KEYPAD ASSEMBLY FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICE

Abstract

A keypad assembly for an electronic device is disclosed. The keypad assembly includes a light guide plate through which a light moves, a plurality of first key buttons on the top surface of the light guide plate, a plurality of reflecting patterns on the bottom surface of the light guide plate for reflecting the light moving through the light guide plate toward the first key buttons, protrusions under the reflecting patterns, a plurality of light emitting devices for supplying the light to the light guide plate, and a switch board including a plurality of dome switches and at least one first optical filtering layer whose color is changed into various colors by reacting or not reacting to the wavelengths of lights generated from the light emitting devices is included under each of the first key buttons.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional keypad assembly;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a light guide plate and reflecting patterns in a conventional keypad assembly;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a keypad assembly for an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a front view of a keypad assembly for an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which a first light emitting device emits a light;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a keypad assembly for an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which the first light emitting device emits a light;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a keypad assembly for an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which key buttons are used when the first light emitting device emits a light;

FIG. 7 is a front view of a keypad assembly for an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which a second light emitting device emits a light;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a keypad assembly for an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which the second light emitting device emits a light;

FIG. 9 is a front view of a keypad assembly for an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which key buttons are used when the second light emitting device emits a light;

FIG. 10 is a front view of a keypad assembly for an electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a keypad assembly for an electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which a first light emitting device emits a light;

FIG. 12 is a front view of a keypad assembly for an electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which key buttons are used when the first light emitting device emits a light;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a keypad assembly for an electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which a second light emitting device emits a light; and

FIG. 14 is a front view of a keypad assembly for an electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the key buttons are used when the second light emitting device emits a light.

Claims

1. A keypad assembly for an electronic device, comprising: a light guide plate through which a light moves;a plurality of first key buttons on the top surface of the light guide plate;a plurality of reflecting patterns on the bottom surface of the light guide plate for reflecting the light moving through the light guide plate toward the first key buttons;protrusions under the reflecting patterns;a plurality of light emitting devices for supplying the light to the light guide plate;a switch board including a plurality of dome switches; andat least one first optical filtering layer positioned under a select portion of each key button of a group of key buttons, the light color output by the filtering layer is changed into various colors by reacting or not reacting to the wavelengths of lights generated from the light emitting devices.

2. The keypad assembly of claim 1, wherein the first optical filtering layer is made of phosphor.

3. The keypad assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the light emitting devices includes a first light emitting device and a second light emitting device, wherein the first light emitting device emits a light of substantially 400 nm and the second light emitting device emits a light of substantially 470 nm.

4. The keypad assembly of claim 2, wherein the phosphor emits red, green, blue lights, and combinations thereof.

5. The keypad assembly of claim 1, wherein the first optical filtering layer reacts and illuminates the first key buttons with various colors by emitting lights of various colors when the first light emitting device emits a light of 400 nm; and wherein the first optical filtering layer does not react and illuminates the first key buttons with a single color by emitting lights of the single color when the second light emitting device emits a light of 470 nm.

6. The keypad assembly of claim 1, wherein printed faces, each including a number face and a character face are printed on the first key buttons and the first optical filtering layer is selectively included under the number face or the character face.

7. The keypad assembly of claim 1, wherein the first optical filtering layer is included under the number face of the first key button.

8. The keypad assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of second key buttons providing special character faces; andsecond optical filtering layers positioned under the second key buttons for illuminating the special character faces with various colors by reacting to lights generated from the first light emitting device and the second light emitting device.

9. The keypad assembly of claim 1, wherein the light emitting devices are included adjacent to the dome switches of the switch board.

10. The keypad assembly of claim 1, wherein the first optical filtering layer is installed under the first key buttons according to the traveling path of the light emitted from the light emitting devices.

11. A keypad assembly for an electronic device, comprising: a light guide plate through which a light travels;a plurality of key buttons on the top surface of the light guide plate;a plurality of reflecting patterns on the bottom surface of the light guide plate for reflecting the light traveling through the light guide plate toward the key buttons;protrusions under the reflecting patterns;a plurality of light emitting devices for supplying the light to the light guide plate;a switch board including a plurality of dome switches; andat least one first and second optical filtering layers positioned under a number face and a character face of each of the key buttons, respectively, the first and second optical filtering layers changing color of the generated light into various colors by reacting or not reacting to the wavelengths of lights generated from the light emitting devices.

12. The keypad assembly of claim 11, wherein the first optical filtering layer is made of phosphor and the second optical filtering layer is made of a filtering layer.

13. The keypad assembly of claim 11, wherein each of the light emitting devices includes a first light emitting device and a second light emitting device.

14. The keypad assembly of claim 11, wherein the first optical filtering layer reacts and illuminates the number face of the key button with a first color and the second optical filtering layer does not react and illuminates the character face of the key button a second color when the first light emitting device emits a violet light of 400 nm; and wherein the first optical filtering layer and the second optical filtering layer do not react and illuminate the number face and the character face of the key button with a blue color, when the second light emitting device emits a blue light of 470 nm.

15. A keypad assembly for an electronic device including a switch board having a plurality of dome switches, the keypad assembly comprising: a light guide plate through which a light moves;a plurality of key buttons on the top surface of the light guide plate;a plurality of reflecting patterns on the bottom surface of the light guide plate for reflecting the light moving through the light guide plate toward the key buttons;protrusions under the reflecting patterns;a plurality of light emitting devices included in the switch board; anda first optical filtering layer included under each of the key buttons, the optical filtering layer changing the color of input light into another colors by reacting or not reacting to the wavelengths of lights generated from the light emitting devices.

16. The keypad assembly as recited in claim 15, wherein the optical layer is positioned under a portion of each of the key buttons.

17. The keypad assembly as recited in claim 16, wherein the key buttons are formed into groups of key buttons.

18. The keypad assembly as recited in claim 17, wherein the optical filter layer is a phosphor.

19. The keypad assembly as recited in claim 16, further comprising: a second optical filtering unit positioned under a portion of each of the key buttons.

20. The keypad assembly as recited in claim 19, wherein the second optical layer is a filtering layer.

21. The keypad assembly as recited in claim 15, further comprising: a third optical filtering unit positioned under a select group of the key buttons, wherein the third optical filtering unit chances the color of the generated light to a color different than the first and second optical filtering unit.