US4801771A — Force sensitive device

Claim 1

Independent Claim 110 words

A force sensitive device comprising: (a) a first conductive layer; (b) a second conductive layer with an insulative backing layer resiliently deformable to come into contact with a contact portion of said first conductive layer upon application of a force to said insulative backing layer, the magnitude of said force being approximately equal in every application; and (c) a plurality of spacing members attached to preselected positions of said second conductive layer, respectively, for intervening between said first conductive layer and said second conductive layer and formed of an insulating material, wherein said preselected positions are successively varied in area for variance of the contacting areas of the conductive layers.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 110 words

A force sensitive device comprising: (a) a first conductive layer; (b) a second conductive layer with an insulative backing layer resiliently deformable to come into contact with a contact portion of said first conductive layer upon application of a force to said insulative backing layer, the magnitude of said force being approximately equal in every application; and (c) a plurality of spacing members attached to preselected positions of said second conductive layer, respectively, for intervening between said first conductive layer and said second conductive layer and formed of an insulating material, wherein said preselected positions are successively varied in area for variance of the contacting areas of the conductive layers.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 46 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 1, in which said spacing members are arranged in rows and columns and are attached to said preselected positions of said second conductive layer, respectively, said preselected positions in at least one row being varied in area.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 24 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 2, in which said preselected positions in at least one column are varied in area.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 22 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 3, in which each of said spacing members has a substantially semispherical configuration.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 55 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 1, in which said spacing members are integral with said insulative backing layer to form a plurality of depressions open to a surface of said first conductive layer and in which a plurality of strips forming said second conductive layer are respectively received in said depressions.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 43 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 5, in which said depressions are arranged in rows and columns and in which said depressions in at least one row have respective cross-sections classified into a plurality of groups in terms of area.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 32 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 5, in which said depressions in at least one column have respective cross-sections classified into a plurality of groups in terms of area.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 75 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 5, in which said depressions are classified into at least first and second groups, the depressions of said first group being located at a central zone of said insulative backing layer, the depressions of said second group being located on an outer zone of said insulative backing layer, wherein each depression of said first group is different in area from the depressions of said second group.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 21 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 5, in which each of said depressions has a circular cross section.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 24 words

A force sensitive force as set forth in claim 1, in which said second conductive layer is formed of silicon rubber containing carbon particles.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 24 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 1, in which said insulative backing layer is formed of silicon rubber without carbon particles.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 165 words

A force sensitive device comprising: (a) a first conductive layer; (b) a second conductive layer with an insulative backing layer resiliently deformable to come into contact with a contact portion of said first conductive layer upon application of a force to said insulative backing layer, the magnitude of said force being approximately equal in every application; and (c) a plurality of insulative spacing members identical in geometry with one another and attached to preselected positions of said second conductive layer, respectively, for intervening between said first conductive layer and said second conductive layer, wherein said spacing members are classified into more than three groups, every adjacent two of said spacing members in one of said groups being spaced by a first distance different in length from a second distance between adjacent two of said spacing members in another group, every adjacent two or said spacing members in still another group being spaced by a third distance different in length from said first and second distances.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 165 words

A force sensitive device comprising: (a) a first conductive layer; (b) a second conductive layer with an insulative backing layer resiliently deformable to come into contact with a contact portion of said first conductive layer upon application of a force to said insulative backing layer, the magnitude of said force being approximately equal in every application; and (c) a plurality of insulative spacing members identical in geometry with one another and attached to preselected positions of said second conductive layer, respectively, for intervening between said first conductive layer and said second conductive layer, wherein said spacing members are classified into more than three groups, every adjacent two of said spacing members in one of said groups being spaced by a first distance different in length from a second distance between adjacent two of said spacing members in another group, every adjacent two or said spacing members in still another group being spaced by a third distance different in length from said first and second distances.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 59 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 12, in which said second conductive layer has a surface classified into a central zone and at least two outer zones and in which said one of groups, said another group and said still another group are attached to said central zone and said at least two outer zones, respectively.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 114 words

A force sensitive device comprising: (a) a first conductive layer; (b) a second conductive layer with an insulative backing layer resiliently deformable to come into contact with a contact portion of said first conductive layer upon application of a force to said insulative backing layer, the magnitude of said force being approximately equal in every application; and (c) an insulating intermediate sheet intervening between said first conductive layer and said second conductive layer and formed with a plurality of through holes each open at both sides thereof to respective surfaces of said first and second conductive layers, wherein said through holes have respective cross-sections classified into a plurality of groups in terms of area.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 114 words

A force sensitive device comprising: (a) a first conductive layer; (b) a second conductive layer with an insulative backing layer resiliently deformable to come into contact with a contact portion of said first conductive layer upon application of a force to said insulative backing layer, the magnitude of said force being approximately equal in every application; and (c) an insulating intermediate sheet intervening between said first conductive layer and said second conductive layer and formed with a plurality of through holes each open at both sides thereof to respective surfaces of said first and second conductive layers, wherein said through holes have respective cross-sections classified into a plurality of groups in terms of area.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 38 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 14, in which said through holes are arranged in rows and columns and in which said through holes in at least one row have respective cross-sections varied in area.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 26 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 14, in which said through holes in at least one column have respective cross-sections varied in area.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 54 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 14, in which said insulating intermediate sheet has a central zone and at least one outer zone and in which each of said through holes in the central zone has a crosssection different in area from that of said through holes in the outer zone.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 22 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 14, in which said insulating intermediate sheet is formed of a polyester resin.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 22 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 14, in which each of said through holes has a circular cross section.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 127 words

A force sensitive device comprising: (a) a first conductive layer formed on an insulating carrier sheet; (b) a second conductive layer resiliently deformable to come into contact with one of plural contact portions of said first conductive layer upon application of a force, the magnitude of said force being approximately equal in every application; and (c) a plurality of insulative spacing members attached to preselected positions of said second conductive layer, respectively, for allowing said first conductive layer to be spaced from said second conductive layer, wherein said contact portions of said first conductive layer have respective area classified in terms of area for variance of the contacting areas of the conductive layers with one of said respective areas coming into contact with said second conductive layer.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 127 words

A force sensitive device comprising: (a) a first conductive layer formed on an insulating carrier sheet; (b) a second conductive layer resiliently deformable to come into contact with one of plural contact portions of said first conductive layer upon application of a force, the magnitude of said force being approximately equal in every application; and (c) a plurality of insulative spacing members attached to preselected positions of said second conductive layer, respectively, for allowing said first conductive layer to be spaced from said second conductive layer, wherein said contact portions of said first conductive layer have respective area classified in terms of area for variance of the contacting areas of the conductive layers with one of said respective areas coming into contact with said second conductive layer.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 34 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 20, in which said contact portions respectively have a plurality of conductive patterns each consisting of first and second strips electrically isolated from each other.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 37 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 21, in which one of said conductive patterns has the first and second strips different in area from the first and second strips of another conductive patterns, respectively.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 25 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 21, in which the first and second strips of each conductive pattern has an interdigitated configuration.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 37 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 23, in which the first and second strips of one of said conductive patterns are different in width from the first and second strips of another conductive pattern.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 58 words

A force sensitive device as set forth in claim 23, in which the first and second strips of one of said conductive patterns are spaced from each other by a first distance and in which the first and second strips of another conductive pattern are spaced from each other by a second distance different from said first distance.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1992-01-31	1992-08-01	1993-01-31	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1996-01-31	1996-08-01	1997-01-31	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2000-01-31	2000-08-01	2001-01-31	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Force sensitive device

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