U.S. patent number 3,720,801 [Application Number 05/223,217] was granted by the patent office on 1973-03-13 for space key.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Alps Electric Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Makoto Yanaga.
United States Patent |
3,720,801 |
Yanaga |
March 13, 1973 |
SPACE KEY
Abstract
A space key includes an elongated upper cover adapted to be
touched with fingers, a lower guide plate and a spring disposed
between the cover and the guide plate. A stabilizer rod having a
center stem portion is rotatably received by the cover and Z-shaped
end portions each pointed end of which is pivotably received in a
corresponding notch formed in upright portions of the guide plate,
whereby upon depressing the upper cover at any portion thereof the
cover moves down without inclination toward the guide plate to
reliably actuate a switch disposed under the guide plate.
Inventors: |
Yanaga; Makoto (Tokyo,
JA) |
Assignee: |
Alps Electric Co., Ltd. (Tokyo,
JA)
|
Family
ID: |
22835563 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/223,217 |
Filed: |
February 3, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
200/330;
400/496 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01H
3/122 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01H
3/02 (20060101); H01H 3/12 (20060101); H01h
003/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;200/172A
;197/98,19 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Jones; H. O.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A space key to actuate reliably a switch disposed under a guide
plate, said key comprising:
an elongated upper cover having downwardly extending
protuberances,
a lower guide plate having upright portions in slidable contact
with said protuberances of said upper cover to guide downward
movement of said upper cover,
a spring disposed between said upper cover and said guide plate,
and
a stabilizer rod having a center stem portion extending in the
lateral direction of said upper cover and rotatably received by one
wall portion of said upper cover and generally Z-shaped end
portions, the pointed ends of which are pivotably received in
corresponding notches formed in upright portions of said guide
plate,
wherein said upper cover moves down without inclination in response
to depression force applied thereto at any portion.
2. The space key as specified in claim 1 further including: a keep
plate secured to the underside of said upper cover to rotatably
receive said stabilizer rod together with a stepping portion of
said upper cover, which has downwardly extending wall portions in
slidable contact with the upright portions of said guide plate.
3. The space key as specified in claim 1, wherein said notches are
located at about the center of the operation range of compression
and expansion of said spring.
4. In a space key comprising an upper cover, a lower guide plate,
and a spring disposed between said upper cover and guide plate to
space one away from the other, and constructed so that in response
to depression of said upper cover, a switch mounted on the
underside of said guide plate and coaxial with said spring is
actuated, the improvement wherein:
said upper cover has, in its inside lower portion, a stepping
portion extending in the lengthwise direction along one of the
longer downwardly extending walls and is formed with plate-like
protuberances close to the lateral end portions of said upper
cover;
a keep plate is secured inside said upper cover extending between
said plate-like protuberances which has downwardly extending
laterally elongated wall portions one of which opposing said
stepping portion has an outwardly extending curved portion;
said guide plate has upright end portions, each formed with a
notch, which are slidably in contact with the corresponding
plate-like protuberances, and has further provided upright leaf
portions so as to be in slidable contact with the corresponding
wall portions of said keep plate; and
a stabilizer rod having Z-shaped end portions is disposed so that
its straight center portion is received between said stepping
portion of said upper cover and said curved portion of said keep
plate and each of said Z-shaped pointed end portions is movably
received in a corresponding notch formed in said guide plate.
5. The space key as specified in claim 4, wherein said notches are
located substantially at the center of the operation range of
compression and expansion of said spring.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a key called a space bar or space key
which is employed in a typewriter or a terminal keyboard of a
computer.
It is an object of the invention to provide a space key.
It is a more specific object of the invention to provide the
structure of a space key in which its upper cover moves down
without inclination in response to depression force applied thereto
at any portion thereof to thereby actuate reliably a switch
disposed underside the structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, there is provided a space key which
comprises an elongated upper cover, a lower guide plate, a spring
disposed between the upper cover and the guide plate. A stabilizer
rod having a long stem portion is rotatably received by the upper
cover and Z-shaped end portions each pointed end of which is
pivotably received in a corresponding notch formed in upright
portions of the guide plate on the lateral ends thereof. The upper
cover, having downwardly extending protuberances slidably in
contact with upright portions of the guide plate, is moved down
without inclination in response to depression force applied to the
cover at any portion thereof to reliably actuate a switch mounted
under the guide plate .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of one embodiment of a space
key according to the invention with a portion of an upper cover
broken away to show the inner structure.
