Patent ID: 8531407

Claim:
An input apparatus comprising: a display plate having a plurality of display sections that comprises: a plurality of shapes and a plurality of touch positions identified by symbols; an electrostatic touch panel provided at a lower face of the display plate; an operation body on which the display plate and the electrostatic touch panel are placed, the operation body being up-and-down moveable together with at least the plurality of touch positions, wherein a switch is operationally connected to the operation body and provides ON or OFF in accordance with an up-and-down movement of the operation body, and wherein the plurality of touch positions move up together and move down to ether in the up-and-down movement with the operation body; a plurality of light-emitting elements for illuminating at least some of the plurality of display sections of the display plate from a lower side of the display plate through the electrostatic touch panel; and a control section that is electrically connected to the electrostatic touch panel and the plurality of light-emitting elements, and that controls illumination of an individual shape of the plurality of shapes, in response to a touch in a vicinity of a touch position of the plurality of touch positions on the display plate, wherein the touch position is in the vicinity of the individual shape, and that does not cause, in response to said touch, illumination of an another shape of the plurality of shapes, wherein the individual shape is illuminated by a light emitting element of the plurality of light-emitting elements in response to said touch, and then that detects the ON or OFF of the switch in response to an up-and-down movement of the operation body together with all of the plurality of touch positions, wherein all of the plurality of touch positions are illuminated in response to said touch such that the individual shape and all of the plurality of touch positions are illuminated in response to the same touch.