The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 26, 2013
Filed:
Jan. 30, 2001
Anna Pia Slothower, Belmont, CA (US);
David Northway, San Carlos, CA (US);
William Robert Hanson, Mountain View, CA (US);
Lawrence Lam, San Jose, CA (US);
Anna Pia Slothower, Belmont, CA (US);
David Northway, San Carlos, CA (US);
William Robert Hanson, Mountain View, CA (US);
Lawrence Lam, San Jose, CA (US);
Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P., Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
An integrated enclosure/touch screen assembly with a soft thermoplastic outer surface coupled directly to a digitizer mechanism. A touch screen assembly consisting of a display mechanism and a resistive digitizer mechanism are enclosed within a single piece cover. The digitizer mechanism consists of a top film and a digitizing element, and the single piece cover is affixed directly to the top film of the digitizer mechanism. The single piece cover has a flat outer surface that is free of any steps or indentations which provides an enclosure that is both dust free and waterproof. The soft thermoplastic material used for the single piece cover will allow activation of the digitizer mechanism by means of mechanical pressure applied to the outer surface of the single piece cover. In one embodiment, the single piece cover is constructed by coupling a soft thermoplastic outer film directly to the top film of the digitizer mechanism by an in mold decoration process. This process forms the flat outer surface for the single piece cover and also may be used to provide various shapes for the outer edges of the cover. In a second embodiment, a touch screen assembly consisting of a display mechanism and a digitizer mechanism are enclosed within a mechanical support mechanism. A soft thermoplastic film is then coupled directly to the top film of the digitizer mechanism and the support mechanism to form a flat outer surface for the entire enclosure that is free of any steps or indentations.