Patents Examined by Vanessa Girardi
  • Patent number: 10600591
    Abstract: This application provides a luminous keyboard, including a plurality of keys, a plurality of keys, a light guide plate, and a reflector. Each of the keys includes a rubber dome, where the rubber dome is made of a translucent material doped with a plurality of light-diffusion particles, and when the rubber dome is irradiated by a light ray, a part of the light ray is diffused when traveling upward through the rubber dome, and the other part of the light ray is reflected downward by the rubber dome to the reflector, then, is reflected upward, and is diffused when passing by a plurality of light diffusion protrusions of the light guide plate, to be emitted outward through the keys.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: PRIMAX ELECTRONICS LTD.
    Inventors: Ying-Te Chiang, Lei-Lung Tsai, Yu-Ming Lin, Ding-Hsiang Pan
  • Patent number: 10590600
    Abstract: An item such as a fabric-based item may have a layer of fabric with openings that are illuminated by a light source. The openings may form symbols or other shapes and may serve as labels for keyboard keys or other components. The fabric may be formed from transparent strands of material that are coated with opaque material or may be formed from opaque strands of material in which openings are formed by laser drilling. The openings may be covered with a transparent coating layer such as a translucent polymer coating. Translucent material on the fabric may be patterned to form parts of the labels or other shapes created by the illuminated openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Xiaopeng Wang, Christopher T. Lebedeff, Joel N. Ruscher, Zheng Gao, Siddhartha Hegde, Zhengyu Li
  • Patent number: 10581182
    Abstract: A holding and contacting device is disclosed. In an embodiment a holding and contacting device includes a cage defining a cable path through the cage and a spring element protruding into the cable path and configured to apply a clamping force onto a cable placed along the cable path, wherein the spring element and the cage comprise a metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: EPCOS AG
    Inventors: Alvaro Gonzalez, Francisco Gonzalez, Tomas Wagner
  • Patent number: 10572037
    Abstract: A operation input device includes a lever and a dial serving as movable operation parts that are moved by a user to be operated, a touch pad through which the user inputs a touch operation, and a braking mechanism for controlling movement of the lever and the dial. The dial is provided on top of the lever, and the touch pad is provided on the dial. The braking mechanism controls movement of the lever and the dial, that is, movement of the position of the touch pad, while a touch operation is performed on the touch pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Norihiro Naito
  • Patent number: 10573470
    Abstract: A compression activated switch includes an electrically conductive contact layer pair formed of a conductive first contact layer for electrically connecting to a power source, and a conductive second contact layer spaced from the first contact layer for connecting to an application, and a resilient layer sandwiched between said first and second contact layers and having at least one resilient layer port; so that weight placed on the switch compresses the resilient layer and thereby advances said first contact layer toward said second contact layer until the first and second contact layers make electrically conductive contact through the at least one resilient layer port, closing the switch. A switch assembly includes multiple compression activated switches arrayed either horizontally or vertically and separated by insulating structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: FONTAINE BRAKE COMPANY
    Inventor: William G. Fontaine
  • Patent number: 10573479
    Abstract: A micro-electromechanical-system (MEMS) switch (1) is formed in a substrate (2) and includes a first RF signal line (3) and a second RF signal line (4), a deformable membrane (5), an activator (7) configured to deform the membrane (5), a substrate track, and a membrane track. The RF signal lines (3, 4) are connected by one of the membrane track and the substrate track. A membrane RF ground (9, 10) is integrated into the membrane (5), and the membrane RF ground is electrically connected to a substrate RF ground (11, 12, 3, 14), the membrane RF ground framing and being formed parallel to at least one among the membrane track (8) and the substrate track, such that the RF ground (9, 10) closely follows the RF signal path, in order to guide the propagation of the RF signal of the first RF signal line (3) to the second RF signal line (4) when the switch is in the on state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: AIRMEMS
    Inventors: Romain Stefanini, Ling Yan Zhang, Abedel Halim Zahr
  • Patent number: 10566149
    Abstract: A locking/unlocking structure of switch device includes a main body and an operation button. The main body is formed with a first stop section and a second stop section. The main body defines a chamber, in which a reaction drum and a wire connection module are assembled. A first elastic unit is disposed between the reaction drum and the main body for making the reaction drum positioned in an initial assembling position, (where the wire connection module is in a closed-circuit state). The reaction drum is assembled with a restriction unit and a second elastic unit. When the reaction drum moves in response to the motion of the operation button, the second elastic unit will force the restriction unit to move from the first stop section to the second stop section so as to control the wire connection module into an open-circuit state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignees: Switchlab Inc., Switchlab (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chih-Yuan Wu, Wen Bing Hsu
