Push button device

Abstract

To provide a push button device capable of displaying different information in a suitable mode according to an angle at which a key is visually recognized.SOLUTION: An electronic register 100 comprises a key 110 (key top 111) having a first surface 111a and a second surface 111b. When directly facing one surface of the first surface 111a and the second surface 111b of the key 110, a user hardly visually recognizes the other surface compared with when directly facing the other surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a push button device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Cash registers equipped with various types of keys have been disclosed in the past (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 3-63281 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the cash register disclosed in the above Patent Document 1, the characters assigned to each key and information indicating the function are usually written on the top surface of the key. With this cash register, if foreign language or information such as function is written on the top surface of the keys, each character will be small, and there is a risk that each character will be difficult to see.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has an object to provide a push button device that can display different information in an appropriate manner depending on the angle at which the key is viewed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a push button device according to the present invention comprises: A button portion having a first surface and a second surface, The button portion includes: the first surface is adjacent to the second surface and is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the back side of the device with respect to a plane perpendicular to the movable axis of the button portion; The second surface is adjacent to the first surface and is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the front side of the device with respect to a plane perpendicular to the movable axis of the button portion. It is characterized by:

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, another push button device according to the present invention is a button portion having a first surface and a second surface; A cover portion that covers the button portion, The cover portion is a first lens portion that covers a front surface of the first surface and narrows a viewing angle compared to an original viewing angle, thereby making it difficult to view the second surface; a second lens portion that covers a front surface of the second surface and narrows a viewing angle compared to an original viewing angle, thereby making it difficult to view the first surface; Equipped with It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, different information can be displayed in an appropriate manner depending on the viewing angle of the key. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of an electronic register. [Diagram 2] 1 is an enlarged side view of the electronic cash register showing the key portion. FIG. [Diagram 3] (a) is an image diagram of a user operating the device while looking at the keyboard at an elevation / depression angle of -60° (depression angle of 60°), and (b) is an image diagram of a user operating the device while looking at the keyboard at an elevation / depression angle of -90° (depression angle of 90°). [Figure 4] 1A is a diagram showing the key when viewed at an elevation / depression angle of -60° (depression angle of 60°), and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the key when viewed at an elevation / depression angle of -90° (depression angle of 90°). [Diagram 5] 2 is a side view showing the key 110 covered with the cover portion 120. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] First, the configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the external appearance of an electronic cash register (push button device) 100 of this embodiment. In Fig. 1, the front side as viewed from a user operating the keyboard unit 11 is indicated as "front", the back side as "rear", the left side as "left", and the right side as "right".

[0012] 1, the electronic cash register 100 is an electronic cash register with an integrated drawer. The electronic cash register 100 has a register unit 10 and a printing unit 20 at an upper portion, and a drawer unit 30 at a lower portion. The electronic cash register 100 also has a control unit (not shown) built into the housing B for controlling the register unit 10, the printing unit 20, the drawer unit 30, etc.

[0013] The register unit 10 includes a keyboard unit 11, a main display unit 12, and a customer display unit (not shown). The keyboard unit 11 and the main display unit 12 are provided on the top surface B1 of a housing B. As shown in Fig. 1, the top surface B1 of the housing B on which the keyboard unit 11 and the main display unit 12 are arranged is formed so that the front side is lower and the back side is higher, that is, the top surface B1 is slanted downward toward the front side (for example, a downward slope of 10 to 20 degrees).

[0014] The keyboard unit 11 includes numeric keys and various function keys, and receives key inputs from the user and outputs the operation information to the control unit.

[0015] The main body display unit 12 is a display device that allows a user operating the electronic cash register 100 to visually recognize information such as the amount.

[0016] The customer display unit (not shown) is a display device that allows a customer who has purchased an item to visually confirm information such as the item price, the total price, etc. This customer display unit is provided on the rear surface (not shown) of the electronic cash register 100.

[0017] The printing unit 20 prints and outputs receipts, journals, and the like on paper in accordance with the control signals output from the control unit.

[0018] The drawer unit 30 is a drawer for storing money, gift certificates, etc., and has an opening mechanism that opens under the control of the control unit.

[0019] Next, a detailed description will be given of key 110, which has information in Japanese (e.g., "subtotal") and information in a foreign language (e.g., "SUB TOTAL") written on it, among the various keys constituting keyboard section 11. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view showing a portion of key 110 when electronic cash register 100 is viewed from the side, which is the left-right direction in Fig. 1.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the key 110 includes a key top (button portion) 111 and a movable shaft 112.

[0021] The key top 111 has a two-surface structure with a first surface 111a and a second surface 111b adjacent to the first surface 111a. The above-mentioned information in a foreign language, "SUB TOTAL," is printed on the first surface 111a (see FIG. 4). The information in Japanese, "Subtotal," is printed on the second surface 111b (see FIG. 4).

