Back to results
US 2011/0300908 A1Published application
Thin Glass for Touch Panel Sensors and Methods Therefor
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsSilvio Grespan, Casey Feinstein, Kuo-Hua Sung, John Z. Zhong
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Improved techniques are disclosed for fabrication of touch panels using thin sheet glass, coupling external circuitry, and securely holding the touch panel within a portable electronic device. The thin sheet glass may be chemically strengthened and laser scribed.
Claims25
An apparatus comprising:
- a touch sensor panel comprising a chemically strengthened glass substrate having a thickness of substantially less than approximately one half millimeter, and a first patterned thin film coupled to a first major surface of the glass substrate.
A portable electronic device, comprising:
- a thin touch sensor panel including at least (i) a chemically strengthened glass substrate having a thickness of substantially less than approximately one half millimeter, and (ii) a first patterned thin film coupled to a first major surface of the glass substrate.
A method for producing thin touch sensor panels each having a thickness of substantially less than approximately one-half millimeter comprising:
- obtaining a thin mother glass sheet having a thickness of substantially less then approximately one half millimeter;
- depositing a thin film coupled to a surface of the thin mother glass sheet, and patterning the thin film;
- laser scribing the thin mother glass sheet;
- and
- singulating the thin mother glass sheet into the thin touch sensor panels.
2 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a flex circuit having a top, bottom and distal extremities;
- and
- a touch sensor panel having top and bottom major surfaces, and top and bottom surface coupling sites each comprising substantially uniformly spaced apart conductors, wherein the flex circuit is folded between the top and bottom extremities for electrically coupling the top and bottom extremities to the top and bottom surface coupling sites.
A method of assembling a portable electronic device having a housing comprising:
- coupling a first major surface of a touch sensor panel to a cover glass;
- coupling the cover glass to the housing;
- and
- selectively applying a potting adhesive to a void between the first major surface of the touch sensor panel, the cover glass and the housing in such a way as to avoid applying the potting adhesive to an opposing major surface of the touch sensor panel.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.