Patent Application
20150237756
The present disclosure relates to a protective film for an electronic device and more particularly to a method and apparatus for seamlessly affixing a protective film to a lens and housing of the electronic device.
Some lenses of electronic devices, such as tablets, mobile phones, personal media players, and the like, are prone to breaking or shattering, for instance when the electronic device is dropped or otherwise forcibly comes into contact with a hard surface. However, current mechanisms for protecting the lens of an electronic device have some shortcomings. For example, such mechanisms do nothing with respect to minimizing the undesirable feel of seams between the lens and exterior housing of the electronic device. Moreover, other mechanisms for protecting the lens of an electronic device limit the placement of decorations or ornamental designs on the lens.
The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrate embodiments of concepts that include the claimed invention, and explain various principles and advantages of those embodiments.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. In addition, the description and drawings do not necessarily require the order illustrated. It will be further appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
Generally speaking, pursuant to the various embodiments, the present disclosure provides for a method for seamlessly affixing a protective film to an electronic device. The method includes affixing a protective film to a topside of a lens such that an empty space is formed between a perimeter of the lens and the protective film. The method also includes inserting housing material within the empty space such that the protective film is seamlessly affixed to the topside of the lens and the housing material.
Further in accordance with the teachings provided herein is an apparatus configured with a seamlessly affixed protective film. The apparatus includes a lens having a topside, a bottomside, and a perimeter around the lens. The apparatus also has a housing surrounding at least a portion of the perimeter of the lens, wherein a seam separates the lens and housing. Further, the apparatus has a protective film affixed during a manufacturing process to cover the topside of the lens and to extend across the seam to cover at least a portion of the housing.
Referring now to the drawings, and in particular
As shown, the electronic device 100 has a lens 102 surrounded by a housing 104 at a perimeter or outer edge 106 of the lens 102. As shown, the lens 102 includes a viewing region (shown with no shading) where images can be displayed thereon and a non-viewing region 116 (shown with hashing), which does not display images. The housing 104 surrounds at least a portion of the lens perimeter 106 and, in an embodiment, surrounds the entire lens perimeter 106 as illustrated in
Accordingly, as used herein, the topside of the lens forms a portion of an external surface of an assembled electronic device and includes the area having the viewing region. Whereas, a bottomside or underside of the lens forms a portion of an internal surface of the assembled electronic device and may be adjacent to internal hardware of the electronic device. Also, where the external housing of an assembled electronic device forms two pieces or plates, as used herein, the top housing plate means the housing piece that is directly adjacent to and abuts the lens, and the other housing plate is termed herein as the bottom housing plate.
In accordance with conventional manufacturing techniques, when the housing 104 is formed around the lens 102 of the electronic device 104, the fully assembled product has a seam, which separates the lens 102 and the housing 104, at the perimeter 106. In general, a seam is caused or formed by two abutting surfaces or edges. In the above case, the seam is formed or caused by the abutting surfaces or edges of the lens 102 and the housing 104. In the prior art, this seam is perceptible by touch and, thereby, causes an undesirable aesthetic look and feel, and, hence, a diminished experience for some electronic device users. However, in embodiments described and illustrated herein, for instance by reference to
One benefit of the present teachings is, thus, the minimization or elimination of the undesirable aesthetic look and feel of the seam between the lens 102 and the housing 104. Also, applying the protective film during manufacturing lends to the durability of the protective film. Moreover, the method for affixing the protective film to the lens and housing of the electronic device can be made more efficient by combining this method with an injection molding process, such as a glass insert molding process, for manufacturing the top housing plate of the electronic device.
Also illustrated, the electronic device 100 includes various cosmetic decorations on the non-viewing portion 116 of the lens, and, in one embodiment, the shading of the non-viewable portion 116 can indicate a further decoration applied to the lens 102. In one example, a company logo 108 is illustrated at the top of the non-viewing portion 116. In addition, function related icons 110 (three of which are shown, with only one being labeled) appear at the bottom of the non-viewing portion 116. In some examples, these icons 110 are formed in the protective film, which is disposed on the lens 102. Accordingly, another benefit of the present teachings is that decorations can still be readily applied to the lens and, in an embodiment, to the protective film affixed to the lens, for instance during the same process in which the protective film is seamlessly applied to the lens and housing.
Turning now to
The lens 212 is configured and functions to provide a transparent surface on which images produced by the display assembly 214 are presented. As shown, the lens 212 has a topside 218, a bottomside 220, and a perimeter, such as the perimeter 106 illustrated in relation to the lens 102 of
The protective film 222 is configured and functions to protect the lens 212 and housing 202 in one or more ways or manners depending, for instance, at least in part on the material used to construct the film 222 and the sequence in which layers of such material are disposed on the lens 212. In one example, the protective film 222 protects the lens 212 and housing 202 from scratches, and, thereby, provides a scratch-resistant coating for the lens 212 and housing 202. In another example, the protective film 222 protects the lens 212 and housing 202 from cracking, shattering, and/or breaking; and, should breakage occur, pieces of the shattered lens 212 or housing can be maintained within the confines of the affixed film 222.
