Key structure
AssigneeYamaha Corporation
InventorsShigeru Muramatsu, Toshiro Sakai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A key structure includes a top plate which is formed by laminating a half-transparent resin surface layer member on a resin bottom side member using two-color injection molding, and the top plate is secured on a wooden key base. A plurality of concave grooves and protrusions, and a plurality of protrusion and troughs are respectively formed together in straight lines in the long direction of the key structure on a rear face of the surface layer member and a top face of the rear side member. Outside light is reflected from the top ends of the protrusion and the troughs, whereby a faint and natural vertically-striped pattern, which corresponds to a concave-convex part formed by the concave grooves and the protrusions, is perceived as resembling an edge grain of ivory.
Claims9
A key structure for a keyboard apparatus comprising:
- a key base which is key-shaped in plan view;
- a resin top plate which has a surface for fingering of the resin top plate and is secured on a top face of the key base;
- and
- a striped patterning layer formed in a section of the resin top plate between the surface for fingering and the top face of the key base in which portions having different reflectance properties with respect to light incident on the surface for fingering are alternately arranged;
- at least a section of the resin top plate above the striped patterning layer being half-transparent, such that the striped patterning layer can be perceived as a pattern from the surface for fingering side.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.