  • Patent number: 10556508
    Abstract: A motor vehicle control panel includes a front face including a control zone; a printed circuit board; at least one electrically conductive capacitive detection element extending along a vertical axis from the rear surface of the front face to an electrical contact zone of the printed circuit board; a light source mounted on the printed circuit board and able to produce a back lighting light beam toward the control zone through the capacitive detection element; the capacitive detection element also comprises at least one rigid tubular part forming a light guide for the light beam and at least one elastic part made in one piece with the rigid tubular part so as to compensate the clearances between the rear surface and the detection element and between the printed circuit board and the detection element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Aptiv Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Artur Boron, Janusz Lipka, Przemyslaw Madon, Sebastian Melfried, Halina Niemiec, Grzegorz Szostek
  • Patent number: 10559439
    Abstract: A rocker switch device includes an operation knob with a close bottom cylindrical shape configured to be operated, a body including a contact point configured such that current is interruptible by the operation knob and a support portion that projects toward an inside of the operation knob and supports the operation knob in a manner allowing for rocking, and a projection portion that projects from a portion of a surface of the support portion of the body that opposes the operation knob or a portion of a surface of the operation knob that opposes the body toward an opposing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI RIKA DENKI SEISAKUSHO
    Inventor: Akito Ishihara
  • Patent number: 10553994
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes: a housing having a base and a frontal tongue, the base having a front part and a rear part; an upper and lower rows of contacts arranged in the housing and exposed respectively to two opposite surfaces of the tongue; and a front and rear shielding shells enclosing the housing, the rear part of the base extending rearwardly beyond the front shielding shell; wherein the rear shielding shell has an intermediate part, a front part continuing the intermediate part, a pair of side parts continuing the intermediate part, and a rear part continuing the intermediate part, or the rear shielding shell forwardly abuts the front shielding shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: FOXCONN INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Jun Zhao, Cai-Yun Zhang
  • Patent number: 10546709
    Abstract: An engageable drive engageable operating mechanism for converting a movement of a linear translation operating handle to a rotating handle movement relative to the operative front face engageable with a molded-case circuit breaker. The mechanism includes an external rotating adapter external rotating operating member or alternatively an engageable drive engageable operating mechanism incorporating a handle assembly external rotating operating member, interchangeable with each other; and a gear, a support movable movement-converting support including a rack portion, and a structural support base, wherein the structural support base includes a built-in side opening chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: WEG Drives and Controls Automação Ltda
    Inventor: João Paulo Abdala
  • Patent number: 10529511
    Abstract: A flow switch including: a fluid inlet for receiving fluid in-line relative to a flow switch body; a poppet valve disposed in the fluid inlet and having a variable location relative to the flow switch body; an actuator pin affixed to the poppet valve; a helical spring disposed about the actuator pin, where the poppet valve is spring-loaded via the spring; and where the spring-loaded poppet valve is configured to move away from the fluid inlet with increasing volumetric fluid flow and towards the fluid inlet with decreasing volumetric fluid flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: HYDRA-ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: John Chick Hong Tang
  • Patent number: 10529504
    Abstract: A keyboard switch, including a base; a static contact; a moving contact; an upper cover; a button configured to control the contact of the static contact and the moving contact; and a reset spring configured to control the reset of the button.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Inventor: Fuxi Wu
  • Patent number: 10522923
    Abstract: An electrical connector (2) comprising a quarter turn fastener (4), the quarter turn fastener (4) comprising a stud (6) having at least one helical cam slot (8) and a receptacle (10) comprising at least one cam follower (24) and a biasing means (12), the connector further comprising means for connection (14) to an electrical assembly, wherein the electrical connector has a first electrical contact surface (16) and a second electrical contact surface (17) and releasably connects the first and second surfaces in operative engagement, and wherein the electrical connector maintains a constant clamp force across the surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Bollhoff Unifast SRL
    Inventor: Simon Robert Beauchamp
  • Patent number: 10515769
