EP2282315A1

EP2282315A1 - Illuminated push button

Info

Publication number: EP2282315A1
Application number: EP10171267A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Fabrizio Alberici
Original assignee: Alberici SpA
Current assignee: Alberici SpA
Priority date: 2009-07-31
Filing date: 2010-07-29
Publication date: 2011-02-09
Also published as: ITBO20090060U1

Abstract

An illuminated push-button for game machine includes a body (2) hookable to the game machine.

Into the body (2) a sliding element is housed (3) supporting a cap (5) illuminable by means of a light source (6), consisting of two LED (6a; 6b) and internal to the push-button (1), and acting on electrical commutation means (7).

The push-button (1) includes moreover connecting means (8) to the game machine and a single supporting means (6) of the light source (6), of the electrical commutation means (7) and of the connecting means (8).

Description

The present invention relates to game machines, and in particular it refers to an illuminated push-button for such machines.
The known illuminated push-buttons essentially include a body for engaging the game machine and for housing a sliding element, intended for carrying out the opening and closing stroke of the push-button electrical connection, and for supporting at its upper end an overbody providing a seat for a transparent cap fit for enabling the light passage emitted by a lamp opportunely housed inside the sliding element.
Therefore, such known push buttons are fit to operate the main functions of the game machine and, when in operation, they allow the lighting of the transparent cover.
A drawback of the known illuminated push-button is that they incorporate a lamp support different from the micro-switch support which is separated from the electrical means of the push-button connecting to the control card of the game machine.
Further disadvantage of the known push-buttons resides in the fact that the lighted portion, in some cases, is reduced and however is only of one color.
The main object of the present invention is to propose an illuminated push-button incorporating a single supporting means for the lighting, commutation and connecting means.
Further object is to propose an illuminated push-button with more than one illuminable zone also with different colorings.
The characteristics of the invention are in the following evidenced with particular reference to the attached drawings in which:

figure 1 shows a perspective view of the push-button object of the present invention;
figure 2 shows a top view of the push-button of figure 1;
figure 3 shows a section according to the plan III-III of the push-button of figure 2;
figure 4 shows a side-view of the unique support means of the push-button of figure 1;
figure 5 shows a front view of the supporting means of figure 4;
figure 6 shows a perspective view of the supporting means of figure 4;
figure 7 shows the single housing of the supporting means of figure 4.

With reference to figures 1-7, numeral 1 indicates an illuminated push-button for game machine, known and not shown, that is essentially including a body 2, a sliding element 3, a fixing element, the so-called overbody 4, a cap 5, a supporting means 9, a light source 6, electrical commutation means 7, connecting means 8 and a bolt 11.
The body 2 is internally hollow and houses the sliding element 3 with the interposition of a spring, not shown, and outside is provided with a threaded zone to facilitate the hooking of the push-button 1 to the game machine by means of the bolt 11.
The sliding element 3 is internally hollow, it houses the light source 6, that consists of a LED cup 6a, 6b that, in the preferred embodiment, they produce light of the same color and that, in a variant, have different coloring.
The overbody 4 is fixed to the upper portion of the body 2 and constitutes the peripheral viewable portion of the push-button 1.
The electrical commutation means 7 consists of a microswitch.
The connecting means 8 include at least a pin connector for housing the corresponding connector for the electrical connection of the push-button to the control card of the game machine.
In the preferred embodiment, the supporting means 9 of the light source 6, of the electrical commutation means 7 and of the connecting means 8, consists of a single board where the components are tinned thereon and are made of the two LED 6a, 6b, the microswitch 7 and the connector 8.
Such supporting means 9, namely printed circuit board with the components tinned thereon, is contained in a container (10) removably hookable to the lower portion of the push-button 1 which is opposite to the cap 5.
The operation of the push-button 1 provides the activation of the light source whose brightness hits the inside wall of the cap 5, back-illuminating this latter and allowing the primary lighting of the bright push-button 1.
The brightness of the light source and therefore the brightness and coloring of the cap 5 depends on the activation of one or both LED, and, as already said, it/they can emit light of the same or different color.
The use of a single board 9 for supporting one or more LED, of the microswitch and of the connector allows the use of this solution in a wide variety of illuminated push-buttons, making simple the interchangeability.
The main advantage of the present invention is to supply an illuminated push-button incorporating a single supporting means for the lighting means and for the commutation and electrical connecting means.
Further advantage consists in supplying an illuminated push-button with more than one illuminable zone also with different colorings.

Claims

Illuminated push-button for game machine comprising a hooking body (2) to the game machine, inside the body (2) a sliding element is housed (3) bearing a cap (5) illuminable by means of at least a light source (6) inside the push-button (1) and acting on electrical commutation means (7), said button comprising moreover connecting means (8) to the game machine and being characterized by including a single supporting means (9) of the at least one light source (6), of electrical commutation means (7) and of connecting means (8).
Illuminated push-button according to claim 1 characterized in that the only one supporting means (9) consists of a single printed circuit.
Illuminated push-button according to claim 1 characterized in that the at least a light source (6) consists of at least one couple of LED (6a, 6b).
Illuminated push-button according to claim 3 characterized in that the LED (6a; 6b) emit light of the same color.
Illuminated push-button according to claim 3 characterized in that the LED (6a; 6b) emit light of different colors.
Illuminated push-button according to claim 1 characterized in that the electrical commutation means (7) include a microswitch.
Illuminated push-button according to claim 1 characterized in that the connecting means (8) include at least a pin connector.
Illuminated push-button according to claim 1 characterized by comprising moreover a container (10) of the supporting means (9) hookable to the lower portion of the push-button (1) opposite to the cap (5).