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US 7,531,764 B1Granted
Keyboard illumination system
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsJeffrey A. Lev, Jonathan R. Harris
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A keyboard illumination system comprises an electronic device having a keyboard with at least one keycap, the at least one keycap having disposed thereon at least two different legends, at least one of the two different legends visible in response to being illuminated with an ultraviolet (UV) light source, the electronic device configured to register input of the at least one legend while the UV light source is activated.
Claims19
A keyboard illumination system, comprising:
- an electronic device having a keyboard with at least one keycap, the at least one keycap having disposed thereon at least two different legends, at least one of the two different legends visible in response to being illuminated with an ultraviolet (UV) light source, the electronic device configured to register input of the at least one legend while the UV light source is activated, wherein the UV light source is removable from the electronic device and directionally adjustable by a user for directing energy toward the keyboard.
A method for manufacturing keyboard illumination system, comprising:
- providing an electronic device having a keyboard, the keyboard having at least one keycap with at least two different legends disposed thereon, at least one of the two different legends visible in response to being illuminated with an ultraviolet (UV) light source;
- and
- configuring the electronic device to register input of the at least one legend while the UV light source is activated, wherein the UV light source is removable from the electronic device and directionally adjustable by a user for directing energy toward the keyboard.
A keyboard, comprising:
- a plurality of keycaps, at least one of the plurality of keycaps comprising a first legend and a second legend where the second legend is different from the first legend, wherein the first legend is visible in white light, and wherein the second legend is invisible in white light and visible in ultraviolet (UV) light;
- and
- a lightpipe base plate formed of optically transmissive material to facilitate light transmission therethrough, the lightpipe base plate receives the UV light from plural light sources and directs the UV light upwardly toward an underside of the plurality of keycaps to illuminate light-transmissive portions corresponding to second legends on the plurality of keycaps.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.