IP Library Granted Patent US 12684705
Granted Patent B2
US 12684705 · App. 18/441,136 · Granted Jul 14, 2026

Electronic device

Inventor: Kanako Kimura (Hamura, JP)
Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
H05K5/0017G06F3/0202H01H13/14
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12684705
App. No.
18/441,136
Filed
Feb 14, 2024
Granted
Jul 14, 2026
Kind
B2
Examiner
LEE, SEUNG H
Art Unit
2876
USPC
400/472
Abstract

According to an embodiment, an electronic device includes a plurality of operation parts arranged from a first-end side to a second-end side of a housing and each including a keytop member having an operation surface. The keytop member corresponding to a first operation part, which is one of the operation parts arranged on the first-end side, has a lower-end-to-operation-surface height greater than that of the keytop member corresponding to a second operation part, which is one of the operation parts arranged on the second-end side.

Claims (42)

1 . An electronic device comprising:

a plurality of operation parts arranged from a first-end side to a second-end side of a housing and each including a keytop member having an operation surface,

wherein the keytop member corresponding to a first operation part, which is one of the operation parts arranged on the first-end side, has a lower-end-to-operation-surface height greater than that of the keytop member corresponding to a second operation part, which is one of the operation parts arranged on the second-end side, and

wherein the electronic device is configured:

such that:

a top surface of the housing is inclined in a direction from the first-end side to the second-end side at a predetermined inclination angle with respect to a placement surface;

the top surface of the housing includes openings through which the keytop members slidably pass in a direction perpendicular to the placement surface,

slide assisting members are formed at the openings of the top surface of the housing and each extend in a sliding direction of the corresponding keytop member, the slide assisting members each being configured to prevent the corresponding keytop member from sliding in a direction different from the sliding direction, and

the slide assisting members have lengths in the sliding direction which vary according to the heights of the keytop members corresponding to the respective first and second operation parts; or

such that:

the operation parts each further include a rubber member supporting the corresponding keytop member;

the rubber members of the first operation part and the second operation part are standardized in shape, size, and material;

in the operation parts, support members each extending in a sliding direction of the corresponding keytop member are formed at a position inside the corresponding keytop member and lateral to the corresponding rubber member, and

the support members have lengths differing from each other according to the heights of the keytop members corresponding to the respective first and second operation parts, or

such that:

a top surface of the housing is inclined in a direction from the first-end side to the second-end side at a predetermined inclination angle with respect to a placement surface;

the top surface of the housing includes openings through which the keytop members slidably pass in a direction perpendicular to the placement surface;

the keytop members corresponding to the respective first and second operation parts each include a portion facing an inner surface of the housing that corresponds to the top surface of the housing; and

the keytop members corresponding to the first and second operation parts have mutually different lengths from respective lower ends to positions facing the inner surface of the housing that corresponds to the top surface of the housing.

2 . The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein a hollowing-out amount from the keytop member corresponding to the first operation part is greater than that from the keytop member corresponding to the second operation part.

3 . The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the keytop members each include a spacer; and

the spacer in the first operation part is thicker than the spacer in the second operation part so that the lower-end-to-operation-surface height of the keytop member corresponding to the first operation part is greater than that of the keytop member corresponding to the second operation part.

4 . An electronic device comprising:

a plurality of operation parts arranged from a first-end side to a second-end side of a housing and each including a keytop member having an operation surface; and

a substrate provided with the operation parts,

wherein:

the keytop member corresponding to a first operation part, which is one of the operation parts arranged on the first-end side, has a lower-end-to-operation-surface height substantially equal to that of the keytop member corresponding to a second operation part, which is one of the operation parts arranged on the second-end side;

the first operation part is arranged in a first region of the substrate;

the second operation part is arranged in a second region of the substrate; and

the first region has a greater height from a bottom surface of the housing to the substrate than that of the second region.

5 . The electronic device according to claim 4 , wherein:

the operation parts each further include a rubber member supporting the corresponding keytop member; and

the rubber members of the first operation part and the second operation part are standardized in shape, size, and material.

6 . The electronic device according to claim 4 , wherein the substrate is constituted by a flexible substrate which is bendable.

7 . An electronic device comprising:

a plurality of operation parts arranged from a first-end side to a second-end side of a housing and each a keytop member having an operation surface,

wherein:

the keytop member corresponding to a first operation part, which is one of the plurality of operation parts arranged on the first-end side, has a lower-end-to-operation-surface height greater than that of the keytop member corresponding to a second operation part, which is one of the plurality of operation parts arranged on the second-end side;

each one of the plurality of operation parts further includes a rubber member supporting a corresponding keytop member; and

rubber members of the first operation part and the second operation part are standardized in shape, size, and material.

8 . The electronic device according to claim 7 , wherein a hollowing-out amount from the keytop member corresponding to the first operation part is greater than that from the keytop member corresponding to the second operation part.