Overlay applicator tray and method of using the same

• US 10,675,817 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2016
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: MacDonald, Eric A., Wadsworth, John, Suckle, Mitchell, Kleeman, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Goff, II, John L
• Application Number:
  US15/266,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20170001364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2063/0008 Registering, centering the lining material on the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 63/0004 Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 63/0047 Preventing air-inclusions
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 63/02 using sheet or web-like material B29C63/26 and B29C63/38 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/7802 Positioning the parts to be joined, e.g. aligning, indexing or centring
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/003 PET, i.e. poylethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0026 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3437 Cellular phones
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3475 Displays, monitors, TV-sets, computer screens
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2457/208 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/12 using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/17 Surface bonding means and/or assemblymeans with work feeding or handling means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1702 For plural parts or plural areas of single part

Abstract

An overlay applicator tray can include a cradle including a device slot. The device slot can be configured to securely hold an electronic device in the cradle. The overlay applicator tray also can include an overlay applicator. The overlay applicator can include an overlay layer and an adhesive release liner. The overlay layer can include a top side and a bottom side. The bottom side can be configured to be adhered to a screen of the electronic device. The adhesive release liner can be removably attached to the bottom side of the overlay layer. The overlay applicator tray additionally can include an alignment piece coupling the cradle to the overlay applicator. The alignment piece can align the overlay layer of the overlay applicator with the screen as the overlay layer is applied to the screen when the electronic device is securely held in the device slot. Other embodiments are provided.

Claims

1. An overlay applicator tray, comprising:

an overlay applicator, wherein the overlay applicator includes an overlay layer, an adhesive release liner, and one or more pull tabs, wherein the overlay layer includes a top side and a bottom side, wherein the bottom side is configured to be adhered to a screen of an electronic device, wherein the adhesive release liner is removably attached to the bottom side of the overlay layer, and wherein a first pull tab of the one or more pull tabs is coupled to the adhesive release liner and is configured to be pulled to remove the adhesive release liner from the bottom side of the overlay layer and expose an adhesive of the overlay layer;

a cradle, wherein the cradle includes a device slot corresponding to a recess in the cradle that is sized and shaped to securely hold the electronic device in the cradle, wherein the cradle includes an attachment surface for coupling the overlay applicator to the cradle, wherein the cradle includes a pull tab recess comprising an inclined surface corresponding to a recessed surface of the cradle having a depth below a top surface of the cradle, wherein the pull tab recess is positioned in the cradle at a position to align with at least one of the one or more pull tabs, and wherein the cradle, including the top surface, the device slot, the pull tab recess, and the attachment surface, comprises a unitary body; and

an alignment piece coupling the cradle to the overlay applicator, wherein the alignment piece includes a cradle attachment portion for coupling to the attachment surface and an overlay attachment portion for coupling to the overlay applicator, wherein the alignment piece aligns the overlay layer of the overlay applicator with the screen as the overlay layer is applied to the screen when the electronic device is securely held in the device slot.

2. The overlay applicator tray of claim 1, wherein the alignment piece is coupled to the attachment surface by an adhesive, and wherein the overlay applicator is pre-aligned with the device slot of the cradle using the alignment piece.

3. The overlay applicator tray of claim 1, wherein the overlay applicator is configured to rotate with respect to the cradle during application of the overlay layer to the screen, and wherein the alignment piece is configured to maintain coupling of the cradle to the overlay applicator and to maintain alignment of the overlay layer with the screen when the overlay applicator is rotated with respect to the cradle.

4. The overlay applicator tray of claim 1, wherein the attachment surface is approximately planar with the screen of the electronic device when the device slot securely holds the electronic device in the cradle.

5. The overlay applicator tray of claim 1, wherein the overlay applicator includes a protective layer, and wherein a bottom side of the protective layer is removably attached to the top side of the overlay layer.

