Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Nobuhiro Oura

Akio Nishijima

Akihisa Itoh

Hideki Ito

In order to provide a keyboard device in which a pad used as a palmrest can be stored in the main body, a lock member and an operating segment are integrally formed by a resin resilient member. An engaging segment is formed at the extremity end of a resilient piece constituting a part of the resilient member, the engaging segment is inserted into an engaging hole formed at the pad and it is locked with the pad stored in a notch. Releasing of the locked state is performed such that the resilient member is resiliently deformed while the operating segment is pressed and then the engaged state between the engaging segment and the engaging hole is released. As a locked state releasing means, the resilient piece is provided with a small projecting piece, the main body is provided with a small protrusion, the engaging segment is resiliently deformed in a direction moving away from the engaging hole against the resilient piece by movement of the small projecting piece and the small protrusion while they are being abutted to each other.

Keyboard device with palmrest stored therein

In order to perform a stable key inputting operation even if the keyboard device is installed at an inclined surface, a rear surface of a main body is formed with a notch, and the notch is provided with an adjuster member. A turning centerline of the adjuster member is in an inclined angle in respect to the rear surface. The notch has a depth size from the rear surface at the rotatable supporting side of the adjuster member deeper and its depth size becomes smaller as it is farther from the rotatable supporting side. The adjuster member is turned to cause the adjuster member to be changed over between one attitude in which it is protruded out of the notch and the other attitude in which it is stored in the notch. In addition, the adjuster member is formed with a shaft, there is provided a resilient member for resiliently pressing the outer circumference of the shaft and the resilient member is fitted to a sliding notch formed at the outer circumference of the shaft.

Keyboard device capable of changing inclination angle of keyboard main body

A keyboard device is disclosed which has a structure capable of ensuring positioning and fixing of a keyboard body relative to a case. The keyboard device has a keyboard body and a case. The case comprises an upper case which covers the upper surface side of the keyboard body and a lower case which covers the lower surface side of the keyboard body. A tongue piece and a cutout portion for engagement with the upper and lower cases are provided centrally of two longitudinally extending inner side and this side of the keyboard body. Positioning and fixing of the keyboard body relative to the case are effected by those two engaging portions. Also at two positions of the inner side of the keyboard body are provided fixing portions for fixing the keyboard body to the case, namely, the upper and lower cases.

Keyboard device capable of ensuring positioning and fixing of keyboard body relative to case

A keyboard device and a personal computer including a housing member made slidable, so that a membrane switch is not slid. Such a structure, designed to make the keyboard device and the personal computer thinner, makes it possible to provide very reliable, cheap, thin keyboard devices and personal computers which allow an electrical circuit in the personal computer and the membrane switch to be easily connected. Accordingly, the keyboard device and the personal computer having the above-described structure overcome the problems produced in conventional keyboard devices and personal computers using conventional keyboard devices. These were made thinner by making the membrane switch slide, which has resulted in a complicated electrical connection between an electrical circuit in the personal computer and the membrane switch, increased costs, and lack of electrical reliability.

Keyboard device and personal computer using the same

Disclosed is an X-Y direction input device which requires a smaller number of parts and is less costly. Frictional force applying means comprises a rolling contact roller held in rolling contact with a rotated spherical body, a resilient member inserted in a through hole formed at the axial center of the rolling contact roller, and support members holding both ends of the resilient member.

X-Y direction input device

An X-Y coordinate input device is made up of a mouse main body, a stop-position regulating member attached to the mouse main body, return springs for constantly biasing the stop-position regulating member in an upward direction, a disengaging button for downwardly pressing the stop-position regulating member, and a movable shell. First and second guide grooves are formed in the mouse main body, and first and second guide protuberances which are engageable with the first and second guide grooves are formed on the movable shell. First, second, and third stop-position regulating faces are formed on the upper surface of the stop-position regulating member. A stop-position regulating protuberance which is engageable with the first, second, and third stop-position regulating faces is formed on the movable shell. The movable shell is longitudinally moved with respect to the mouse main body by changing the position where the guide protuberances engage with the guide grooves as well as changing the stop-position regulating faces with which the stop-position regulating protuberance engages.

Growing community of inventors

Fukushima-ken, Japan

Nobuhiro Oura