Patent ID: 8616032

Claim:
Combined mechanical and electronic key that is intended for a motor vehicle, comprising: a housing with an edge area having a supporting link, the supporting link configured with a plurality of grooves of the housing that are depressed in the supporting link to form sliding surfaces raised above the groves therebetween, electronics disposed in the housing, a key portion, which has a bearing surface that is mounted in a rotatable manner about an axis along the link, and an activating element, which is accommodated in the bearing surface and has at least two radially projecting wings and a radially projecting driver; wherein the activating element can be moved between a passive and an active position; wherein the key portion can be moved between an inoperative position and an operative position; wherein in the inoperative position and in the operative position of the key portion, in which the activating element occupies the passive position, each wing is in a respective groove of the housing; and wherein during movement between the inoperative position and the operative position, in which the activating element occupies the active position, the wings are detached from the grooves of the housing, and the driver engages with a contour of the bearing surface, wherein the grooves of the housing comprise at least a first pair of grooves and a second pair of grooves; and wherein in the inoperative position of the key portion the wings are snapped into place in the first pair of grooves of the housing; and in the operative position of the key portion the wings are snapped into place in the second pair of grooves of the housing; and the link is designed in such a way that the second pair of grooves of the housing is aligned relative to the interior of the housing, so that high forces coming from the key portion on the housing can be absorbed.