Touch screen protector

• US 9,582,039 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2012
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aevoe Corporation
• Original Assignee: Aevoe Corporation
• Inventors: Leonhard, Michael, Lin, Jonathan, Huang, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Nordmeyer, Patricia L
• Application Number:
  US13/352,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20120183713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1634 Integrated protective display lid, e.g. for touch-sensitive display in handheld computer
• 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: Y10T 428/14 Layer or component removable to expose adhesive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1471 Protective layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24273 including aperture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24322 Composite web or sheet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24777 Edge feature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2495 Thickness [relative or absolute]

Abstract

The invention relates to a touch screen protector for a hand held electronic device having a front face that includes a touch screen portion and a non-functional band. The touch screen protector of the invention comprises a plastic film having front and back sides, an outer perimeter that corresponds to that of the device, and a transparent window; a spacer provided along the outer perimeter of the plastic film surrounding the transparent window, having a thickness sufficient to space the plastic film near but not in contact with the touch screen portion; an exposed adhesive for removably mounting the protector upon the outer perimeter of the front face to form an enclosed air space between the transparent window of the plastic film, the spacer and the touch screen portion of the device; and a joining adhesive for adhering the spacer to the back side of the plastic film.

Claims

1. A touch screen protector for a hand held electronic device having a front face that includes a touch screen having a touch screen portion and a non-functional band, the touch screen protector comprising:

a film having front and back sides, an outer perimeter that corresponds to that of the touch screen of the front face of the device, and a transparent window that corresponds in size to the touch screen portion;

micro-particles present on the back side of the film at a density which is sufficiently high to prevent interference patterns and to provide an anti-static effect between the film and touch screen portion without adversely affecting quality of images viewed through the window;

a spacer provided on the back side of the film along the outer perimeter of the film surrounding the transparent window, having a thickness sufficient to space the film near but not in contact with the touch screen portion,

an exposed adhesive on one side of the spacer for removably mounting the protector upon an outer perimeter of the touch screen and having a thickness sufficient to space the film near but not in contact with the touch screen to form an air space between the transparent window of the film, the spacer and the touch screen portion of the device, wherein the exposed adhesive has an adhesive strength of 5-50 grams to releasably mount the protector onto the device and to enable its removal without leaving adhesive residue on the touch screen; and

a joining adhesive for adhering the spacer to the back side of the film, wherein the joining adhesive has an adhesive strength that is stronger than that of the exposed adhesive so that the spacer is not removed from the film when the protector is removed from the touch screen of the front face of the device;

wherein the window can be pressed against the touch screen portion for operation of the electronic device while preventing direct contact of a user'"'"'s fingers with the touch screen portion of the device and without generating static cling between the film and touch screen portion or producing visible interference patterns during use.

2. The touch screen protector of claim 1, wherein the spacer has a thickness of between about 0.05 and about 1 mm, and the film has a thickness of between 0.1 and 2 mm and includes an opaque band about its periphery that receives the spacer.

3. The touch screen protector of claim 1, wherein the micro-particles are transparent and cover more than 5% up to 50% of the back side of the film to prevent interference patterns or static cling from arising when the transparent window is pressed against the touch screen portion of the electronic device during operation.

4. The touch screen protector of claim 3, wherein the film also includes micro-particles adhered to the front side of the window in an amount effective for providing anti-glare and anti-static effects to the window.

5. The touch screen protector of claim 1, wherein the spacer width is selected to conform to or be within the non-functional band of the front face of the device so that the spacer does not interfere with the use of the touch screen portion when the protector is adhesively mounted onto the device.

6. The touch screen protector of claim 1, wherein the joining adhesive is present on the spacer in the form of at least one adhesive strip that joins the spacer to the film, wherein the adhesive strip is opaque.

7. The touch screen protector of claim 6, wherein the joining adhesive of the at least one adhesive strip joining the spacer to the film has an adhesive strength of 200-2000 grams.

8. The touch screen protector of claim 6, wherein the spacer comprises at least two strips;

a first strip adhesively mounted upon the perimeter of the film and a second strip adhesively mounted upon the first strip, wherein the thickness of each strip is 0.05 to 0.5 mm and the second strip supports the exposed adhesive.

9. The touch screen protector of claim 8, wherein the first and second strips are joined together and to the film by an adhesive that has an adhesive strength of 200-2000 grams.

10. The touch screen protector of claim 1, which further comprises a backing member to protect the back side of the film and the exposed adhesive of the spacer prior to use.

11. The touch screen protector of claim 10, wherein the backing member further includes a tab to assist in the removal of the backing member when mounting the protector on the device.

12. The touch screen protector of claim 1, which further comprises one or more alignment holes that match one or more buttons on the electronic device to facilitate mounting of the protector on the device.

13. The touch screen protector of claim 1, wherein the touch screen of the device and the film are each substantially rectangular and the touch screen is part of a telephone, reading device, music device, viewing device or navigation device.

14. The touch screen protector of claim 1, wherein the film includes at least two layers, and the transparent window is clear but includes a coating that provides a matte effect or a privacy screen feature.

15. The touch screen protector of claim 1, wherein the film is a plastic film.

16. The touch screen protector of claim 1, wherein the exposed adhesive permits repeated removal and re-application of the protector.

17. A touch screen protector for a hand held electronic device having a front face that includes a touch screen having a touch screen portion and a non-functional band, the touch screen protector comprising:

a film that includes at least two layers and having front and back sides, an outer perimeter that corresponds to that of the touch screen of the front face of the device, and a transparent window that at least corresponds in size to the touch screen portion;

micro-particles present on the back side of the film at a density which is sufficiently high to prevent interference patterns and to provide an anti-static effect between the film and touch screen portion without adversely affecting quality of images viewed through the window;

a spacer provided on the back side of the film along the outer perimeter of the film surrounding the transparent window, having a thickness sufficient to space the film near but not in contact with the touch screen;

an exposed adhesive on one side of the spacer for removably mounting the protector upon of the touch screen to form an air space between the transparent window of the film, the spacer and the touch screen portion of the device, wherein the exposed adhesive has an adhesive strength of 5-50 grams to releasably mount the protector onto the device but which enables its removal without leaving adhesive residue on the touch screen portion; and

a joining adhesive for adhering the spacer to the back side of the film, wherein the joining adhesive has an adhesive strength that is stronger than that of the exposed adhesive so that the spacer is not removed from the film when the protector is removed from the front face of the device;

wherein the window can be pressed against the touch screen portion for operation of the electronic device while preventing direct contact of a user'"'"'s fingers with the touch screen portion and without generating static cling between the film and touch screen portion or producing visible interference patterns during use.

18. The touch screen protector of claim 17, wherein the film includes micro-particles on the front surface.

19. The touch screen protector of claim 17, wherein the spacer has a thickness of between about 0.05 and about 1 mm, and the film has a thickness of between 0.1 and 2 mm and includes an opaque band about its periphery that receives the spacer.

20. The touch screen protector of claim 17, which further comprises a backing member to protect the back side of the film and the exposed adhesive of the spacer prior to use, and one or more alignment holes that match one or more buttons on the electronic device to facilitate mounting of the protector on the device.

21. The touch screen protector of claim 17, wherein the touch screen of the device and the film are each substantially rectangular and the touch screen is part of a telephone, reading device, music device, viewing device or navigation device.

22. The touch screen protector of claim 17, wherein the film is a plastic film.

23. The touch screen protector of claim 17, wherein the exposed adhesive permits repeated removal and re-application of the protector.