Abstract: A key unit includes a reinforcing plate having a support frame for surrounding and supporting key groups arrayed on a key-operating surface of the key unit. The support frame is formed at least by processing the outer edge of the reinforcing plate, and the key unit is installable to a mobile device directly from an outside of a casing of the mobile device through the support frame, for example, by fitting the support frame into an opening provided on the casing of the mobile device into which the key unit should be incorporated. For a decoration to the support frame or an exposed part of the reinforcing plate, there are used printing, painting, or various film-forming methods with a metal or a nonmetal.

Abstract: A key unit having means whereby a reinforcement plate, which is formed of a rigid material, such as a metal or a hard resin, and is prepared in order to provide a shape maintenance property for a rubber keypad included in a key unit, is employed not simply for maintaining the shape of the keypad, but more variously, as a functional design component of a mobile device that includes a key unit. A key unit having a case wherein a key operation portion of a keypad is formed using a flexible rubber material, and the other portion of the keypad is formed using a rigid reinforcement plate, or is reinforced by a reinforcement plate, characterized by the integral formation, with the key unit that includes the reinforcement plate, of at least a part of a case for a mobile device on which the key unit is to be mounted.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to utilize a reinforcing plate formed out of a hard resin or a metal introduced into a key unit in order to overcome the weak point such that the conventional rubber keypads are too soft and lack shape stability, as a functional design element of equipment including a key unit into which the plate is incorporated. A support frame 4a for surrounding and supporting key groups arrayed on a key-operating surface of a key unit 1 in a manner such as a picture frame is formed by processing the outer edge of a reinforcing plate 4, and the key unit can be installed to mobile equipment directly from the outside of casing through the support frame, for example, by fitting the support frame 4a into an opening provided on the casing of the mobile equipment into which the key unit should be incorporated.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to utilize a reinforcing plate formed out of a metal or a hard resin introduced into a key unit in order to overcome the weak point that conventional rubber keypads are too soft and lack shape stability, as a design element of equipment including a key unit into which the plate is incorporated. For example, a part of metal reinforcing plate 4 is positively exposed to a position which can be seen from the outside of key unit 1, and various decorations are applied to the exposed part 7 so as to allow it to function as a decorated component. As a location where the reinforcing plate is exposed, there can be cited a part between each key on the key face or an annular part which encircles a plurality of key clusters. A mode may be considered in which the part of the exposed reinforcing plate 4 surrounds each individual key top 2 like a key frame, so as to substitute a key frame which has been conventionally realized by the equipment casing.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to utilize a. reinforcing plate formed out of a metal or a hard resin introduced into a key unit in order to overcome the weak point that conventional rubber keypads are too soft and lack shape stability, as a design element of equipment including a key unit into which the plate is incorporated. For example, a part of metal reinforcing plate 4 is positively exposed to a position which can be seen from the outside of key unit 1, and various decorations are applied to the exposed part 7 so as to allow it to function as a decorated component. As a location where the reinforcing plate is exposed, there can be cited a part between each key on the key face or an annular part which encircles a plurality of key clusters. A mode may be considered in which the part of the exposed reinforcing plate 4 surrounds each individual key top 2 like a key frame, so as to substitute a key frame which has been conventionally realized by the equipment casing.