TWI872915B - Keycap structure and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A keycap structure includes a main body, a first color layer and a second color layer. The main body is made of a light-transmissive base material. The first color layer is disposed on an upper surface of the main body. The first color layer is printed with a low lightness ink. The second color layer is disposed above the first color layer. The second color layer is printed with a high lightness ink, and an area of the second color layer is smaller than an area of the first color layer. The first color layer and the second color layer form a character pattern together.

Description

Key cap structure and manufacturing method thereof

The present invention relates to a key cap structure and a manufacturing method thereof, in particular to a key cap structure for a keyboard key and a manufacturing method thereof.

Generally speaking, a keyboard is composed of multiple keys. To facilitate user operation, the key caps have text or other symbols (hereinafter referred to as characters) to indicate the corresponding input signal after pressing. In addition, in order to clearly see the symbols on each key in an environment with insufficient light, light source technology is introduced and a backlight module is set at the bottom of the keyboard.

Among them, the membrane luminous keyboard is composed of a keycap, a scissor-type connection component, a reset elastic part (such as a rubber dome), a membrane switch, a base plate, and a backlight module. This type of keycap uses a transparent material keycap, and a white primer and a black paint are sprayed on the surface of the keycap by a spray painting process. Then, the characters are engraved by laser engraving, so that the white primer is exposed at the characters. Therefore, when the light of the backlight module is projected onto the keycap, the characters can glow, allowing users to clearly see the characters.

However, the solvents, diluents, and volatile organic compounds contained in the paint itself, etc., will form carbon dioxide after combustion, causing a large amount of carbon emissions, which will pollute the environment and need to be improved.

In view of the above-mentioned issues, the main purpose of the present invention is to provide a key cap structure and a manufacturing method thereof, which forms a character pattern by printing a low-brightness ink and a high-brightness ink, so as to solve the problem of environmental pollution caused by the conventional key caps forming characters by spraying.

To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a keycap structure, which includes a body, a first color layer and a second color layer. The body is made of a light-transmitting substrate. The first color layer is arranged on an upper surface of the body. The first color layer is printed by a low-brightness ink. The second color layer is arranged above the first color layer. The second color layer is printed by a high-brightness ink, and an area of the second color layer is smaller than an area of the first color layer. The first color layer and the second color layer together form a character pattern.

To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a keycap structure, comprising the following steps: providing a light-transmitting substrate and forming a body; printing a low-brightness ink on an upper surface of the body to form a first color layer; and printing a high-brightness ink on the top of the first color layer to form a second color layer. In addition, the area of the second color layer is smaller than the area of the first color layer, and the first color layer and the second color layer together form a character pattern.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the upper surface of the main body is a matte surface.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the upper surface of the body includes a plurality of microstructures. These microstructures form a matte surface.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the step of forming the body further includes providing a light-transmitting substrate and performing a roughening treatment to form a body having a plurality of microstructures, and the microstructures form a matte surface.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a light-transmitting substrate is mixed with a plurality of diffusion particles to form a matte surface.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the step of forming the body further includes mixing a light-transmitting substrate and a plurality of diffusion particles to form the body and the matte surface.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the light-transmitting substrate further comprises a pigment. The color of the pigment is similar to the color presented by the low-brightness ink.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the low-brightness ink or the high-brightness ink further comprises an anti-wear additive.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the light-transmitting substrate, low-brightness ink, or high-brightness ink further comprises a thermochromic pigment.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the low-brightness ink and the high-brightness ink are light-transmissive inks respectively.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the keycap structure further includes a third color layer, which is disposed above the second color layer. Moreover, an area of the third color layer is smaller than an area of the second color layer.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the manufacturing method of the key cap structure further includes the step of: disposing a third color layer above the second color layer, and an area of the third color layer is smaller than that of the second color layer.