    Abstract: A push switch according to the present disclosure includes: a case including a recess and having an upper surface located around the recess; a movable member disposed in the recess and including a pressure-receiving portion; a contact portion which switches between ON and OFF by deformation of the movable member; a first sheet including a joining portion which is opposite to the upper surface of the case, a pressing portion located above the pressure-receiving portion, and an intermediate portion located between the joining portion and the pressing portion, the first sheet covering the recess at the pressing portion and the intermediate portion; and a second sheet joined to the first sheet. The joining portion of the first sheet is joined to the upper surface of the case, and the second sheet is joined to the intermediate portion of the first sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kunio Doro
  • Patent number: 10510504
    Abstract: Systems (100) and methods (2400) for operating a submersible switch positioned below a body of water's surface. The methods comprise: deflecting a semi-rigid top wall of the submersible switch's cap towards a center of the switch when hydrostatic pressure is applied thereto; directly applying a pushing force by the submersible switch's cap onto an actuator of an internal switch disposed in a body of the submersible switch; and causing an operational state change of the submersible switch in response to the pushing force being applied directly to the actuator of the internal switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: Eagle Technology, LLC
    Inventors: Brannen L. Johnson, G. Randell Straley, Jeffrey M. Rhein, Sean P. Marikle
  • Patent number: 10504673
    Abstract: A switch device and a cooking device having a switch device. The switch device may include a first switch configured to be opened or closed based on contact or non-contact between the first blade and the second blade; a second switch configured to be opened and closed based on contact or non-contact between the third blade and the fourth blade; a housing that accommodates the first switch and the second switch therein; and an actuator disposed in the housing and actuated to selectively open and close the first switch and the second switch. The first switch and the second switch may be fixedly supported by a support structure disposed on a same plane as a mounting plane for the actuator and may be positioned in a single inner space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventor: Jungmin Cha
  • Patent number: 10498082
    Abstract: There is provided a movable connector that more reliably suppresses pivotal motion of a connection target object at a contact section serving as the center of the pivotal motion. Further, reliable suppression of the pivotal motion of the connection target object at the contact section is achieved with no increase in the size of terminals. A contact section includes a first contact piece section having a first contact section that achieves pressing contact with a pin terminal T in a first direction, a second contact piece section having a second contact section that achieves pressing contact with the pin terminal T in the first direction in a position shifted from the first contact section toward the far side, and a contact receiving section that faces the first and second contact sections and has a contact surface section that comes into contact with the pin terminal T over the length thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: IRISO ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Suzuki, Hiroaki Kobayashi, Yoshiyuki Ogura, Tomomitsu Saito, Daichi Shimba, Koji Kuniyoshi
  • Patent number: 10497527
    Abstract: A modular auxiliary switch includes a housing including a first housing part and a separate second housing part secured to the first housing part. A printed circuit board is housed in one of the first and second housing parts, and has a first side facing the first housing part and a second opposite side facing the second housing part. An actuator mechanism is housed in the first housing part and is coupled to the printed circuit board. A separate first electrical contactor is selectively mounted to the printed circuit board so that a first electrical contact surface of the first electrical contactor overlaps and is in direct contact with one of the first side and the second side to define a first electrical contact pad on the printed circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: SAFRAN ELECTRICAL & POWER
    Inventors: Christopher Kenneth Wyatt, James Broadwell, Dean Morgan
  • Patent number: 10490956
    Abstract: An interface module supportable by a support member includes a housing, having an upper portion defining an access opening and a lower portion, and an interface assembly. The interface assembly is mounted to the upper portion at the access opening. The interface assembly includes an interface device, the interface device having an electrical connection element. The lower portion is placeable in a first orientation spaced-apart from the upper portion to provide substantially unhindered access to the electrical connection element, and in a second orientation secured to the upper portion to define an open region between the lower portion and the interface assembly. Examples of the interface device include a utility power interface device, a reduced power electrical interface device, a USB device, an audiovisual interface device, a data interface device, and a communication interface device. The interface module can include rows of interface assemblies overlying the same open region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: HAWORTH, INC.
    Inventor: Steven Jay King