[0022] The key top 111 is formed such that the first surface 111a is inclined downward toward the back of the device 100 with respect to a plane perpendicular to the movable direction DR of the movable shaft 112. Meanwhile, the second surface 111b is inclined downward toward the front of the device 100. Specifically, the second surface 111b is inclined downward by 30° toward the front from the front end of the first surface 111a (the end adjacent to the second surface 111b) when the first surface 111a is parallel to the horizontal plane. Also, the second surface 111b has a larger area than the first surface 111a.

[0023] When the key 110 is arranged on the keyboard section 11 so that the movable direction DR of the movable shaft 112 is perpendicular to the upper surface B1 of the housing B, the key top 111 is arranged so that, for example, the first surface 111a is parallel to the installation surface (horizontal surface) of the device 100 itself, that is, the elevation / depression angle of a straight line L1 perpendicular to the first surface 111a is +90° (elevation angle 90°). On the other hand, the second surface 111b is arranged so that it is inclined downward by 30° from the front end of the first surface 111a to the front side, that is, the elevation / depression angle of a straight line L2 perpendicular to the second surface 111b is +60° (elevation angle 60°).

[0024] Next, the appearance of the keys 110 (key tops 111) when operating the keyboard unit 11 will be described. Fig. 3(a) is an image diagram when a user operates the keyboard unit 11 while looking at it at an elevation / depression angle of -60° (depression angle of 60°). Fig. 3(b) is an image diagram when a user operates the keyboard unit 11 while looking at it at an elevation / depression angle of -90° (depression angle of 90°).

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3(a), when a user looks at the keyboard unit 11 at an elevation / depression angle of −60° (depression angle of 60°), the user will be looking directly at the second surface 111b of the key 110 (key top 111) (see FIG. 2). In this embodiment, such a case is assumed as a case where the keyboard unit 11 is operated by a user (Japanese language user) who uses Japanese as the main language. Therefore, when a Japanese language user looks at the key 110 (key top 111) at an elevation / depression angle of −60° (depression angle of 60°), as shown in FIG. 4(a), the characters “SUB TOTAL” printed on the first surface 111a will be viewed from an oblique direction, and the characters “SUB TOTAL” printed on the second surface 111b will be viewed from the front. In such a case, the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the first surface 111a of the key top 111 become difficult to see, while the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the second surface 111b become easier to see, so that the characters "SUB TOTAL" can be made to stand out compared to the characters "SUB TOTAL".

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3(b), when a user looks at the keyboard unit 11 at an elevation / depression angle of −90° (depression angle of 90°), the user will be looking directly at the first surface 111a of the key 110 (key top 111) (see FIG. 2). In this embodiment, such a case is assumed as a case where a user who speaks English (an English user) operates the keyboard unit 11. This is in consideration of the fact that an English user is taller than a Japanese user. Therefore, when an English user looks at the key 110 (key top 111) at an elevation / depression angle of −90° (depression angle of 90°), as shown in FIG. 4(b), the characters “SUB TOTAL” printed on the second surface 111b will be viewed from an oblique direction, and the characters “SUB TOTAL” printed on the first surface 111a will be viewed from the front. In such a case, the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the second surface 111b of the key top 111 become difficult to see, while the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the first surface 111a become easier to see, so that the characters "SUB TOTAL" can be made to stand out compared to the characters "SUB TOTAL".

[0027] As described above, the electronic register 100 has a key 110 (key top 111) having a first surface 111a and a second surface 111b, and when one of the first surface 111a and the second surface 111b of the key 110 is viewed directly from the front, the other surface is less visible than when the other surface is viewed directly from the front. Therefore, according to the electronic cash register 100, when the second surface 111b of the key 110 is viewed straight on, the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the second surface 111b of the key 110 stand out, and when the first surface 111 of the key 110 is viewed straight on, the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the first surface 111a of the key 110 stand out, so that the characters "SUB TOTAL" and "SUB TOTAL" can be displayed in an appropriate manner depending on the angle at which the key 110 is viewed. As a result, it is possible to make it easier for not only Japanese language users but also English language users who are not familiar with Japanese to operate the keys 110.

[0028] In addition, key 110 (key top 111) is formed so that first surface 111a is adjacent to second surface 111b and is inclined downward toward the back of device 100 with respect to a plane perpendicular to movable axis 112, and second surface 111b is adjacent to first surface 111a and is inclined downward toward the front of device 100 with respect to a plane perpendicular to movable axis 112. Therefore, according to the electronic cash register 100, since the first surface 111a and the second surface 111b of the key 110 (key top 111) are formed as described above, it is possible to make it difficult to see the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the first surface 111a when the second surface 111b is viewed straight on, and it is possible to make it difficult to see the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the second surface 111b when the first surface 111a is viewed straight on. As a result, when the second surface 111b of the key 110 is viewed straight on, the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the second surface 111b are highlighted, and when the first surface 111a of the key 110 is viewed straight on, the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the first surface 111a are highlighted, so that the characters "SUB TOTAL" and "SUB TOTAL" can be displayed in an appropriate manner depending on the angle at which the key 110 is viewed.

