Keypad assembly for use on a contoured surface of a mobile computing device

• US 8,989,822 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2006
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Stephen, Hulick, Troy, Babella, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gao, Jing
• Application Number:
  US11/530,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20080064451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,119 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.1, 345/168
• US Class Current: 455/575.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 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

A mobile computing device is provided that includes a housing, a display screen, and a keypad. The housing includes a front face having a portion that has a contour. The contour may be is inwardly directed and be defined by at least a first gradient direction. The display screen is provided with the front face, apart from the portion that has the contour. The keypad includes a plurality of keycaps that extend outward from the front face. The keypad may be provided only on an occupied region of the portion of the front face that has the contour. A maximum angle formed by the occupied region of the front face relative to a horizontal reference that is coplanar with the display screen is greater than 20 degrees.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device comprising:

a housing that includes a front face having a portion that has a contour, wherein the contour is inwardly directed to have at least a first gradient direction that decreases a thickness of the housing along a progression in the gradient direction;

a display screen provided with the front face, apart from the portion that has the contour;

a keypad provided on the front face, wherein the keypad comprises a plurality of keycaps that extend outward from the front face;

wherein the keypad is provided at least partially on an occupied region of the portion of the front face that has the contour; and

wherein a maximum angle formed by the occupied region of the front face relative to a horizontal reference that is coplanar with the display screen is greater than 20 degrees.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the contour of the front face accelerates in relation to proximity of a bottom end of the housing, the bottom end being distal to the display screen.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the keypad comprises a plurality of actuation members, wherein each actuation member is aligned with a corresponding one or more keycaps so that inward direction of a given keycap causes inward movement of the aligned actuation member.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 3, wherein each actuation member is aligned with a corresponding electrical contact provided on a substrate.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 4, wherein the substrate is mounted within the housing at an acute angle relative to the horizontal reference.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 5, wherein the acute angle is less than 5 degrees.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of keycaps is formed over a matrix that is mounted underneath the front face.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 7, wherein the matrix is mounted at an acute angle with respect to the horizontal reference.

9. The mobile computing device of claim 5, wherein the acute angle is greater than 1 degree.

10. The mobile computing device of claim 4, wherein at least a majority of the plurality of keycaps that comprise the keypad are arranged in a plurality of rows that extend in a direction that is orthogonal to the first gradient direction, and wherein the actuation member of a given keycap in a first row of the plurality of rows varies in length as compared to a most proximate keycap in either a second or a third row of the plurality of rows.

11. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein at least a majority of the plurality of keycaps that comprise the keypad are arranged in a plurality of rows that extend in a direction that is orthogonal to the first gradient direction, and wherein a height of a given keycap in a first row of the plurality of rows varies in comparison to a height of a most proximate keycap in either a second or a third row of the plurality of rows.

12. The mobile computing device of claim 4, wherein at least some of the actuation members are asymmetric in shape.

13. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the keypad includes a QWERTY layout.

14. A mobile computing device comprising:

a housing having a display area, wherein the housing includes a front face having a portion that has a contour, the contour being inwardly directed to have at least a first gradient direction that decreases a thickness of the housing along a progression in the gradient direction;

a keypad assembly comprising a plurality of key structures and a substrate that provides a plurality of electrical contacts, wherein at least some of the plurality of key structures align over the contour, and wherein individual key structures in the keypad align to actuate a corresponding one of the electrical contacts on the substrate by inward movement; and

wherein the plurality of key structures each include a corresponding keycap that is formed over a matrix that extends at least in part over the contour;

wherein a height distance of individual key structures corresponds to a separation distance between an exterior of the keycap and an underlying electrical contact;

wherein the height distance of the individual key structures are varied to at least partially compensate for the contour based at least in part by the corresponding keycaps of those key structures being varied in height along at least the first gradient direction of the contour.

15. The mobile computing device of claim 14, wherein the plurality of key structures are provided in a plurality of rows arranged orthogonally to the first gradient direction, and wherein the height distance of individual key structures are varied as between (i) a given key structure in a first one of the rows and a first most proximate key structure to the given key structure in a second row, and (ii) a second most proximate key structure to the given key structure in a third row.

16. The mobile computing device of claim 14, wherein the substrate is aligned to be co-planar with a display screen that is mounted in the display area, and wherein the matrix is provided underneath the front face at an acute angle with respect to the substrate.

17. The mobile computing device of claim 14, wherein at least some of the plurality of key structures of the keypad each include an actuation member that extends inward to actuate the electrical contact of that key structure, and wherein the height distance of at least some of the individual key structures is varied at least in part by a length of the actuation members of at least some of the individual key structures being varied along at least the first gradient direction of the contour.

18. The mobile computing device of claim 17, wherein the plurality of key structures are provided in a plurality of rows arranged orthogonally to the first gradient direction, and wherein the length of the actuation members of at least some of the individual key structures are varied between (i) a given key structure in a first one of the rows and a first most proximate key structure to the given key structure in a second row, and (ii) a second most proximate key structure to the given key structure in a third row.

19. The mobile computing device of claim 14, wherein relative to a display screen mounted in the display area, the substrate is mounted at an acute angle.

20. The mobile computing device of claim 18, wherein at least some of the plurality of actuation members are asymmetrical in shape.

21. The mobile computing device of claim 14, further comprising a set of one or more mechanical push mechanisms in addition to the keypad, wherein at least one of the push mechanisms in the set is positioned on the portion of the front face that is oriented inward.

22. The mobile computing device of claim 14, wherein the keypad includes a QWERTY layout.