Control panel and keypad of one piece molded construction

Abstract

 An operator controlled panel and keypad member for an electronic instrument which includes a plurality of cantilevered beam members (24) secured at only one end thereof to an integral control panel member (14,15) and each being operatively depressed down into electrical contact with control circuitry (22) located on the underside of the panel and forming part of an electronic instrument (12) being controlled by an operator. Thus, by aligning the control panel or keypad member with a given reference point or mark on an instrument housing, all of the cantilevered contacts (28) thereon are also automatically aligned with electrical circuitry (22) within the instrument housing (12). The control panel or keypad member may be of the replaceable snap-on or snap-fit type which is designed to have language-specific, code-specific or numbers-specific indicia (26) thereon dedicated to a single nation or single country language, customs and usage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates generally to control panels for electronic instrumentation and more particularly to a removable snap-on or snap-fit control panel and keypad for custom or language specific electronic instruments. The terms "control panel" and "keypad" are used interchangeably and alternatively herein and define any panel member having keycaps and associated identifying indicia thereon to identify the function of the keycap. Electrical contact means are operated by one or more of the keycaps to provide an electrical connection or disconnection to electronic circuitry which is disposed beneath the control panel or keypad member.

Background Art

[0002] Controls panels constructed for use with a variety of electronic instruments have generally been designed to be an integral part of the instrument housing and to remain permanently in place over the useful lifetime of the instrument. These control panels have been constructed using many different types of materials (e.g. MYLAR), and they have been designed to include, for example, spring loaded touch operated keycaps which are accessible on the panel face to an operator. When depressed, these keycaps are operative to move into electrical contact with circuitry disposed beneath the control panel surface in order to allow an operator to control the operation of the instrument.

[0003] When it becomes necessary to provide more than one language on the face of the control panel such as may be required for multiple country usage, obvious problems are presented with the above single control panel approach. That is, the adaptation and localization of control panels or keypads for multiple country usage has been difficult to accomplish due to the large number of languages and lengths of verbiage that must appear as indicia on or adjacent to the keypads.

[0004] Various overlay schemes have been proposed and tried in order to adapt the existing control panels for use with different national languages. However, these approaches to instrument-for-country-and-language localization have been generally objectionable for numerous reasons, including the lack of compatibility and appearance of these overlay schemes with the indicia, style and keypad design of the basic underlying existing control panel for a given instrument. In addition, keycap alignment problems have frequently been encountered when keypad overlay techniques have been used to adapt one basic keypad design to a variety of national languages or other similar custom usages.

Disclosure of Invention

[0005] The general purpose and principal object of the present invention to provide a novel alternative approach to the above types of prior art keypad designs which does not rely upon either the use of a permanent control panel design or the use of custom indicia overlay methods in order to render one kind of instrument suitable for use on a country-by-country and language-by-language basis.

[0006] Another object of this invention is to simultaneously solve some of the above types of keypad and keycaps alignment problems which have previously been encountered with aligning the keypads of temporary or overlay patterns with the fundamental or basic keypad design and underlying circuitry of an instrument being adapted for specific country and language usage.

[0007] Another object of this invention is to accomplish the above stated features using a custom and language specific removable control panel or keypad which is economical and durable in construction, reliable in operation and easily replaceable by an operator.

[0008] A novel feature of this invention is the provision of a method for assembling electronic instruments for country-specific usage which includes:

a. providing snap-on replaceable control panels of one piece molded construction and having cantilevered depressible flexible beams therein associated with country specific indicia, and

b. joining said control panels to the functionally operative surfaces of these instruments.

[0009] Another feature of this invention is the provision of a new and improved method of the type described which further includes snap-fitting these control panels into offset regions of these instruments to provide a smoothly contoured outer surface area for the instruments.

[0010] Another feature of this invention is the provision of an electronic instrument having a main housing containing electrical control circuitry therein adjacent to an offset side wall section of the housing. A replaceable snap-fit keypad type control panel of one piece molded construction is mounted in the offset side wall section of the housing in a smoothly contoured outer surface geometry for the instrument.

[0011] Another feature of this invention is the provision of an electronic instrument of the type described above wherein the control panel has a plurality of flexible cantilevered beams therein with depressible ends containing keycaps on the top surfaces thereof and electrical contacts on the bottom surfaces thereof for electrically engaging electrical contacts in the control circuitry within the instrument housing. The control panel is snap-fitted over a printed circuit card or the like and is operative to make electrical connections therein when the cantilevered beams in the control panel are depressed by an operator.

