Electronic devices with tactile keyboards and related methods
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorsYew San Lim, Ming-Sheng Tsai, Chung Jen Ho, Chi Chou Cheng, Min Suet Lim, Hari Raghavan Jayaraj
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Abstract
Systems, apparatus, articles of manufacture, and methods are disclosed for electronic devices with tactile keyboards. An example electronic device includes a tactile keyboard having a plurality of rows of keys; a printed circuit board; a first row of switches on the printed circuit board, a first row of the plurality of rows of keys to interact with the first row of switches; and a second row of switches on a component adjacent to the printed circuit board, a second row of the plurality of rows of keys to interact with the second row of switches.
Claims20
An electronic device comprising:
- a tactile keyboard having a plurality of rows of keys;
- a printed circuit board;
- a first row of switches on the printed circuit board, a first row of the plurality of rows of keys to interact with the first row of switches;
- and
- a second row of switches on a component adjacent to the printed circuit board, a second row of the plurality of rows of keys to interact with the second row of switches.
A portable computer comprising:
- a display panel;
- and
- a base panel, the display panel rotatably coupled to the base panel, the base panel including:
- a tactile keyboard having a plurality of rows of keys;
- a printed circuit board having a first end near a perimeter of the base panel and a second end opposite the first end;
- and
- a row of physical switches at the second end of the printed circuit board, a top row of the plurality of rows of keys to interact with the row of physical switches.
A method of assembling an electronic device, the method including:
- assembling a plurality of rows of keys of a keyboard on a cover;
- assembling an additional row of keys on the cover between the plurality of rows of keys and an edge of the cover, the additional row of keys to form a top row of keys above the plurality of rows of keys;
- and
- coupling a printed circuit board to the cover between the edge of the cover and the plurality of rows of keys, wherein the additional row of keys are positioned between the printed circuit and the cover, and wherein the printed circuit includes physical switches aligned with the additional row of keys when the printed circuit board is coupled to the cover.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.