As mentioned above, according to the keycap structure and the manufacturing method thereof of the present invention, the keycap structure includes a body, a first color layer and a second color layer. The first color layer is printed with low-brightness ink, and the second color layer is printed with high-brightness ink, and the first color layer and the second color layer together form a character pattern. Compared with the conventional spray painting method, the character pattern formed by ink printing can achieve the purpose of carbon reduction to meet the goal of environmental protection. In addition, the first color layer is printed with low-brightness ink (i.e., dark ink), and the area of the second color layer is smaller than that of the first color layer. Therefore, when the keycap structure is applied to a luminous keyboard, the first color layer can absorb most of the light to clearly present the character pattern of the second color layer.

1. 1a, 1b: Key cap structure

10, 10a, 10b: Body

11, 11a: Upper surface

111a: Microstructure

20, 20a, 20b: first color layer

30, 30a, 30b: Second color layer

40b: Third color layer

S10~S40: Steps

Figure 1 is a flow chart of the steps of the manufacturing method of the key cap structure of the first embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams of the key cap structure of the first embodiment prepared according to the manufacturing method shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a flow chart of the steps of the manufacturing method of the key cap structure of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG4A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the key cap structure of the second embodiment prepared according to the manufacturing method shown in FIG3.

FIG4B is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the key cap structure shown in FIG4A.

Figure 5 is a flow chart of the steps of the manufacturing method of the key cap structure of the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG6 is a top view of the key cap structure of the third embodiment prepared according to the manufacturing method shown in FIG5.

In order to better understand the technical content of the present invention, a preferred specific embodiment is described as follows.

FIG1 is a step flow chart of a manufacturing method of a key cap structure of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG2A to FIG2B are schematic diagrams of a key cap structure of an embodiment prepared according to the manufacturing method shown in FIG1. The specific structure of the key cap structure 1 of this embodiment is further described below according to the step flow shown in FIG1.

Step S10: Provide a light-transmitting substrate and form a body 10.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2B . The keycap structure 1 of the present embodiment includes a body 10, a first color layer 20 and a second color layer 30. The body 10 is made of a light-transmitting substrate. The light-transmitting substrate is a light-transmitting plastic material, such as but not limited to polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), or ABS resin (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene). ABS resin is a copolymer of acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene.

Step S20: Print a low-brightness ink on an upper surface 11 of the body 10 to form a first color layer 20.

Generally speaking, the lower the lightness of a color, the closer it is to black and is often called a dark color. Conversely, the higher the lightness of a color, the closer it is to white and is often called a light color. Taking the Munsell color model as an example, the lightness is divided into 11 levels. The lowest lightness is N0, that is, the lightness value is 0, and the color is pure black. The highest lightness is N10, that is, the lightness value is 10, and the color is pure white. In this embodiment, low-lightness ink refers to a dark ink with a lower lightness value, which is less transparent. Conversely, high-lightness ink refers to a light ink with a higher lightness value. Preferably, taking the Munsell color model as an example, the lightness value of the low-lightness ink of this embodiment can be less than or equal to 1 (i.e., the lightness can be less than or equal to N1), and the lightness value of the high-lightness ink can be greater than or equal to 9 (i.e., the lightness can be greater than or equal to N9).

In step S20, according to the character pattern to be formed, low-brightness ink is printed on the upper surface 11 of the body 10 to form a first color layer 20 having the character pattern. Preferably, the outline of the first color layer 20 corresponds to the character shape. Taking Figure 2A as an example, the character pattern to be formed is "A", and low-brightness ink (i.e. dark ink) is printed on the upper surface 11 of the body 10 according to the shape of the character "A" to form the first color layer 20 of the character "A", as shown in Figure 2A. In other words, the first color layer 20 is set on the upper surface 11 of the body 10, and the first color layer 20 is a character pattern printed by low-brightness ink.

Step S30: Print a high-brightness ink on the top of the first color layer 20 to form a second color layer 30. The area of the second color layer 30 is smaller than the area of the first color layer 20, and together they form a character pattern.

