Abstract:
Aspects of the invention relate to an apparatus including a housing and a slot disposed in the housing, the slot configured to hold an input device in a plurality of upright configurations including at least a forward-facing upright configuration such that the input device faces the front portion of the housing, and at least a backward-facing upright configuration such that the input device faces the back portion of the housing. The slot can be overmolded with a rubber compound (e.g. silicon-based) and configured to provide an improved coefficient of friction to reduce slippage of the input device when held in the slot. In some aspects, the housing includes a surface, and the overmolded portion of the slot can protrude above the surface of the housing.
Abstract:
Embodiments describing a method of forming a multi-layered keycap structure are disclosed herein. The method includes forming a first polymer layer on a second polymer layer, wherein the first polymer layer includes a first color and the second polymer layer includes a second color, and coupling the first polymer layer and second polymer layer to a substrate layer such that the first polymer layer is closer to the substrate than the second polymer layer. The method may further include forming a third polymer layer on the second polymer layer; and etching the multi-layered keycap structure to form an opening having a bottom surface that exposes at least one of the first or second color.
Abstract:
Embodiments describing a method of forming a multi-layered keycap structure are disclosed herein. The method includes forming a first polymer layer on a second polymer layer, wherein the first polymer layer includes a first color and the second polymer layer includes a second color, and coupling the first polymer layer and second polymer layer to a substrate layer such that the first polymer layer is closer to the substrate than the second polymer layer. The method may further include forming a third polymer layer on the second polymer layer; and etching the multi-layered keycap structure to form an opening having a bottom surface that exposes at least one of the first or second color.
Abstract:
Embodiments provide a touch surface that can be integrated into an electronic device. User input can be received via the touch surface (e.g., a touchscreen, a key cap). The touch surface can include a substrate, a rigid layer for maintaining the contours of the substrate, and a surface layer deposited over the rigid layer for adjusting the surface energy of the touch surface. The substrate can be made with plastic; the rigid layer can be a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating; and the surface layer can be comprised of fluoro- or silicon-rich molecules. The DLC can be deposited over the plastic substrate via physical vapor deposition (PVD) while the surface layer can be deposited over the DLC via a chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The touch surface can be constructed using different layers of material and using different methods to improve the longevity of the touch surface against repeated use and wear.
Abstract:
Embodiments provide a touch surface that can be integrated into an electronic device. User input can be received via the touch surface (e.g., a touchscreen, a key cap). The touch surface can include a substrate, a rigid layer for maintaining the contours of the substrate, and a surface layer deposited over the rigid layer for adjusting the surface energy of the touch surface. The substrate can be made with plastic; the rigid layer can be a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating; and the surface layer can be comprised of fluoro- or silicon-rich molecules. The DLC can be deposited over the plastic substrate via physical vapor deposition (PVD) while the surface layer can be deposited over the DLC via a chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The touch surface can be constructed using different layers of material and using different methods to improve the longevity of the touch surface against repeated use and wear.
Abstract:
Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for imprinting fonts on a flexible key cap. In some embodiments, the method for imprinting font on a flexible key cap includes mixing polyurethane (PU) and one or more laser additives to form a PU clay mixture. The PU clay mixture can be infused into a molding tool to form a set of key caps. Some embodiments place a fabric layer over the molding tool and applies pressure over the fabric layer to couple the set of key caps and the fabric layer. A laser marking technique can be applied over a portion of the set of key caps. A characteristic of the portion of the set of key caps can be modified in response to the UV laser application and cause a color change at the portion of the set of key caps.