Pushbutton of touch pad of electronic device

• US 7,015,897 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2002
• Issued: 03/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Averatec Asia Incorporation, Averatec Europe GmbH, Averatec Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Tri Gem Information Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tsao, Shen-Chang
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, KENT WU
• Application Number:
  US10/245,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20040061686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/168, 341/22, 341/34, 200/511, 200/512, 200/513, 200/515, 200/341, 200/344, 200/345, 400/490, 400/491, 400/495
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033

Abstract

A touch pad pushbutton structure includes two pushbuttons mounted to a casing of an electronic device, such as a notebook computer. Each pushbutton has a circumferential flange. Two deflectable U-shaped ribs integrally extend from the flanges of the pushbuttons and connect between the pushbuttons at opposite ends of the pushbuttons. The ribs are fixed to the casing for movably supporting the pushbutton on the casing whereby each pushbutton is allowed to move from a released position where the flange of the pushbutton engages the casing to an actuated position where the pushbutton is depressed and the flange thereof separated from the casing for activating a circuit to generate a signal indicating the depression of the pushbutton.

Claims

1. A touch pad pushbutton structure adapted to be mounted to a casing of an electronic device, the pushbutton structure comprising:

at least one pushbutton adapted to be movably accommodated in an opening defined in a wall of the casing; and

a deflectable rib extending from the pushbutton and attached to an underside of the wall for movably supporting the pushbutton;

wherein the pushbutton has bottom flanges surrounded by open space and connected only to the deflectable rib.

2. The touch pad pushbutton structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch pad pushbutton structure comprises two pushbuttons connected to each other by two ribs extending therebetween at opposite ends of the pushbuttons, the ribs being deflectable and attached to the underside of the wall for movably supporting the pushbuttons.

3. The touch pad pushbutton structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pushbuttons have flanges, the ribs extending from the flanges.

4. The touch pad pushbutton structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein the flanges and the ribs are integrally formed with the pushbuttons.

5. The touch pad pushbutton structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pushbutton comprises a flange engageable with the underside of the wall to define a released position of the pushbutton, the pushbutton being movable from the released position to an actuated position where the flange is separated from the wall.

6. The touch pad pushbutton structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch pad pushbutton structure comprises two pushbuttons arrange in a side by side manner and spaced from each other, each pushbutton having a circumferential flange, two U-shaped ribs connecting between the pushbuttons at apposite ends of the pushbuttons, each rib comprising end sections respectively connected to the flanges of the pushbuttons, the ribs being attached to the underside of the wall for movably supporting the pushbuttons.

7. The touch pad pushbutton structure as claimed in claim 6, wherein each rib defines a through hole for receiving a fastener that attaches the touch pad pushbutton structure to the wall of the casing.

8. The touch pad pushbutton structure as claimed in claim 7, wherein the fastener comprises a bolt.

9. The touch pad pushbutton structure as claimed in claim 7, wherein the fastener comprises a rivet.

10. The touch pad pushbutton structure as claimed in claim 9, wherein the rivet is molded with the casing of the electronic device.

11. The touch pad pushbutton structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a notebook computer.