Keypad assembly

• US 7,935,904 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2007
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Song, Sung-Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Friedhofer; Michael A
• Application Number:
  US11/869,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20080094373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 178/18.03, 200/5.A, 200/5.R, 200/512, 200/517, 200/600, 200310-317, 200/341, 341/22, 341/23, 341/33, 341/34, 345168-170, 345/173, 345/176, 708/146, 379/433.07, 379/368
• US Class Current: 200/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/704 characterised by the layers, e.g. by their material or structure H01H13/703 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22

Abstract

Provided is a keypad assembly used as a data input unit in various electronic devices. The keypad assembly includes a main board having one or more metal domes formed at predetermined positions on the main board, and a keypad disposed on the main board to apply a pressure on the metal dome and to be used as a touchpad according to a mode selection, the keypad includes a keytop layer having one or more keytops on which corresponding alphanumeric characters are formed, a touchpad layer disposed under the keytop layer; and a base layer disposed under the touchpad layer, and having one or more protrusions protruding from its bottom surface at the positions corresponding to the metal dome.

Claims

1. A keypad assembly comprising:

a main board having at least one metal dome disposed on a predetermined position of the main board; and

a keypad disposed on the main board, for applying a pressure on the at least one metal dome and being used as a touchpad according to a mode selection,

wherein the keypad includes;

a keytop layer having at least one keytop on which a plurality of predetermined alphanumeric characters is stamped;

a touchpad layer disposed under the keytop layer;

a base layer disposed under the touchpad layer, the base layer having at least one protrusion protruding from a bottom surface of the base layer at a position corresponding to the at least one metal dome; and

a backlight Electro-Luminescence (EL) sheet interposed between the base layer and the touchpad layer to provide light to the at least one keytop and a barrier film provided to prevent interference between the backlight EL sheet and the touchpad layer.

2. The keypad assembly of claim 1, wherein a touch EL (Electro-Luminescence) sheet is used as the touchpad layer, the touch EL sheet including a non-conductive layer, a top conductive layer disposed above the non-conductive layer, and a bottom conductive layer disposed under the non-conductive layer, a predetermined voltage being applied to the top conductive layer and the bottom conductive layer and the top conductive layer and the bottom conductive layer operating as a top electrode and a bottom electrode.

3. The keypad assembly of claim 2, wherein the predetermined voltage applied to the top conductive layer and the bottom conductive layer generates a capacitance of 20 to 30 pF.

4. The keypad assembly of claim 3, wherein the keytop layer is formed of one of a PET (PolyEthylene Terephthalate resin) and a PEN (PolyEthylene Naphthalate resin) materials, and the base layer is formed of one of a transparent and semitransparent materials including one of a polyurethane and silicon materials.

5. The keypad assembly of claim 4, wherein a top electrode pattern and a bottom electrode pattern are formed on the EL sheet and in one of a lattice pattern for a touch input and a grid pattern for a drag input.

6. The keypad assembly of claim 4, further comprising a backlight EL sheet disposed under the base layer to provide light to the at the least one keytop through the base layer and a barrier film interposed between the base layer and the backlight EL sheet to prevent interference between the backlight EL sheet and the touch EL sheet.

7. The keypad assembly of claim 6, wherein the barrier film and the backlight EL sheet have a through hole so that the at least one protrusion of the base layer penetrates the through hole.

8. The keypad assembly of claim 7, wherein a peripheral region of the at least one keytop on the touch EL sheet is free of an electrode pattern in order to guide light of the backlight EL sheet to the at least one keytop.

9. The keypad assembly of claim 7, wherein the keytop layer, the touchpad layer, the base layer, the barrier film, and the backlight EL sheet are stacked and bonded by an adhesive.

10. The keypad assembly of claim 6, wherein a peripheral region of the at least one keytop on the touch EL sheet is free of an electrode pattern in order to guide light of the backlight EL sheet to the at least one keytop.

11. The keypad assembly of claim 4, further comprising a backlight EL sheet disposed under the base layer to provide light to the at the least one keytop through the base layer and a barrier film interposed between the base layer and the touch EL sheet to prevent interference between the backlight EL sheet and the touch EL sheet.

12. The keypad assembly of claim 11, wherein a peripheral region of the at least one keytop on the touch EL sheet is free of an electrode pattern in order to guide light of the LED to the at least one keytop.

13. The keypad assembly of claim 11, wherein the keytop layer, the touchpad layer, the base layer, the barrier film, and the backlight EL sheet are stacked and bonded by an adhesive.

14. The keypad assembly of claim 2, wherein a peripheral region of the at least one keytop on the touch EL sheet is free of an electrode pattern in order to guide light of the backlight EL sheet to the at least one keytop.

15. The keypad assembly of claim 2, wherein the keytop layer, the touchpad layer, the base layer, the barrier film, and the backlight EL sheet are stacked and bonded by an adhesive.

16. The keypad assembly of claim 1, wherein the main board is formed of one of a Flexible Printed Circuit Board (FPCB) and a hard type Printed Circuit Board (PCB).