Metallic housing for an electronic apparatus with a flat keyboard

• US 4,249,054 A
• Filed: 02/28/1979
• Issued: 02/03/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Komaki, Shigeki
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcus, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US06/016,075
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 200/159 R, 200/159 A, 200/159 B, 200/340, 200/5 A, 235/145 R
• US Class Current: 200/512
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/702 with contacts carried by or formed from layers in a multilayer structure, e.g. membrane switches
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2209/014 composed of different layers; Lubricant in between
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2209/07 metallic
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2221/002 integral with membrane
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2223/008 metallic
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2227/004 Membrane
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2229/016 Selective etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/008 Static electricity considerations

Abstract

An upper member of a housing and a plurality of key actuators are unified into a single flat sheet made by stainless steel. The respective ones of the key actuators are made movable by reducing the thickness of the corresponding limited regions of the stainless steel sheet. When a particular one of the key actuators is actuated, a movable contact on a conductive silicon rubber sheet will come into contact with a stationary contact on a circuit board.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus with a flat key-board, comprising:

a housing for said electronic apparatus having an upper metallic member which defines said flat key-board and a lower member,

said metallic upper member of said housing, including a plurality of definable movable key actuators in selected regions of the upper surface thereof, and completely integral and continuous therewith said key actuators having a substantially reduced thickness relative to said upper member, thereby making the key actuators movable, relative to said upper member;

a plurality of movable contacts corresponding to respective key actuators for movement in response to the actuation of said key actuators; and

a plurality of stationary contacts corresponding to said movable contacts and accommodated within said housing, whereby a particular one of said movable contacts comes into contact with a particular one of said stationary contacts when a particular one of said key actuators is depressed.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said upper member of the housing is made of stainless steel and the thickness of said plurality of key actuators is reduced by etching techniques.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said upper member of the housing is grounded for electrostatic protection.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein key actuator markings are formed on one major surface of said upper member of the housing.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said movable contacts are bonded or attached to said key actuators.

6. The apparatus as disclosed in claim 1, further including etching means for forming key indicia on the surface of the key actuators.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the key actuator is about 0.025 to 0.03 mm.

8. A hand-held electronic calculator with a flat keyboard, comprising:

a housing for said calculator having an upper metallic member which defines said flat key-board and a lower member,

said metallic upper member of said housing, including a plurality of definable movable key actuators in selected regions of the upper surface thereof, and completely integral and continuous therewith said key actuators having a substantially reduced thickness relative to said upper member, thereby making the key actuators movable, relative to said upper member;

a plurality of movable contacts corresponding to respective key actuators for movement in response to the actuation of said key actuators; and

a plurality of stationary contacts corresponding to said movable contacts and accommodated within said housing, whereby a particular one of said movable contacts comes into contact with a particular one of said stationary contacts when a particular one of said key actuators is depressed.