1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a keyswitch, and more particularly, to a keyswitch with different colors and a related input apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the advanced technology, a computer is now in widespread use in family, factory, office, school, and so on. The computer, such as a desktop computer and a notebook computer, is a necessary tool and includes a conventional keyboard for inputting information conveniently.
However, a letter or a symbol is directly printed or formed on a keycap of each keyswitch of the conventional keyboard, which means the keyswitch of the conventional keyboard shows single color, such as a black color or a white color. In addition, aesthetic design of lateral surfaces of the keyswitch of the conventional keycap is neglected, so that the conventional keyboard with drab appearance can not attract consumers, and leads to low market competition.
The present invention provides a keyswitch and a related input apparatus. The present invention selects the color of the keycap material and makes surface treatment on the upper surface of the keycap for showing two different colors on the keyswitch, so as to promote design aesthetic of the input apparatus and to increase market competition.
According to the claimed invention, the input apparatus of the present invention includes a plurality of keyswitches. Each keyswitch includes a keycap and a covering layer. The keycap includes an upper surface and a plurality of lateral surfaces. The plurality of lateral surfaces shows a first color related to material of the keycap. The covering layer covers a first region of the upper surface, so that the first region of the upper surface shows a second color different from the first color.
According to the claimed invention, the upper surface can further include a second region different from the first region. The second region can be located at an edge of the upper surface and shows the first color. The covering layer can be formed by the ink printing method, the heat transfer method, or the in-mold roller method. A specific region of the upper surface shows a specific color different from the second color, and a shape of the specific region corresponds to a specific character of the keyswitch. The specific region is formed on the upper surface by the ink printing method or the laser cutting method.
In the preferred embodiment, the material of the keycap can be the opaque material, the transparent material, or the fluorescent material. As the keycap is made of the opaque material, the first color of the plurality of lateral surfaces is the color of the opaque material. As the keycap is made of the transparent material, the first color of the plurality of lateral surfaces corresponds to the light emitted from the keyswitch. As the keycap is made of the fluorescent material, the first color of the plurality of lateral surfaces corresponds to the fluorescence emitted by the fluorescent material.
According to the claimed invention, the keyswitch of the present invention includes the keycap and the covering layer. The keycap includes the upper surface and the plurality of lateral surfaces. The plurality of lateral surfaces shows the first color related to the material of the keycap. The covering layer covers the first region of the upper surface, so that the first region of the upper surface shows the second color different from the first color.
According to the claimed invention, the upper surface can further include the second region different from the first region. The second region is located at the edge of the upper surface and shows the first color. The covering layer can be formed by the ink printing method, the heat transfer method, or the in-mold roller method. The specific region of the upper surface shows the specific color different from the second color, and the shape of the specific region corresponds to the specific character of the keyswitch. The specific region is formed on the upper surface by the ink printing method or the laser cutting method.
Comparing to the prior art, the keyswitch and the input apparatus of the present invention selects the color of the keycap material and makes surface treatment on the upper surface of the keycap, so that the keyswitch shows two different colors in appearance for promoting design aesthetic of the input apparatus. Therefore, the present invention can satisfy fashion demand of the consumer and increase market competition effectively.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an input apparatus can be a keyboard or an electronic product with keyswitches, and it depends on actual demand.
Please refer to
Please refer to
In this embodiment, the keycap 100 moves downward to deform the rubber cover 106 when the keyswitch 10 is pressed, so that a contacting portion disposed inside the rubber cover 106 contacts a switch disposed on the flexible circuit board 104, and then the switch can be actuated for transmitting a signal.
Generally, connection of the switch of the flexible circuit board 104 and the contacting portion of the rubber cover 106 can actuate an input or any other functions, such as entering a letter. The scissor-type member 108 is for driving the keycap 100 to an initial position where the keycap 100 has not been pressed when pressure on the keycap 100 is released. Operation of the keyswitch 10 of the input apparatus 1 is the same as operation of the conventional keyswitch, and the detailed description is omitted herein for simplicity.
Please refer to
In this embodiment, the lateral surfaces 1002 of the keycap 100 show a first color related to the material of the keycap 100. The dotted area shown in
For example, as the keycap 100 is made of opaque material, the first color of the plurality of lateral surfaces 1002 of the keycap 100 is the color of the opaque material. As the keycap 100 is made of fluorescent material, the first color of the plurality of lateral surfaces 1002 of the keycap 100 corresponds to fluorescence emitted by the fluorescent material. In addition, as the keycap 100 is made of transparent material and light is emitted from the keyswitch 10, the light can pass through the transparent material of the keycap 100 and out of the keyswitch 10, which means the keyswitch 10 can be an illuminating keyswitch and the input apparatus 1 can be an illuminating keyboard. Thus, the first color of the plurality of lateral surfaces 1002 of the keycap 100 corresponds to the color of the light emitted from the keycap 100 of the keyswitch 10.
In this embodiment, the first region 1000a of the upper surface 1000 is covered by a covering layer, so that the first region 1000a of the upper surface 1000 shows a second color. A slash area shown in
For example, as the material of the keycap 100 is white, which means the first color of the lateral surfaces 1002 of the keycap 100 is white, the covering layer with different color from the white color of the keycap 100 can be selected for forming on the first region 1000a of the upper surface 1000 by the ink printing method. For instance, the color of the covering layer can be black, yellow, blue, or so on.
As shown in
Because the specific region 1000b is not adjacent to the lateral surfaces 1002, the specific color of the specific region 1000b can be the same as the first color of the lateral surfaces 1002. However, the specific color of the specific region 1000b can be different from the first color, and it depends on actual demand.
Please refer to
Generally, the specific region 1000b can be formed on the upper surface 1000 by the ink printing method or a laser cutting method. For example, the specific region 1000b can be directly formed on the first region 1000a of the upper surface 1000, or be formed on the covering layer covering on the first region 1000a. Please refer to
As shown in
As for another embodiment, a keyswitch is disclosed. The keyswitch of the present invention includes the keycap and the covering layer. The keycap includes the upper surface and the plurality of lateral surfaces. The plurality of lateral surfaces shows the first color related to the material of the keycap. The covering layer covers the first region of the upper surface, so that the first region of the upper surface shows the second color different from the first color.
In the preferred embodiment, the upper surface can further include the second region different from the first region. The second region is located at the edge of the upper surface and shows the first color. The covering layer can be formed by the ink printing method, the heat transfer method, or the in-mold roller method. The specific region of the upper surface shows the specific color different from the second color, and the shape of the specific region corresponds to the specific character of the keyswitch. The specific region is formed on the upper surface by the ink printing method or the laser cutting method.
In addition, the material of the keycap can be the opaque material, the transparent material, or the fluorescent material. As the keycap is made of the opaque material, the first color of the plurality of lateral surfaces is the color of the opaque material. As the keycap is made of the transparent material, the first color of the plurality of lateral surfaces corresponds to the light emitted from the keyswitch. As the keycap is made of the fluorescent material, the first color of the plurality of lateral surfaces corresponds to the fluorescence emitted by the fluorescent material.
Comparing to the prior art, the keyswitch and the input apparatus of the present invention selects the color of the keycap material and makes surface treatment on the upper surface of the keycap, so that the keyswitch shows two different colors in appearance for promoting design aesthetic of the input apparatus. Therefore, the present invention can satisfy fashion demand of the consumer and increase market competition effectively.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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098221350 | Nov 2009 | TW | national |