Fluid isolation and dispersion system for tactile input devices
AssigneeNCR Corporation
InventorRandal A. Burke
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid isolation and dispersion system which includes one or more sealing devices to minimize the chance of fluid damage to electronic components. The system includes seals between keys of a keypad and aperture walls in a cover member through which the keys protrude, and a number of chambers around the keys for trapping fluid that has passed through any one of the seals. The chambers are defined by chamber walls linking the aperture walls, and a gasket below the chamber walls. The system may additionally include a channel formed between a periphery wall around the aperture walls and a flexible periphery wall around the gasket for diverting fluid that has passed by any one of the chamber walls, and a spout on one side of the gasket for discharging the fluid from the channel.
Claims4
A system for isolating a fluid from a keypad comprising:
- a flexible gasket member including raised portions, wherein the gasket member overlies a printed circuit board containing elastometric conductors and the raised portions contain keys that impact the elastometric conductors when struck by a user;
- a top cover over the flexible gasket member containing a plurality of apertures defined by aperture walls through which the raised portions protrude;
- wherein the raised portions form a seal between the keys and the aperture walls;
- and
- a plurality of linking walls which link predetermined aperture walls to form a plurality of chambers on top of the flexible gasket member;
- wherein predetermined linking walls and predetermined portions of predetermined aperture walls form a periphery wall around the aperture walls, wherein the flexible gasket member further comprises a flexible periphery wall around the periphery of the gasket member, and wherein the periphery wall and the flexible periphery wall are separated by a predetermined distance to form a channel.
A system for isolating a fluid from a keypad comprising:
- a flexible gasket member including raised portions, a flexible periphery wall around the periphery of the gasket member, and a spout portion coupled to the flexible wall;
- and
- a top cover over the flexible gasket member containing a plurality of apertures defined by aperture walls through which the raised portions protrude, a plurality of linking walls which link predetermined aperture walls, and a periphery wall made up of predetermined linking walls and predetermined portions of predetermined aperture walls;
- wherein the gasket member overlies a printed circuit board containing elastometric conductors and the raised portions contain keys that impact the elastometric conductors when struck by a user;
- wherein the raised portions form a seal between the keys and the aperture walls;
- wherein the linking walls form chambers on top of the flexible gasket member;
- and
- wherein the periphery wall and the flexible periphery wall are separated by a predetermined distance to form a channel coupled to the spout portion.
A system for isolating a fluid from a keypad comprising:
- seals between keys of the keypad and aperture walls defining apertures in a cover member through which the keys protrude;
- a number of chambers around the keys for trapping fluid that has passed by any one of the seals;
- wherein the chambers are defined by chamber walls linking the aperture walls, and a gasket below the chamber walls;
- a channel formed between a periphery wall around the aperture walls and a flexible periphery wall around the gasket for diverting fluid that has passed by any one of the chamber walls;
- and
- a spout on one side of the gasket and coupled to the flexible periphery wall of the channel which vents fluid that has seeped into the channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.