Patent ID: 8847890

Claim:
A keyboard comprising: a plurality of keycaps; a keyguide configured to guide keycap motion, the keyguide comprising: a plurality of combined leveling and planar-translation-effecting (CLPTE) mechanisms, each CLPTE mechanism of the plurality of CLPTE mechanisms associated with a keycap of the plurality of keycaps, each CLPTE mechanism configured to define a planar translation component of an associated path travelled by the associated keycap in response to press input applied to the associated keycap by a user, and each CLPTE mechanism further configured to keep the associated keycap substantially level as the associated keycap travels along the associated path; a plurality of ready/return mechanisms, each ready/return mechanism of the plurality of ready/return mechanisms corresponding with a keycap of the plurality of keycaps, each ready/return mechanism comprising a first component attached to the corresponding keycap and a second component attached to the keyguide proximate to the CLPTE mechanism associated with the corresponding keycap, wherein the first component and the second component of each ready/return mechanism utilize non-contact forces to maintain the corresponding keycap in an unpressed position when not pressed and to return the corresponding keycap to the unpressed position in response to a release of the press input; and a key-retraction system configured to retract the plurality of keycaps into a corresponding plurality of keyholes.