US 5,430,267 AGranted

Keyboard switch

AssigneeSMK Corporation

InventorsKumio Ozeki, Fumio Watanabe, Haruo Yoshida, Yosuke Sakai

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Abstract

In a keyboard switch that switches on and off by sliding a key stem, the key stem is slidably inserted in a key stem sleeve that is integral with the housing of the keyboard switch. The key stem comprises a sliding member integrally formed therewith and a keytop support whose shape is a wide flange formed integrally with and projecting outwardly from the outer periphery of the sliding member. An elastic hollow cylinder has one end hermetically joining the lower face of the keytop support and its other end hermetically joining the outer periphery of the key stem guide sleeve. With this structure, there can be no gap between the sliding member and the keytop support, so the interior of the keyboard switch is kept completely free from dust and moisture.

Claims3

Dependent claims

A keyboard switch comprising:

a key stem guide sleeve made integral with a housing of said keyboard switch;
a key stem slidably inserted in said key stem guide sleeve to perform a switching operation by a sliding motion of said key stem;
said key stem further comprising:
a sliding member slidably fitted in said key stem guide sleeve;
a keytop support made integral with and projecting outwardly from an outer periphery of said sliding member;
a stopper;
a hollow cylinder portion into which said stopper is inserted;
said stopper including means for locking said stopper in said hollow cylinder;
and
means for preventing said key stem from rotating about an axis of said hollow cylinder;
and
an elastic hollow cylinder having a first end hermetically joining an undersurface of said keytop support and having a second end hermetically joining an outer periphery of said key stem guide sleeve.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.