A key structure including a base plate, a keycap, a lifting platform, an elastic body, and a reciprocating supporting member is provided. The keycap is disposed above the base plate. The lifting platform is disposed between the base plate and the keycap, and includes a first end part and a second end part opposite to the first end part. The first end part is slidably connected with the keycap, and the second end part is rotatably connected with the keycap. The elastic body is disposed between the base plate and the lifting platform, and two opposite ends of the elastic body contact the base plate and the lifting platform respectively. The reciprocating supporting member is disposed between the base plate and the lifting platform.

A switch mechanism (12) includes a housing (16, 18) with a fenestration (21), a switch element (22) held in the housing, and a membrane switch held in the fenestration. The membrane switch includes a flexible membrane (20) and a rigid rib (26). The rib is constrained to linear movement by guides (37, 38) in the housing so that contact with the membrane causes the membrane to deform and the rib to translate to actuate the switch element.

Disclosed are systems and methods associated with a touch-sensitive input device including a plurality of keys, wherein each key of the plurality of keys includes at least one spring. Such a spring may include a substantially planar peak located at a central portion of the spring, a first substantially arcuate leg extending from the peak in a first direction, and a second substantially arcuate leg extending from the peak in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction. In one embodiment, a resistive force provided by the at least one spring decreases after the peak travels a first distance from an initial position of the peak. In such an embodiment, the first distance is less than or equal to approximately of a range of travel of the peak.

A sealed button assembly including a button cap, a push rod, a button retainer, and a bracket is described. The bracket can couple to the button retainer which itself can interlock with the button cap and push rod through a counterbore, the counterbore being defined in a sidewall of the housing of an electronic device.

A to-be-depressed member includes an elastic dome. A sectional shape of the dome orthogonal to an axis line (X2) of the dome is line-symmetric about a symmetry axis (Ax). The dome has a three-dimensional shape that is symmetric with respect to a virtual plane (Sx) containing the symmetry axis and the axis line. During a swinging movement responsive to a depressing operation, an opposed surface of an opposed member relatively approaches and contacts a distal end of the dome to deform the dome so as to generate a reactive force. As for an angle defined between the axis line of the dome and a normal line (X1) of the opposed surface, the angle (0) in an initial state falls in a range from a first angle variation amount from the initial state to a first-contact state to a second angle variation amount from the initial state to a depression-completed state.

A sealed physical button for use with a portable electronic device that effectively presents ingress of liquids. Embodiments include a button cap having flange portions that interlock with complementary flanges from a button retainer. The button cap may also include a downward oriented central post, proportioned and oriented to interface with the top surface of a button attached to a bracket. The button retainer may include an aperture sized and positioned to receive the central post of the button cap. The button retainer may rest on a shelf within the electronic device housing such that the shelf interposes the bracket and the retainer to form a rigid seal.

Different types of user inputs can be input by a user via a keyboard of an input device. These different types of user inputs include, for example, key strikes, multi-touch interactions, single finger motions, and/or mouse clicks. Touch information regarding the pressure applied to the keys of a pressure sensitive keyboard over time (or the contact area of the user input for other types of keyboards over time) is used to classify the intent of the user input as one of the various types of user inputs.

Devices and methods for capacitively sensing key cap position during the initial and latter stages of a keystroke. A key assembly includes a stationary key guide magnet, a movable key cap magnet, and a transmitter/receiver electrode pair. One or both of the electrodes underlies the key cap. The capacitance change between the electrodes during a keystroke includes the capacitance change between the key cap and the electrode pair, and the change in capacitance between the key cap and the key guide. Key cap position may thus be accurately detected throughout the entire keystroke.

Flexible hinge and removable attachment techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a flexible hinge is configured to communicatively and physically couple an input device to a computing device and may implement functionality such as a support layer and minimum bend radius. The input device may also include functionality to promote a secure physical connection between the input device and the computing device. One example of this includes use of one or more protrusions that are configured to be removed from respective cavities of the computing device along a particular axis but mechanically bind along other axes. Other techniques include use of a laminate structure to form a connection portion of the input device.

Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has lesser flexibility than the first location.