OVERLAY APPLICATOR TRAY AND METHOD OF USING THE SAME

• US 20170001364A1
• Filed: 09/15/2016
• Published: 01/05/2017
• 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.
• Granted Patent: US 10,675,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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:

a cradle including a device slot, wherein the device slot is configured to securely hold an electronic device in the cradle;

an overlay applicator, wherein the overlay applicator includes an overlay layer and an adhesive release liner, 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, and wherein the adhesive release liner is removably attached to the bottom side of the overlay layer; and

an alignment piece coupling the cradle 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 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 the coupling of the cradle to the overlay applicator and to maintain the 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, further comprising:

a pull tab on the adhesive release liner, wherein the pull tab 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.

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, further comprising:

a pull tab on the protective layer, wherein the 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 5, further comprising:

a first pull tab on the adhesive release liner, wherein the first pull tab 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; and

a second pull tab on 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.

8. The overlay applicator tray of claim 1, wherein the alignment piece is attached to the cradle using an adhesive on a first end of the alignment piece, and wherein the alignment piece is attached to the overlay applicator using an adhesive on a second end of the alignment piece.

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.

10. A method, comprising:

inserting an electronic device into a device slot of a cradle of an overlay applicator tray, wherein the device slot is configured to securely hold the electronic device in the cradle, and wherein the overlay applicator tray includes an overlay applicator and an alignment piece coupling the cradle to the overlay applicator; and

rotating the overlay applicator with respect to the cradle to apply an overlay layer of the overlay applicator to a screen of the electronic device, wherein the overlay layer includes a top side and a bottom side, wherein the bottom side is configured to be adhered to the screen, and wherein the alignment piece aligns the overlay layer with the screen and maintains the 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 overlay applicator is pre-aligned with the device slot of the cradle using the alignment piece.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the overlay applicator further includes an adhesive release liner removably attached to the bottom side of the overlay layer, and further comprising:

removing the adhesive release liner from the bottom side of the overlay layer before rotating the overlay applicator with respect to the cradle to apply the overlay layer to the screen.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the adhesive release liner is removed from the bottom side of the overlay layer using a pull tab on the adhesive release liner, wherein the pull tab is configured to remove the adhesive release liner from the bottom side of the overlay layer and expose an adhesive of the overlay layer.

14. 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.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the protective layer is removed from the top side of the overlay layer using a pull tab on the protective layer, and wherein the pull tab is configured to be pulled to remove the protective layer from the top side of the overlay applicator.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the alignment piece is attached to the cradle using an adhesive on a first end of the alignment piece, and wherein the alignment piece is attached to the overlay applicator using an adhesive on a second end of the alignment piece.

17. 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.