Touch screen shield

• US 9,274,625 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2011
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RO Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Racing Optics Incorporated
• Inventors: Wilson, Stephen S., Wilson, Bart, Wilson, Seth
• Primary Examiner(s): Nordmeyer, Patricia L
• Application Number:
  US13/186,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20120188743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,686 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-179
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/14 Layer or component removable to expose adhesive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/28 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component and having an adhesive outermost layer

Abstract

A shield that is attachable to a touch sensitive screen is disclosed. The shield may be attached to the touch sensitive screen only at its outer peripheral portion. An air gap is enclosed between the shield and the touch sensitive screen to form a planar air bearing. The shield preferably does not touch the active area of the touch sensitive screen when the user is not touching the shield but only viewing the touch sensitive screen through the shield. This mitigates unwanted optical artifacts such as trapped air bubbles, Newton rings and chromatic interference while maintaining the sensitivity of the touch sensitive screen.

Claims

1. A shield for attaching to a touch sensitive screen of a device, the device having a touch sensitive screen that enables touch operation of the electronic device, and the touch sensitive screen having an active area with a touch sensitive visual display and an inactive area, the shield comprising:

a base layer defining opposed first and second sides, the base layer defining a transparent central portion and an outer periphery, the base layer corresponding to the touch sensitive screen of the device and the central portion of the base layer corresponding to the touch sensitive visual display of the device;

a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive disposed about the outer periphery of the base layer so that no adhesive is applied on the central portion of the base layer;

wherein the shape of the shield and the disposal of the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive about the outer periphery of the base layer are configured to attach the shield to the touch sensitive screen of the electronic device so that the attached shield covers the touch sensitive screen without the central portion of the shield adhering to the active area of the touch sensitive screen,

wherein at least one of the outer periphery of the base layer and the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive is opaque to hide air bubbles formed between the attached shield and the device, and wherein the shield is configured so that the touch sensitive screen maintains touch sensitivity through the attached shield.

2. The shield of claim 1 wherein an air gap is formed between the transparent central portion of the base layer and the touch sensitive screen of the device when the shield is mounted to the device.

3. The shield of claim 1 further comprising one or more sacrificial layers peelably removable from each other and the first side of the base layer so that a top most sacrificial layer may be removed as desired.

4. The shield of claim 1 wherein the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive is disposed about the entire outer periphery of the base layer so that the adhesive layer completely surrounds the central portion of the base layer and so that the adhesive layer corresponds to the inactive area of the touch sensitive screen.

5. The shield of claim 4, wherein the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive is configured to trap air between the attached shield and the touch sensitive screen and to form a planar air bearing that lifts the central portion of the transparent layer off the touch sensitive screen.

6. The shield of claim 1, wherein the outer periphery of the base layer comprises an annular film layer surrounding the central portion of the base layer, wherein the annular film layer is sufficiently thick so that the central portion of the base layer is lifted off the touch sensitive screen upon mounting of the shield to the device.

7. The shield of claim 6, wherein the annular film layer is opaque to hide air bubbles formed between the attached shield and the device.

8. The shield of claim 1, wherein the base layer comprises at least one cutout that corresponds to a physical button or a speaker on the device.

9. A transparent shield for a touch sensitive screen of an electronic device, the electronic device having a touch sensitive screen that enables touch operation of the electronic device, and the touch sensitive screen having an active area with a touch sensitive electronic visual display and an inactive area, the shield comprising:

a first transparent layer defining opposed first and second sides, the first transparent layer having a shape that corresponds to the touch sensitive screen of the electronic device, the second side of the first transparent layer having an outer peripheral portion that surrounds a central portion, the central portion having a shape that corresponds to the electronic visual display of the electronic device;

a first adhesive layer disposed about the outer peripheral portion of the second side of the first transparent layer, the first adhesive layer being sufficiently thick to lift the central portion of the second side of the first transparent layer off of the touch sensitive screen when the shield is mounted to the electronic device;

wherein the first transparent layer has a shape configured to attach to the touch sensitive screen of the electronic device so that the central portion of the first transparent layer is positioned over the electronic visual display of the touch sensitive screen of the device, and wherein the first adhesive layer is configured to trap air between the attached shield and the touch sensitive screen.

10. The shield of claim 9 wherein the first adhesive layer is opaque to hide air bubbles when the shield is mounted to the device.

11. The shield of claim 9 wherein the outer peripheral portion of the first transparent layer is opaque.

12. The shield of claim 9 further comprising a second transparent layer with an opaque border adhered on top of the first transparent layer.

13. The shield of claim 9 further comprising at least one sacrificial layer adhered to the first transparent layer.

14. The shield of claim 13 further comprising a second transparent layer with an opaque border adhered on top of any one of the sacrificial layers.