Next, the character pattern is printed with high-brightness ink. As mentioned above, high-brightness ink is a light-colored ink with a higher brightness value. In step S30, high-brightness ink (i.e., light-colored ink) is printed on top of the first color layer 20 according to the character pattern to be formed (e.g., the character "A" in Figures 2A and 2B), and the outline of the second color layer 30 corresponds to the character shape, so that the second color layer 30 of the character pattern is stacked on top of the first color layer 20, as shown in Figure 2B. In other words, the second color layer 30 of this embodiment is arranged on top of the first color layer 20, and the second color layer 30 is printed with high-brightness ink (i.e., light-colored ink).

In this embodiment, the area of the second color layer 30 is smaller than that of the first color layer 20, so that the dark first color layer 20 with lower brightness surrounds the outer periphery of the second color layer 30 and is not covered by the second color layer 30. In addition, since both the low brightness ink and the high brightness ink are printed to form the first color layer 20 and the second color layer 30 according to the character pattern to be formed, the first color layer 20 and the second color layer 30 can form the character pattern together, such as the character "A" in Figures 2A and 2B.

The keycap structure 1 of this embodiment can be applied to a luminous keyboard. Since the body 10 of this embodiment is made of a light-transmitting substrate, when the backlight module of the luminous keyboard emits light, the light can be projected onto the body 10 and make part of the body 10 emit light. Among them, since the first color layer 20 is printed with a dark low-brightness ink, it can absorb most of the visible light, so that the transmittance of the character pattern (i.e., the first color layer 20 and the second color layer 30) is less than the transmittance of the body 10. By the difference in transmittance between the body 10 and the first color layer 20, the luminous keyboard can present the character pattern when it emits light.

Preferably, the first color layer 20 of this embodiment can be printed with black ink, so that the first color layer 20 is opaque. Therefore, when the luminous keyboard is illuminated, part of the body 10 is illuminated, and the character pattern is not illuminated due to the first color layer 20. This contrast allows the character pattern to be presented more clearly.

Preferably, in this embodiment, the light-transmitting substrate used to make the body 10 further includes a pigment. The color of the pigment is similar to the color presented by the low-brightness ink. For example, the low-brightness ink in this embodiment is black ink, so the light-transmitting substrate preferably also includes a black pigment. Therefore, the body 10 made of the light-transmitting substrate and the black pigment presents a light-transmitting gray-black color. When the keycap structure 1 is applied to a light-emitting keyboard, the gray-black body 10 can cover the scissor-type connection assembly or the reset elastic member and other structures below to achieve an aesthetic effect.

Furthermore, the second color layer 30 is printed with high-brightness ink (i.e., light-colored ink), which can be white, for example. When the luminous keyboard is not luminous, the character pattern can still be clearly displayed because of the large contrast between the second color layer 30 and the gray-black body 10. On the contrary, when the luminous keyboard is luminous, the first color layer 20 (printed with dark-colored ink) absorbs most of the visible light, so the character pattern can also be clearly displayed. It should also be noted that if only the second color layer 30 is provided (i.e., the first color layer 20 is not provided), or the area of the first color layer 20 is smaller than the area of the second color layer 30, when the luminous keyboard is luminous, the light will interfere with the second color layer 30 of high-brightness color (i.e., light color), and the character pattern will not be clearly visible.

Preferably, the light-transmitting substrate, low-brightness ink, or high-brightness ink further comprises a thermochromic pigment. In one embodiment, the light-transmitting substrate further comprises a thermochromic pigment, and the body 10 produced therefrom can change color according to the temperature. In one embodiment, the low-brightness ink and/or the high-brightness ink can comprise a thermochromic pigment, so that the printed character pattern (i.e., the first color layer 20, the second color layer 30) can also change color according to the temperature. For example, when the luminous keyboard emits light, heat energy is also generated, so that the body 10 and/or the character pattern of the keycap structure 1 can change color due to the heat energy to increase the richness of the appearance.

Preferably, the low-brightness ink or the high-brightness ink further includes a wear-resistant additive. The wear-resistant additive may be, for example, but not limited to, silicon dioxide. By adding the wear-resistant additive, the first color layer 20 and the second color layer 30 printed by the low-brightness ink and the high-brightness ink have better wear-resistant effects. In other words, the low-brightness ink or the high-brightness ink includes a wear-resistant additive, so that the character pattern can be more wear-resistant.

