Holding structure for a touch panel

• US 8,711,111 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2010
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SMK Corporation
• Original Assignee: SMK Corporation
• Inventors: Iwawaki, Shinya, Imai, Kazuo, Mizuki, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trandai, Scott
• Application Number:
  US12/898,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20110102342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

A holding structure for a touch panel has a display panel, a touch panel for allowing an input operation, a supporting frame for holding the display panel at an entire peripheral edge a piezoelectric device for applying vibration to the touch panel in accordance with the operation of the touch panel, a casing for holding the display panel and the touch panel via the supporting frame, and a flexible resin sheet integrally provided to the front surface side of the touch panel. The flexible substrate is formed to have a size entirely larger than a glass substrate on a rear surface side of the touch panel. The peripheral edge of the flexible substrate is held by a rear surface of a peripheral edge of the opening of the casing and a supporting member fixed to the casing.

Claims

1. A holding structure for a touch panel, comprising:

a display panel for forming a display screen;

a touch panel disposed outside the display panel, for allowing an input operation;

a supporting frame for holding the display panel at an entire peripheral edge thereof and supporting the touch panel in parallel with the display panel;

a piezoelectric device disposed at a side edge of the touch panel, for applying vibration to the touch panel in accordance with the operation of the touch panel;

a casing for holding the display panel and the touch panel via the supporting frame, the casing having an opening through which the touch panel is exposed; and

a flexible resin sheet integrally provided to the touch panel on a front surface side of the touch panel, wherein

the flexible resin sheet is formed to have a size entirely larger than a glass substrate provided to the touch panel on a rear surface side of the touch panel, the flexible resin sheet being held at a peripheral edge thereof by a rear surface of a peripheral edge of the opening of the casing and a supporting member fixed to the casing, and

the peripheral edge of the flexible resin sheet is sandwiched, at an entire periphery, between a holding projection that projects from the rear surface of the peripheral edge of the opening of the casing and a projection edge that projects from a front surface of the supporting member, and is held by the holding projection and the projection edge.

2. The holding structure for a touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the supporting member and the supporting frame are integrated with each other.

3. The holding structure for a touch panel according to claim 2, wherein the supporting frame supported by a chassis inside the casing serves as the supporting member.

4. The holding structure for a touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral edge of the flexible resin sheet is entirely bonded to the rear surface of the peripheral edge of the opening and the front surface of the supporting member.

5. The holding structure for a touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the flexible resin sheet is a flexible substrate for the touch panel.

6. The holding structure for a touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the flexible resin sheet is a protective sheet applied to the front surface of the touch panel.

7. The holding structure for a touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the supporting frame is made of resin or rubber.

8. The holding structure for a touch panel according to claim 7, wherein the supporting frame is made of rubber.

9. The holding structure for a touch panel according to claim 1, wherein

the supporting frame is a frame of a rectangular shape, and

the supporting frame comprises:

a side wall portion of a rectangular shape; and

a panel receiving portion for inwardly and entirely extending from a center part of an inner peripheral surface of the side wall portion, the panel receiving portion being perpendicular to the inner peripheral surface of the side wall portion and having a constant width, and

the projection edge is formed at an entire periphery of a front surface of the side wall portion.

10. The holding structure for a touch panel according to claim 9, wherein

the panel receiving portion comprises:

a display panel receiving surface for coming into contact with the display panel; and

a touch panel receiving surface for coming into contact with the glass substrate, the touch panel receiving surface being provided at an opposite side to the display panel receiving surface.