relation to said first substrate with said ring patterns in facing relation; disc means tiltably supported relative to said housing means in proximate relation to said second substrate, said disc means being so dimensioned and so configured for flexing said second substrate in response to tilting of said disc means for urging a portion of said second ring pattern into conductive relation with the adjacent portion of said first ring pattern for providing a signal indicative of the portion so contacted. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. In a switch apparatus, the combination comprising:
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a first substrate having a generally planar surface with a ring pattern thereon, said ring pattern including a plurality of generally identical fully conductive arcuate segments with intervening arcuate segments interposed therebetween, said intervening arcuate segments being formed from interleaved non-contacting pairs of conductors, the arc of said intervening segments being approximately one-half the arc of the fully conductive segments; a second substrate of a flexible material having a second generally identical ring pattern thereon; and means for maintaining said second substrate in spaced proximate relation to said first substrate with said ring patterns in facing relation with one of said ring patterns offset circumferentially relative to the other by an angle generally equal to the arc of one of said intervening segments, the urging of a portion of said second ring pattern into conductive relation with the adjacent portion of the first ring pattern providing a signal indicative of the portion so contacted. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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Specification