Force sensitive device
First Claim
1. A force sensitive device comprising:
- (a) a first conductive layer;
(b) a second conductive layer with an insulative backing layer resiliently deformable to come into contact with a contact portion of said first conductive layer upon application of a force to said insulative backing layer, the magnitude of said force being approximately equal in every application; and
(c) a plurality of spacing members attached to preselected positions of said second conductive layer, respectively, for intervening between said first conductive layer and said second conductive layer and formed of an insulating material, wherein said preselected positions are successively varied in area for variance of the contacting areas of the conductive layers.
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Accused Products
Abstract
There is provided a force sensitive device comprising a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer resiliently deformable to come into contact with the first conductive layer, a certain level of voltage being applied across the first and second conductive layers, a plurality of spacing members intervening between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer and formed of an insulating material, and a resilient top layer of an insulating material overlaid on the second conductive layer and operative to cause the second conductive layer to come into contact with the first conductive layer under a force acting on a surface portion thereof, wherein the contact portion varies in area depending upon a position of the surface portion where the force acts so that the force sensitive device produces the signal having a voltage level which varies depending upon the position where the force acts.
107 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A force sensitive device comprising:
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(a) a first conductive layer; (b) a second conductive layer with an insulative backing layer resiliently deformable to come into contact with a contact portion of said first conductive layer upon application of a force to said insulative backing layer, the magnitude of said force being approximately equal in every application; and (c) a plurality of spacing members attached to preselected positions of said second conductive layer, respectively, for intervening between said first conductive layer and said second conductive layer and formed of an insulating material, wherein said preselected positions are successively varied in area for variance of the contacting areas of the conductive layers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A force sensitive device comprising:
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(a) a first conductive layer; (b) a second conductive layer with an insulative backing layer resiliently deformable to come into contact with a contact portion of said first conductive layer upon application of a force to said insulative backing layer, the magnitude of said force being approximately equal in every application; and (c) a plurality of insulative spacing members identical in geometry with one another and attached to preselected positions of said second conductive layer, respectively, for intervening between said first conductive layer and said second conductive layer, wherein said spacing members are classified into more than three groups, every adjacent two of said spacing members in one of said groups being spaced by a first distance different in length from a second distance between adjacent two of said spacing members in another group, every adjacent two or said spacing members in still another group being spaced by a third distance different in length from said first and second distances. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. A force sensitive device comprising:
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(a) a first conductive layer; (b) a second conductive layer with an insulative backing layer resiliently deformable to come into contact with a contact portion of said first conductive layer upon application of a force to said insulative backing layer, the magnitude of said force being approximately equal in every application; and (c) an insulating intermediate sheet intervening between said first conductive layer and said second conductive layer and formed with a plurality of through holes each open at both sides thereof to respective surfaces of said first and second conductive layers, wherein said through holes have respective cross-sections classified into a plurality of groups in terms of area. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A force sensitive device comprising:
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(a) a first conductive layer formed on an insulating carrier sheet; (b) a second conductive layer resiliently deformable to come into contact with one of plural contact portions of said first conductive layer upon application of a force, the magnitude of said force being approximately equal in every application; and (c) a plurality of insulative spacing members attached to preselected positions of said second conductive layer, respectively, for allowing said first conductive layer to be spaced from said second conductive layer, wherein said contact portions of said first conductive layer have respective area classified in terms of area for variance of the contacting areas of the conductive layers with one of said respective areas coming into contact with said second conductive layer. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification