Keyboard device and electronic touch system having the keyboard device

Abstract

Provided is a keyboard device for use in a mobile device and an electronic touch system having this keyboard device. 【Solution means】The keyboard device 12 includes a keyboard section 121 and a fixing section 122. The keyboard section is attached to the touch display section 111 of the mobile device 11, and the keyboard section includes at least one button. When at least one button is pressed, it contacts the touch display section. The fixing section fixes the keyboard section to the mobile device. Further, the electronic touch system 1 includes this keyboard device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a keyboard product, and more particularly to a keyboard device for use in a mobile device and an electronic touch system having the keyboard device.

Background Art

[0002] The touch operation of a mobile device provides an intuitive and convenient user experience. However, since a physical button can provide a clear pressing feeling, the user can confirm the accuracy of the operation by touch without relying on vision. Therefore, even as the touch operation becomes more popular, the physical button is still necessary and has advantages that cannot be replaced by other things.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] An object of the present invention is to provide a keyboard device for a mobile device and an electronic touch system having the keyboard device, which enable a user to confirm the accuracy of an input operation by touch without relying on vision.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] To achieve the above object, the keyboard device provided by the present invention includes a keyboard portion and a fixing portion. The keyboard portion is attached to the touch display portion of the mobile device, and the keyboard portion includes at least one button. When the at least one button is pressed, it contacts the touch display portion, and the fixing portion fixes the keyboard portion to the mobile device.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the keyboard portion further includes an upper cover and a lower cover. The periphery of the at least one button is located between the upper cover and the lower cover and is clamped by the upper cover and the lower cover.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the keyboard unit further includes at least one connecting member that connects the upper cover and the lower cover.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the at least one connecting member is a screw.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one upper opening is formed in the upper cover, an upper structure of the at least one button is exposed outside the upper cover through the at least one upper opening, at least one lower opening is formed in the lower cover, a lower structure of the at least one button contacts the touch display unit through the at least one lower opening when the upper structure is pressed, and the lower structure of the at least one button does not penetrate the at least one lower opening and is separated from the touch display unit when the upper structure is not pressed.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the fixing portion includes a frame structure, and the frame structure at least partially covers a periphery of the keyboard unit and a periphery of the mobile device.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one first engaging member is formed on the frame structure, and at least one second engaging member for engaging with the at least one first engaging member is formed on the periphery of the keyboard unit.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the at least one first engaging member is an engaging hook, and the at least one second engaging member is an engaging platform.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a pattern or a character is formed on the at least one button.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the at least one button is made of conductive rubber.

[0014] Furthermore, the present invention provides an electronic touch system having any of the above keyboard devices.

[0015] In summary, in the present invention, the keyboard part of the keyboard device is fixed to the touch display part of the mobile device by the fixing part, and by providing the input function of additional physical buttons in the mobile device, the user can confirm the accuracy of the input operation by touch without relying on vision. Therefore, the present invention has convenience in use. Also, in the present invention, when a button of the keyboard part is pressed, by contacting the touch display part, the mobile device generates a corresponding touch signal, and there is no need to perform signal transmission between the keyboard device and the mobile device by wire or wirelessly. Therefore, the present invention can also avoid operation problems due to signal transmission interruption or delay.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] The directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, such as up, down, left, right, front or rear, etc., only mean the directions with reference to the drawings. Therefore, these directional terms are used for illustrative purposes and do not limit the present invention. In addition, unless otherwise specified, "connection" includes all direct or indirect connection means. Therefore, when it is described that the first device is connected to the second device, it means a structure in which the first device is directly connected to the second device, or a structure in which the first device is indirectly connected to the second device by other devices or connection means.

[0018] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, FIG. 1 is a schematic external view of the electronic touch system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic exploded views of the elements of the electronic touch system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention from different perspectives, FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic exploded views of the elements of the keyboard unit 121 according to the embodiment of the present invention from different perspectives, and FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a partial structure of the electronic touch system 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the electronic touch system 1 includes a mobile device 11 and a keyboard device 12. The mobile device 11 includes a touch display unit 111, and the keyboard device 12 is detachably attached to the mobile device 11. In this embodiment, for example, the mobile device 11 may be a smartphone or a tablet, and the touch display unit 111 may be a touch screen of a smartphone or a tablet, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[0019] Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the keyboard device 12 includes a keyboard unit 121 and a fixing unit 122. The keyboard unit 121 is attached to the touch display unit 111 of the mobile device 11, and the fixing unit 122 fixes the keyboard unit 121 to the mobile device 11.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the keyboard unit 121 includes at least one button 1211. When the fixing unit 122 fixes the keyboard unit 121 to the mobile device 11, the button 1211 is pressed and contacts the touch display unit 111, so that the mobile device 11 generates a corresponding touch signal. In this embodiment, the button 1211 may be an elastic structure, and the button 1211 may be made of conductive rubber so as to be used in accordance with the touch display unit 111 adopting a capacitive design. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in another embodiment, the button may be made of non-conductive plastic so as to be pressed and used in accordance with the touch display unit adopting a resistive design.

[0021] Further, the keyboard unit 121 further includes an upper cover 1212, a lower cover 1213, and at least one connecting member 1214 connecting the upper cover 1212 and the lower cover 1213. In this embodiment, for example, the connecting member 1214 may be a screw, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[0022] Also, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, at least one upper opening H1 is formed in the upper cover 1212, at least one lower opening H2 is formed in the lower cover 1213, the periphery of the button 1211 is located between the upper cover 1212 and the lower cover 1213, and is clamped by the upper cover 1212 and the lower cover 1213. The upper structure of the button 1211 is exposed outside the upper cover 1212 through the corresponding upper opening H1. When the upper structure of the button 1211 is pressed, the lower structure of the button 1211 moves in conjunction, penetrates the corresponding lower opening H2, and contacts the touch display unit 111. On the other hand, when the upper structure of the button 1211 is released without being pressed, the lower structure of the button 1211 returns to its original position elastically, does not penetrate the corresponding lower opening H2, and separates from the touch display unit 111. That is, when the upper structure of the button 1211 is not pressed, the lower structure of the button 1211 separates from the touch display unit 111 without penetrating the corresponding lower opening H2.

[0023] Preferably, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, different patterns or characters may be formed on different buttons 1211 by methods such as spraying, printing, laser engraving, etc. to make them distinguishable, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in another embodiment, different buttons may be designed with different outer shapes, and patterns and characters may not be formed either.

[0024] Also, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, the fixing part 122 includes a frame structure 1221. In order to prevent the relative movement between the keyboard part 121 and the mobile device 11, the frame structure 1221 at least partially covers the periphery of the keyboard part 121 and the periphery of the mobile device 11. The overall size of the frame structure 1221 is substantially the same as the overall size of the mobile device 11. For example, it may be in the form of a protective frame of the mobile device 11, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in another embodiment, the fixing part may be an adhesive, a clip, or a tape.

[0025] Preferably, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 6, at least one first engaging member E1 is formed on the frame structure 1221, and at least one second engaging member E2 that engages with at least one first engaging member E1 is formed on the periphery of the keyboard part 121. Due to the engagement between the first engaging member E1 and the second engaging member E2, it is possible to effectively avoid the frame structure 1221 accidentally detaching from the periphery of the keyboard part 121, thus avoiding the accidental separation of the keyboard part 121 and the mobile device 11. In this embodiment, for example, the first engaging member E1 may be an engaging hook formed on the frame structure 1221, and the second engaging member E2 may be an engaging platform formed on the periphery of the lower cover 1213 of the keyboard part 121, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in another embodiment, the first engaging member and the second engaging member may be an engaging convex part and an engaging concave part respectively.

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 7 to 9, FIG. 7 is a schematic exploded view of the elements of the electronic touch system 1' of the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a schematic exploded view of the partial structural elements of the electronic touch system 1' of the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the partial structure of the electronic touch system 1' of the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the difference from the first embodiment is that the fixing portion 122' of the keyboard device 12' of the electronic touch system 1' may include a frame structure 1221' that at least partially covers the periphery of the keyboard portion 121' and the periphery of the mobile device 11' in order to prevent relative movement between the keyboard portion 121' and the mobile device 11'. Also, in order to be able to attach and mount the keyboard portion 121' to the touch display portion 111' of the mobile device 11', it further has an adhesive layer 1222' attached to the side of the lower cover 1213' of the keyboard portion 121' of the keyboard device 12' away from the upper cover 1212'. At least one retraction opening H3' is formed in the adhesive layer 1222'. Thus, the lower structure of the button 1211' can pass through the corresponding lower opening H2' on the lower cover 1213' and the corresponding retraction opening H3' on the adhesive layer 1222' to contact the touch display portion 111'. Also, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the quantity and arrangement of the buttons 1211' of the keyboard portion 121' of the second embodiment may be different from those of the first embodiment, and the keyboard portion 121' of the second embodiment may not include a connecting member for connecting the upper cover 1212' and the lower cover 1213'. The other configurations of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment and also have various variations, which are omitted here for the sake of brevity.

[0027] Compared with the prior art, in the present invention, the keyboard part of the keyboard device is fixed to the touch display part of the mobile device by a fixing part, and by providing the input function of additional physical buttons in the mobile device, the user can confirm the accuracy of the input operation by touch without relying on vision, so the present invention has convenience. Also, in the present invention, when a button of the keyboard part is pressed, it contacts the touch display part to generate a touch signal corresponding to the mobile device, and since wired or wireless signal transmission between the keyboard device and the mobile device is not required, the present invention can avoid operation problems due to signal transmission interruption or delay.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0028] 1, 1’ Electronic touch system 11, 11’ Mobile device 111, 111’ Touch display part 12, 12’ Keyboard device 121, 121’ Keyboard part 1211, 1211’ Button 1212, 1212’ Upper cover 1213, 1213’ Lower cover 1214 Connection member 122, 122’ Fixing part 1221, 1221’ Frame structure 1222’ Adhesive layer E1 First engaging member E2 Second engaging member H1 Upper opening H2, H2’ Lower opening H3’ Retreating opening

Claims

1. A keyboard device, comprising: a keyboard unit to be attached to a touch display unit of a mobile device; and a fixing unit for fixing the keyboard unit to the mobile device, wherein the keyboard unit includes at least one button, and when the at least one button is pressed, it contacts the touch display unit.

2. The keyboard unit further includes an upper cover and a lower cover, wherein a periphery of the at least one button is located between the upper cover and the lower cover and is clamped by the upper cover and the lower cover. The keyboard device according to claim 1.

3. The keyboard unit further includes at least one connecting member, wherein the at least one connecting member connects the upper cover and the lower cover. The keyboard device according to claim 2.

4. The at least one connecting member is a screw. The keyboard device according to claim 3.

5. At least one upper opening is formed in the upper cover, wherein an upper structure of the at least one button is exposed outside the upper cover through the at least one upper opening, at least one lower opening is formed in the lower cover, wherein a lower structure of the at least one button, when the upper structure is pressed, penetrates through the at least one lower opening and contacts the touch display unit, and the lower structure of the at least one button, when the upper structure is not pressed, does not penetrate through the at least one lower opening and is separated from the touch display unit. The keyboard device according to claim 2.

6. The fixing unit includes a frame structure, wherein the frame structure at least partially covers a periphery of the keyboard unit and a periphery of the mobile device. The keyboard device according to claim 1.

7. At least one first engaging member is formed on the frame structure, wherein at least one second engaging member for engaging with the at least one first engaging member is formed on the periphery of the keyboard unit. The keyboard device according to claim 6.

8. The at least one first engaging member is an engaging hook, and the at least one second engaging member is an engaging platform. The keyboard device according to claim 7.

9. A pattern or characters are formed on the at least one button. The keyboard device according to claim 1.

10. The keyboard device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the at least one button is made of conductive rubber.

11. An electronic touch system, comprising: A mobile device including a touch display unit; and A keyboard device detachably attached to the mobile device, wherein the keyboard device A keyboard unit attached to the touch display unit of the mobile device; and A fixing unit for fixing the keyboard unit to the mobile device, wherein the keyboard unit includes at least one button, and when the at least one button is pressed, it contacts the touch display unit.

12. The keyboard unit further includes an upper cover and a lower cover, wherein a periphery of the at least one button is located between the upper cover and the lower cover and is clamped by the upper cover and the lower cover.

13. The keyboard unit further includes at least one connecting member for connecting the upper cover and the lower cover.

14. The at least one connecting member is a screw.

15. At least one upper opening is formed in the upper cover, and an upper structure of the at least one button is exposed outside the upper cover through the at least one upper opening. At least one lower opening is formed in the lower cover, and a lower structure of the at least one button penetrates through the at least one lower opening and contacts the touch display unit when the upper structure is pressed. Also, the lower structure of the at least one button does not penetrate through the at least one lower opening and is separated from the touch display unit when the upper structure is not pressed.

16. The fixing unit includes a frame structure that at least partially covers a periphery of the keyboard unit and a periphery of the mobile device.

17. At least one first engaging member is formed on the frame structure, and at least one second engaging member for engaging with the at least one first engaging member is formed on the periphery of the keyboard unit.

18. The electronic touch system according to claim 17, wherein the at least one first engaging member is an engaging hook, and the at least one second engaging member is an engaging platform.

19. The electronic touch system according to claim 11, wherein a pattern or characters are formed on the at least one button.

20. The electronic touch system according to any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein the at least one button is made of conductive rubber.

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