[0012] To achieve the above objects and features, there has been developed a novel, removable snap-on keypad type control panel of one piece molded construction for use with certain types of electronic instruments. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a main or front panel member has a major surface thereof adapted to receive country-specific indicia corresponding to certain keycap locations thereon and is removably securable to the housing of an electronic instrument such as a hand-held calculator. The control panel member includes a flexible beam member which is integrally joined at only one end thereof to the remaining portions of the panel member. This beam or springboard-like member includes a keycap member integrally formed on an upper surface area thereof and an electrical contact extending from a chosen location on a lower surface thereof. This flexible or cantilevered beam member is operatively flexible in a direction which is generally perpendicular to the major surface of the control panel member, and the control panel member and beam member may be molded of one piece construction from a common material.

[0013] This feature of one piece molded construction not only facilitates the ease and economy of construction, but it also assures that the keycaps and integral underlying contact members on the cantilevered beam will always be self-aligned with the remaining portions of its integral control panel member and with the instrument housing to which the control panel member is affixed. Thus, any alignment of this replaceable, cantilevered-beam type control panel member per se with a reference position, mark, or receptacle on an existing instrument housing assures that all of the cantilevered or beam connected electrical contacts of the replaceable control panel will also be precisely aligned with mating electrical contacts on the internal electronic circuitry within the instrument housing.

[0014] The above objects, features and various other advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] Figure 1 is an isometric view showing an electronic instrument such as a hand-held calculator having a removable English keypad or control panel thereon.

[0016] Figure 2 is an isometric view of a replaceable localized keypad or control panel which may be used to directly replace the snap-on control panel in Figure 1.

[0017] Figure 3 is an exploded isometric view, partly in cross-section, showing the flexible cantilevered beam keypad and integral contact plunger which forms part of the replaceable control panel shown in all of Figures 1, 2, and 3.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment

[0018] Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown an instrument 10 such as a hand-held calculator containing a main housing 12 for receiving electrical components therein, such as printed circuit (PC) cards and the like. A removable snap-on keypad type control panel 14 has a tapered contour designed to fit into the offset or L-shaped configuration 16 of the upper surface of the housing 12. The control panel 14 has an elongated, relatively flat shape and narrow side wall portions including a vertical side wall section 18 and a tapered side wall section 20. These side wall sections of the control panel 14 are received in the cut away or L-shaped contour 16 of the instrument housing 12 in a smoothly mating relationship. Thus, when it is desired to adapt a particular instrument 10 such as a hand-held calculator for a particular country usage, it is only necessary to remove the snap-on or snap-fit keypad type control panel 14 with a new localized control panel 15 as indicated in Figure 2. The new replacement panel 15 has dedicated country indicia thereon represented by the "X" marks shown on the upper surface of the panel.

[0019] Referring now to Figure 3, the snap-on replaceable or replacement panel 14 or 15, respectively, may be received in abutting and mating relationship with a printed circuit (PC) board or card 22, and electrical contact to various points on the PC board or card 22 may be made by means of one or more cantilevered beams 24. The cantilevered beam 24 forms an integral section of the control panel 14 or 15 and includes, for example, a finger operated keycap 26 which is integrally joined with a contact or conductive plunger member 28. Thus, an operator may press down the keycap 26 and thereby cause the plunger or contact 28 to make electrical contact at a perfectly aligned electrical contact point therebelow on the surface of the printed circuit board or card 22.

[0020] Advantageously, an additional shorter flexible cantilevered beam member 30 may be molded and formed to fit into a cut-out section 31 of the longer cantilevered beam member 24. An operator may press the facing keycap 32 on the beam member 30 to cause the integral plunger 34 to make electrical contact with another electrical contact point on the underlying printed circuit board or card 22.

[0021] The removable control panel 14 or 15 may include other integral electrical or optical components therein such as, for example, molded-in light pipes 36 which may be optically coupled to suitable light passages (not shown) extending beneath the surfaces of the light pipes 36 and down into the housing 12 of the electronic instrument 10. These light passages may be joined to one or more sources of light and operate to provide some functional indication for the operation of the instrument 10. Thus, the present invention enables any language or numerical indication to appear on the keypad control surfaces of the control panel 14 or 15. Also, this molded plastic snap-on panel of one piece construction has the keycaps and light pipes integrally molded into the basic design of the panel, thereby eliminating keycap alignment problems which have been encountered in prior art overlay schemes.

[0022] The molded keycaps 26 and 32 are unsupported at one end, and when these keycaps 26 and 32 are pressed downwardly by an operator, the unsupported contact ends 28 and 34 of the cantilevered beams 24 and 30, respectively, deflect readily to engage an electrical switch or contact points 25 and 33, respectively, located directly under the contact plungers 28 and 34. This "diving board" like deflection assures a tactile feedback to the operator of this instrument, with the further attendant advantage that this construction provides perfect keycap alignment in an easily removable, low cost plastic control panel localized with a desired in-country language.

