Patent ID: 7915547

Claim:
A key switch comprising: a key top; a plurality of conductive portions which are respectively positioned in dispersed directions from a center of the key top; and a plurality of contact patterns provided on a print substrate, which are respectively provided in conductive portion facing areas respectively facing the conductive portions, which key switch is capable of detecting conduction caused by a contact between any one of the contact patterns and a corresponding one of the conductive portions which faces said any one of the contact patterns, the contact patterns each having at least four separate lands in a corresponding one of the conductive portion facing areas, and the at least four lands including: a first sector-shaped land and a second sector-shaped land which are separated by a first gap provided on a first reference line which extends from a position facing the center of the key top in a direction of a center of the corresponding one of the conductive portion facing areas; a third sector-shaped land which is separated from the first sector-shaped land by a second gap provided at a position which is distant from the first reference line in one direction; and a fourth sector-shaped land which is separated from the second sector-shaped land by a third gap provided at a position which is distant from the first reference line in another direction, wherein the key switch detects a direction input by identifying which sector-shaped lands of said contact patterns are brought into contact with said conductive portions.