Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Kyoichi Kaneko

Masaaki Kageyama

Kazuyoshi Yamagata

A key top, of the type utilized in keyboards, is disclosed, which minimizes the lateral stress encountered by the central engaging protrusion with respect to the underlying switch. Two T-shaped reinforcing rib structures are provided on bottom surface of the top plate of the key top, with the rib structures spaced apart from the engaging protrusion, thereby providing a gap between the reinforcing ribs and the engaging protrusion, and thus dispersing lateral stress on the engaging protrusion through increased flexure of the engaging protrusion. In addition, the base of the engaging protrusion is thickened to structurally resist lateral stress.

Key top

A push button switch including a lower case, an upper case adapted to be coupled with the lower case to define a space therebetween, a fixed contact member having a fixed contact terminal, a movable contact member having a movable contact terminal, and a stem operable from the outside of the upper case, wherein the fixed contact member, the movable contact member and the stem are mounted in the space, and the lower case is formed with slots for inserting the fixed contact terminal and the movable contact terminal therethrough. The stem is slidably mounted to a stem sliding portion formed in the lower case, and a bottom portion of the stem sliding portion projects downwardly from the lower surface of the lower case less than a plurality of projections projecting downwardly from the lower surface of the lower case. The lower case is formed at its inside corners with curved surface. The bottom surface of the lower case is formed with cutouts in the vicinity of the slots.

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Iwaki, Japan

Kyoichi Kaneko