[0023] Aesthetically, this novel localization design and construction permits a particular instrument to appear as though it were designed specifically for the nation in which it is being marketed. Additionally, this novel control panel provides a required shielded protection of its associated electronic circuitry from external electrostatic type discharges and the like.

[0024] Various modifications may be made to the above described preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of this invention. For example, any one cantilevered beam member such as the beam member 24 may contain a plurality of integral contact plungers 28 thereon in order to make multiple electrical contacts to the underlying electronic circuitry as previously described. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the particular flat and tapered type of control panel design as is shown in Figures 1 to 3 above, and may instead be used with various other non-flat designs and with various other larger types of instruments such as desk-top computers, printers, copiers, and the like. Accordingly, such obvious design modifications are clearly within the scope of the following appended claims.

Claims

1. A replaceable instrument control panel of one piece molded construction including a main panel body member (14,15) having country-specific indicia thereon and one or more cantilever beam members (24) integral with said body member and each having a flexible end on which a keycap member (26) is disposed on one side and an electrical contact (28) is joined to the opposite side and is operatively depressible into contact with mating electronic circuitry.

2. The control panel defined in claim 1 wherein said main panel body member has a relatively flat indicia-containing surface adjacent to said keycap member (26) and side walls extending (20,18) approximately perpendicular from the edges of said indicia-containing surface and adapted to be snap-fitted over a mating surface (16) of the housing (12) of an electronic instrument.

3. The control panel defined in claims 1 or 2 which further includes integral light pipes (36) molded into said main panel body member (14,15).

4. A removable snap-on control panel adapted for custom use with an electronic instrument, comprising:

a. a panel member (14,15) having a major surface thereof adapted to receive indicia dedicated to a single country, code, numerical system or language or the like and means thereon (16, 18, 20) for removably securing said member (14,15) to a housing (12) of an electronic instrument, and

b. one or more flexible beam members (24) integrally formed into said panel member (14,15) and joined at only one end to a portion of said panel member and having a key cap member (26) formed on an upper surface area thereof and an electrical contact (28) formed at a chosen location on a lower surface thereof, said beam member (24) being operatively flexible in a direction generally perpendicular to said major surface of said panel member (14) and being operatively deflectable by an operator depressing said keycap member to move said electrical contact into electrical connection with circuitry (22) for said instrument in order to control the operation thereof, whereby said beam member and the remainder of said panel member may be molded from a common material of one piece construction, thereby making said beam member and the remainder of said panel member self-aligned and eliminating critical alignment problems when said control panel member is brought into operative connection with corresponding mating electrical contacts on existing electronic instrumentation.

5. The control panel defined in claim 4 wherein said panel member (14,15) and integral beam member (24) or members are formed in a relatively flat one piece molded construction.

6. A method for assembling electronic instruments for country-specific usage which includes:

a. providing snap-on replaceable control panels of one piece molded construction and having cantilevered depressible flexible beams (24) therein associated with country specific indicia, and

b. joining said control panels to the functionally operative surfaces (16) of said instruments.

7. The method defined in claim 6 which further includes snap-fitting said control panels into offset regions (16) of said instruments to provide a smoothly contoured outer surface area for said instruments.

8. An electronic instrument having a main housing (12) containing electrical control circuitry (22) therein adjacent to an offset side wall section (16) of said housing, and a replaceable snap-fit control panel (14,15) of one piece molded construction mounted in said offset side wall section (16) of said housing (12) in a smoothly contoured outer surface geometry for said instrument.

9. The instrument defined in claim 8 wherein said control panel (14,15) has a plurality of flexible cantilevered beams (24) therein with depressible ends containing keycaps (26) on the top surfaces thereof and electrical contacts (28) on the bottom surfaces thereof for electrically engaging electrical contacts in said control circuitry (22) within said housing (12).

10. The instrument defined in claim 9 wherein said control panel (14,15) is snap-fitted over a printed circuit card (22) or the like and is operative to make electrical connections therein when said cantilevered beams (24) in said control panel (14) are depressed by an operator.

11. A replaceable control panel (14,15) of one piece construction or an electronic instrument (12), said panel including therein flexible cantilevered beams (24) with depressible ends containing keycaps (26) on the upper surface thereof and electrical contacts (28) on the lower surface thereof, whereby the depression of said beams (24) to make electrical contact to said electronic instrument provides tactile feedback to an operator.

Drawing