Keyboard switch for notebook type computer or the like
First Claim
1. A keyboard switch comprising:
- a switch holding frame;
a keytop having a top face, a front edge side and a rear edge side, said keytop being positioned at an uppermost position when the keyboard switch is not activated and at a lowermost position when the keytop is pressed vertically down for activation of the keyboard switch, said front edge side of the keytop being positioned lower than the rear edge side when the keytop is in the uppermost position, forming a slant in the top face from the rear edge side to the front edge side;
a crosslink including,a first link member having a first end connected to a first portion of the keytop and a second end connected to a first portion of the switch holding frame, anda second link member having a first end connected to a second portion of the keytop, and a second end connected a second portion of the switch holding frame; and
a rotatable fulcrum connecting the first link member and the second link member, the rotatable fulcrum being positioned nearer to the front edge side of the keytop as compared to a midpoint position between the first and second ends of at least one of the first and second link members, enabling the top face of the keyboard to become almost parallel to the switch holding frame when the keytop is pressed down to the lowermost position for activation of the keyboard switch.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A keyboard switch having a keytop which is displaced vertically by a cross link that comprises a first link member and a second link. A front edge side of the keytop comes slightly lower than its rear edge side and the cross link is configured so that the pushdown stroke is greater on the rear edge side than on the front edge side and that the top face of the keytop. When the keytop is pushed down completely, it comes almost parallel to a frame of the keyboard switch. This configuration, when adopted, for example, to a notebook type personal computer with a lid, results in sliding an elastic portion which holds up the keytop in interlock with the lid closing, thus the keytop, as a whole horizontal. This configuration wherefore allows achieving otherwise contradictory effects of a great stroke when the lid is opened and a thinner notebook when the lid is closed. Further, the top surface of the keytop when it becomes nearly parallel, facilitates character printing improving the printing yield.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. A keyboard switch comprising:
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a switch holding frame; a keytop having a top face, a front edge side and a rear edge side, said keytop being positioned at an uppermost position when the keyboard switch is not activated and at a lowermost position when the keytop is pressed vertically down for activation of the keyboard switch, said front edge side of the keytop being positioned lower than the rear edge side when the keytop is in the uppermost position, forming a slant in the top face from the rear edge side to the front edge side; a crosslink including, a first link member having a first end connected to a first portion of the keytop and a second end connected to a first portion of the switch holding frame, and a second link member having a first end connected to a second portion of the keytop, and a second end connected a second portion of the switch holding frame; and a rotatable fulcrum connecting the first link member and the second link member, the rotatable fulcrum being positioned nearer to the front edge side of the keytop as compared to a midpoint position between the first and second ends of at least one of the first and second link members, enabling the top face of the keyboard to become almost parallel to the switch holding frame when the keytop is pressed down to the lowermost position for activation of the keyboard switch. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A keyboard switch comprising:
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a switch holding frame; a keytop having a top face, a front edge side and a rear edge side, said keytop being positioned at an uppermost position when the keyboard switch is not activated and at a lowermost position when the keytop is pressed vertically down for activation of the keyboard switch, said front edge side of the keytop being positioned lower than the rear edge side when the keytop is in the uppermost position, forming a slant in the top face from the rear edge side to the front edge side; a crosslink including, a first link member having a first end connected to a first portion of the keytop and a second end connected to a first portion of the switch holding frame, and a second link member having a first end connected to a second portion of the keytop, and a second end connected a second portion of the switch holding frame; and a rotatable fulcrum connecting the first link member and the second link member, the first portion of the keytop being proximate the rear edge side and the second portion of the keytop being proximate the front edge side, and at least one of, i) the length between the rotatable fulcrum and the first end of the first link member being greater than both the length between the rotatable fulcrum and the second end of the first link member and the length between the rotatable fulcrum and the first end of the second link member, and ii) the length between the rotatable fulcrum and the second end of the second link member being greater than both the length between the rotatable fulcrum and the first end of the second link member and the length between the rotatable fulcrum and the second end of the first link member. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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Specification