[0029] Furthermore, since key 110 (key top 111) is arranged on device 100 such that first surface 111a is parallel to the installation surface of device 100, the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on first surface 111a can be made difficult to see when key 110 is viewed from diagonally above.

[0030] In addition, since the second surface 111b of the key 110 (key top 111) is larger in area than the first surface 111a, by printing the characters "SUBTOTAL" which are familiar to Japanese language users on the second surface 111b, the characters "SUBTOTAL" printed on the second surface 111b can be made to stand out even more when the second surface 111b of the key 110 is viewed directly from the front.

[0031] [Variations] Next, a modified example of the electronic cash register 100 described above will be described. In this modified example, the electronic cash register 100 is characterized by having a cover part 120 that covers the key 110. Note that the same components as those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a side view showing key 110 covered with cover portion 120. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the cover portion 120 includes a cap portion 121, a first lens portion 122, and a second lens portion 123.

[0033] The cap portion 121 functions as a cap that covers the upper surface (the first surface 111a and the second surface 111b) and the side surfaces of the key top 111, and is made of, for example, a transparent resin material.

[0034] The first lens portion 122 functions as a lens covering the front surface of the first surface 111a of the key top 111, and narrows the viewing angle compared to the original viewing angle by refracting, scattering, or reflecting light. The first lens portion 122 also enlarges the image of the first surface 111a seen through the first lens portion 122. The first lens portion 122 is provided so that its plane is substantially parallel to the first surface 111a of the key top 111. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, when the first surface 111a of the key top 111 is viewed through the first lens portion 122 from a direction facing the first surface 111a, the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the first surface 111a appear enlarged. On the other hand, in this case, the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the second surface 111b are difficult to see due to the presence of the first lens portion 122 and the second lens portion 123. In other words, when the first surface 111a of the key 110 (key top 111) is viewed head-on, the second surface 111b is less visible than when the second surface 112 is viewed head-on, so that the letters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the first surface 111a can be made to stand out.

[0035] The second lens portion 123 functions as a lens covering the front surface of the second surface 111b of the key top 111, and narrows the viewing angle compared to the original viewing angle by refracting, scattering, or reflecting light. The second lens portion 123 also enlarges the image of the second surface 111b seen through the second lens portion 123. The second lens portion 123 is provided so that its plane is approximately parallel to the second surface 111b of the key top 111. As a result, when the second surface 111b of the key top 111 is viewed through the second lens portion 123 from a direction facing the second surface 111b of the key top 111 as shown in FIG. 5, the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the second surface 111b appear enlarged. On the other hand, in this case, the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the first surface 111a are difficult to see due to the presence of the first lens portion 122 and the second lens portion 123. In other words, when the second surface 111b of the key 110 (key top 111) is viewed head-on, the first surface 111a is less visible than when the first surface 111a is viewed head-on, so that the characters "subtotal" printed on the second surface 111b can be made to stand out.

[0036] As described above, the modified electronic cash register 100 has a cover portion 120 that covers the key 110 (key top 111), and the cover portion 120 has a first lens portion 122 that covers the front of the first surface 111a of the key top 111 and makes the second surface 111b difficult to view by narrowing the viewing angle compared to the original viewing angle, and a second lens portion 123 that covers the front of the second surface 111b of the key top 111 and makes the first surface 111a difficult to view by narrowing the viewing angle compared to the original viewing angle. Therefore, according to this modified example, by providing the cover portion 120, it is possible to make it difficult to see the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the first surface 111a when the second surface 111b of the key top 111 is viewed from a direction opposite to the second surface 111b, and it is possible to make it difficult to see the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the second surface 111b when the first surface 111a is viewed from a direction opposite to the first surface 111a. As a result, when second surface 111b of key top 111 is viewed from a direction opposite second surface 111b, the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on second surface 111b are made to stand out, and when first surface 111a is viewed from a direction opposite first surface 111a, the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on first surface 111a are made to stand out, so that the characters "SUB TOTAL" and "SUB TOTAL" can be displayed in an appropriate manner depending on the angle at which key 110 is viewed.

[0037] In addition, the cover portion 120 in the modified electronic register 100 uses the first lens portion 122 to enlarge and display the first surface 111a of the keytop 111, and the second lens portion 123 to enlarge and display the second surface 111b of the keytop 111. Therefore, according to this modified example, when the second surface 111b of the key top 111 is viewed from a direction opposite to the second surface 111b, the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the second surface 111b stand out even more, and when the first surface 111a is viewed from a direction opposite to the first surface 111a, the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the first surface 111a stand out even more.

