The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 08, 1987
Filed:
Dec. 20, 1983
Austin Boldridge, Jr, Freehold, NJ (US);
Scott Buell, Harpers Ferry, WV (US);
James M Graham, Westminster, MD (US);
Other;
Abstract
A keyboard switch includes a plurality of spaced piezoelectric transducers secured to a common strike plate which is selectively impacted to actuate all of the transducers in response to switch actuation. The switch includes a snap action spring member carrying an impact member which impacts the strike plate as the spring member snaps to its actuated state when the switch is depressed . The spring member causes the impact member to maintain a compressive force against the strike plate, maintaining the transducers actuated while the key remains depressed and for a short interval after the key is released. An array of such switches on a keyboard is disposed over a plurality of parallel data lines which electrically contact one or more transducers at each switch in accordance with a switch indentification code. The parallel binary number appearing on the lines is received by processing circuitry which identifies each depressed key by its code. By maintaining compressive forces on the transducers, the system facilitates character processing and generation of certain specialized character functions.