BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a button switch and a restoration assembly thereof, and more specifically, to a button switch providing a tactile feedback via interference/disengagement between a spring of a restoration assembly and a sleeve.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A keyboard, which is the most common input device, could be found in variety of electronic apparatuses for users to input characters, symbols, numerals and so on. Furthermore, from consumer electronic products to industrial machine tools, they are all equipped with a keyboard for performing input operations.

In practical application, there are various kinds of keyswitches for providing different tactile feedbacks. For example, a gaming keyboard would indicates that it has red, brown or black keyswitches installed thereon on its packing box to remind the user of what kind of tactile feedback (e.g. high or low triggering position, long or short travel distance, tactile or linear feedback, clicky or non-clicky tactile feedback, etc.) the gaming keyboard could provide.

In the clicky tactile feedback design, it usually involves additionally disposing a flexible acoustic member in the button switch to partially interfere with a shaft of the button switch. Accordingly, when a user presses the button switch, the shaft presses the flexible acoustic member to deform, and then the flexible acoustic member returns to its original position to generate a tactile feedback or further collides with an internal member of the button switch to make sound. However, the aforesaid design usually causes an additional component cost and a time-consuming and strenuous keyswitch manufacturing process and occupies much internal space of the keyswitch.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a button switch including a key cap, a base, and a restoration assembly. The base is disposed opposite to the key cap. The restoration assembly is disposed between the key cap and the base and includes a first sleeve, a second sleeve, and a spring. The first sleeve has a first inner diameter and a first outer diameter. The second sleeve has a second outer diameter larger than the first outer diameter of the first sleeve to make the second sleeve movably jacket outside the first sleeve. The jacketed first and second sleeves are disposed between the key cap and the base. The spring is disposed between the first sleeve and the second sleeve. The spring has a first end portion, a second end portion and a middle section. A middle outer diameter of the middle section is larger than the first inner diameter of the first sleeve. When the key cap is located at a non-pressed position, the first end portion is disposed through the first sleeve, and the second end portion and the middle section are disposed through the second sleeve. During the spring being compressed along with the key cap being pressed downward, the middle section is squeezed to shrink and slide into the first sleeve through an end edge of the first sleeve, thereby producing a tactile feedback and/or a first sound. When the spring is released from a pressed position along with the key cap, the spring extends to move the middle section from the first sleeve back into the second sleeve.

The present invention further provides a restoration assembly for returning the button switch after the button switch is pressed. The restoration assembly includes a first sleeve, a second sleeve, and a spring. The first sleeve has a first inner diameter and a first outer diameter. The second sleeve has a second outer diameter larger than the first outer diameter of the first sleeve to make the second sleeve movably jacket outside the first sleeve. The spring is disposed between the first sleeve and the second sleeve. The spring has a first end portion, a second end portion and a middle section. A middle outer diameter of the middle section is larger than the first inner diameter of the first sleeve. When the first sleeve and the second sleeve are in a stretched state, the first end portion is disposed through the first sleeve, and the second end portion and the middle section are disposed through the second sleeve. When the first sleeve and the second sleeve are in a compressed state, the middle section is squeezed to shrink and slide into the first sleeve through an end edge of the first sleeve, thereby producing a tactile feedback and/or a sound. When the first sleeve and the second sleeve are released from the compressed state, the spring extends to move the middle section from the first sleeve back into the second sleeve.

These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.

