One-way visibility keycaps
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorShravan Bharadwaj
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Keyboards and other electronic input devices have a key or keys with glyphs that are invisible to an unaided human eye in a first condition, such as when an underlying display attached to the key is not emitting light. The glyphs are visible through the key or keys when the display emits light. A one-way visibility layer or structure obscures the visibility of the display when viewed from above, but when the display emits light, the light penetrates through the one-way visibility layer, such as by passing through an array of microperforations in the key, and is visible to an onlooker.
Claims20
A key mechanism, comprising:
- a keycap comprising a top surface, a bottom surface, an array of perforations through the top surface and the bottom surface, and a sidewall defining a protrusion;
- an array of lights attached to the bottom surface of the keycap and comprising lights arranged in a two-dimensional grid pattern, wherein:
- each single light of the array of lights is configured to illuminate a single respective perforation of the array of perforations;
- and
- the array of lights is positioned on a display supported by the protrusion;
- a base plate positioned below the keycap and the array of lights;
- and
- a switch to detect movement of the keycap relative to the base plate.
A keyboard assembly, comprising:
- a housing;
- a substrate positioned in the housing;
- a set of key mechanisms positioned in the housing over the substrate, each key mechanism of the set of key mechanisms comprising:
- a keycap having a top surface and a bottom surface with a plurality of microperforations extending from the bottom surface to the top surface;
- a light source attached to the bottom surface and movable with the keycap, wherein a plurality of lights from the light source is positioned relative to the plurality of microperforations such that each microperforation of the plurality of microperforations is isolated from receiving light from an adjacent light of the plurality of lights;
- a switch to detect movement of the keycap relative to the housing;
- and
- a controller in electrical communication with the light source of each key mechanism via the substrate;
- wherein with the controller in a first configuration, each top surface of each keycap of each key mechanism has a uniform appearance;
- and
- wherein with the controller in a second configuration, each light source of each key mechanism generates a glyph, the glyphs being visible through the top surfaces of the keycaps.
An electronic input device, comprising:
- a housing;
- a transparent keycap body having a bottom surface, a sidewall extending below the bottom surface, and a shelf protruding inward relative to the sidewall;
- a light display attached to the transparent keycap body and positioned below the bottom surface of the transparent keycap body and positioned on the shelf;
- a one-way visibility layer positioned above the light display;
- a collapsible dome switch positioned between the housing and the light display;
- and
- a power source connected to the light display;
- wherein the light display is configured to emit light in response to power being provided to the light display by the power source and the light is visible through the one-way visibility layer and through the transparent keycap body;
- and
- wherein with the light display not emitting light, the light display is visually obscured by the one-way visibility layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.