(57) A membrane switch is provided which comprises a base layer (10) of non-conductive
material, a static circuit in the form of a first electrical conductor or conductors
(11) mounted on said base layer, a spacer layer (14) having at least one aperture
(15) therein which is coincident with said first conductor or conductors (11), a dynamic
circuit in the form of a second electrical conductor or conductors (13) coincident
with said aperture facing said first electrical conductor or conductors (11), and
a resilient membrane (12) covering said second conductor or conductors (13).
Within the area bounded by the aperture a discontinuous layer of non-conductive material
(16) is provided between said first conductor or conductors and said second conductor
or conductors, whereby the first conductor or conductors is/are spaced from the second
conductor or conductors until the resilient membrane is depressed by the user's finger
and contact is made between the opposed first and second conductors in zones free
of the non-conductive material.
In this manner advantage can be made of the deformable texture of the fleshy pad of
the finger in that the latter will press one conductor (13) on both sides of a line
of non-conductive material (16) into contact with its opposite conductor the pad temporarily
deforming to accommodate the non-conductive line.
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