6. The overlay applicator tray of claim 5, wherein the one or more pull tabs include:

a second pull tab coupled to the protective layer, wherein the second pull tab is configured to be pulled to remove the protective layer from the top side of the overlay applicator.

7. The overlay applicator tray of claim 6, wherein the second pull tab is positioned on the protective layer to align with the pull tab recess.

8. The overlay applicator tray of claim 1, wherein the attachment surface corresponds to a recessed surface of the cradle having a depth below the top surface of the cradle sufficient for the overlay applicator to be at a position that does not extend above the top surface of the cradle.

9. The overlay applicator tray of claim 1, wherein the overlay layer of the overlay applicator is self-aligned to the screen when the electronic device is securely held in the device slot.

18. The overlay applicator tray of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more pull tabs extends beyond the overlay applicator in a direction opposite from the alignment piece.

19. The overlay applicator tray of claim 1, wherein the cradle comprises a bottom wall recess or aperture in a bottom wall of the device slot, the bottom wall recess or aperture sized and shaped to accommodate a protrusion on a face of the electronic device.

10. A method, comprising:

inserting an electronic device into a device slot of a cradle of an overlay applicator tray, wherein the overlay applicator tray includes;

an overlay applicator, wherein the overlay applicator includes an overlay layer and an adhesive release liner and one or more pull tabs, wherein the overlay layer includes a top side and a bottom side, wherein the bottom side is configured to be adhered to a screen of the electronic device, wherein the adhesive release liner is removably attached to the bottom side of the overlay layer, and wherein a first pull tab of the one or more pull tabs is coupled to the adhesive release liner and is configured to be pulled to remove the adhesive release liner from the bottom side of the overlay layer and expose an adhesive of the overlay layer,

the cradle, wherein the cradle includes the device slot corresponding to a recess in the cradle that is sized and shaped to securely hold the electronic device in the cradle, wherein the cradle includes an attachment surface for coupling the overlay applicator to the cradle, wherein the cradle includes a pull tab recess comprising an inclined surface corresponding to a recessed surface of the cradle having a depth below a top surface of the cradle, wherein the pull tab recess is positioned in the cradle at a position to align with at least one of the one or more pull tabs, and wherein the cradle, including the top surface, the device slot, the pull tab recess, and the attachment surface, comprises a unitary body, and

an alignment piece coupling the cradle to the overlay applicator, wherein the alignment piece includes a cradle attachment portion for coupling to the attachment surface and an overlay attachment portion for coupling to the overlay applicator, wherein the alignment piece aligns the overlay layer of the overlay applicator with the screen as the overlay layer is applied to the screen when the electronic device is securely held in the device slot;

removing the adhesive release liner from the overlay layer using the first pull tab; and

rotating the overlay applicator with respect to the cradle to apply the overlay layer of the overlay applicator to the screen of the electronic device, wherein rotating maintains coupling of the cradle to the overlay applicator as the overlay layer is applied to the screen.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the alignment piece is coupled to the attachment surface by an adhesive, and wherein the overlay applicator is pre-aligned with the device slot of the cradle using the alignment piece.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the attachment surface is approximately planar with the screen of the electronic device when the device slot securely holds the electronic device in the cradle.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the overlay applicator includes a protective layer, wherein a bottom side of the protective layer is removably attached to the top side of the overlay layer, and further comprising:

removing the protective layer from the top side of the overlay layer after the overlay layer is applied to the screen.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the protective layer is removed from the top side of the overlay layer using a second pull tab of the one or more pull tabs, wherein the second pull tab is coupled to the protective layer, and wherein the second pull tab is configured to be pulled to remove the protective layer from the top side of the overlay applicator.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the attachment surface corresponds to a recessed surface of the cradle having a depth below the top surface of the cradle sufficient for the overlay applicator to be at a position that does not extend above the top surface of the cradle.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the overlay layer of the overlay applicator is self-aligned to the screen when the device slot securely holds the electronic device in the cradle.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the one or more pull tabs extends beyond the overlay applicator in a direction opposite from the alignment piece.