In this embodiment, the low-brightness ink is black ink, so that the first color layer 20 formed is an opaque color layer. In other embodiments, the low-brightness ink and the high-brightness ink are respectively a light-transmitting ink, so that the first color layer 20 and the second color layer 30 formed are both light-transmitting. When the luminous keyboard emits light, since the first color layer 20 and the second color layer 30 are both light-transmitting, a mixed color effect can be produced to increase the richness of the appearance.

FIG3 is a step flow chart of the manufacturing method of the key cap structure of the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG4A is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the key cap structure of the second embodiment prepared according to the manufacturing method shown in FIG3, and FIG4B is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the key cap structure shown in FIG4A. Please refer to FIG3, FIG4A and FIG4B. The key cap structure 1a of this embodiment also includes a body 10a, a first color layer 20a and a second color layer 30a. The difference from the first embodiment is that the upper surface 11a of the body 10a of this embodiment is a matte surface. Correspondingly, the manufacturing method of the key cap structure 1a of this embodiment is to manufacture the body 10a in step S11.

Step S11: Provide a light-transmitting substrate and perform a roughening treatment to form a body 10a having a plurality of microstructures 111a.

In this embodiment, the roughening treatment may be, for example, a texturing treatment. Specifically, a rough pattern is provided in the mold for forming the body 10a, which corresponds to the upper surface 11a of the body 10a. In step S11, a light-transmitting substrate may be injected into the mold, and after curing and demolding, the rough pattern may form a plurality of microstructures 111a corresponding to the upper surface 11a of the body 10a, as shown in FIG. 4B. The microstructures 111a are densely distributed on the upper surface 11a of the body 10a, thereby forming a matte surface.

Next, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, a low-brightness ink is printed on the upper surface 11a of the body 10a to form a first color layer 20a (step S20); a high-brightness ink is then printed on the upper surface of the first color layer 20a to form a second color layer 30a (step S30), and the keycap structure 1a of this embodiment is manufactured. When the keycap structure 1a of this embodiment is applied to a keyboard, the upper surface 11a of the body 10a is a matte design, which can cover the scissor-type connection assembly or the reset elastic member below to achieve an aesthetic effect.

In other embodiments, the step S10 of the first embodiment can also be referred to, and a smooth body 10 is first made of a light-transmitting substrate, as shown in FIG2. Then, a roughening treatment such as etching is performed to form a microstructure 111a, and a body 10a having a microstructure 111a on the upper surface 11a is made, and the present invention is not limited. In other embodiments, a body 10 with a matte surface can also be formed by mixing a light-transmitting substrate and a plurality of diffusion particles, and the present invention is not limited.

FIG5 is a step flow chart of the manufacturing method of the key cap structure of the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG6 is a top view of the key cap structure of the third embodiment prepared according to the manufacturing method shown in FIG5. Please refer to FIG5 and FIG6. In this embodiment, the key cap structure 1b includes a body 10b, a first color layer 20b, and a second color layer 30b, and also includes a third color layer 40b. Among them, the manufacturing steps of the body 10b, the first color layer 20b, and the second color layer 30b are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the manufacturing method of this embodiment further includes step S40.

Step S40: A third color layer 40b is disposed above the second color layer 30b, and the area of the third color layer 40b is smaller than the area of the second color layer 30b.

In this embodiment, the character pattern (e.g., character A) is also based on the ink of a different color from the first color layer 20b and the second color layer 30b, and the third color layer 40b is stacked and printed on the upper surface of the second color layer 30b, so that the third color layer 40b is arranged above the second color layer 30b. As in the relative relationship between the first color layer 20b and the second color layer 30b, the area of the third color layer 40b is smaller than the area of the second color layer 30b, so that the second color layer 30b surrounds the outer periphery of the third color layer 40b, as shown in FIG6.

Since the third color layer 40b is located at the top, the character pattern of the key cap structure 1b presents the color of the third color layer 40b. Therefore, the color of the third color layer 40b can be changed according to manufacturing requirements.

