Patent Publication Number: US-2021191474-A1

Title: Keyboard structure and electronic device using the same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 108217055, filed on Dec. 20, 2019. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a keyboard structure, and in particular, to a movable keyboard structure applied to an electronic device. 
     Related Art 
     Conventional folding notebook computers are mostly equipped with a display screen on one side, and are equipped with operating devices such as a keyboard and a touch pad on the other side. Due to prevalence and convenience of touchscreens, notebook computers with two touchscreens gradually appear. A virtual keyboard is displayed on a touchscreen to replace an ordinary conventional keyboard. 
     However, some users are still more accustomed to using a physical keyboard for typing. Therefore, an existing solution is to additionally dispose a removable or slidable physical keyboard on the display screen to resolve problems such as a poor operation feeling about the virtual keyboard or usage habits. 
     However, when the slidable keyboard is disposed on the display screen to slide, external dust or foreign matter falls onto a place between the physical keyboard and the display screen. In this case, if the physical keyboard slides on the display screen for multiple times, surface glass of the display screen will be scratched. Even if a buffer material is added between the physical keyboard and the display screen to reduce wear, a surface of the display screen will still be scratched due to the dust or foreign matter. 
     SUMMARY 
     In view of this, the present disclosure provides a keyboard structure applied to an electronic device in an embodiment. The keyboard structure is slidably disposed on a display screen in a direction, and includes a keyboard module, a wiping cloth, and a scraper. The keyboard module includes a long side edge perpendicular to the direction. The wiping cloth is disposed on a lower surface of the keyboard module and is in contact with the display screen. The scraper is disposed at the long side edge of the keyboard module and is in contact with the display screen. 
     With the above structure, the keyboard structure of the present disclosure can be directly disposed above the display screen of the electronic device for use. By the disposition of the scraper, when the keyboard structure moves in a direction above the display screen, the scraper can block or scrape foreign matter, to prevent the foreign matter from entering a place between the keyboard module and the display screen to scratch a surface of the display screen during the moving. The wiping cloth disposed between the keyboard module and the display screen is directly attached to or in contact with the display screen. The contact with a relatively soft surface of the wiping cloth can not only reduce friction, but also provide a certain cleaning effect. 
     The present disclosure provides an electronic device in another embodiment, including a first display screen, a second display screen, and a keyboard structure. The second display screen is pivotally connected to the first display screen. The keyboard structure is slidably disposed on the first display screen in a direction. The keyboard structure includes a keyboard module, a wiping cloth, and a scraper. The keyboard module includes a long side edge perpendicular to the direction. The wiping cloth is disposed on a lower surface of the keyboard module and is in contact with the first display screen. The scraper is disposed at the long side edge of the keyboard module and is in contact with the first display screen. 
     As described above, the problem that the display screen is scratched by dust or foreign matter when the keyboard structure moves on the display screen can be avoided by using the scraper and the wiping cloth. In addition, dirt on the display screen can also be removed by the way. Moreover, for an electronic device with two display screens, the keyboard structure may alternatively be disposed on any display screen according to needs, to facilitate flexible application of a user. 
     To sum up, according to the keyboard structure and the electronic device using the same provided in the present disclosure, by disposition of the scraper, when the keyboard structure reciprocates on the display screen in a direction, the scraper on any side on the keyboard structure can block or scrape foreign matter on the surface of the display screen, to prevent the foreign matter from entering a place between the keyboard module and the display screen to scratch a surface of the display screen during the moving. The wiping cloth disposed between the keyboard module and the display screen is directly attached to or in contact with the display screen. The contact with the relatively soft surface of the wiping cloth can not only reduce friction, but also provide a certain cleaning effect. 
     The following elaborates detailed features and advantages of the present disclosure in implementations. The content is sufficient for any person familiar with related arts to understand and implement the technical content of the present disclosure. According to the content disclosed in this specification, the scope of patent application and the drawings, any person familiar with related arts can easily understand purposes and advantages of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic outside view of a keyboard structure of an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic exploded view of a keyboard structure according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic cross-sectional view of a keyboard structure according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic exploded view of a keyboard structure according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic cross-sectional view of a keyboard structure according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 1  is a schematic outside view of a keyboard structure of an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 2  is a schematic exploded view of a keyboard structure according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in  FIG. 1 , an electronic device  200  of this embodiment includes a first display screen  60 , a second display screen  70 , and a keyboard structure  100 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the keyboard structure  100  of this embodiment includes a keyboard module  10 , a wiping cloth  20 , and at least one scraper  30 . In some other embodiments, the electronic device  200  may only include the first display screen  60  and the keyboard structure  100 , and the keyboard structure  100  is slidably disposed on the first display screen  60 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , in this embodiment, the second display screen  70  is pivotally connected to the first display screen  60 . The keyboard structure  100  is slidably disposed above the first display screen  60  in a direction A. The keyboard module  10  includes a long side edge  11  perpendicular to the direction A and a short side edge  12  parallel to the direction A. In this embodiment, the first display screen  60  and the second display screen  70  are rectangles. The keyboard structure  100  is also a rectangle, and is disposed across a direction of a long side of the first display screen  60 . A sliding direction of the keyboard structure  100  is a direction parallel to a short edge of the first display screen  60  or the second display screen  70 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the direction A is a direction parallel to the short edge of the first display screen  60 . When disposed on the first display screen  60 , the keyboard structure  100  can slide back and forth along the direction shown by the direction A. 