[0038] Although the present invention has been specifically described based on the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the characters "SUB TOTAL" are printed on the first surface 111a of the key top 111, but the characters printed on the first surface 111a may be characters in a foreign language corresponding to the "subtotal" printed on the second surface 111b, such as the German characters "Zwischensumme."

[0039] In addition, in the above embodiment, for example, if the main users (major users) of the electronic cash register 100 are users whose native language is English (English users), the words "SUB TOTAL" may be printed on the second surface 112 of the key 110, and characters in another language such as "Subtotal" may be printed on the first surface 111.

[0040] Furthermore, in the above embodiment or modified example, the characters "SUB TOTAL" are printed on the first surface 111a of the key top 111, and the characters "SUB TOTAL" are printed on the second surface 111b of the key top 111, but the characters printed on the first surface 111a of the key top 111 and the second surface 111b of the key top 111 are not limited to this and may be characters indicating the function or role of the key.

[0041] In addition, while the above embodiment has been described with respect to the keyboard section 11 of the electronic cash register 100, the present invention is not limited to this and may be, for example, other devices having the key structure of the present invention, such as a PC keyboard or an operation switch.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the key top 111 is provided so that the first surface 111a is parallel to the installation surface (horizontal surface) of the device 100, and the second surface 111b is provided so that it is inclined downward at 30° from the front end of the first surface 111a to the front side, but the installation angles of the first surface 111a and the second surface 111b are merely examples. The installation angles of the first surface 111a and the second surface 111b are not limited to the above-mentioned installation angles as long as they can achieve the effect of the present invention that the characters "SUB TOTAL" on the first surface 111a and the characters "SUB TOTAL" on the second surface 111b can be displayed in an appropriate manner according to the viewing angle of the key 110. Specifically, for example, the first surface 111a may be provided so that the elevation / depression angle of a straight line L1 perpendicular to the first surface 111a is within a predetermined angle range (for example, less than +90° (elevation angle 90°) and greater than +45° (elevation angle 45°)), and the second surface 111b may be provided so that the elevation / depression angle of a straight line L2 perpendicular to the second surface 111b is within a predetermined angle range (for example, less than +90° (elevation angle 90°) and greater than +45° (elevation angle 45°)).

[0043] In the above modified example, when first surface 111a of key top 111 is viewed through first lens portion 122 of cap portion 121 from a direction opposite to said first surface 111a, the letters "SUB TOTAL" printed on first surface 111a appear enlarged, while the letters "SUB TOTAL" printed on second surface 111b are difficult to see due to the presence of first lens portion 122 and second lens portion 123, and the installation angle of the plane is not particularly limited. Similarly, when the second surface 111b of the key top 111 is viewed through the second lens portion 123 from a direction facing the second surface 111b, the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the second surface 111b are enlarged and the characters "SUB TOTAL" printed on the first surface 111a are difficult to see due to the presence of the first lens portion 122 and the second lens portion 123, and the installation angle of the plane is not particularly limited. Specifically, for example, the second lens portion 123 may be provided so as to correspond to the angle range of the first surface 111a and the second surface 111b as an example described in the previous paragraph (so that the first lens portion 122 corresponds to the first surface 111a and the second lens portion 123 corresponds to the second surface 111b).

[0044] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 100 Electronic Cash Register 10 Register section 11 Keyboard section 110 Keys 111 Keytop 111a 1st page 111b 2nd side 112 Movable axis 120 Cover part 121 Cap part 122 First lens section 123 Second lens section 12 Main unit display 20 Printing Department 30 Drawer section B-Case B1 top surface

Claims

1. A button portion having a first surface and a second surface, The button portion includes: the first surface is adjacent to the second surface and is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the back side of the device with respect to a plane perpendicular to the movable axis of the button portion; the second surface is adjacent to the first surface and is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the front side of the device with respect to a plane perpendicular to the movable axis of the button portion. A push button device characterized by the above.

2. The button unit is disposed on the device such that the first surface is parallel to an installation surface of the device.

2. The push button device according to claim 1,

3. The button portion has a second surface having a larger area than the first surface.

3. The push button device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a button portion having a first surface and a second surface; A cover portion that covers the button portion, The cover portion is a first lens portion that covers a front surface of the first surface and narrows a viewing angle compared to an original viewing angle, thereby making it difficult to view the second surface; a second lens portion that covers a front surface of the second surface and narrows a viewing angle compared to an original viewing angle, thereby making it difficult to view the first surface; Equipped with A push button device characterized by the above.

5. The cover portion uses the first lens portion to enlarge and display the first surface, and uses the second lens portion to enlarge and display the second surface.

5. The push button device according to claim 4,

Images