Radio housing and expandable chassis with integral keypad and acoustic speaker seal
First Claim
1. A housing and chassis assembly with integral keypad, comprising in combination:
- a plate;
a switch assembly unit attached to said plate and having at least one switch;
a housing having at least one aperture in alignment with said switch;
an actuator pad attached to the outside of said housing and having at least one key wherein said key has a switch actuator in alignment with and for insertion into said housing aperture, said switch actuator contacts said switch assembly unit and activates said switch when said key is depressed; and
spring means for applying a force to said plate whereby said switch assembly unit is held in contact with the inside of said housing.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An expandable chassis includes a four sided frame with a central opening to receive a plate or "shield" which is allowed to move within the frame between two predetermined positions. Protuberances on the shield contact the frame and limit its inward movement while outward movement is limited by a spring clip on the shield that snaps into an aperture in the frame. Tabs on the frame support integrally formed spring fingers on the shield which tend to force the shield outward. A membrane switch contact assembly and a speaker are respectively attached to the inside and outside surfaces of the shield. By compressing the shield partially into the frame, the chassis assembly slides into a molded plastic housing. A rubber key actuator pad on the outside of the housing has a plurality of keys each having a protrusion or "actuator" that extends partially into an actuator hole in the housing. When the key is depressed, the actuator depresses and activates one of the switches in the membrane switch contact assembly. A plurality of speaker apertures extend through the housing, the membrane switch contact assembly, and the plate. An acoustic seal is formed between the plate and the housing because the spring fingers force the shield towards the housing until the membrane contacts the housing'"'"'s inner wall. When the chassis is removed from the housing, testing and repair are facilitated because the keypad switches and speaker remain attached to and electrically connected to the chassis.
56 Citations
31 Claims
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1. A housing and chassis assembly with integral keypad, comprising in combination:
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a plate; a switch assembly unit attached to said plate and having at least one switch; a housing having at least one aperture in alignment with said switch; an actuator pad attached to the outside of said housing and having at least one key wherein said key has a switch actuator in alignment with and for insertion into said housing aperture, said switch actuator contacts said switch assembly unit and activates said switch when said key is depressed; and spring means for applying a force to said plate whereby said switch assembly unit is held in contact with the inside of said housing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A housing and chassis assembly with integral keypad and acoustic speaker seal, comprising in combination:
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a plate having first and second surfaces and at least one speaker aperture; a flexible circuit type switch assembly unit attached to said first surface of said plate and including at least one switch and at least one speaker aperture; a housing having at least one speaker aperture wherein the speaker apertures of said plate, said flexible circuit type switch assembly unit, and said housing are in substantial alignment; a speaker mounted to said second side of said plate and positioned over said speaker aperture of said plate; and spring means for applying a force to said plate whereby said switch assembly unit is held in contact with the inside of said housing, thereby creating an acoustic seal between said plate and said housing. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A housing and chassis assembly with integral keypad and acoustic speaker seal, comprising in combination:
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a conductive plate having first and second surfaces and at least one speaker aperture, and including a plurality of spring fingers integrally formed with said plate; a flexible circuit type switch assembly unit attached to said first surface of said plate and including at least one switch and at least one speaker aperture; a housing having at least one speaker aperture wherein the speaker apertures of said plate, said switch assembly unit, and said housing are in substantial alignment, said housing including at least one actuator aperture positioned over said switch; an actuator pad attached to the outside of said housing and having at least one key wherein said key has a switch actuator in alignment with and for insertion into said actuator aperture of said housing, said switch actuator contacts said switch assembly unit and activates said switch when said key is depressed; a speaker mounted to said second side of said plate and positioned over said speaker aperture of said plate; a conductive frame having a central opening for receiving said plate and including support means, integrally formed with said frame, for supporting said spring fingers; and means for captivating said plate in said frame and for restricting the travel of said plate within said frame between predetermined first and second positions; whereby said spring fingers hold said switch assembly unit against the inside of said housing, thereby forming an acoustic seal between said plate and said housing, and said plate is electrically connected to said frame by said spring fingers and said support means.
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20. A housing and chassis assembly, comprising in combination:
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a housing having at least one aperture; an actuator pad attached to the outside of said housing and having at least one key wherein said key has a switch actuator in alignment with and for insertion into said housing aperture; an expandable chassis inserted into said housing and including a frame, a plate movably attached to said frame, a switch assembly unit attached to the outside of said plate and having at least one switch in alignment with said housing aperture, and spring means for holding said switch assembly unit in contact with the inside of said housing; whereby said switch actuator contacts said switch assembly unit and activates said switch when said key is depressed, and said expandable chassis is slidably removable from said housing in a direction parallel to said plate. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A housing and chassis assembly, comprising in combination:
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a housing having at least one speaker aperture; an expandable chassis inserted into said housing and including a frame, a plate movably attached to said frame and having first and second surfaces and at least one speaker aperture, a flexible circuit type switch assembly unit attached to said first surface of said plate and including at least one switch and at least one speaker aperture, a speaker mounted to said second side of said plate over said speaker aperture of said plate, and spring means for holding said switch assembly unit in contact with the inside of said housing; whereby an acoustic seal is formed between said plate and said housing and said expandable chassis is slidably removable from said housing in a direction parallel to said plate. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification