DE202006006716U1 - Foil keyboard, has tactile and/or visible surface structure engraved on front foil in area outside keys by imprinting with lacquer, where foil has deformation opposite to plane of foil in area of keys and is formed by stamping process - Google Patents

Abstract

The keyboard has a front foil (3) arranged on a substrate (2) which is in the form of a printed circuit board, metal base plate or metal carrier plate, using a spacer foil (6). A sensible and/or visible surface structure (5) is engraved on the front foil in an area outside keys, by imprinting with structure lacquer. The foil (3) has a deformation opposite to a plane of the foil (3) in the area of the keys, where the foil (3) is formed by a stamping process and is glossy in the area of the keys.

Description

The The invention relates to a keyboard with a decorative sheet on one support material and in particular with one or more domes.

Area Keyboards based on film structures are widely used. The exact position of the key is the area above the snap-action disc embossed. For the Positioning the snap disc is a spacer foil used.

The used decorative films are from manufacturers with a structured surface Mistake. Common is a fine or rough surface texture. To obtain of smooth surface structures, such as in window areas, will be based on this surface texture a clearcoat printed.

With the DE 297 03 194 U1 a membrane keyboard is presented, which has on the uppermost layer, namely on the front foil (= decorative foil), in the region of the Tastpunkte spherical peaks, which are formed by an additional application of material such as plastic casting resin.

The brilliant buttons increase by means of the respectively applied plastic cap raises the button visually distinct from the environment of the key and also allows a tactile position finding by the human finger.

For the production this key increase must the decor sheet outside The button cap can be pretreated, so when applying the plastic material this adheres to the intended area of the button and the desired dome formed. In this process, the dosage of the material is crucial for the shaping the keycap height. After the curing time it is necessary to surface pretreatment again, usually suitable solvents be used. This additional Surface treatment is a major disadvantage.

Further It is disadvantageous that the crowned crests are prone to lateral loads are and can be relatively easily detached, because, for example, with the fingernail under the material can be.

Also against attacks of liquids, such as detergents, the crowned crests are unprotected. Besides that is the tactility the keyboard without appropriate special measures such as Glue dots on the frog frog not good.

In the patent DE 102 03 986 An extension of this technology is given in which, prior to coating with the plastic around this plastic cap, a peripheral edge is formed to position the material on the button. In this solution, the dosage of the plastic material is even more accurate in this solution, since this embossed edge limits the compliance of the plastic application worse than a surface preparation.

task The invention is to overcome these disadvantages of the prior art eliminate without the proven and have to give up proven keyboard design.

Is solved This object with a keyboard according to claim 1, advantageous Embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

at the membrane keypad according to the invention provided that on a support material in the form of a carrier film, a printed circuit board and / or a metal support plate arranged a front foil is on the outside in the area the keys a feel and / or visible surface structure is applied and / or the front foil in this area outside the keys have a and / or visible surface structure and the front foil in the region of the respective keys one Deformation over the Front foil level has experienced.

The surface structure the front foil outside the respective keys is preferred by printing with textured paint produced. But it can also result from the film itself.

The Front foil is embossed in the area of the respective keys, preferably to the outside pointing, educated.

in the Range of the respective keys is the front film by their surface property advantageously shiny executed.

The membrane keypad according to the invention is based on the example of a keyboard with snap discs, shown in 1 , to be discribed.

The illustrated keyboard with one or more domes 1 on a carrier material 2 has a front foil 3 on, passing through a spacer film 6 is positioned. The front foil 3 is a shiny foil 3 with an imprint with textured paint 5 outside the keys 4 ,

A simple embossing process makes the raised shiny buttons 4 generated. The spacer foil 6 Holds the front foil 3 positioned so that this without additional pressure on the snap disc 1 suppressed.

This structural design has been tested and is technologically controlled. He has over proven for many years in the production of membrane keyboards.

The usual surface structure of the front foil 3 , now only outside the buttons 4 , is printed by textured lacquer 5 generated. This results in the same visual impression as in the keyboards in the above explained in the prior art, only that a considerably lower manufacturing and material costs is necessary.

The key operation is comparable to the commonly used and proven keyboard layouts. Of the particular advantage of this key structure is the fact that proven manufacturing steps are used, the additional necessary Preparation and follow-up steps are eliminated, no waiting time to dry the plastic mass is necessary, but the same operating behavior is achieved.

1

snap disk

2

support material

3

front cover

4

button

5

textured paint

6

spacer film

Claims (6)

Keyboard with a carrier material ( 2 ) in the form of a carrier foil, a printed circuit board and / or a metal carrier plate, on which a front foil ( 3 ), characterized in that on the front foil ( 3 ) in the area outside the buttons ( 4 ) a tactile and / or visible surface structure ( 5 ) is applied and / or the front foil ( 3 ) in the area outside the buttons ( 4 ) a tactile and / or visible surface structure ( 5 ) and the front foil ( 3 ) in the area of the respective keys ( 4 ) has experienced a deformation with respect to the front film level. Keyboard according to claim 1, characterized in that the surface structure ( 5 ) of the front foil ( 3 ) outside the respective buttons ( 4 ) is made by printing. Keyboard according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the surface structure ( 5 ) of the front foil ( 3 ) outside the respective buttons ( 4 ) is a printing with textured paint. Keyboard according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the front foil ( 3 ) at least in the area of the respective buttons ( 4 ) is shiny. Keyboard according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the front foil ( 3 ) in the area of the respective keys ( 4 ) by embossing raised, preferably facing outward, is formed. Keyboard according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the front foil ( 3 ) on the carrier material ( 2 ) by means of a spacer film ( 6 ) is positioned.