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US 11,830,684 B2Granted
Magnetically preloaded push button
AssigneeMicrosoft Technology Licensing, LLC
InventorMichael Cameron Gordon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Push buttons utilizing dome switches are often preloaded to take up any tolerances in the push button design causing a gap and provide consistent tactile feedback to a user. However, conventional push button preload techniques can be costly and difficult to consistently reproduce during push button manufacturing. A new pre-load design does not require pre-depression of the dome switch to close the gap, which permits a more forgiving tolerance to manufacturing variations.
Claims20
A computing device comprising:
- a device chassis including a button aperture;
- a push button including:
- a button cap including:
- a user interface surface on a top side of the button cap;
- a button post extending from a bottom side of the button cap, the button post extending through the button aperture;
- a retainer post also extending from the bottom side of the button cap, the retainer post extending through the button aperture;
- and
- a ferromagnetic key retainer attached to a distal end of the retainer post that limits travel of the button cap out of the device chassis;
- a dome switch mounted within the device chassis;
- and
- a preload magnet that biases the button post against the dome switch by magnetic force with the ferromagnetic key retainer.
8 more elements
A computing device comprising:
- a device chassis including a button aperture;
- a push button including:
- a ferromagnetic button cap extending through the button aperture including:
- a user interface surface on a top side of the button cap;
- a button post extending from a bottom side of the button cap;
- and
- a dome switch mounted to the device chassis;
- and
- a preload magnet that biases the button post against the dome switch by magnetic force with the ferromagnetic button cap.
6 more elements
A method of actuating a magnetically preloaded push button comprising:
- preloading a button post against a dome switch using a magnetic force applied by a preload magnet on a ferromagnetic button cap of the push button;
- receiving an actuation force on a user interface surface on a top side of the ferromagnetic button cap;
- transmitting the actuation force through the button post extending from a bottom side of the ferromagnetic button cap, the button post extending through a button aperture in a device chassis and contacting the dome switch;
- and
- depressing the dome switch using the actuation force applied to the dome switch using the button post.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.