Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at same station – Having particular housing or support of a transceiver
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-27
2004-04-27
Vo, Nguyen T. (Department: 2686)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at same station
Having particular housing or support of a transceiver
C455S347000, C455S550100, C455S575100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06728519
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to devices, such as portable telephones, which have an input manipulation portion on the surface of a casing, and more particularly to an input device providing an input manipulation portion.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Already known are cellular phones, i.e., portable telephones, comprising a liquid-crystal display and a touch panel which are provided in combination on the surface of a casing. The display is adapted to present data thereon, while the touch panel enables the user to input data.
For example,
FIG. 6
shows a portable telephone having a casing which comprises a front case
11
and rear case (not shown). Provided inside the casing is a circuit board
7
which has a liquid-crystal display
6
mounted on its upper surface. The display
6
has a rectangular screen and a frame
61
surrounding the screen, and is fixedly mounted on the circuit board
7
.
The front case
11
has a rectangular first opening
16
corresponding to a large rectangular region included in the screen of the display
6
and positioned toward the head side of the casing, and a rectangular second opening
17
corresponding to the remainder of the display screen, i.e., a relatively small rectangular region thereof. The front case
11
therefore has a slender bar portion
14
formed between the first opening
16
and the second opening
17
.
A front panel
2
forming a portion of the front case
11
has a rectangular screen portion
21
corresponding to the first opening
16
of the front case
11
, a rectangular window
22
corresponding to the second opening
17
of the front case
11
, and a slender bar portion
23
formed between the screen portion
21
and the window
22
and to be lapped over the bar portion
14
of the front case
11
. A touch panel
3
is held between the inner peripheral edge of the front panel
2
which defines its window
22
and the inner peripheral edge of the front case
11
which defines the second opening
17
thereof.
Disposed between the liquid-crystal display
6
on the circuit board
7
and the front case
11
is a transparent back plate
5
to be in intimate contact with the rear surface of the touch panel
3
. The back plate
5
is in the form of a rectangular body shaped in conformity with the contour of the touch panel
3
and provided with a pair of lugs
51
,
51
. The back plate
5
is attached to the rear side of the front case
11
by the engagement of these lugs
51
,
51
with the rear side of the casing
1
.
FIG. 5
shows the display portion and the touch manipulation portion of the portable telephone in section in greater detail. The back plate
5
is attached to the front case
11
by the engagement of the pair of lugs
51
,
51
with a pair of hooks
19
,
19
formed on the front case
11
. The front case
11
has a panel affixing portion
18
formed around the second opening
17
, and the outer peripheral portion of the touch panel
3
has its rear surface adhered to the surface of the affixing portion
18
with a double-faced adhesive tape
83
. The front panel
2
is provided over the first opening
16
and the second opening
17
of the front case
11
, and the inner peripheral portion thereof defining the window
22
and the outer peripheral part of the screen portion
21
are adhered to the surfaces of the touch panel
3
and the front case
11
with a double-faced adhesive tape
84
.
With the portable telephone described, the image of a manual key is presented on the screen of the liquid-crystal display
6
in the casing for the touch panel to detect the depression of the key image for inputting data. Accordingly, if the display
6
shows a plurality of key images selectively upon a change-over, an increased number of functions can be realized by key manipulation.
With the telephone shown in
FIGS. 5 and 6
, however, it is necessary to attach the back plate
5
to the front case
11
from the rear side thereof and to attach the touch panel
3
and the front panel
2
to the front case
11
from the front side thereof. Thus, the telephone has the problem of necessitating a complex procedure because the parts need to be joined to the front case
11
from two directions.
Further when the touch panel
3
is depressed for inputting data, the downward pressure is received by the back plate
5
, which is merely engaged with the hooks
19
,
19
of the front case
11
and therefore fails to fully receive the pressure. Consequently, the touch panel
3
is forced down by the downward pressure and likely to peel off the double-faced adhesive tape
84
adhering the rear surface of the front panel
2
to the front surface of the touch panel
3
. This entails the problem of forming a clearance between the front panel
2
and the touch panel
3
and permitting dust to ingress into and remain in the clearance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a portable input device which can be assembled easily, and is usable for inputting data without the likelihood of dust and the like ingressing into the device.
The present invention provides a portable input device which comprises a casing
1
having a display
6
disposed therein. The casing
1
is provided with a touch panel
3
at least partially covering a screen of the display
6
and is formed in a surface thereof with a panel receiving recessed portion
24
having the touch panel
3
accommodated therein. The recessed portion
24
has a transparent part opposed to the screen of the display
6
. The surface of the casing
1
is provided with an exterior sheet
4
covering the touch panel
3
accommodated in the recessed portion
24
. The exterior sheet
4
has a transparent portion opposed to a manipulation surface of the touch panel
3
, and an outer peripheral portion which has its rear surface adhered to a surface of a panel affixing portion
27
formed around the recessed portion
24
.
The portable input device of the present invention can be assembled by fitting the touch panel
3
and the exterior sheet
4
successively into the recessed portion
24
formed in the casing
1
from the front surface side of the casing
1
, so that these components can be joined to the casing
1
in only one direction, hence a simplified procedure.
Further when the touch panel
3
is depressed by pressing the surface of the exterior sheet
4
to input data, the downward pressure is reliably received by the panel receiving recessed portion
24
to result in only a slight depression. Moreover, since the outer peripheral portion of the exterior sheet
4
covering the surface of the touch panel
3
has its rear surface adhered to the surface of the panel affixing portion
27
formed around the recessed portion, the downward pressure on the touch panel
3
is unlikely to act in a direction to separate the adhesive joint. This eliminates the likelihood that the exterior sheet
4
will become separated from the casing
1
at the joint, consequently precluding dust and the like from ingressing into the separation.
Stated more specifically, the recessed portion
24
is formed integrally with a front panel
2
made of resin and providing a portion of the casing
1
. This gives the recessed portion
24
a high structural strength to reliably receive the downward pressure on the touch panel
3
, also ensuring high liquid-tightness.
Further stated more specifically, the recessed portion
24
has a plurality of pins
26
projecting upward from a bottom wall thereof and extending through respective circular holes
32
formed in an outer peripheral portion of the touch panel
3
. The touch panel
3
can then be fitted into the recessed portion
24
easily with high accuracy for assembly.
Further stated more specifically, the outer peripheral portion of the exterior sheet
4
is held raised by upper ends of the pins
26
. With this construction, the state of contact between the touch panel
3
and the exterior sheet
4
can be adjusted according to the height of the pins
26
, whereby the sensitivity of the touch panel
3
to the depression can be
Armstrong Kratz Quintos Hanson & Brooks, LLP
Lei T Richard
Sanyo Electric Co,. Ltd.
Vo Nguyen T.
LandOfFree
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