Key stabilizer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10224159-B2
Application number	US-201715653199-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2017
Priority date	Jan 9, 2017
Publication date	Mar 5, 2019
Grant date	Mar 5, 2019

Abstract

A key stabilizer is provided, in which the key stabilizer includes a keycap and a balance bar. The keycap has a bottom surface and two protruding portions disposed thereon. The keycap moves back and forth along a vertical direction between a top position and a bottom position. Each of the two protruding portions has an engaging portion at the end thereof. The bottom surface faces the bottom position, and the two protruding portions are arranged along a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the vertical direction. The balance bar has a hinge portion and two side portions respectively connected to both ends of the hinge portion. The hinge portion is positioned on a rotation axis parallel to the horizontal direction. The end of each of the two side portions that is away from the hinge portion is inserted into the engaging portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A key stabilizer, comprising:
a keycap having a bottom surface and two protruding portions disposed thereon, the keycap moving back and forth along a vertical direction between a top position and a bottom position, each of the two protruding portions having an engaging portion at a bottom end thereof, wherein the bottom surface faces the bottom position, and the two protruding portions are arranged along a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the vertical direction; and
a balance bar having a hinge portion and two side portions respectively connected to both ends of the hinge portion, wherein the hinge portion is positioned on a rotation axis that is parallel to the horizontal direction, an end of each of the two side portions that is away from the hinge portion being inserted into the engaging portion so that when the keycap moves back and forth along the vertical direction, the two protruding portions are actuated by each other through the balance bar, and the two side portions are actuated by the two protruding portions to swing between an uppermost swing position and a lowermost swing position; and
a base plate and two case bodies disposed thereon, each of the case bodies including an accommodating concavity into which the bottom end of each of the two protruding portions is inserted, wherein the two case bodies respectively correspond to the two protruding portions, the hinge portion of the balance bar is pivotally connected to one side of each of the two case bodies, and the two side portions of the balance bar is accommodated in the two accommodating concavities respectively and connected to the bottom ends of the two protruding portions respectively.

2. The key stabilizer according to claim 1 , wherein each of the engaging portions includes:
an opening portion at one end thereof; and
a constraining portion constraining motion of a corresponding side portion inserted into the engaging portion so that the corresponding side portion that has been inserted into the engaging portion cannot exit therefrom.

3. The key stabilizer according to claim 2 , wherein each of the case bodies includes a constraining member disposed on the bottom surface of the accommodating concavity, a guiding recess being disposed on each of the constraining members at one side thereof facing the keycap, each guiding recess corresponding to each of the side portions respectively such that when the two side portions are pushed by the bottom ends of the two protruding portions to the lowermost swing position, the guiding recesses fix the side portions at the lowermost swing position in a manner such that the two side portions correspond to the opening portions of the two engaging portions so that when the two protruding portions move to the bottom position along with the keycap, the side portions are fitted into the engaging portions via the opening portions with the guidance of the guiding recesses.

4. The key stabilizer according to claim 3 , wherein the two guiding recesses each includes two inclined shoulder portions and one central portion therebetween, a position of each central portion corresponding to each engaging portion, and a height of each central portion corresponding to a height of a lower end of the side portion when the two side portions swing to the lowermost swing position.

5. The key stabilizer according to claim 4 , wherein each of the case bodies includes an indented portion at a lateral side thereof, each of the side portions of the balance bar being inserted into an inside of a corresponding case body through the corresponding indented portions, and the hinge portion being accommodated in the corresponding indented portions.

6. The key stabilizer according to claim 5 , wherein each of the two indented portions is a notched recess extending upwards from a bottom surface of the case body along the vertical direction, each indented portion having two side walls and one top wall between the upper ends of the two side walls, wherein a distance between the two side walls is greater than or equal to a diameter of the hinge portion such that the hinge portion is accommodated between the two side walls of the indented portion, and wherein at least one of the two side walls includes a fixing protrusion for fixing the hinge portion so that the hinge portion is positioned on the rotation axis.

7. The key stabilizer according to claim 6 , further comprising a key shaft disposed on the base plate and connected to the keycap at a bottom side of the keycap.

8. The key stabilizer according to claim 7 , wherein the base plate includes a first accommodating hole disposed at a middle position thereof, the key shaft being disposed in the first accommodating hole, and wherein the base plate includes two second accommodating holes on both sides of the first accommodating hole, the two second accommodating holes corresponding to the two case bodies respectively, and the two case bodies being accommodated in the two second accommodating holes respectively.

9. The key stabilizer according to claim 8 , wherein each case body includes at least one hook member, and wherein when the case bodies are accommodated in the second accommodating holes, the at least one hook member of each case body is fitted to an edge of each second accommodating hole so that the case bodies are fixed to the second accommodating holes.

10. The key stabilizer according to claim 1 , wherein each of the case bodies includes an indented portion at a lateral side thereof, the side portions of the balance bar being inserted into an inside of each case body through the indented portions, and the hinge portion being accommodated in the two indented portions.

11. The key stabilizer according to claim 10 , wherein each of the two indented portions is a notched recess extending upwards from a bottom surface of the case body along the vertical direction, each indented portion having two side walls and one top wall between the upper ends of the two side walls, wherein a distance between the two side walls is greater than or equal to a diameter of the hinge portion such that the hinge portion is accommodated between the two side walls of the indented portion, and wherein at least one of the two side walls includes a fixing protrusion for fixing the hinge portion so that the hinge portion is positioned on the rotation axis.

12. The key stabilizer according to claim 11 , further comprising a key shaft disposed on the base plate and connected to the keycap at a bottom side of the keycap.

13. The key stabilizer according to claim 12 , wherein the base plate includes a first accommodating hole disposed at a middle position thereof, the key shaft being disposed in the first accommodating hole, and wherein the base plate includes two second accommodating holes respectively corresponding to the two case bodies, the two case bodies being accommodated in the two second accommodating holes respectively.

14. The key stabilizer according to claim 13 , wherein each case body includes at least one hook member, and wherein when the case bodies are accommodated in the second accommodating holes, the at least one hook member of each case body is fitted to an edge of each second accommodating hole so that the case bodies are fixed to the second accommodating holes.

Assignees

• Lite On Electronics Guangzhou
• Lite On Technology Corp

Inventors

• Shen Hai-Nan

Classifications

• H01H13/7065

  characterised by the mechanism between keys and layered keyboards · CPC title

• H01H13/705 Primary

  characterised by construction, mounting or arrangement of operating parts, e.g. push-buttons or keys · CPC title

• H01H13/7013

  in which the movable contacts of each switch site or of a row of switch sites are formed in a single plate · CPC title

• H01H2205/014

  fixed by mechanical deformation · CPC title

• H01H13/186

  wherein the pushbutton is rectilinearly actuated by a lever pivoting on the housing of the switch · CPC title