# US 2023/0273699 A1 · Touch panel apparatus and manufacturing method therefor

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- Number: US 2023/0273699 A1
- Document ID: US20230273699A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/012,384
- Filed: 2021-06-02
- Published: 2023-08-31
- Earliest claimed: 2020-06-29
- Assignees: NEC Platforms, Ltd.
- Applicants: NEC Platforms, Ltd.
- Inventors: Yuta SASAKI; Akihisa Iwata; Katsumi Harashima
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20230273699A1

## CPC

- G06F 3/0444: {using a single conductive element covering the whole sensing surface, e.g. by sensing the electrical current flowing at the corners}
- G06F 3/041: Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
- G06F 3/0428: {by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual (sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421)}
- Y02B 10/70: Hybrid systems, e.g. uninterruptible or back-up power supplies integrating renewable energies
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS

## Abstract

Cumbersomeness that is caused when a protective sheet is attached over a touch panel is alleviated. A touch panel apparatus (10) according to an example embodiment includes a roughly rectangular touch panel (13), a transparent protective sheet (12) having a shape roughly identical to that of the touch panel (13) and detachably disposed so as to cover a front surface of the touch panel (13), a lower-side holding part (11a) that holds the protective sheet (12), disposed on a lower side of the touch panel (13), and a left-side holding part (11b) and a right-side holding part (11c) that hold the protective sheet (12), disposed on two lateral sides, respectively, of the touch panel (13), the two lateral sides being adjacent to the lower side of the touch panel (13).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A touch panel apparatus comprising:
a roughly rectangular touch panel;
a transparent protective sheet having a shape roughly identical to that of the touch panel and detachably disposed so as to cover a front surface of the touch panel;
at least one lower-side holding part for holding the protective sheet, disposed on a lower side of the touch panel;
at least two lateral-side holding parts for holding the protective sheet, disposed on two lateral sides, respectively, of the touch panel, the two lateral sides being adjacent to the lower side of the touch panel; and
a frame disposed so as to surround an outer periphery of the touch panel, the frame being configured so that the lower-side holding part and the lateral-side holding parts are attached thereto, wherein
each of the lower-side holding part and the lateral-side holding parts includes an attachment part to be bonded to an outer surface of the frame, and an extension part extending to an area in front of the front surface of the touch panel in a direction roughly perpendicular to the attachment part, and
a front edge of the frame protrudes beyond the front surface of the touch panel and the extension part comes into contact with the front edge of the frame, so that a housing part is formed by the front surface of the touch panel, the extension part, and the frame, the housing part being formed to dispose the protective sheet therein.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The touch panel apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the lower-side holding part and the lateral-side holding parts are provided independently of each other,
and
the protective sheet is inserted from a side of the touch panel on which none of the lower-side holding part and the lateral-side holding parts is disposed into a gap between the front surface of the touch panel and the extension parts, and is thereby disposed in the gap.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The touch panel apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the lower-side holding part and the lateral-side holding parts are continuously provided,
and
the protective sheet is inserted from a side of the touch panel on which none of the lower-side holding part and the lateral-side holding parts is disposed into a gap between the front surface of the touch panel and the extension parts, and is thereby disposed in the gap.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The touch panel apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
each of the lateral-side holding parts includes an upper edge holding element and a lower edge holding element provided independently of each other at an upper end and a lower end, respectively, of the lateral side,
the lower-side holding part is continuously provided from the lower edge holding elements,
the upper edge holding element includes an opened part at a place corresponding to the upper side of the touch panel, the opened part being configured to open an area between the front surface of the touch panel and the extension part, and
the protective sheet is positioned between the front surface of the touch panel and the extension part through the opened part.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The touch panel apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
each of the lateral-side holding parts includes an upper edge holding element and a lower edge holding element provided independently of each other at an upper end and a lower end, respectively, of the lateral side,
the lower-side holding part is continuously provided from the lower edge holding elements,
and
the upper edge holding element includes a closed part at a place corresponding to the upper side of the touch panel, the closed part being configured to close an area between the front surface of the touch panel and the extension part, and
the protective sheet is inserted from a front-surface side of the touch panel into a gap between the front surface of the touch panel and the extension part by bending the protective sheet, and is thereby disposed in the gap.

### Claim 6

(canceled)

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The touch panel apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protective sheet has such a size that when the protective sheet is disposed between the front surface of the touch panel and the extension parts, a part of the protective sheet is disposed over a side of the frame on which none of the lower-side holding part and the lateral-side holding part is disposed.

### Claim 8

A method for manufacturing a touch panel apparatus comprising:
providing a frame so that the frame surrounds an outer periphery of a roughly rectangular touch panel, and a front edge of the frame protrudes beyond a front surface of the touch panel;
providing at least one lower-side holding part on a lower side of the touch panel;
providing at least two lateral-side holding parts on two lateral sides, respectively, of the touch panel, the two lateral parts being adjacent to the lower side of the touch panel, wherein each of the lower-side holding part and the lateral-side holding parts includes an attachment part to be bonded to an outer surface of the frame, and an extension part extending to an area in front of the front surface of the touch panel in a direction roughly perpendicular to the attachment part;
forming a housing part, by bringing the extension part into contact with the front edge of the frame, by the front surface of the touch panel, the extension part, and the frame, the housing part being formed to dispose a transparent protective sheet having a shape roughly identical to that of the touch panel therein; and
disposing the protective sheet, from a side of the touch panel on which none of the lower-side holding part and the lateral-side holding parts is disposed, in the housing part so as to cover the front surface of the touch panel, and detachably holding the protective sheet by the lower-side holding part and the lateral-side holding parts.