Patent Application
20060040081
The present invention relates to portable electronic devices and, more particularly, to an apparatus, system, and method for personalizing such devices in accordance with the desires of the user by way of a custom label sized to fit on or in an aperture of the housing of the device.
Portable electronic devices, such as mobile telephones, pagers, personal data assistants (pda's), and handheld video-game devices are in wide use. It is a desire among many users of such devices to add an element of personalization through some form of decorative modification, both as a means of identification, so as to make it separate and distinct from other mobile telephones and devices, and also as a form of self expression. One method for adding a decorative element to mobile telephones is through the replacement of a removable face plate with a pre-decorated face plate. Such pre-decorated face plates are available in many colors and designs, such as patterns representing leopard fur, etc. Such pre-decorated face plates are usually of a specific construction that is applicable to only a single model of phone. In order to provide many designs for different phones, the retailer must stock many packages, each containing one preprinted design for a particular mobile phone.
Another method for decorating personal electronic devices is by the application of a pre-printed self-adhesive label or face plate to the exterior of the device. Such labels can include various decorative patterns to personalize the device. Such labels can be sized to fit the particular device, and can be formed with various adhesives to secure the label to the device.
Another method for adding a decorative element to a device is to make the device to include a casing which has removable and transparent elements on the front and/or the back of the device. Once one or both of these elements are removed, the user can insert decorative labels that fit into the cavities in the device. The user then replaces the clear removable elements of the casing to capture and protect the decorative inserts. The user may choose to place such decorative inserts in the front and/or the back of the device. Manufacturers can thus make clear faceplates where they otherwise did not before since the insert can be used to customize the phone appearance. Some current models of mobile telephones incorporate this method of decoration, and the manufacturer may include several pre-designed, pre-cut inserts with the telephone when it is sold to the consumer. Such precut inserts typically have the holes for the buttons on the cellular telephone key pad precut and with the paper therein removed. In addition, several sheets of ink jet printable media may also be provided. These sheets can be semi-rigid paper material with die cuts that define both the outer perimeter of the front and rear labels, but which also define the numerous holes that are required for the device, such as holes necessary on a mobile telephone key pad and/or visual display panel. In order to keep the sheet integrated, each cut is interrupted at various locations by an uncut connecting segment, commonly referred to in the industry as a tie. The oval or circular cuts for the keypad buttons typically have at least two ties, and the perimeter cuts have numerous ties to connect the inserts to the carrier sheet. Once the user has printed text or graphics on the inserts utilizing an ink jet printer or by some other means, the user must then break each of those numerous ties individually in order to prepare the insert for placement into the mobile telephone cavities. This process is somewhat time consuming and requires a certain degree of manual dexterity to complete, and may result in rough edges on the insert.
Accordingly, there has been a need for an improved apparatus, system, and method whereby a user can easily and inexpensively prepare and install a decorative printable label for personal electronic devices that is easy to customize, prepare, and install. The present invention satisfies one or more of these needs.
The present invention is directed to a system, apparatus, and method for creating a suitable decorative label which may be printed by a computer printer or some other means. In one embodiment, and by way of example only, the front and/or back labels are removed from a carrier, and the middle section of any holes within the label stay with the carrier. Therefore each decorative label can be easily and cleanly removed from the carrier, ready for insertion into the mobile telephone cavities with little effort.
One embodiment of the invention is a printable sheet, comprising a backing layer, face layer, and an intermediate material such as an adhesive layer. The face layer includes a selected perimeter and/or outlines of one or more labels precut therein, with the labels including holes corresponding to portions of the device. The labels (including the holes therein) are defined by weakened separation lines in the face layer, the weakened separation lines formed by cutting through or otherwise weakening desired portions of the face layer. An intermediate material lies between the backing layer and face layer. The intermediate material may include an adhesive layer that adheres to the backing layer with greater force than to the face layer. When a desired portion of the face layer (such as a precut label) is peeled away from the printable sheet, the adhesive layer stays behind on the backing layer, as do the other portions of the face layer (such as holes precut into the label itself). This assembly is the opposite of typical label material, where the adhesive is removed from the backing and stays on the removed label instead.
