DRY APPLY PROTECTIVE SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20130299075A1
• Filed: 04/17/2013
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZAGG Inc. (Evercel, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ZAGG Intellectual Property Holding Co., Inc. (Evercel, Inc.)
• Inventors: Colby, Jim A., Booth, Gregory E., Smith, Derek M., Benson, Jonathan B., McGuire, James
• Granted Patent: US 9,777,195 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/249
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2063/027 applied by a squeegee
• 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 65/48 using adhesives , i.e. using supplementary joining material; solvent bonding
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3437 Cellular phones
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3475 Displays, monitors, TV-sets, computer screens
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/41 Opaque
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/412 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/414 Translucent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/518 bi-axially
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/283 comprising polysiloxanes
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/304 comprising vinyl halide (co)polymers, e.g. PVC, PVDC, PVF, PVDF
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/306 comprising vinyl acetate or vinyl alcohol (co)polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/308 comprising acrylic (co)polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/32 comprising polyolefins comprising vinyl (co)polymers or acrylic (co)polymers B32B27/30
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/36 comprising polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/40 comprising polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/02 characterised by features of form at particular places, e.g. in edge regions non-uniform thickness B32B3/263
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 43/006 Delaminating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/06 : permitting easy separation
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/12 : using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 2301/162 : the carrier being a laminate constituted by plastic layers only
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 2475/006 : in the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 5/00 : Adhesive processes in general; Adhesive processes not provided for elsewhere, e.g. relating to primers
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 7/29 : Laminated material metallised plastics C09J7/22
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 7/403 : characterised by the structure of the release feature
• 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 1/1656 : Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 : for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/18 : Telephone sets specially adapted for use in ships, mines, or other places exposed to adverse environment H04M1/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/185 : Improving the rigidity of the casing or resistance to shocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1168 : Gripping and pulling work apart during delaminating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1195 : Delaminating from release surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1994 : Means for delaminating from release surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1471 : Protective layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24777 : Edge feature

Abstract

A system for protecting a surface of a substrate includes a protective film, which is configured to be applied and secured to the surface, as well as a backing on an adherent surface of the protective film and an application tape over an exterior surface of the protective film. Protruding features, such as tabs, adjacent to different peripheral edges of the protective film may enable removal of the backing and the application tape from the protective film, and may include features that indicate the order in which each protruding feature is to be grasped to peel its corresponding element away from the protective film.

Claims

1. A system for protecting a surface of a substrate, comprising:

a protective film including an adherent surface and an exterior surface opposite from the adherent surface;

a backing located adjacent to the adherent surface of the protective film, superimposed with the protective film, extending laterally beyond the protective film and including a protruding feature located beyond a peripheral extent of the protective film and configured to enable a user to manipulate the backing and to remove the backing from the protective film; and

an application tape located adjacent to the exterior surface of the protective film, superimposed with the protective film and the backing, extending laterally beyond the protective film and including a protruding feature located beyond a peripheral extent of the protective film and configured to enable a user to manipulate the application tape and to remove application tape from the protective film, the protruding feature of the application tape and the protruding feature of the backing located adjacent to different peripheral edges of the protective film.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the protruding feature of the backing and the protruding feature of the application tape are located adjacent to opposite peripheral edges of the protective film.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the application tape further includes another protruding feature superimposed with the protruding feature of the backing to enable the backing to be pulled away from the application tape.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the application tape is substantially transparent.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the backing is substantially transparent.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the backing and the application tape are substantially superimposed with respect to one another.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each peripheral edge of the application tape and each peripheral edge of the backing is positioned laterally beyond a corresponding peripheral edge of the protective film.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a release layer between the exterior surface of the protective film and an adherent surface of the application tape, the release layer configured to minimized adhesion of the application tape to the protective film.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the release layer has substantially the same lateral dimensions as the protective film.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the protective film includes microchannels formed in and communicating with the adherent surface of the protective film, the microchannels being configured to enable air to escape from between the protective film and a surface of a substrate to which the protective film is adhered.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the backing is rigid.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the backing includes at least two discrete sections.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the protruding feature of the backing and the protruding feature of the application tape includes one or more indicia corresponding to an order in which the backing and the application tape are to be removed from the protective film.

14. A system for protecting a surface of a substrate, comprising:

a protective film including an adherent surface and an exterior surface opposite from the adherent surface;

a rigid backing superimposed with the protective film and secured to the adherent surface of the protective film.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the rigid backing includes two discrete sections.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the at least two discrete sections comprises an elongate strip covering a portion of the adherent surface of the protective film located adjacent to a peripheral edge of the protective film.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein another of the at least two discrete sections covers a remainder of the adherent surface of the protective film.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the remainder of the adherent surface comprises a majority of the adherent surface.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the rigid backing is transparent.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the rigid backing comprises a biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate film.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein a portion of the backing extends laterally beyond an outer periphery of the protective film.

22. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

an application tape removably secured to the exterior surface of the protective film.

23. A method for protecting a surface of a substrate, comprising:

grasping a protruding feature of a backing of a system for protecting a surface of a substrate, the protruding feature located adjacent to a first peripheral edge of the system for protecting a surface of a substrate;

peeling the backing from a protective film of the system for protecting a surface of a substrate to expose an adhesive on an adherent surface of the protective film;

securing the adherent surface of the protective film to a surface of a substrate with the adhesive;

grasping a protruding feature of an application tap of the system for protecting a surface of a substrate, the protruding feature located adjacent to a second peripheral edge of the system for protecting a surface of a substrate;

peeling the application tape from an exterior surface of the protective film.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein:

grasping the protruding feature of the backing includes concurrently grasping the protruding feature of the backing and another protruding feature of the application tape superimposed therewith; and

peeling the backing comprises pulling the protruding feature of the backing and the another protruding feature of the application tape away from one another.

25. A method for protecting a surface of a substrate, comprising:

removing a section of a rigid backing from a portion of an adherent surface of protective film to expose the portion of the adherent surface;

aligning the protective film with a surface of a substrate to which the protective film is to be applied;

securing the portion of the adherent surface to the surface of the substrate;

lifting an unsecured portion of the protective film away from the surface of the substrate;

applying a pressure front to a secured portion of protective film;

translating the pressure front from the secured portion to the unsecured portion of the protective film;

releasing the protective film, another section of the rigid backing holding the unsecured portion of the protective film away from the surface of the substrate; and

further translating the pressure front across the protective film to concurrently gradually release the another section of the rigid backing from the unsecured portion of the protective film and gradually secure the unsecured portion of the protective film to the surface of the substrate.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein aligning includes viewing the surface of the substrate through the protective film and through the another section of the rigid backing.