Shin-etsu Polymer Co., Ltd.

Toshihiko Egawa

Kazutoki Tahara

Satoshi Odashima

Tsutomu Nagasawa

Masahide Takahashi

Tomohiko Kuwabara

A member for a push-button switch has key top members positioned close to each other through a distance of 1.5 mm or shorter at low cost and with high yield. The member has multiple key top members having resin key top cores and thermoplastic films covering the key top cores other than the lower surfaces thereof. The key top members are formed so that an interval between at least one set of adjacent key top members is 1.5 mm or shorter. In the key top members adjacent to each other through a distance of 1.5 mm or shorter, the maximum thickness of the thermoplastic films covering the key top cores is within the range of 75 to 350 &#x3bc;, and the ratio of the minimum thickness of the thermoplastic films covering the key top cores to the maximum thickness is within the range of 0.4 to 0.9.

Member for push-button switch and method of manufacturing the same

The anti-glare covering for illuminate switch or indicator of the invention is formed of a covering member shaped from a transparent synthetic resin and a microlouver-type anti-glare sheet melt-bonded to the lower surface of the covering member. This structure is different from conventional anti-glare coverings for illuminate switch or indicator in which the covering member has a top opening and the microlouver-type anti-glare sheet covers the opening. Thus, the anti-glare covering of the invention is provided with improved visiblity and rigidity and is easy to maintain beautiful appearance. The visibility of the illuminate switch or indicator is further improved by providing a thin light-transmitting metallizing layer on the upper surface of the covering member at the top portion.

Anti-glare covering for illuminate indicator

The anti-glare screen of the invention is composed of an anti-glaring base sheet which is a striped silicone rubber sheet formed of alternately disposed narrow sections of a transparent silicone rubber and a colored, e.g. black, and opaque silicone rubber, each section having a specified width, a transparent lining sheet bonded to one surface of the anti-glaring base sheet and a layer of a pressure-sensitive adhesive on the other surface of the anti-glaring base sheet. By virtue of the high heat resistance of the silicone rubbers, the anti-glare screen can be used to increase the visibility of any displays even when it is heated at an elevated temperature of up to 200.degree. C. as in traffic signals illuminated with an incandescent lamp or as an anti-glare covering in front of a metering panels of automobile dashboards sometimes subject to extreme temperature elevation when the car is prolongedly parked under direct sun shine. Moreover, the transparent lining sheet having rigidity imparts shape retainability to the sheet so that the anti-glare screen can be adapted to any curved surface of display. The layer of the pressure-sensitive adhesive serves not only to facilitate attachment of the screen to the display surface but also to prevent the phenomenon of Newton's rings which otherwise is unavoidable more or less.

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Tokyo, Japan

Toshihiko Egawa