Apparatus including a push-button with a compressible member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9251975-B1
Application number	US-201414476243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 3, 2014
Priority date	Sep 3, 2014
Publication date	Feb 2, 2016
Grant date	Feb 2, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus including a switch and a push-button coupled to the switch. The push-button can include a push-button head including a push-button face and a contact portion opposite from the push-button face. An applied force can move the push-button head in an actuation direction in a switch actuation plane relative to the switch to actuate the switch. The contact portion can actuate the switch when the applied force moves the push-button head in the actuation direction. The push-button can also include a compressible member that compresses in a compression plane parallel with and offset from the switch actuation plane. The compressible member can include a first end coupled to the push-button head and a second end opposite from the first end. The second end can be coupled to a fixed point relative to the switch.

First claim

I claim:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a switch; and
a push-button coupled to the switch, where the push-button comprises:
a push-button head including a push-button face and a contact portion opposite from the push-button face, where an applied force moves the push-button head in an actuation direction in a switch actuation plane relative to the switch to actuate the switch, where the contact portion actuates the switch when the applied force moves the push-button head in the actuation direction; and
a compressible member that compresses in a compression plane parallel with and offset from the switch actuation plane, the compressible member including a first end coupled to the push-button head and a second end opposite from the first end, the second end coupled to a fixed point relative to the switch.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the push-button face is in a push-button face plane perpendicular to the compression plane.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the switch comprises a switch face that contacts the push-button contact portion, and
wherein the compressible member extends beyond the switch face in a direction parallel with the actuation direction of the applied force.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the compressible member comprises a first s-shaped deflection beam that is s-shaped in the compression plane and a second s-shaped deflection beam that is s-shaped in the compression plane, where the first s-shaped deflection beam and the second s-shaped deflection beam compress in the compression plane offset from and parallel with the switch actuation plane.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the push-button head comprises a push-button face in a push-button face plane perpendicular to the compression plane, where the push-button head includes a push button head center in a plane parallel with the push button face, where the s-shaped deflection beams are symmetrical about the push-button head center.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an apparatus housing coupled to the push-button and the switch; and
a printed circuit board encased within the apparatus housing and electrically coupled to the switch, where the printed circuit board has printed circuit board sides and a printed circuit board face perpendicular to the printed circuit board sides, where the printed circuit board face is in a printed circuit board face plane parallel with the switch actuation plane and parallel with and offset from the compression plane.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the apparatus housing comprises an inner housing surface, and wherein the compressible member is contoured along the inner housing surface.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the apparatus housing comprises an outer housing face; and an outer housing side perpendicular with the outer housing face, the outer housing side having a push-button aperture, where the push-button is disposed within the push-button aperture.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the printed circuit board comprises a cut out in one of the printed circuit board sides, and
wherein the push-button contact portion extends into the cut out to actuate the switch.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the compressible member is unitary with the push-button head.

11. An apparatus comprising:
a switch; and
a push-button coupled to the switch, where the push-button comprises:
a push-button head including a push-button face and a contact portion opposite from the push-button face, where an applied force moves the push-button head in an actuation direction in a switch actuation plane relative to the switch to actuate the switch, and where the contact portion actuates the switch when the applied force moves the push-button head; and
a compressible member that compresses in a compression plane parallel with and offset from the switch actuation plane, the compressible member including a first end coupled to the push-button head and a second end opposite from the first end, the second end coupled to a fixed point relative to the switch, where the compressible member includes at least one curved deflection beam that is curved in the compression plane, where the at least one curved deflection beam compresses in the compression plane offset from and parallel with the switch actuation plane, where the curved deflection beam compresses in the actuation direction.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the push-button face is in a push-button face plane perpendicular to the compression plane.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein the switch comprises a switch face that contacts the push-button contact portion, and
wherein the compressible member extends beyond the switch face in a direction parallel with the actuation direction of the applied force.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one curved deflection beam comprises a first s-shaped deflection beam that is s-shaped in the compression plane and a second s-shaped deflection beam that is s-shaped in the compression plane, where the first s-shaped deflection beam and the second s-shaped deflection beam compress in the compression plane offset from and parallel with the switch actuation plane.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the push-button head comprises a push-button face in a push-button face plane perpendicular to the compression plane, where the push-button head includes a push button head center in a plane parallel with the push button face, where the s-shaped deflection beams are symmetrical about the push-button head center.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising:
an apparatus housing coupled to the push-button and the switch; and
a printed circuit board coupled to the housing and electrically coupled to the switch, where the printed circuit board has printed circuit board sides and a printed circuit board face perpendicular to the printed circuit board sides, where the printed circuit board face is in a printed circuit board face plane parallel with the switch actuation plane and parallel with and offset from the compression plane.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the apparatus housing comprises an inner housing surface, and wherein the compressible member is contoured along the inner housing surface.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the apparatus housing comprises an outer housing face; and an outer housing side perpendicular with the outer housing face, the outer housing side having a push-button aperture, where the push-button is disposed within the push-button aperture.

19. The apparatus according to claim 16 ,
wherein the printed circuit board comprises a cut out in one of the printed circuit board sides, and
wherein the push-button contact portion extends into the cut out to actuate the switch.

20. An apparatus comprising:
a housing including a housing face, a housing side perpendicular to the housing face, and a push-button aperture in the housing side;
a switch disposed within the housing; and
a push-button disposed in the push-button aperture and coupled to the switch, where an applied force moves the push-button in an actuation direction in a switch actuation plane relative to the switch to actuate the switch, where the push-button comprises:
a push-button head including a push-button face and a contact portion opposite from the push-button face, where an applied force

Assignees

• Google Technology Holdings LLC

Inventors

• Brandau Mark R

Classifications

• H01H2227/00

  Dimensions; Characteristics · CPC title

• H01H13/04

  Cases; Covers · CPC title

• H01H13/14 Primary

  Operating parts, e.g. push-button · CPC title

• H01H2221/044

  Elastic part on actuator or casing · CPC title

• H01H13/10

  Bases; Stationary contacts mounted thereon · CPC title