Patent ID: 7952038

Claim:
A two-stage switch apparatus comprising: a printed circuit board (PCB) including first and second electrodes for contacts that are formed separately from each other on a surface thereof; a conductive dome disposed on the PCB, in a state where the conductive dome is electrically connected to the first electrode and unconnected to the second electrode; an insulating film covering a surface of the conductive dome on a side opposite to the PCB, and including third and fourth electrodes for contacts that are formed separately from each other on a portion of an outer surface thereof above the conductive dome; and a button actuator provided over the insulating film on a side opposite to the PCB and capable of being pressed in a direction toward the insulating film, wherein the button actuator includes a conductive elastic body protruding toward the insulating film and at positions corresponding to both the third and fourth electrodes, the conductive elastic body, the third electrode and the fourth electrode form an analog portion such that an area where the conductive elastic body contacts both the third and fourth electrodes increases according to a pressing distance of the button actuator, and that electrical resistance between the third electrode and the fourth electrode decreases with the increase in the area, and the conductive dome and the second electrode form a digital portion such that the conductive dome is electrically connected to the second electrode, when the button actuator is pressed and the conductive dome is indented.