Atari Corporation

Hugh M Lee

Kevin P McKinsey

Jeffrey O Nelson

A deformable switch keyboard assembly with a flexible unitary top member, a compressible intermediate switch assembly layer and a bottom member providing mechanical support for the intermediate assembly and mechanical isolation for the switching function. The top member has a plurality of switch site defining regions extending in a first direction and located in a predetermined array to define the keyboard. The intermediate switch assembly has a plurality of switch sites each underlying a different one of the top member projections. The bottom member has first and second sets of projections extending toward the top member, each of the first set of projections underlying a different one of the switch sites and providing a compression contact beneath the intermediate switch assembly when the corresponding top member region is actuated to advance in the first direction. Each of the second set of projections is located intermediate different adjacent ones of the switch sites and is longer than any of the first set of projections in order to provide mechanical isolation between an actuated switch site and the remainder of the switch sites.

Deformable switch keyboard

A releaseable hinge mechanism for use with a cover member, a bottom housing member having a deflectable support wall and a top housing member having a facing margin adjacent the support wall. A hinge is connected to the cover member and includes a central elongate portion terminating in a flatted distal end with a pair of flanking pivot pin portions received in a pair of cradle members located on the support wall. A compound bracket located on the facing margin has a spaced pair of relatively inflexible brace portions in facing relation with the flatted distal end and normally engaged in surface contact with the flatted end when the cover member is opened. The compound bracket includes a deflectable finger located between the pair of brace portions and arranged for surface contact with a pressure finger located on the top edge of the flatted distal end when the cover member is moved between a closed position and the opened position. The bracket further includes a spaced pair of retaining fingers extending over the distal end of the hinge to restrict upward movement of the pivot pin portions away from the cradle members until the cover member is forceably moved to an overtravel position in which the support wall is progressively deflected away from the facing margin by contact between the lower edge of the flatted surface and the brace portions until the distal end of the hinge is released from the retaining fingers.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Hugh M Lee