Light guide for a keyboard
AssigneeLogitech Europe S.A.
InventorsFu-Kai Hsu, Yung-Lin Chen, Feng-Hao Lin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Aspects of the invention relate to a keyboard key structure, a light guide for the keyboard key structure, and a computer key mechanism. The keyboard key structure can include a substrate; a key switch where the bottom of the key switch is configured to be coupled to the substrate; a keycap including a transparent region; a light guide coupled to the side of the key switch, the light guide comprising: a bottom surface and a top surface that is wider than and parallel to the bottom surface; a light emitting element coupled to the substrate and configured under the bottom surface of the light guide such that the light emitting element, the light guide, and the transparent region of the key cap are in a collinear arrangement.
Claims20
A keyboard key structure comprising:
- a substrate;
- a key switch having a top, a bottom, and a side, wherein the bottom of the key switch is configured to be coupled to the substrate;
- a keycap including a transparent region, the key cap configured to be coupled to the top of the key switch;
- and
- a light guide coupled to the side of the key switch, the light guide comprising:
- a bottom surface;
- and
- a top surface that is wider than and parallel to the bottom surface,
- wherein the light guide is a prism, has a trapezoidal shape, and a uniform thickness;
- a light emitting element coupled to the substrate and configured under the bottom surface of the light guide such that the light emitting element, the light guide, and the transparent region of the key cap are in a collinear arrangement,
- wherein the light emitting element is operable to emit light into the bottom surface of the light guide, and
- wherein the light guide directs the light entering the bottom surface through a body of the light guide, out of the top surface of the light guide, and through the transparent region of the key cap.
A light guide for a keyboard key structure, the light guide comprising:
- a rectangular bottom surface;
- a rectangular top surface that is parallel to the bottom surface;
- planar sides that couple the top surface to the bottom surface,
- wherein at least two of the planar sides have a trapezoidal shape,
- wherein light guide is a prism and has a uniform thickness, and
- wherein the top surface is at least two times as wide and parallel to the bottom surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.