     In some embodiments, two short side edges  12  of the first display screen  60  of the electronic device  200  each include a groove (not shown). A length of the groove approximates a length of the short side edge  12 . The groove is configured to enable the keyboard structure  100  to slide along the direction A more smoothly without sliding out of the first display screen  60 . Similarly, the second display screen  70  may also be provided with a same groove. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , in this embodiment, the keyboard module  10  of the electronic device  200  further includes first positioning pieces  13  that are respectively disposed on the two short side edges  12  of the keyboard module  10 . The first display screen  60  includes two second positioning pieces  61  and two third positioning pieces  62 . The second positioning pieces  61  and the third positioning pieces  62  are disposed corresponding to the short side edges  12 . As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , in this embodiment, the second positioning pieces  61  and the third positioning pieces  62  are respectively disposed at different positions on the short side edges  12 . In addition, the two second positioning pieces  61  and the two third positioning pieces  62  are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the first display screen  60  perpendicular to the direction A to enhance a positioning effect. In some embodiments, one second positioning piece  61  and one third positioning piece  62  may be disposed on one short edge of the first display screen  60 . There is no need to dispose one second positioning piece  61  and one third positioning piece  62  on each short edge on two sides. In this way, the keyboard module  10  can be controlled to be in different positions on the first display screen  60  through mutual attraction between the first positioning pieces  13  and the second positioning pieces  61 , or between the first positioning pieces  13  and the third positioning pieces  62 . 
     In this embodiment, the second display screen  70  may alternatively include two fourth positioning pieces  71  and two fifth positioning pieces  72 . The fourth positioning pieces  71  and the fifth positioning pieces  72  are disposed corresponding to short side edges of the second display screen  70 . As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , in this embodiment, the fourth positioning pieces  71  and the fifth positioning pieces  72  are respectively disposed at different positions on the short side edges of the second display screen  70 . In addition, the two fourth positioning pieces  71  and the two fifth positioning pieces  72  are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the second display screen  70  perpendicular to the direction A to enhance a positioning effect. In some embodiments, one fourth positioning piece  71  and one fifth positioning piece  72  may be disposed on one short edge of the second display screen  70 . There is no need to dispose one fourth positioning piece  71  and one fifth positioning piece  72  on each short edge on two sides. In this way, the keyboard module  10  can be controlled to be in different positions on the second display screen  70  through mutual attraction between the first positioning pieces  13  and the fourth positioning pieces  71  or the fifth positioning pieces  72 . 
     In this way, by disposition of the positioning pieces, the keyboard structure  100  can be disposed on the first display screen  60  or the second display screen  70  according to needs. In addition, the keyboard module  10  can slide on either side of the first display screen  60  or the second display screen  70 , to facilitate flexible application of a user. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , in this embodiment, the two first positioning pieces  13 , the two second positioning pieces  61 , the two third positioning pieces  62 , the two fourth positioning pieces  71 , and the two fifth positioning pieces  72  may all be magnet pieces. When the two first positioning pieces  13  of the keyboard module  10  are correctly aligned with the two second positioning pieces  61  and the two third positioning pieces  62  that are disposed on the first display screen  60  together, or with the two fourth positioning pieces  71  and the two fifth positioning pieces  72  that are disposed on the second display screen  70  together, the keyboard module  10  can be fixed in a specific position through attraction between the magnet pieces. The following embodiment takes an example in which the keyboard module  10  is disposed on the first display screen  60 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 3  is a schematic cross-sectional view of a keyboard structure according to the first embodiment. As shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , in this embodiment, the wiping cloth  20  is disposed on a lower surface of the keyboard module  10  and is in contact with the first display screen  60 . The at least one scraper  30  is disposed at the long side edge  11  of the keyboard module  10  and is in contact with the first display screen  60 . This embodiment takes an example in which two scrapers  30  are respectively disposed at the two long side edges  11  of the keyboard module  10 . By a configuration in which one scraper  30  is disposed at each of two sides, when the keyboard structure  100  reciprocates above the first display screen  60  in the direction A, the scrapers  30  on the two sides can block or scrape dust or foreign matter, to prevent the dust or foreign matter from entering a place between the keyboard module  10  and the first display screen  60  to scratch a surface of the first display screen  60  during the moving. The wiping cloth  20  disposed between the keyboard module  10  and the first display screen  60  is directly attached to or in contact with the first display screen  60 . The contact with a relatively soft surface of the wiping cloth  20  can not only reduce friction, but also provide a certain cleaning effect. In this embodiment, even if the dust or foreign matter enters a place between the keyboard module  10  and the first display screen  60 , the wiping cloth  20  can attract or grab the dust or foreign matter by static electricity, to prevent the surface of the first display screen  60  from being scratched during the moving. 
