Abstract:
A keyboard is provided with at least one keypad, a housing, and at least one USB port, wherein the USB port is located behind an opening in a top of the housing and the opening is at least partially closed by a dirt and/or dust protector.

Description:
[0001]    This nonprovisional application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/EP2007/003750, which was filed on Apr. 27, 2007, and which claims priority to German Patent Application No. DE 102006020701, which was filed in Germany on May 4, 2006, and which are both herein incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a keyboard with at least one keypad, with a housing, and with at least one USB port in the housing. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Background Art 
         [0005]    A keypad typically has a housing which has on its top an opening through which projects at least one keypad that can be operated by a user. Letters, numbers, or symbols, for example, can be selected by means of the keypad, or the keys of the keypad can be assigned control functions. In this context, the keyboard is directly or indirectly connected to an associated computer. The connection here can take place by means of a wire or wirelessly. It is known to equip the keyboard with connections for external devices or card readers along with the keypads on the top of the keyboard. 
         [0006]    A keyboard with an integrated card reader is known from DE 103 45 606 A1. The point-of-sale (POS) keyboard described therein has a housing with at least one keypad and an integrated card reader. The card reader here is protected from dust or dirt by brushes that are located on two sides above an opening in the housing and that rest lightly against one another. 
         [0007]    Moreover, there is known from DE 20 2005 008 474 U1 a keyboard that has on its top a port complying with the USB (universal serial bus) standard by means of which the keyboard can be connected to a variety of external devices. The purpose of this keyboard is to provide a keyboard with which the transmission and reception of speech is simplified. 
         [0008]    In addition to a USB interface, a wide variety of connections for external devices, such as microphones or headphones, for example, are provided in the keyboard. 
         [0009]    The use of USB interfaces in keyboards is generally known, and moreover is described in DE 199 46 704 A1, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,385, and DE 201 04 939 U1. The integration of USB interfaces in the sides of the housing of the keyboard is described. 
         [0010]    Since the keyboards described are also used in extremely dirty environments and are thus subject to dirt accumulation, the object of the invention is to provide a keyboard, or a housing for a keyboard, that makes it possible to use such keyboards even in areas subject to severe dirt accumulation or the effects of dust. Possibilities here include, for example, workshops or other workplaces that are subject to severe contamination by dust. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a USB port in a housing of a keyboard that is located behind an opening in a top of the housing and in that the opening is at least partially closed by a dirt and/or dust protector. The inventive design of a keyboard now makes it possible to provide a conventional keyboard with a USB interface that is easily accessible to the user and also protected from dirt. A wide variety of options for sealing the USB port are possible according to the advantageous variant embodiments of the invention described in the dependent claims. For light-duty dust protection, it is possible in this regard to provide the opening in the housing behind which the USB port is located with brushes arranged on one or both sides of the housing, thus protecting the port. For heavy dirt accumulation or contamination by environmental influences, it is possible to seal the opening in the housing by, for example, a roller shade, sealing lips, or a flap. 
         [0012]    Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  illustrates a keyboard in a top view, according to an embodiment; and 
           [0015]      FIGS. 2   a - 2   d  illustrate a section A-A from  FIG. 1  in various embodiment variants. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]      FIG. 1  shows a top view of a keyboard  1 . The keyboard exhibits a conventional keyboard with a keypad  2  primarily for entry of letters, a cursor area  3 , a keypad  4  for entry of numbers, and various keypads  5 ,  7 , and  8  with keys for control functions. Also integrated into the keyboard  1  are illuminating means  9  that indicate various functions such as the operational readiness of the numeric field  4 , for example. A USB port is present on the top of the keyboard  1  above the keypads. Only one USB port  10  is shown; however, it is also possible according to the invention to arrange multiple USB ports  10  next to one another or distributed over the top or bottom of the keyboard. The swept shape of the line  11  can be purely esthetic in nature, but it is also advantageous to provide the keyboard  1  with a card reader in the area  12 . The card here would then be passed through the keyboard housing  13  by means of the swept line  11 . The passage of a magnetic card is also clearly visible in cross-section according to  FIGS. 2   a  through  2   d . In this regard, the swept areas are labeled  11  and  14  in  FIGS. 1 and 2   a.    
         [0017]    Located in the housing  13  of the keyboard  1  is an opening  15  behind which the USB port  10  is arranged. As is clearly evident from  FIG. 1 , the opening  15  is directly subject to dirt accumulation; since it is arranged on the top of the keyboard  1 , and since the keyboards are customarily placed nearly horizontal on a support, direct entry of dust and dirt is possible. This is prevented by the inventive use of a dust and dirt protector. 
         [0018]    An additional advantage resulting from the arrangement of a dust protector is that the plug to be plugged into the USB port, which can be a USB stick or a USB device or a USB cable  16 , for example, is cleaned of dust and dirt by brushes  17  arranged above the USB port  10 . Reference is made hereby that a combination of, e.g., a flap  18  located over the opening and a brush  17  is also possible according to the invention. 
         [0019]    Various variant embodiments, some of which can be used in combination, are reproduced by way of example in  FIGS. 2   a ,  2   b ,  2   c  and  2   d.    
         [0020]    In  FIG. 2   a , which shows a section along the line A-A from  FIG. 1 , it can be seen that the USB port  10  is arranged behind an opening  15  in the housing  13  of the keyboard  1 . Brushes  17  are fastened on both sides behind the opening  15  on the inside  19  of the housing. The fastening is accomplished by means of pressing, gluing or other fastening methods, wherein the brushes  17  can also be introduced into the housing  13  during the injection molding of the housing  13 . A USB stick  16  is shown here with a plug  20 . The plug  20  is inserted into the USB port  10 , and in the process must displace or push aside the bristles of the brush  17 . Also evident in  FIG. 2   a  is the guide  21  that is formed by the swept area  11 ,  14  of the housing  13  and through which can be guided, for example, a magnetic card (not shown), which can then be read by means of a magnetic card reader  12  in a rear area of the guide  21 . 
         [0021]    In  FIG. 2   b , sealing lips  22  are arranged behind the opening  15  in the housing  13 . These sealing lips can be made of silicone, for example. In  FIG. 2   c , the dust and dirt protector is composed of a flap  18  that is fastened to the housing  13  in a pivoting manner. The arrangement of a flap  18  in front of the opening  15  also has the advantage that information for the user can be placed on the flap  18 . In addition, the keyboard  1  can also be protected from severe mechanical stresses or massive dirt accumulation through the use of a flap  18 . In  FIG. 2   d , the dust and dirt protector is composed of a roller shade  23  located in front of the USB port  10 . Formed on the rollable area  23  of the roller shade  23  is an extension  24  by means of which the user can move the roller shade to expose the opening  15 . In this embodiment, the roller shade  23  is rolled up by means of a shaft  25  to which the roller shade  23  is fastened. To this end, the shaft  25  is rotatably held in the housing  13 . Furthermore, the dust and dirt protector can be lockable. 
         [0022]    The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.