Patent Application
20100039386
The present invention relates to a keyboard, particularly to a slim backlighted keyboard.
The keyboard is the primary input device in the current computer system, and the design of keyboards is also diversified to meet various application occasions of computer systems. For a dim or dark environment, manufacturers had developed several self-luminous keyboards to enable users to accurately press correct keys. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,936,554 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,278,750, Taiwan patents No. 566612 and No. 581961 respectively disclosed keyboard devices having LED inside keys, wherein each single key is illuminated by the LED thereinside, whereby users can make out the keys in a dim or dark environment. The prior arts can indeed solve the problem that users cannot recognize the keys in a dim or dark environment. However, a standard keyboard may have over one hundred keys, and the prior-art keyboard devices need the same number of LEDs, which not only increases the fabrication steps and cost but also impairs the lightweighting of keyboards. Besides, numerous LEDs consume a lot of power and generate considerable heat.
For other types of self-luminous keyboards, refer to U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,179,432, 6,199,996, 6,217,183, 6,284,988, 6,322,229, 6,554,442, 6,590,508, 6,648,530, 6,860,612, 7,235,752, 7,239,303 and 7,388,167, and Taiwan patents Nos. 509955, 516671, 587800, 594546, I230957, I231693, M240668, and M313281, wherein a backlight plate, such as an electroluminescent sheet or an optical fiber panel, is arranged over or below a baseplate of a keyboard, whereby light permeates from between the keys to enable users to make out the keys. In such a type of self-luminous keyboards, the entire keyboard is lightened by a single backlight plate, which can reduce the number of components and simplify the assemblage. Beside, the electroluminescent sheet and the optical fiber panel consume very little power and favor the long time usage of a self-luminous keyboard. A Taiwan patent No. I269333 and a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/288,258 disclosed a keyboard having a backlight structure, wherein a light conduction space is defined by a bridge plate and a baseplate, and at least one light conduction member is arranged in the bridge plate and corresponding to the keys, whereby the light conduction members receive the light entering the light conduction space and conduct the light to the key region.
The primary objective of the present invention is to reduce the thickness of a backlighted keyboard and facilitate fabricating a slim backlighted keyboard. To achieve the abovementioned objective, the present invention proposes a slim backlighted keyboard comprising a plurality of press members and a support plate. The support plate is arranged below the press members and further comprises a first plane and a second plane, which interconnect to each other optically. The first plane has at least one elastic support element corresponding to the press members. The second pane is on the opposite side of the first plane and has at least one light conduction groove. The light propagating in the light conduction groove can penetrate the support plate and reach the first plane to illuminate the press members.
The first plane has an actuation mechanism corresponding to the press members, and the elastic support element is arranged inside the actuation mechanism. Light emitting elements are arranged in the ends of the light conduction grooves or inside the light conduction grooves. The light conduction groove has at least one reflection face thereinside; the reflection face and the second plane contain a reflection angle. The light conduction groove has a V-shape or U-shape section.
The support plate is made of a transparent material, and the first plane and second plane of the support plate interconnect to each other optically, whereby light can transmit from the second plane to the first plane or vice versa. Alternatively, at least one light conduction member is arranged in between the first plane and the second plane, whereby light can be transmitted from the second plane to the first plane.
The slim backlighted keyboard of the present invention uses only few light emitting elements to lighten the entire keyboard. Further, the present invention equips with light conduction grooves on the support plate to save light-conduction space and devices, such as an electroluminescent sheet or an optical fiber panel. Thus, the number of light emitting components is reduced, and the thickness of the entire keyboard is decreased. Therefore, the present invention can facilitate the fabrication of a slim backlighted keyboard.
Below, the technical contents of the present invention are described in detail in cooperation with the drawings.
Refer to
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The second plane 22 interconnects with the first plane 21 optically. As shown in
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In the slim backlighted keyboard of the present invention, the light conduction grooves enable the light generated by the light emitting elements to propagate in the second plane of the support plate. As the second plane interconnects to the first plane optically, the light is vertically conducted to the first plane and then lightens the space between the first plane and the press members. Thereby, the press members have such a brightness that users can make out the press members. The present invention does not use an additional light conduction layer but uses only few light emitting elements to lighten the entire keyboard, whereby the number of light emitting components is reduced and the thickness of the entire keyboard is decreased. Then, the present invention can facilitate the fabrication of a slim backlighted keyboard. Therefore, the present invention possesses novelty and non-obviousness and meets the conditions for a patent. Thus, the Inventor files the application for a patent. It will be appreciated if the patent is approved fast.
The embodiments described above are only to exemplify the present invention but not to limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, any equivalent modification or variation according to the spirit of the present invention is to be also included within the scope of the present invention.