     In this embodiment, the scraper  30  is a soft scraper, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, a material of the scraper  30  can be silica gel or rubber. 
     In this embodiment, the wiping cloth  20  is flannel, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the wiping cloth  20  may be a cleaning sponge or a cotton wiper. 
     In this embodiment, the wiping cloth  20  is removably connected to the lower surface of the keyboard module  10 . The electronic device  200  further includes first joint pieces that cooperate with each other, in which the first joint pieces the keyboard module  10  and the wiping cloth  20  respectively to be correspondingly attached or detached. In this embodiment, the description is made by using an example in which hook-and-loop fasteners that cooperate with each other are disposed at the keyboard module  10  and the wiping cloth  20  respectively as the first joint pieces, so that the keyboard module  10  and the wiping cloth  20  are correspondingly attached or detached, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, first joint pieces hat cooperate with each other are disposed at the keyboard module  10  and the wiping cloth  20  respectively, in which the first joint pieces may be mutually matched magnets for corresponding bonding or disassembly, or buckle components, lock components, etc. can be buckled or unbuckled correspondingly, so as to fix the wiping cloth  20  on the lower surface of the keyboard module  10 . In this embodiment, the hook-and-loop fasteners are disposed on the two long side edges  11  of the keyboard module  10  and are correspondingly disposed on the wiping cloth  20 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, buckle components are disposed at four corners of the keyboard module  10  and are correspondingly disposed on the wiping cloth  20 . The wiping cloth  20  is removably connected to the lower surface of the keyboard module  10 . Therefore, a user may remove the wiping cloth  20  as required, to facilitate cleaning and replacement of the wiping cloth  20 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 ,  FIG. 4  is a schematic exploded view of a keyboard structure according to a second embodiment.  FIG. 5  is a schematic cross-sectional view of a keyboard structure according to the second embodiment. Components in this embodiment in common with those in the first embodiment will be marked with same component symbols, and are not repeated herein. As shown in  FIG. 4 , a difference from the first embodiment is that, in this embodiment, the keyboard structure  100  further includes a connecting piece  41 , and a wiping cloth  20  and a scraper  30  are disposed on a lower surface of a keyboard module  10  through the connecting piece  41 . The wiping cloth  20  and the scraper  30  can be fixed onto a lower surface of the connecting piece  41  through a method such as adhesion, and form an assembly removably assembled to the keyboard module  10  through the connecting piece  41 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , in this embodiment, the connecting piece  41  is removably connected to the lower surface of the keyboard module  10 . The electronic device  200  further includes second joint pieces that cooperate with each other, in which the second joint pieces are disposed at the keyboard module  10  and the connecting piece  41  respectively be correspondingly buckled or unbuckled. In this embodiment, buckles  42  that cooperate with each other are disposed at the keyboard module  10  and the connecting piece  41  respectively as the second joint pieces, so that the keyboard module  10  and the connecting piece  41  can be correspondingly buckled or unbuckled, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the second joint pieces that cooperate with each other may be respective locking components that cooperate with each other or may be hook-and-loop fasteners, magnets, or the like, so that the keyboard module  10  and the connecting piece  41  are correspondingly attached or detached, to fix the connecting piece  41  onto the lower surface of the keyboard module  10 . In this embodiment, the buckles  42  are disposed on the connecting piece  41 , corresponding to two long side edges  11  of the keyboard module  10 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the magnets are disposed on the two long side edges  11  of the keyboard module  10  and are correspondingly disposed on the connecting piece  41 . The connecting piece  41  is removably connected to the lower surface of the keyboard module  10 . Therefore, a user may remove the connecting piece  41  as required, to facilitate replacement of the wiping cloth  20  and cleaning of the scraper  30 . 
     To sum up, the present disclosure provides the keyboard structure  100  and the electronic device  200  using the same. By disposition of the scraper  30 , when the keyboard structure  100  reciprocates above the first display screen  60  in the direction A, the scraper  30  on any side on the keyboard structure  100  can block or scrape foreign matter on the surface of the first display screen  60 , to prevent the foreign matter from entering a place between the keyboard module  10  and the first display screen  60  to scratch the surface of the first display screen  60  during the moving. The wiping cloth  20  disposed between the keyboard module  10  and the first display screen  60  is directly attached to or in contact with the first display screen  60 . The contact with a relatively soft surface of the wiping cloth can not only reduce friction, but also provide a certain cleaning effect. 
     Although the present disclosure is disclosed above with the foregoing embodiments, the embodiments are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Anyone familiar with related arts may make some changes and improvements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the patent protection scope of the present disclosure shall be subject to the claims attached to this specification.