In summary, according to the keycap structure and the manufacturing method thereof of the present invention, the keycap structure includes a body, a first color layer and a second color layer. The first color layer is printed with low-brightness ink, and the second color layer is printed with high-brightness ink, and the first color layer and the second color layer together form a character pattern. Compared with the conventional spray painting method, the character pattern formed by ink printing can achieve the purpose of carbon reduction to meet the goal of environmental protection. In addition, the first color layer is printed with low-brightness ink (i.e., dark ink), and the area of the second color layer is smaller than that of the first color layer. Therefore, when the keycap structure is applied to a luminous keyboard, the first color layer can absorb most of the light to clearly present the character pattern of the second color layer.

It should be noted that the above embodiments are given for the purpose of illustration. The scope of rights claimed by the present invention shall be subject to the scope of the patent application, and shall not be limited to the above embodiments.

1: Key cap structure

10: Body

11: Upper surface

20: First color layer

30: Second color layer

Claims (18)

A keycap structure includes: a body made of a light-transmitting substrate; a first color layer disposed on an upper surface of the body, the first color layer being printed with a low-brightness ink; and a second color layer disposed above the first color layer, the second color layer being printed with a high-brightness ink, and the second color layer having an area smaller than that of the first color layer, the first color layer and the second color layer together forming a character pattern. The key cap structure as described in claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the body is a matte surface. The key cap structure as described in claim 2, wherein the upper surface of the body includes a plurality of microstructures, and the microstructures form the matte surface. The key cap structure as described in claim 2, wherein the light-transmitting substrate is mixed with a plurality of diffusion particles to form the matte surface. The key cap structure as described in claim 1, wherein the light-transmitting substrate further comprises a pigment, the color of the pigment being similar to the color presented by the low-brightness ink. The key cap structure as described in claim 1, wherein the low-brightness ink or the high-brightness ink further comprises a wear-resistant additive. The key cap structure as described in claim 1, wherein the light-transmitting substrate, the low-brightness ink, or the high-brightness ink further comprises a thermochromic pigment. The key cap structure as described in claim 1, wherein the low brightness ink and the high brightness ink are light-transmissive inks respectively. The keycap structure as described in claim 1 further includes: a third color layer disposed above the second color layer, and an area of the third color layer is smaller than the area of the second color layer. A method for manufacturing a keycap structure includes the following steps: providing a light-transmitting substrate and forming a body; printing a low-brightness ink on an upper surface of the body to form a first color layer; and printing a high-brightness ink on the top of the first color layer to form a second color layer, and the area of the second color layer is smaller than the area of the first color layer, and the first color layer and the second color layer together form a character pattern. A method for manufacturing a key cap structure as described in claim 10, wherein the upper surface of the body is a matte surface. The manufacturing method of the key cap structure as described in claim 11, wherein the step of forming the main body further includes providing the light-transmitting substrate and performing a roughening treatment to form the main body having a plurality of microstructures, and the microstructures form the matte surface. The manufacturing method of the key cap structure as described in claim 11, wherein the step of forming the main body further includes mixing the light-transmitting substrate and a plurality of diffusion particles to form the main body and the matte surface. The manufacturing method of the key cap structure as described in claim 10, wherein the light-transmitting substrate further comprises a pigment, the color of the pigment is similar to the color presented by the low-brightness ink. The manufacturing method of the key cap structure as described in claim 10, wherein the low-brightness ink or the high-brightness ink further comprises a wear-resistant additive. The manufacturing method of the key cap structure as described in claim 10, wherein the light-transmitting substrate, the low-brightness ink, or the high-brightness ink further comprises a thermochromic pigment. The manufacturing method of the key cap structure as described in claim 10, wherein the low-brightness ink and the high-brightness ink are respectively a light-transmissive ink. The manufacturing method of the keycap structure as described in claim 10 further includes the following steps: a third color layer is arranged above the second color layer, and an area of the third color layer is smaller than the area of the second color layer.

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