US 6,784,875 B2 · Ruggedized, water sealed, security-enhanced touchpad assembly

Abstract

A touchpad assembly is ruggedizing and sealed against moisture. The assembly includes a touchpad that receives a user-generated data signal that is cable-coupled to a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA), which components are disposed upon a support lens. A shield over-covers the touchpad assembly but has an through-opening providing user-access to the touchpad. An anti-theft mechanism secures the shield to the PCBA, and a security chamber space is sealingly defined between the shield, PCBA, and the support lens. The security chamber space is secured with injected resin, into which the anti-theft latch is thereby molded. A cable opening in the support lens is water sealed using double-sided adhesive tape or the like.

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Drawings

Claims35

Dependent claims

An apparatus for ruggedizing and securing a touchpad assembly comprising:

a touchpad having spaced-apart first and second surfaces, to receive a data signal from a user and to couple said signal to a cable;
a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) having spaced-apart first and second surfaces, said PCBA coupled to said cable to receive said data signal from said touchpad;
a support having a first surface upon which said touchpad and said PCBA are disposed;
a shield having spaced-apart first and second surfaces, said shield over-covering said touchpad, said cable, and said PCBA, and defining a through opening in said first surface overlying and permitting access to said touchpad;
an anti-theft latch securing said shield to said PCBA to enhance at least one of water-proofing and theft-vulnerability of said apparatus, wherein said anti-theft latch comprises a spring.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description2,868 words

Summary402 words

#The present invention relates generally to touchpad assemblies, and more particularly to point of sales (POS) units with touchpads that are ruggedized and water-sealed such that the invention protects raw data from theft.

#Touchpads are well-known input devices for digital systems including personal computers, games, hand held personal organizers, POS units, and the like. Touchpads operate by detecting the presence and movement of a pointing element manipulated by a user, e.g., a pen, a stylus, or a user-finger. Detected pointing element movement is translated electronically into movement of a cursor on a display screen, into commands, or other input that is recognizable by a machine or device with which the touchpad is used. Generally, a touchpad assembly includes a touchpad, a cable, a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA), a support lens, and a shield over the top of the assembly.

#A touchpad assembly that is not properly sealed can subject the touchpad components to damage from liquids or food spilled by a user onto the top of the assembly. Similarly, a touchpad assembly that has poor internal structural design due to lack of internal support may be damaged by force applied to the assembly. Further, a touchpad assembly that is too readily disassembled may be prone to component theft.

Brief description of the drawings9 figures

#FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a touchpad assembly, according to the present invention, without application of force to the touchpad surface;

#FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the touchpad assembly of FIG. 1, taken along the line 2—2;

#FIG. 3a is an end elevational view of the touchpad assembly as shown in FIG. 3, where the anti-theft latch includes a spring, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed description2,190 words

#FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a touchpad assembly 21, touchpad 22, and support lens 23, according to the present invention. As also seen in FIGS. 1-3, touchpad 22 and lens 23 are preferably substantially planar and may be rectangular in plan view. The first end of a cable 24, which may be a flex cable, is coupled to touchpad 22, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) 26 is coupled to the opposite end of cable 24. Touchpad assembly 21 further includes a support lens 23 and PCBA 26 preferably lies on support lens 23, next to touchpad 22. A protective shield 28 covers PCBA 26 and cable 24. Support lens 23 may be fabricated from optical quality transparent material, such as polycarbonate or glass. The plane of support lens 23 may be parallel and adjacent touchpad 22.

#In practice, an encrypted signal output 27 is coupled to the underside of PCBA 26. In FIG. 1, cable 24 and PCBA 26, and encrypted signal output 27 are shown in phantom, as they are concealed by a protective and preferably planar shield 28. In the embodiment shown, cable 24, PCBA 26, and encrypted signal output 27, lie along one width 29 of touchpad 22.

#As best seen in FIG. 1, shield 28, which may be made of a metalized material, includes an opening 31 sized to permit accessing touchpad 22 via the opening. The shield 28 covers the edges 32 of the touchpad 22, as shown in FIG. 2, and also covers the cable 24, PCBA 26, and encrypted signal output 27. As shown, shield 28 can include at least one through-mounting hole 34 to facilitate mounting the shield to support lens 23 using screws, rivets, or other mounting mechanisms. In the embodiment shown, shield 28 has six mounting holes 34: one near each shield corner, and two located near touchpad 22, which also has corner holes or openings as well. As such, two pairs of three holes 34 lie along the opposite first edge 36 and second edge 37 of the shield 28. Shield 28 has opposite first edge 36 and second edge 37 extending the length of the shield. Shield 28 may also define at least one injection port 38, that extends through the shield above PCBA 26 and support lens 23. Preferably, shield 28 has a single hole as injection port 38, which may be located over the center region of PCBA 26 and adjacent touchpad 22. Such injection port(s) permit injecting encapsulation resin into a security chamber space 63, which is described below.

Facts

Application

10/044,095Filed 11 Jan 2002

Published

US 2003/0132917 A117 Jul 2003

Granted

31 Aug 2004

Term ended

11 Jan 2022

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification2 codes

G06F 3/03547
With detection of two-dimensional [2D] relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D…
G06F
Computing and data processing

Timeline

11 Jan 2002Application filedUS 10/044,095
12 Sep 2002Assigned to @Pos.Com, Inc. (Delaware Corporation)termination of intellectual property security agreement
13 Sep 2002Assigned to Symbol Technologies, Inc. (De Corporation)security interest
17 Jul 2003PublishedUS 2003/0132917 A1
23 Jul 2004Assigned to Symbol Technologies, Inc.assignment of assignor's interest
31 Aug 2004GrantedUS 6,784,875 B2
5 Jan 2005Assigned to Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A.security interest
8 Jun 2006Assigned to Symbol Technologies, Inc.assignment of assignor's interest
3 Dec 2010Assigned to Symbol Technologies, Inc.release of security interest
11 Jan 2022Term endedEstimated

Ruggedized, water sealed, security-enhanced touchpad assembly

Life of this patent

Ruggedized, water sealed, security-enhanced touchpad assembly

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims35

Description2,868 words

Drawings

Classification2 codes

Life of this patent

Description2,868 words