Shin-etsu Polymer Co., Ltd.

Sadao Nakano

Mikio Kiyosawa

Toshihiro Motoki

Susumu Iwama

Noboru Nakafuji

Fumio Kouno

Kinji Kuroiwa

A cover member for an illuminated push button switch capable of providing the hard touch with fingers when it is incorporated in a switch unit and facilitating formation of a symbol/character display section exhibiting distinct display and aesthetic properties. In the cover member, key tops each are provided at a distal end thereof with a hard resin section. The resin section is integrally mounted thereon with a rubber section and then a symbol/character display section is formed on a flat surface of the rubber section. The rubber section is fixed on the flat surface thereof to a movable section of a substrate. Such construction provides a user with a satisfactory feeling in operation, effectively prevents wearing of the symbol/character display section, provides the symbol/character display section with an aesthetic appearance without any defect and ensures increased durability of the cover member, resulting in a commercial value of the cover member being highly increased.

Cover member for illuminated push button switch and method for manufacturing same

A method for forming a pad character in a key top for a push button switch and a method for manufacturing a cover member for a push button switch capable of permitting a push button switch to be manually operated in a manner comfortable to fingers over an extended period of time while preventing wearing of an indication section and simplifying the manufacturing of the cover member for the push button switch. A pigment particle is coated with a volatilization layer formed of resin blended with an electromagnetic wave absorbing powder to prepare a laser-sensitive color developing agent, which agent is then added to a thermosetting resin or elastomer material to prepare a composition. Each of key tops is formed of the composition, followed by irradiation of a laser beam on each of the key tops to form a character-like or figure-like indication section in the key top.

Method for forming pad character in push button switch and method for manufacturing cover member for push button switch

Disclosed is a novel thermosetting resin composition suitable for the preparation of an integrally molded two-parts composite body consisting of a first part of a cured silicone rubber and a second part of a cured thermosetting resin without intervention of an adhesive layer at the interface. The thermosetting resin composition comprises:

Thermosetting resin composition and two-parts composite body thereof

An improved push button switching unit is proposed of which the indicia on the key top is recognizable even in a dark place. Namely, a phosphorescent layer emitting phosphorescence even in a dark place is formed on the upper surface of the key top to provide recognizability of the indicia and further the switching unit is provided with a light sensor means and a light source which is lighted when the ambient lightness is low as detected by the sensor means. When the switching unit is used continuously in a dark place, the light source repeats cycles of a lighting period, in which the phosphorescent layer accumulates the energy of light, and a dark period, in which the phosphorescent layer emits phosphorescence by means of the accumulated energy, so that the power consumption for lighting the light source can be saved.

Illuminable push button switching unit

An improved internally-illuminable push-button switch unit is proposed, which is an assembly comprising:

Growing community of inventors

Nagano-ken, Japan

Sadao Nakano