Patent Publication Number: US-2021193409-A1

Title: Press-key with multiple-trigger mechanism

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a press-key and more particularly to a press-key that has a multiple-trigger mechanism. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A present-day computer as well as a traditional typewriter requires a keyboard with which to input instructions. With the advancement of technology and as user needs vary, keyboards have been provided with various additional functions and different configurations. 
     Generally, a keyboard regardless of its configuration includes a plurality of press-keys, and each press-key can be pressed down to drive an internal elastic member and thereby trigger a sensitive switch so that a press on the key generates an electrical signal. 
     Furthermore, keyboards have been used in conjunction with a great diversity of application software. Game software, for example, requires press-keys to be able to be operated rapidly and respond in real time. The simple press-key structure described above, however, often fails to satisfy the foregoing requirements of game software, thus restricting the applicability of keyboards with such press-keys. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a press-key whose operability and trigger response can be flexibly adjusted according to user needs so as to be able to be operated rapidly and respond in real time. 
     To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a press-key that has a multiple-trigger mechanism. The press-key includes a base, an alphanumeric key assembly, and at least two elastic members. The base is provided with a switch. The alphanumeric key assembly is provided above the base and includes a coupling assembly provided on the base. The at least two elastic members are provided on the base at positions under the alphanumeric key assembly, and one of the at least two elastic members has a different height from the remainder of the at least two elastic members. When the alphanumeric key assembly is moved toward the base, the at least two elastic members are separately driven by the alphanumeric key assembly to press and thereby activate the switch such that different electrical signals are generated. The operability and trigger response of the press-key can be flexibly adjusted according to user needs in order to enable the press-key to be operated rapidly and respond in real time. 
     Preferably, the coupling assembly is a scissor-leg assembly. 
     Preferably, the alphanumeric key assembly includes a keycap, and one of the at least two elastic members is provided at a position under the keycap. 
     Preferably, one of the at least two elastic members is provided at a position under the coupling assembly. 
     The detailed structure or features provided by the present invention will be described in the detailed description of the subsequent implementation. As a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand, the detailed description and the specific embodiment provided herein serve only to expound the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the patent protection sought by the applicant. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an assembled front view of the preferred embodiment in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an assembled sectional view of the preferred embodiment in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The technical contents and features of the present invention are detailed below with reference to a preferred embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The invention can be applied to keyboards of various types and in different application fields. As a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand, the terminology used in this section of the specification includes superordinate terms, whose application fields are subject to no limitations. For example, a term that is used to specify a material or shape refers to but is not limited to the material or shape specified. The same applies to such positional terms as “provided”, “near”, “connected to”, and “adjacent to”. The indefinite article “a” may connote plurality as well as singularity in terms of the quantity of a component. Directional terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “inner”, “outer”, “top”, and “bottom” make reference to directions in normal use and serve illustrative purposes only; they are not intended to be restrictive of the scope of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a press-key with a multiple-trigger mechanism according to the present invention includes a base  10 . In this preferred embodiment, the base  10  is a plate by way of example, with a membrane switch  12  provided on the surface of the base  10 . An alphanumeric key assembly  20  is provided above the base  10 . The alphanumeric key assembly  20  includes a keycap  22  and a coupling assembly  24 . The coupling assembly  24  is provided between the base  10  and the keycap  22 . In this preferred embodiment, the coupling assembly  24  is a scissor-leg assembly by way of example. 
     The press-key further includes at least two elastic members. In this preferred embodiment and by way of example, the at least two elastic members include two protruding elastic members that are made of silicone, namely a first elastic member  30  and a second elastic member  32 . The first elastic member  30  and the second elastic member  32  are different in height and are both provided on the base  10  at positions under the alphanumeric key assembly  20 . More specifically, the first elastic member  30  corresponds in position to the center of the keycap  22  and of the coupling assembly  24 , and the second elastic member  32  is adjacent to the first elastic member  30  and under the coupling assembly  24 . 
     The foregoing components are so designed that when the keycap  22  is pressed and thereby moved toward the base  10 , the coupling assembly  24  is simultaneously driven downward by the keycap  22 . The coupling assembly  24  is pressed on the second elastic member  32  to begin with, and the second elastic member  32  in turn is pressed on and thereby activates the membrane switch  12 . The keycap  22  is subsequently pressed on the first elastic member  30  such that the first elastic member  30  is pressed on and thereby activates the membrane switch  12 . As the alphanumeric key assembly  20  drives the second elastic member  32  and the first elastic member  30  to press and thereby activate the membrane switch  12  sequentially, the membrane switch  12  generates different electrical signals that have a time difference therebetween. A control circuit can identify such time differences and have different functions triggered accordingly. Thus, the present invention has the technical feature of enabling multiple triggering actions to be carried out through a single alphanumeric key assembly, and has therefore achieved the technical objective of providing a press-key whose operability and trigger response can be flexibly adjusted according to user needs so as to be able to be operated rapidly and respond in real time. 
     It is worth mentioning that the at least two elastic members can be adjusted to adapt to different applications. For example, all the elastic members may be pressed by the keycap in order to generate electrical signals having a time difference therebetween, or one of the elastic members is pressed by the keycap while the remainder of the elastic members is pressed by the coupling assembly. In either case, the objective of the present invention can be achieved.