Control panel with fashion buttons

• US 9,269,510 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2014
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kelsey-Hayes Co. (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: Kelsey Hayes Company
• Inventors: Andrews, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Leon, Edwin A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAEED, AHMED M
• Application Number:
  US14/155,395
• Publication Number:
  US 20150200064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 200/406
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/023 Light-emitting indicators for multi-layer switches H01H13/83
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/14 Operating parts, e.g. push-button
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/036 Light emitting elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/074 Actuation by finger touch

Abstract

Control apparatus for an electrical or electronic device. The apparatus includes a substrate having a surface with a selected contour. A cover lays over the surface of the substrate and conforms to the contour. A touch matrix is sandwiched between the substrate and the cover. At least one fashion button is mounted at the front surface of the cover. Manipulation of the fashion button is detected by the touch matrix.

Claims

1. Control apparatus for an electrical or electronic device, comprising:

a substrate having a surface with a selected contour;

a cover laying over said surface of said substrate and conforming to said contour, said cover being formed of a thin, flexible, sheet having a back surface facing said substrate and a front surface facing away from said substrate, said front surface forming the outside surface of said apparatus and thereby being visible from outside of said apparatus;

a touch matrix sandwiched between said substrate and said cover, said touch matrix comprising a thin, flexible sheet conforming to said contour, said touch matrix providing signals for controlling said electrical or electronic device in response to pressure sensed at various places thereon;

at least one fashion button comprises a button top and a prong base, said prong base being attached to the rear of said button top, said prong base having at least two prongs projecting rearward therefrom and penetrating said cover, said at least one fashion button being mounted at the front surface of said cover and manually pressable towards said cover whereby, when said fashion button is manually pressed, the resulting pressure is transmitted from said button through said cover to said touch matrix and is sensible by said touch matrix.

2. Control apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said fashion button comprises a discrete button positioned above a selected location on said cover and a fastener extending through said cover and fastening said discrete button at said selected location.

3. Control apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said fastener extends into and is retained by said substrate.

4. Control apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said fastener comprises at least one projection attached to said discrete button and projecting toward and through said cover, and a retainer for receiving said projection on the opposite side of said cover.

5. Control apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said projection includes a snap fastener for removably attaching said discrete button to said projection, said snap fastener comprising a stud and a snap, each attached to a respective one of said discrete button and said projection.

6. Control apparatus as set forth in claim 2 and further including a source of illumination behind said substrate, wherein said fastener is at least partially transparent to visible light to permit light from said source to reach the back of said fashion button.

7. Control apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one fashion button comprises multiple fashion buttons mounted at the front surface of said cover and manually pressable towards said cover whereby, when any of said fashion button is manually touched, the resulting pressure of the touch is transmitted from said button through said cover to said touch matrix and is sensible by said touch matrix.

8. Control apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said touch matrix includes force sensitive resistors arranged so that said touch matrix can distinguish between touches upon different portions of said at least one fashion buttons.

9. Control apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one fashion button comprises a button having an appearance evocative of a design used in the clothing industry.

10. Control apparatus for an electrical or electronic device, comprising:

a substrate having a surface with a selected contour;

a cover laying over said surface of said substrate and conforming to said contour, said cover being formed of a thin, flexible, sheet having a back surface facing said substrate and a front surface facing away from said substrate, said front surface forming the outside surface of said apparatus and thereby being visible from outside of said apparatus;

a touch matrix sandwiched between said substrate and said cover, said touch matrix comprising a thin, flexible sheet conforming to said contour, said touch matrix providing signals for controlling said electrical or electronic device in response to pressure sensed at various places thereon;

said at least one fashion button mounted at the front surface of said cover and manually pressable towards said cover whereby, when said fashion button is manually pressed, the resulting pressure is transmitted from said button through said cover to said touch matrix and is sensible by said touch matrix, wherein said at least one fashion button comprises a button top and a prong base, said prong base being attached to the rear of said button top, said prong base having at least two prongs projecting rearward therefrom and penetrating said cover, and a retainer disposed on the opposite side of said cover, said prongs passing through said retainer and folded over at the rear of said retainer to thereby capture said cover between said button top and said retainer.

11. Control apparatus for an electrical or electronic device, comprising:

a substrate having a surface with a selected contour;

a touch matrix laying over said substrate, said touch matrix comprising a thin, flexible sheet conforming to said contour, said touch matrix providing signals for controlling said electrical or electronic device in response to touches sensed at various places thereon;

a cover laying over said touch matrix, said cover being formed of a thin, flexible, sheet having a back surface facing said touch matrix and a front surface facing away from said touch matrix, said front surface forming the outside surface of said apparatus and thereby being visible from outside of said apparatus;

a plurality of discrete fashion buttons comprising a fastener extending through said cover and fastening said discrete button at said respective selected location, wherein at least one of said fasteners includes at least one projection attached to said discrete button and projecting toward and through said cover, and a retainer on the opposite side of said cover for receiving said projection, each of the plurality of discrete fashion buttons being fastened in a selected arrangement across said cover so that, when any of said fashion buttons is manually touched, the resulting touch is transmitted from said button through said cover to said touch matrix and is sensible by said touch matrix.

12. Control apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said touch matrix includes force sensitive resistors arranged so that said touch matrix can distinguish between touches upon different portions of at least one of said fashion buttons.

13. Control apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein each of said fashion buttons comprises a discrete button positioned above a respective selected location on said cover.

14. Control apparatus as set forth in claim 13, wherein said projection includes a snap fastener for removably attaching to said discrete button to said projection, said snap fastener comprising a stud and a snap each attached to one of said discrete button and said projection.

15. Control apparatus as set forth in claim 11 and further including at least one source of illumination behind said substrate, wherein each said fastener is at least partially transparent to visible light to permit light from said at least one source to reach the back of a respective said fashion button.

16. Control apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein at least one of said fashion button comprises a button having an appearance evocative of a design used in the clothing industry.