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the space key shown in FIG. 1
with a right half portion of the upper cover broken away to show
the inner structure.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing the operation
of a stabilizer rod.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Now, one embodiment of the invention will be explained with
reference to the drawing, particularly, FIG. 1 showing in
perspective view, an elongated upper cover 1 having a generally
trapezoidal cross-section. The cover 1 is formed in its lower
inside portion with an elongated protuberance 2a along one of the
longer side walls extending downward to provide a stepping portion
2. Further, it is formed with plate-like protuberances 3 extending
downward from the cover portions adjacent the respective shorter
side walls, which are in contact at their inner faces with the
outer faces of respective bent end portions or upright end portions
6a of a lower guide plate 6.
Keep plate 4 is secured to protuberances 1a formed inside the cover
1 in the vicinity of the lateral end portions by screws 1b, and has
two side wall portions 4a extending downward which are slidably in
contact at their inner faces with the respective outer faces of
transversely opposing upright portions 6b formed by cutting
appropriate lateral end portions of the lower guide plate 6, with
one of the side wall portions 4a having an outwardly extending
curved portion 4b the margin of which abuts upon the stepping
portion 2 of the cover 1.
The stepping portion 2 and the curved portion 4b carry therebetween
a stabilizer rod 5 having Z-shaped or crankshaft-like end portions
the respective bent ends 5a of which are pivotably received in
respective notches 7 formed in the upright end portions 6a of the
guide plate 6.
The location of the notch 7 is preferably selected so that it
supports pivotably the end 5a of the stabilizer rod 5 at the center
of the operation range of compression and expansion of a spring 8
which is disposed to space away the cover 1 from the guide plate 6
at their center portion.
That is, upon depressing the upper cover 1, the stabilizer rod 5
moves from the position A shown in FIG. 3 to the position B while
pivoting about its ends 5a, so that by positioning the ends 5a at
the operation center of the spring the stroke of the stabilizer rod
5 becomes minimum, the side shift of the end 5a within the notch 7
is restricted to a minimum, and the rocking of the cover 1 in the
widthwise direction is obviated, whereby smooth depression
operation is provided.
In FIG. 2, there are shown in side view and partially in
cross-section, a base board 9 for fixedly supporting the guide
plate 6 by screws 9a, and a switch 10 mounted on the underside of
the base board 9 coaxial with the spring 8.
According to the invention, even when one of the lateral end
portions of the upper cover 1 is depressed, the other free end is
also simultaneously moved down by means of the stabilizer rod 5 and
the center spring 8 is effectively compressed while maintained in
the horizontal state, so that the guide plate 6 abuts uniformly
upon the center switch 10 without any increase of depression stroke
of the cover to actuate the switch reliably.
Further, when the upper cover 1 is moving down, both plate-like
projections or protuberances 3 of the cover 1 slide upon the
upright end portions 6a of the guide plate 6 and both side walls 4a
of the fixed plate 4 slide upon the opposing upright portions 6b of
the guide plate 6, so that the front and rear, right and left
rocking of the cover 1 is effectively prevented thereby allowing
smooth depression movement thereof.
In the prior art space keys, upon depressing one end of the upper
cover the other free end rises up through a leverage action with
the center spring acting as a pivot and the spring is compressed
one-sidedly, so that an increased depression stroke of the cover is
required to actuate the switch; this results in front and rear,
right and left rocking of the cover causing the switching operation
difficult. In contrast to the foregoing prior art, the instant
invention obviates the drawback of the prior space key, provides
smooth movement of the key, and thereby actuates quickly and
accurately the switch, whereby very effective and practical space
keys are provided.
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