15. The shield of claim 13 wherein an index of refraction mismatch between each of the at least one sacrificial layer, the first transparent layer, and a second adhesive adhering the at least one sacrificial layer to the first transparent layer, is about 0.2 or less.

16. The shield of claim 9 wherein the trapped air forms a planar air bearing that maintains touch sensitivity of the touch sensitive screen through the shield.

17. The transparent shield of claim 9 further comprising at least one cutout that corresponds to a physical button or a speaker on the electronic device.

18. A protective shield for an electronic device, the electronic device having a touch sensitive screen that allows a user to operate the electronic device, the touch sensitive screen having a shape, and at least a portion of the touch sensitive screen having an active area with a touch sensitive visual display portion and an inactive area, the visual display portion having a shape, the shield comprising:

a base layer having an interior side, the base layer having a shape that corresponds to the shape of the touch sensitive screen; and

an adhesive layer applied to an interior side of the protective shield, the adhesive layer surrounding a central portion of the shield so that no adhesive is applied on an interior side of the central portion of the shield, the central portion of the shield having a shape that corresponds to the shape of the visual display portion,

wherein the shield has a shape configured to attach to the touch sensitive screen of the electronic device so that the adhesive layer of the attached shield surrounds the visual display portion of the active area, and so that the attached shield covers the touch sensitive screen without the central portion of the shield adhering to the visual display portion of the screen active area, wherein the adhesive layer is configured to trap air between the attached shield and the touch sensitive screen, and wherein the shield is configured so that the touch sensitive screen maintains touch sensitivity through the attached shield.

19. The shield of claim 18, wherein the adhesive layer is sufficiently thick so that the central portion of the shield is lifted off the touch sensitive screen upon mounting of the shield to the electronic device.

20. The shield of claim 18, further comprising an annular film layer between the base layer and the adhesive layer, the annular film layer surrounding the central portion of the shield, wherein the annular film is sufficiently thick so that the central portion of the shield is lifted off the touch sensitive screen upon mounting of the shield to the electronic device.

21. The protective shield of claim 20, wherein the annular film layer is opaque to hide air bubbles formed between the attached shield and the touch sensitive screen.

22. The shield of claim 18, wherein the trapped air forms a planar air bearing that maintains touch sensitivity of the touch sensitive screen through the attached shield.

23. The shield of claim 18, further comprising at least one sacrificial layer attached to the base layer, each sacrificial layer being peelably removable from the shield.

24. The protective shield of claim 18 further comprising at least one cutout that corresponds to a physical button or a speaker on the electronic device.

25. The protective shield of claim 18, wherein the base layer comprises an outer peripheral portion that surrounds the central portion of the shield, wherein at least one of the outer peripheral portion of the base layer and the adhesive layer are opaque to hide air bubbles formed between the attached shield and the touch sensitive screen.

26. A protective shield for a touch sensitive screen of a device, the device having a touch sensitive screen that enables touch operation of the electronic device, and the touch sensitive screen having an active area that comprises a touch sensitive visual display and an inactive area, the shield comprising:

a base layer defining opposed first and second sides, the base layer having a shape that corresponds to a shape of the touch sensitive screen, the base layer defining a central portion that has a shape corresponding to the active area of the touch sensitive screen and an outer peripheral portion that corresponds to a shape of the inactive area of the touch sensitive screen;

an annular layer disposed about the outer peripheral portion of the second side of the base layer, the annular layer having a shape that corresponds to the inactive area of the touch sensitive screen and defining opposed first and second sides the annular layer surrounding the central portion of the base layer;

a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive disposed on the second side of the annular layer;

wherein the shape of the base layer and the disposed layer of pressure sensitive adhesive are configured to attach the shield to the touch sensitive screen of the device so that the central portion of the second side of the base layer is positioned over the active area of the touch sensitive screen of the device, and so that the attached shield forms an air gap between the central portion of the base layer and the touch sensitive screen of the device, and wherein the shield is configured so that the touch sensitive screen maintains touch sensitivity through the attached shield.

27. The shield of claim 26 wherein the annular layer is sufficiently thick to create a planar air gap between the touch sensitive screen of the device and the central portion of the base layer.

28. The shield of claim 27, wherein the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive is configured to trap air between the shield and the touch sensitive screen and to form a planar air bearing that lifts the central portion of the base layer off the touch sensitive screen.

29. The shield of claim 26, wherein at least one of the outer peripheral portion of the base layer, the annular layer, and the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive is opaque to hide air bubbles formed between the attached shield and the device.

30. The shield of claim 26, wherein the outer peripheral portion of the base layer comprises at least one cutout, the cutout corresponding to at least one of a physical button or a speaker disposed in the inactive area of the device.