Keyboard

• US 5,574,446 A
• Filed: 03/02/1995
• Issued: 11/12/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cherry Mikroschalter GmbH
• Original Assignee: Cherry Mikroschalter GmbH
• Inventors: Michel, Kurt, Schuster, Klaus, Dittrich, Jorg, Greiner, Gunter, Muller, Karl-Heinz, Murmann, Gunter
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards, Jr., Timothy
• Application Number:
  US08/397,477
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 341/20, 341/22, 345/168, 345/169, 400/681, 400/472, 400/488, 400/682, 200/5 A
• US Class Current: 341/22
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/705 characterised by construction, mounting or arrangement of operating parts, e.g. push-buttons or keys
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2217/028 on planes with different or alterable inclination, e.g. convex plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2223/008 metallic

Abstract

In a keyboard housing a housing top with a key pad and a housing bottom with support legs wherein the housing includes a support mat and a multi-layer contact foil set arranged underneath the key pad to be actuated thereby, a metal plate is embedded in a recess formed in the housing bottom below the contact foil set so as to increase weight and rigidity of the housing without the need for special molded housing reinforcement structures, the housing bottom, however, having U-shaped reinforcement web structures with bearing studs at their base areas near the housing bottom and housing legs with bearing holes receiving the bearing studs so as to be pivotally supported thereby, the housing legs having locking grooves and the housing bottom having, between the web structures, engagement tongues with locking ribs for engagement with the locking grooves in the housing legs.

Claims

1. A keyboard having a housing top with a key pad and a housing bottom, a key support mat and a multi-layer contact foil set disposed within said housing underneath said key pad, a metal plate embedded in a recess formed in said housing bottom below said contact foil set, said keyboard bottom having integral U-shaped reinforcement webs provided, at their lower ends remote from the housing bottom, with a support surface and having side walls with bearing studs projecting from said side walls toward one another adjacent the housing bottom, and housing legs having at one of their ends bearing cavities receiving said bearing studs so as to be pivotally supported thereby, said housing legs having, at their one ends, outer circular wall portion extending in a partial circle around said bearing cavities and, at their outer circumference adjacent the housing bottom circumferentially spaced locking grooves and said housing bottom having, integrally formed with said housing bottom, resilient locking tabs with locking ribs which are disposed within said U-shaped webs and adapted to engage said locking grooves in said support legs for locking said support legs in their end positions.

2. A key board according to claim 1, wherein said multi-layer contact foil set has a number of openings and said support mat is provided with integral holding elements extending through said openings in the multi-layer contact foil set and engaging the upper side of said metal plate.

3. A keyboard according to claim 2, wherein the housing top of said keyboard is provided at its inner side with ribs of which at least some are disposed on said holding elements.

4. Keyboard according to claim 3, wherein at least some of said ribs of the housing top are engaged by locking elements extending from the housing bottom, said holding elements being disposed directly below the engagement points of said locking elements.

5. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein only the upper layers of said multi-layer contact foil set are provided with openings and said support mat is provided with integral holding elements which extend through the openings in said upper layers of said multi-layer contact foil set and engage the upper side of the lowermost contact foil for engagement thereof with said metal plate.

6. A keyboard according to claim 5, wherein said lowermost contact foil is provided, at its lower side, with conductor strips or contact points which are in electrical contact with the metal plate beneath.

7. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein said housing legs have at their ends opposite said bearing cavities support areas with skid-resistant beads,

wherein said housing legs have two pivotal end positions which are at least 90°

apart and in which said legs are lockable,

wherein housing legs are sized and shaped with regard to said reinforcement webs in such a way that, in its inwardly pivoted end position, no part of said leg projects from the bottom of said keyboard further than the support surface of said reinforcement webs but part of said beaded support area is disposed in the same support plane as the support surfaces of said reinforcement webs, and

wherein in their outwardly pivoted end positions said support legs project from the housing bottom further than said reinforcement webs.

8. A keyboard according to claim 7, wherein said skid-resistant bead is disposed in a groove extending over the length of the support surface at the opposite end of each support leg and the opposite ends of said legs are shaped so that, in each end position, part of said skid-resistant bead forms that portion of said leg which projects furthest from the housing bottom and which is in contact with a surface on which the keyboard is supported.

9. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein said housing is provided, adjacent said reinforcement webs, with reinforcement ribs which do not extend therefrom as far as the reinforcement webs to permit grasping the housing and reaching the support legs.