In an embodiment, the protective film 222 is formed from one or more layers of material. In particular embodiments, the protective film 222 includes one or more of the following materials alone or in any suitable combination: PMMA; PC; a diamond-like material; polyethylene terephthalate (PET); siloxane, to name a few. For example, an extrusion manufacturing process is used to form a continuous protective film 222 from a raw material. In another example, a co-extrusion process is used to form a single protective film 222 having multiple layers of different types of materials, which are bonded or fused together. The product of the co-extrusion process is, thereby, referred to herein as a co-extrusion. However, any suitable process, including one that uses one or more adhesives to bond multiple layers, can be used to create the protective film 222, which is then seamlessly affixed to the lens 212 and the housing 202 in accordance with the present teachings.
As shown in
The other layers 204, 206, and 208 are referred to as being “formed on” or “disposed over” an underlying layer in a stack-up arrangement. In one particular stack-up arrangement, the protective film 222 includes a diamond-like nano-composite layer 204 disposed over a first poly(methyl methacrylate) layer 206, disposed over a polycarbonate layer 208, disposed over a second PMMA layer 210, which is affixed to the topside 218 of the lens 212 and to the housing 202. Thus, in accordance with this illustrative stack-up arrangement, the protective film 222 includes a PMMA layer 210 in contact with the lens 212 and the housing 202 and further includes a PC layer 208 disposed over the PMMA layer 210 and a PMMA layer 206 disposed over the PC layer 208. A layer of the protective film being in contact with a lens and/or housing means that the layer is directly adjacent to and bonded, attached, or affixed directly to the lens or housing without an intervening layer of the protective film therebetween.
Other embodiments of the protective film 222 include a layer of material other than PMMA in contact with the lens 212 and housing 202. These additional embodiments may or may not include additional layers formed on the layer that is in contact with the lens 212 and housing 202. For example, the protective film 222 includes a polycarbonate layer in contact with the lens 212 and housing 202. The protective film 222 may also further include a poly(methyl methacrylate) layer disposed over the polycarbonate layer.
In the embodiment illustrated in
In some other embodiments, an anti-fingerprint layer (not pictured) is further disposed over the layer 204 of diamond-like material. The anti-fingerprint layer illustratively provides a hydrophobic treatment to facilitate more easily cleaning the surface while maintaining a smooth feel to a glass lens or providing a glass-like feel to a rigid plastic lens. In one embodiment, the anti-fingerprint layer is constructed from a fluorocarbon material having a siloxane functional group.
As
Additionally, the lens 212 depicted in
Turning now to
Method 300 can be included within or applied to any suitable electronic device manufacturing process or portion thereof. In one particular embodiment, the protective film is seamlessly affixed to the topside of the lens and to the housing material using a molding tool during a glass insert molding process. The term glass insert molding process is meant to include any injection molding process that integrates a glass or other rigid lens with housing material, for instance, to manufacture a face cover for an electronic device, such as a portable electronic device.
Such an embodiment is further described with respect to
Turning now to the details of the illustrative glass insert molding process as shown with respect to the method 400, which starts with the protective film 222 and the lens 212 being loaded 402 into the molding tool 502, 504. This can be done manually or as an automated function. In a first embodiment, further illustrated by reference to
For example, for the first embodiment illustrated in
In a particular implementation of the first embodiment shown in
More specifically, as illustrated in this example, inserting the housing material 802 within the empty space 702 creates the seam 228 between the lens 212 and the housing material 802 that makes up the at least a portion of the housing 202 and causes the protective film 222 to cover the seam 228 between the lens 212 and the housing material 802. Moreover, in the embodiment illustrated in
As shown in
In a further embodiment, a decoration can be applied 416 to the protective film 222 and/or the lens 212 using an in-mold labeling process, so that when the mobile device is completed, the mobile device includes one or more decorative features, such as those illustrated with respect to the mobile device 100 in
The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all the claims. The invention is defined solely by the appended claims including any amendments made during the pendency of this application and all equivalents of those claims as issued.
Moreover in this document, relational terms such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes,” “including,” “contains,” “containing” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, has, includes, contains a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by “comprises . . . a,” “has . . . a,” “includes . . . a,” or “contains . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, has, includes, contains the element. The terms “a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless explicitly stated otherwise herein. The terms “substantially,” “essentially,” “approximately,” “about” or any other version thereof, are defined as being close to as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, and in one non-limiting embodiment the term is defined to be within 10%, in another embodiment within 5%, in another embodiment within 1% and in another embodiment within 0.5%. The term “coupled” as used herein is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly and not necessarily mechanically.
A device or structure that is “configured” in a certain way is configured in at least that way, but may also be configured in ways that are not listed. As used herein, the terms “configured to”, “configured with”, “arranged to”, “arranged with”, “capable of” and any like or similar terms mean that elements of the device or structure are at least physically arranged, connected, and or coupled to enable the device or structure to function as intended.
The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.
This application is a non-provisional application of co-pending and commonly assigned U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/942,181, filed on Feb. 20, 2014, from which benefits under 35 USC §119(e) are hereby claimed and the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61942181 | Feb 2014 | US |
