Patent Publication Number: US-6657146-B1

Title: Button ball and alignment rib

Description:
Benefit is claimed from U.S. provisional patent application 60/192,718 filed Mar. 28, 2000. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to pushbutton selector switches. More specifically, the present invention relates to a ball and alignment rib with a retainer for mounting floating button clusters. 
     2. Description of the Background Art 
     Assemblies wherein button clusters are mounted to bezels have seen increasing utility and are often found in devices such as computer interfaces, joysticks, automotive mirror controls and the like. One application for bezel mounted buttons is in telecommunication devices such as televisions and associated peripherals (i.e., control boxes, remotes, video players and the like). These bezel mounted button clusters allow a user to select responses to menu prompts in a quick and efficient manner using a minimal user interface. 
     However, bezel mounted floating button clusters require careful and meticulous design in order to enable the actuator of the bezel mounted floating button cluster to close an appropriate contact or switch. Often, the motion enabling device, or hinge, allows some translational motion of the actuator that may allow the actuator to miss the switch, or become “hung-up”, i.e., stuck, upon the switch or other surrounding structure. Additionally, some bezel mounted floating button clusters have a “mushy” or indistinct feel that causes the user to hesitate during selection and rely on a display to confirm that the desired selection was made. 
     Therefore, there is a need in the art for a bezel mounted floating button cluster that can be easily aligned with its bezel providing good positional accuracy in relation to the bezel and the button. Furthermore, such bezel mounted floating button clusters should have an ease of assembly, and allow the builders or assemblers to assemble the button cluster to the bezel without fear that the button cluster will come away from the bezel or become misaligned with the bezel during assembly. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The disadvantages associated with the prior art are overcome by the present invention of a ball and alignment rib for mounting bezel mounted floating button clusters. Specifically, the alignment rib for the bezel mounted floating button cluster of the present invention comprises a carrier rib, upon which is disposed a tapered rib, upon which is mounted a semi-spherical ball reinforced by an enlarged post. The alignment rib mates to an aperture in the bezel mounted floating button cluster, the aperture is formed such that the semi-spherical ball passes through the formed aperture causing a retention rib to flex slightly into a vertical slot which is disposed directly next to the tapered slot of the bezel mounted floating button cluster. After the tapered hole has received this semi-spherical ball, the retention rib elastically forms to its previous position, and forms around the bezel mounted carrier rib, thus aligning and securing the bezel mounted floating button cluster. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The teachings of the present invention can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 depicts a detailed view of an embodiment of a carrier rib assembly formed to the inside of a bezel of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 depicts a detailed view of an embodiment of a bezel mounted floating button cluster of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 3 depicts the assembly of FIG. 2 as the two parts are being mated. 
     To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Specifically, FIG. 1 depicts the ball and alignment rib  100  having a semi-spherical ball  102  connected to a tapered rib  104 , which is disposed on a carrier rib  106  and reinforced by an enlarged post  108 . 
     The entire unit is preferably fabricated from a moldable plastic (e.g., polycarbonate), and the unit is also preferably molded into the bezel. The semi-spherical ball  102  is formed such that a flat is formed on one side which would form a hemisphere along a longitudinal polar axis if the ball  102  had been formed spherically. The semi-spherical ball  102  acts as a retaining tab when mated with the floating button cluster  200  as seen in FIG.  2 . The semi-spherical ball  102  is formed upon a tapered rib  104 . The tapered rib  104  is comprised of a formed unit having a length, width and a respective height. The tapered rib  104  is formed so that the widest portion is the base which is formed on top of the carrier rib  106 . The tapered rib  104  projects from the carrier rib  106  and tapers in width as the height increases. 
     The carrier rib  106  is formed as part of the inside surface of the bezel  110 . The carrier rib  106 , like the taper rib  104 , has a respective length, width and height and projects outward from the bezel  110 . Both the taper rib  104  and the semi-spherical ball  102  are formed on top of the carrier rib  106 . 
     An enlarged post  108  is formed as a projected feature on the carrier rib  106  and tapered rib  104  terminating in the semi-spherical ball  102  and acting as a reinforcement to the semi-spherical ball  102 . The enlarged post  108  is formed in the bezel  110  like the carrier rib  106  and projects upward in the vertical plane through both the carrier rib  106  and the tapered rib  104  to reach the semi-spherical ball  102 . 
     In one embodiment, a set of specially-formed mating apertures is located in the floating button cluster  200 ; as can be seen in FIG.  2 . The floating button cluster  200  has a set of buttons (not shown) which project through and are actuated through corresponding apertures (not shown) in the bezel  110 . 
     A tapered aperture  202  is formed in the floating button cluster  200 . The dimensions of the tapered aperture  202  correspond to the dimensions of the tapered rib  104 . The tapered aperture  202  is formed to allow the mating of tapered rib  104  without interference. 
     A retention rib  204  is formed in the floating button cluster  200  next to and parallel to the tapered aperture  202 . The retaining rib  204  is formed of a material and of dimensions such that it will not succumb to plastic deformation due to flexing or minor deflection and shall form back to its original shape after being stressed. 
     A vertical slot  206  is formed in the floating button cluster  200  parallel and next to the retention rib  204 . This aperture  206  allows retention rib  204  to be non-plastically deformed when a force is applied to retention rib  204 . 
     A force applied to retention rib  204  through the tapered aperture  202  is spread along the length of retention rib  204  along the inside of the vertical slot aperture  206 . Spreading the stress to retention rib  204  prevents a stress fracture and allows the natural resiliency of the material of restraining rib  204  to elastically flex back to its original position after the force has been released. 
     Another feature of the floating button cluster  200  is the spherical seat  208  which is formed in the retention rib  204 . The seat  208  is formed as a depression in the material of retention rib  204 . The spherical seat  208  provides for better retention of the semi-spherical ball  102  after the bezel  110  and the floating button cluster  200  are mated. 
     Another feature of the floating button cluster  200  is the semi-spherical tapered aperture  210 . The semi-spherical tapered aperture  210  is formed through the entire plane of the material of the floating button cluster  200 . The widest portion of the aperture is formed on the side of the floating button cluster  200  that first comes in contact with the semi-spherical ball  102 . The perimeter of the aperture of the semi-spherical taper aperture  210  shrinks as the aperture progresses through the plane of material of the floating button cluster  200 . The semi-spherical tapered aperture  210  is formed in the tapered aperture  202  at a point to correspond with that of the semi-spherical ball  102  as mounted on the tapered rib  104 . The semi-spherical tapered aperture  210  allows the semi-spherical ball  102  to pass through, however, the dimensions of the semi-spherical tapered aperture are slightly smaller than that of the semi-spherical ball  102 . 
     When assembled, as can be seen in FIG. 3, the semi-spherical ball  102  intersects the semi-spherical tapered aperture  210  and forces the retention rib  204  back into the vertical slot aperture  206 . As the semi-spherical ball  102  passes through the semi-spherical tapered aperture  210 , the tapered aperture  202  helps to align the tapered rib  104  correctly with the bezel  110 . Once the semi-spherical ball  102  has passed completely through the semi-spherical tapered aperture  210 , retention rib  204  springs back to its original position mating tapered aperture  202  with tapered rib  104 . Carrier rib  106  rests against the outside of bezel  200  and prevents further penetration into tapered aperture  202  by tapered rib  104 . 
     As the embodiments that incorporate the teachings of the present invention have been shown and described in detail, those skilled in the art can readily devise many other varied embodiments that still incorporate these teachings without departing from the spirit of the invention.