FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates generally to keyboards for computers where a top portion containing the keycaps is replaceable, removable and user-serviceable. More particularly, the present invention helps to solve the industry problems enumerated, but not limited by, below:

[0003] A. Voluminous amount of keyboards still under warranty are being returned for repair/exchange due to malfunctions that are user-serviceable in nature. The amount of money that will be saved by avoiding such repair/exchange is estimated at least in the millions every year across the industry.

[0004] B. Substantially lesser amount of metal and rare metal contained in the bottom portion of a keyboard will not become scrap metal causing environmental hazards some years down the road because the bottom portion has long durability than the top portion. People are waking up to the potential hazards created by cast away computers, cell phones and other consumer electronics. Tremendous amount of money will be saved because of the reduced costs to cure the potential environmental hazards.

[0005] C. Chances of breakdown on the non-removable part of the keyboard is greatly reduced due to the fact the liquid spillage will not accumulate in the holding (aka bay) area.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Modern day keyboards for computers come in an integrated package, along with the computer system units when sold. Users can plug in the keyboard cord to a port at the back of the system unit and can then start to type on the keyboard when the desktop computer is working.

[0007] Latest generations of computers are more compact than ever before. The whole system (CPU, memory, I/O ports, DVD/HD/Floppy drives and other optional equipment or connection ports) can arguably be in a single package the size of a keyboard, so that a user merely sees and uses the “keyboard” to work on the computer. In this type of new generation computer, keyboard becomes integrated and on top of the system, similar to the notebook/laptop computers today.

[0008] Most keyboards carry limited product warranty, on the condition that users do not take apart, disassemble or remove parts of keyboard in any way. Any such action voids the product warranty. If the keyboard develops any malfunction, the only recourse under the warranty is to have it returned for repair or exchange. Some manufacturers have sticker(s) covering one or more screws used to fasten the keyboard parts together. Any breaking or removal of such sticker(s) will also void the warranty.

[0009] In today's technology, most keyboards have fairly high quality and durability. However, in the real-life working environment, keyboards are destined to encounter some foreign objects that tend to cause problems, including, just to name a few, grease from fingers, liquid spillage, dusts and particles in the atmosphere. Without any means to clear the accumulated foreign matter away, inevitably the mechanical functionality of the keyboard is adversely affected.

[0010] Typical symptoms include, keycaps stuck in the holding chimneys by the accumulation of dried coffee, grease or dusts. Due to the “void the warranty” restriction, the only solution is to return the keyboard for repair service or in exchange for a new one. Since the keyboard industry in general does not factor in the cost of recycling keyboard components, the cost of sending out a new keyboard to users is lower than the labor cost of diagnosing, fixing and re-assembling a returned keyboard. Hundreds of thousands of returned keyboards gravitated towards storage bins, warehouses and even garbage dumps each year, while no one bothers to figure out how to make the best use of the re-useable resources and come up with a more environmentally sound solution to the problem.

[0011] In the case of notebook/laptop computers, or in the case of the new generation compact computers, when a problem occurs that relates to the keyboard, the only recourse a user has is to send back the whole system unit for repair/exchange.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

[0012] The present invention examines the structure of a typical keyboard for modern day computers, and proposes a new modular keyboard design that helps to solve the industry problems.

[0013] Modern day keyboards for desktop computers are usually produced by using an upper and a lower enclosures (the outer shells for the finished keyboard product) to sandwich all internal components, which typically include keycap component, key-actuating mechanism, top holding plate, circuitry membrane and PCB, bottom holding plates/frame, and other optional components. Reference FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0014] Since each manufacturer may have different assembly method, or may combine one part into another (bigger) part, understandably the components in FIGS. 1 and 2 are just typical and not exhaustively representative.

[0015] From top to bottom (in the usual orientation of daily usage), these typical internal components (excluding the top/bottom enclosures) are listed and explained below:

[0016] 1. keycap component: includes the following typical sub-components

[0017] a. individual keycap with alpha-numeric characters and other control keys for any specific language. The surface of each keycap, printed or labeled with character(s) for visual identification, is for human fingers to type on.

[0018] b. keycap holding mechanism to provide for the vertical up-down travel of each keycap when pressed down and then popped back. The mechanism can be in the form of a chimney, as in FIG. 2, or in the form of a scissor switch, as in FIG. 1.

[0019] c. frame for the holding mechanism to sit on. In today's manufacturing process, the frame and the holding mechanism is usually an integrated structural piece.

[0020] 2. top holding plate: optional, serves to hold down the key actuating mechanism and protect the components beneath.

[0021] 3. key actuating mechanism: provides resistance and position restoration for the up-down travel of each keycap. There are some variations as to the type of mechanism used for keyboard, to name a few:

[0022] a. Rubber dome (sheet): most common today, which uses dome-shaped material corresponding to each keycap.

[0023] b. Coil spring: vertical placement of coil springs along the up-down travel of each keycap, common for earlier generation keyboards; classical way of providing resistance and position restoration for each keycap.

[0024] c. Flexible metal plate.

[0025] d. Buttons formed by sealed air bubbles on rubber or plastic material.

[0026] 4. circuitry membrane and PCB: the combined circuitry membrane and PCB (printed circuitry board) electronically determine which of the keycap is being pressed down and send that information to the computer for further processing.

[0027] 5. bottom holding plate: used to hold the aforesaid components in place.

[0028] It is well known in the industry that these components are just typical, because a lot of variations exist due to different designs and manufacturing processes. For example, in earlier keyboard models, the coil springs (key actuating mechanism) are integrated with and became part of the keycap component.

[0029] FIGS. 1 and 2 sum up the structural allocation of a typical keyboard for computers. As most people can experience, these typical keyboards cannot be separated into two or more modules that can be physically removed, detached, replaced, swapped or serviced.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0030] One object of present invention seeks to greatly reduce the costs of diagnosing, fixing and reassembling a returned keyboard, or exchange for a new one, when warranty still applies.

[0031] A further object of present invention is to create a keyboard manufacturing technology that is environmentally friendly and is conducive to elimination of future environmental hazards.

[0032] A still further object of present invention is to reduce the liquid spillage that stay in the keyboard holding area, thus creating moisture which tend to adversely affect other system components of the computer.

[0033] A still further object of present invention is to allow easy maintenance and cleaning of the keyboard by spraying clean water or other solution at the keyboard since the keyboard holding area (aka bay) has drainage to channel out the water or solution containing dust or other particles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0035] For reason of definition, and for further explanation of present invention, the term “keycap module” will be used to denote the module that contains, minimally, the keycaps, keycap holding mechanism and frame for keycap holding mechanism.

[0036] The term “base module” will denote the module that contains, minimally, the circuitry membrane and PCB. As a matter of practice, in a keyboard produced following the teachings of present invention, anything on the keyboard other than the “keycap-module” is the “base module”. Therefore, base module can be the system unit of a notebook/laptop computer, or, in the case of new generation computer, the system unit of a desktop computer, excluding the display monitor.

[0037] Depending on specific manufacturing technique, present invention allows the component of key actuating mechanism to be allocated into the keycap module or the base module.

[0038] The cavity left in the base module when keycap module is removed is referred to as keycap bay.

[0039] Drain holes on the keycap bay are also referred to as water channeling mechanism.