Button switch and restoration assembly thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11264185-B2
Application number	US-202017089747-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 5, 2020
Priority date	Jul 9, 2020
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A restoration assembly of a button switch includes first and second sleeves, and a spring disposed between the two sleeves. A first outer diameter of the first sleeve is less than a second inner diameter of the second sleeve to make the second sleeve movably jacket outside the first sleeve. The jacketed first and second sleeves are disposed between a key cap and a base of the button switch. The spring has a first end portion, a second end portion and a middle section. A middle outer diameter of the middle section of the spring is larger than a first inner diameter of the first sleeve. During the spring being compressed along with the key cap being pressed downward, the middle section is squeezed to shrink and slide into the first sleeve through an end edge of the first sleeve, thereby producing a tactile feedback and/or a first sound.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A button switch comprising:
a key cap;
a base disposed opposite to the key cap; and
a restoration assembly disposed between the key cap and the base, the restoration assembly comprising:
a first sleeve having a first inner diameter and a first outer diameter;
a second sleeve having a second outer diameter larger than the first outer diameter of the first sleeve to make the second sleeve movably jacket outside the first sleeve, the jacketed first and second sleeves being disposed between the key cap and the base; and
a spring disposed between the first sleeve and the second sleeve, the spring having a first end portion, a second end portion and a middle section, a middle outer diameter of the middle section being larger than the first inner diameter of the first sleeve and larger than an outer diameter of the second end portion, and the second end portion being located between the key cap and the middle section;

wherein when the key cap is located at a non-pressed position, the first end portion is disposed through the first sleeve, and the second end portion and the middle section are disposed through the second sleeve;
during the spring being compressed along with the key cap being pressed downward, the middle section is squeezed to shrink and slide into the first sleeve through an end edge of the first sleeve, thereby producing a tactile feedback and/or a first sound;
when the spring is released from a pressed position along with the key cap, the spring extends to move the middle section from the first sleeve back into the second sleeve.

2. The button switch of claim 1 , wherein a slanted surface is formed on an end edge of an open end of the first sleeve to guide the middle section of the spring to slide into the first sleeve smoothly.

3. The button switch of claim 1 , wherein the outer diameter of the second end portion of the spring is less than the first inner diameter of the first sleeve.

4. The button switch of claim 1 , wherein an open end of the first sleeve further comprises a stepped structure having an inner diameter increasing gradually from up to down for temporarily reducing the middle outer diameter of the spring during the key cap being pressed.

5. The button switch of claim 4 , wherein when the middle section of the spring slides downward and completely crosses the stepped structure, the middle section returns to its original state to expand the middle outer diameter outward for colliding with an inner wall of the first sleeve to make a sound.

6. The button switch of claim 1 , wherein when the spring is released from the pressed position along with the key cap, the middle section slides upward and then elastically returns to its original state to expand the middle outer diameter outward for colliding with an inner wall of the second sleeve to make a sound.

7. The button switch of claim 1 , wherein an end of the first sleeve jacketed by the second sleeve has a limiting portion surrounding an outer wall of the first sleeve, and an end of the second sleeve jacketing the first sleeve has a protruding edge formed along an inner wall of the second sleeve correspondingly for interfering with the limiting portion.

8. The button switch of claim 1 , wherein a terminal end of the first sleeve only abuts against but is not connected to the base, the second sleeve is directly connected to the key cap, and the restoration assembly is detachable from the base together with the key cap.

9. The button switch of claim 1 further comprising:
a lifting mechanism movably connected to the key cap and the base to make the key cap movable upward and downward relative to the base;
wherein the lifting mechanism is selected from a scissor support structure or a butterfly support structure.

10. The button switch of claim 1 , wherein the button switch further comprises a cover disposed under the key cap and assembled on the base, the first sleeve protrudes from the base toward the cover, the cover and the base cooperatively contain the restoration assembly, and the second sleeve movably passes through the cover.

11. The button switch of claim 10 , wherein the second sleeve has a connection portion extending upward to be connected to the key cap, and the second sleeve has a rod portion extending downward to be inserted into the second end portion of the spring.

12. The button switch of claim 1 , wherein the first sleeve protrudes from the base upward, and the second sleeve extends from the key cap toward the base.

13. The button switch of claim 12 , wherein the button switch further comprises a cover disposed under the key cap and assembled on the base, the button switch is adjacent to a neighbor button switch, the neighbor button switch comprises a neighbor cover, a neighbor base, a first neighbor sleeve and a second neighbor sleeve, the first sleeve is integrally connected to the first neighbor sleeve through the base and the neighbor base, and the second sleeve is integrally connected to the second neighbor sleeve through the cover and the neighbor cover.

14. A restoration assembly for returning a button switch after the button switch is pressed, the restoration assembly comprising:
a first sleeve having a first inner diameter and a first outer diameter;
a second sleeve having a second outer diameter larger than the first outer diameter of the first sleeve to make the second sleeve movably jacket outside the first sleeve; and
a spring disposed between the first sleeve and the second sleeve, the spring having a first end portion, a second end portion and a middle section, a middle outer diameter of the middle section being larger than the first inner diameter of the first sleeve and larger than an outer diameter of the second end portion, and the middle section being located between the first end portion and the second end portion;
wherein when the first sleeve and the second sleeve are in a stretched state, the first end portion is disposed through the first sleeve, and the second end portion and the middle section are disposed through the second sleeve;
when the first sleeve and the second sleeve are in a compressed state, the middle section is squeezed to shrink and slide into the first sleeve through an end edge of the first sleeve, thereby producing a tactile feedback and/or a sound;
when the first sleeve and the second sleeve are released from the compressed state, the spring extends to move the middle section from the first sleeve back into the second sleeve.

15. The restoration assembly of claim 14 , wherein an open end of the first sleeve further comprises a stepped structure having an inner diameter increasing gradually from up to down for temporarily reducing the middle outer diameter of the spring during the spring being pressed from the stretched state to the compressed state.

16. The restoration assembly of claim 15 , wherein when the spring is released from the compressed state, the middle section of the spring slides upward and completely crosses the stepped structure, the middle section returns to its original state to expand the middle outer diameter outward for colliding with an inner wall of the second sleeve to make a sound.

17. The restoration assembly of claim 15 , wherein when the middle section of the spring slides downward and completely crosses the stepped structure, the middle section returns to its original state to expand the middle outer diameter outward for colliding with an inner wall of the first sleeve to make a sound.

18. The restoration assembly of claim 14 , wherein a terminal end of the first sle

Assignees

• Darfon Electronics Corp

Inventors

• Yang sheng-yun

Classifications

• H01H13/85

  characterised by tactile feedback features · CPC title

• H01H5/06

  by compression or extension of coil springs · CPC title

• H01H2235/03

  Two serial springs · CPC title

• H01H2215/034

  Separate snap action · CPC title

• H01H13/84 Primary

  characterised by ergonomic functions, e.g. for miniature keyboards; characterised by operational sensory functions, e.g. sound feedback (legends H01H13/83) · CPC title