In a further embodiment of the invention the backing layer includes a primer applied to a side facing the adhesive, which increases the force with which the adhesive bonds to the backing layer. In another embodiment the face layer includes a release coating applied to a side facing the adhesive, which reduces the force with which the adhesive bonds to the face layer. A release film may be included to facilitate separation of the adhesive layer from the face layer. One embodiment of such a release film involves a multilayer laminate film having multiple film layers that can be separated with relative ease. An example of such a laminate includes a first film layer bonded and/or forming a face-layer-facing side of the adhesive layer, and a second film layer secured to and/or forming the adhesive-facing side of the face layer. When the face layer is peeled away from the liner, the film laminate splits, with the first film layer staying with the adhesive layer and the second film layer staying with the face layer. It is noted that although the different layers of the multilayer film laminate may be initially formed together, once the first side layer is adhered to the adhesive it can be viewed as being a part of the adhesive layer, and similarly the second side layer once secured to the face layer can be viewed as being a part of the face layer. Examples of such multilayer laminate films are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,088 which issued on Jun. 6, 1989 and is entitled “Coextruded Core Laminates,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The labels preformed onto the face layer can be configured for various devices, including mobile telephones, pagers, personal data assistants, handheld video game devices, and different models thereof. A single printable sheet can have a face layer that incorporates labels for multiple devices and/or models and brands thereof. A package of such printable sheets can thus provide labels applicable to numerous models and/or brands of electronic devices. Such an embodiment would allow a retailer to substantially reduce the number of individual retail items (often referred to as SKU's) they would have to carry to provide inserts for customizable electronic devices. The retailer can order one or more packages of labels, with a package having a plurality of labels configured for application to one or more electronic devices. After receiving the packages, the retailer need only maintain a few, or even one, type of package for sale on the shelves of the retail store.
The user can purchase a printable sheet, select a desired pattern, print the desired pattern onto the face layer of the printable sheet, peel the label portion or portions from the printable sheet, remove the cover or covers from the desired device, place the labels between the cover and the device, and resecure the cover to the device. When the user decides to change the desired pattern, the user can print another desired pattern onto the face lay of a printable sheet and repeat the process. The user can print the desired pattern in various ways, including by hand, via a computer printer, etc. The printable sheet can also be preprinted with a pattern by the manufacturer. The invention may be used with various types of print media that may be used for the printable sheet. One type of print media may be a spot metallic print media that has a printable coating that becomes transparent when printed with inkjet inks.
The invention can be applied to creating labels for various items, including portable electronic devices such as mobile telephones, pagers, personal data assistants (pda's), handheld video-game devices, remote controls, personal audio, personal video, and laptop computers. Labels could also be created for mobile and/or desktop phones, door entry keypads, and other items requiring a label with cutouts. Such an embodiment could include a backing layer and a face layer in the form of or having a printable decorative label, with the label having one or more weakened internal opening outlines defining desired cutout portions. The weakened internal opening outlines can be shaped and positioned to correspond to various features of the item, such as operational keys of a device, visual components of a device such as a viewscreen or drawing, and/or audio components of a device such as a speaker or microphone.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
a-2c are side views of a printable sheet according to various embodiments of the invention;
The face layer 12 has a front label 14 and a rear label 16 defined by weakened separation perimeter lines die cut or otherwise created on the face layer 12, with the front label 14 and rear label 16 configured for installation in the front and rear portions, respectively, of a mobile telephone. The front label 14 is defined by a front label perimeter outline 18 and internal opening outlines 20, 22 which correspond to front portions of a mobile telephone. In the embodiment depicted in
In the specific embodiment described above with respect to
The printable sheet 10 may also include a leading-edge weakened separation line 28 parallel to either end, which can improve the ability of some printers to feed the printable sheet through the print feed mechanisms by increasing the flexibility of the leading edge. This leading-edge weakened separation line 28 may be particularly useful with heavier face layer materials which may be less flexible and more prone to jamming when fed into a printer feeder. In the embodiment of
a depicts in side view the printable sheet 10 of
The face layer 12 may be formed from one or more types of materials, including various types of papers, photo papers (including photo glossy), films, synthetic papers, or cardstocks. The face layer may have one or more topcoatings applied that are designed to enhance print quality. For example, a topcoating may be included that enhances print quality with one or more specific printing technologies, such as inkjet printing. The face layer could also have one or more coatings applied to provide a specific appearance—such as glossy, matte, colors, textures, etc. The face layer 12 could include metallized films, paper/foil laminates (to provide a metallic surface appearance), holographic materials (paper or film), prismatic, and/or phosphorescent coatings (glow-in-the-dark).
