TOUCHSCREEN OVERLAY

• US 20110157037A1
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 4 Thumbs, LLC
• Original Assignee: 4 Thumbs, LLC
• Inventors: Schainholz, Jay D., Rosengarten, Gerald, Shamir, Amos
• Granted Patent: US 8,692,783 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

An overlay for electronic devices having a touchscreen display includes a plurality of raised regions which, when the overlay is assembled to the touchscreen display, are at predetermined positions relative to the plurality of virtual keys on the touchscreen display. Alternatively, the overlay may include a plurality of recesses which, when the overlay is in assembled position on the touchscreen display, are in registry with the plurality of virtual keys on the touchscreen display.

Claims

1. An overlay for an electronic device having a touchscreen display for displaying a plurality of virtual keys, the overlay comprising:

a body;

a plurality of raised regions projecting from the body at predetermined positions; and

at least one fastener for removably fastening the body to the electronic device in a position overlying the touchscreen display so that the plurality of raised regions are at predetermined positions relative to the plurality of virtual keys on the touchscreen display.

2. The overlay as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastener is adapted to removably fasten the body to the electronic device so that each of the plurality of raised regions is in registry between ones of the plurality of virtual keys on the touchscreen display.

3. The overlay as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastener is adapted to removably fasten the body to the electronic device so that each of the plurality of raised regions overlies one of the plurality of virtual keys on the touchscreen display.

4. The overlay as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of raised regions has the same shape.

5. The overlay as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first portion of the plurality of raised regions has a first shape, and a second portion of the plurality of raised regions has a second shape different from the first shape.

6. The overlay as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one fastener includes a plurality of tabs for use in removably fastening the body to the electronic device.

7. The overlay as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body includes a generally flat panel having a pair of side edges, a pair of side walls projecting substantially orthogonally from the side edges, a first return wall projecting from one of the side walls toward another of the side walls at a spaced distance from the panel, and a second return wall projecting from the another of the side walls toward the one of the side walls at a spaced distance from the panel, the first return wall being spaced from the second return wall, the panel, the pair of side walls, the first return wall and the second return wall collectively defining a substantially rectangular space for receiving the electronic device.

8. The overlay as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body is transparent.

9. An overlay assembly for an electronic device having a touchscreen display for displaying a plurality of virtual keys, the overlay assembly comprising:

a body having a first end and a second end, at least one tab extending from the first end and at least one tab extending from the second end;

a plurality of raised regions projecting from the body at predetermined positions;

a first sleeve adapted for assembly to the electronic device adjacent one end of the touchscreen display, the first sleeve having at least one region for receiving the at least one tab extending from the first end of the body; and

a second sleeve adapted for assembly to the electronic device adjacent another end of the touchscreen display, the second sleeve having at least one region for receiving the at least one tab extending from the second end of the body.

10. The overlay assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first and second sleeves are adapted to removably fasten the body to the electronic device so that each of the plurality of raised regions is in registry between ones of the plurality of virtual keys on the touchscreen display.

11. The overlay assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first and second sleeves are adapted to removably fasten the body to the electronic device so that each of the plurality of raised regions overlies one of the plurality of virtual keys on the touchscreen display.

12. The overlay assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of raised regions has the same shape.

13. The overlay assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein a first portion of the plurality of raised regions has a first shape, and a second portion of the plurality of raised regions has a second shape different from the first shape.

14. The overlay assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the body is transparent.

15. An overlay for an electronic device having a touchscreen display for displaying a plurality of virtual keys, the overlay comprising:

a body;

a plurality of recessed regions formed in the body at predetermined positions; and

at least one fastener for removably fastening the body to the electronic device in a position overlying the touchscreen display so that each of the plurality of recessed regions overlies one of the plurality of virtual keys on the touchscreen display.

16. The overlay as claimed in claim 15, wherein the body is transparent.