The face layer 12 may be formed using a print media such as that disclosed in U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 09/872,353, Publication No. 2002/0047263, filed Jun. 1, 2001 and entitled “Business Card Sheet Construction and Methods of Making and Using Same,” the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Such print media may use a material which is a printable card stock that may be die-cut into desired shapes, but held together to an overall sheet assembly by a dry laminate or other non-pressure-sensitive adhesive to a backing layer. Alternatively, an ultraremovable adhesive to a carrier or a tape along the die-cuts may be used to maintain the shapes to the sheet assembly. The print media may be peeled away from the sheet assembly leaving clean edges and no adhesive or sticky residue on the print media.
The overall thickness, length, and width of the printable sheet 10 can vary, depending on the particular application, including the printer to be used (if any), the materials involved, etc. A general range for such thicknesses is 1.5-15 mils. The low end of this thickness range may involve film materials, such as a perforated polyester film. The high end of this thickness might involve paper, laminate, and/or cardstocks. For example, one type of clean edge material involves a thickness of approximately 14 mils. Thicknesses less than 1.5 mil and greater than 15 mils are also possible, although sheets having such thicknesses may have difficulty being fed through many computer printers.
Backing layer materials could include film liners (such as polyester or polyolefin), polycoated liners, and paper liners. The thickness of the backing layer 32 can also vary depending on the particular application, materials, etc. For example, a thickness of 1 mil may apply to a polyester backing layer, while a thickness of about 5 mil may be applicable to paper liners.
The adhesive layer 30 may comprise one or more types of adhesives, including ultra-removable adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, permanent adhesives (possibly combined with appropriate release agents), dry tack adhesives, and/or other adhesives.
Bonding the adhesive layer 30 more strongly to the backing layer 32 can be accomplished in any of several ways. In one embodiment, the face layer 12 has an adhesive-facing side 34 which is relatively smooth compared to a more porous adhesive-facing side 36 of the backing layer. In another embodiment, depicted in
The backing layer 32 and adhesive layer 30 may be the same length and width as the face layer, as depicted in
The printable sheet 10 can be decorated with a selected pattern, which may include pictures, designs, names, letters, numbers, symbols, colors, textures, combinations thereof, etc.
With the desired pattern selected, it may need to be sized appropriately to fit onto the label in a desired fashion. Such sizing may be automatically performed by the software, and/or manually selected and/or guided by the user. For example, the software may suggest a preferred size and give the user the opportunity to modify that size. The software may also provide the desired location on the printable sheet 10 on which to apply the image, and/or the user may modify the suggested location or select the location without suggestion from the software. For example, the user may position the desired pattern in such a way as to prevent particularly desirable features of the pattern from being printed on the cutout portions 21, 23, which will be left behind on the backing and thus not present or visible when the label is placed on or in the cell phone. The software may also have the ability to map the cutout portions 21, 23 and size and position the desired pattern so that only minimal features of the desired pattern are printed onto the cutout portions 21, 23.
Once the desired pattern has been selected, it can be applied to the printable sheet via the user's printer. The desired pattern could also (or alternatively) be printed or otherwise placed onto the printable sheet as a part of the manufacturing process (i.e., prior to the purchase of the sheet by the consumer). In addition to ink jet printing, the face layer 12 may also be compatible with other printing techniques, including color laser, monochrome laser, dye sublimation, thermal transfer, direct thermal, electrophotographic printing, and/or electrostatic printing. The desired pattern could even be applied to the face layer 12 by hand, such as by the use of colored pens or pencils, paint brushes, hand-applied stickers, etc. Additionally, the face layer 12 can be pre-printed (i.e., prior to sale to the end consumer) using standard printing technologies such as flexo, offset, and gravure.
After the desired printing pattern has been applied to the printable sheet 10, the user can remove the labels.
Once the labels 14 and 16 are removed from the backing layer 32, the remaining portion of the printable sheet 10 is as depicted in
As shown in
In the embodiment depicted in
While the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it will be understood that various changes and additional variations may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention or the inventive concept thereof. For example, while the invention is specifically discussed in application with mobile telephones, it has applicability in other areas where it is desired to create labels. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed herein, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
