Touch screen protector

Abstract

The invention relates to a touch screen protector for a hand held electronic device having a front face that includes a touch screen portion and a non-functional band. The touch screen protector of the invention comprises a plastic film having front and back sides, an outer perimeter that corresponds to that of the device, and a transparent window; a spacer provided along the outer perimeter of the plastic film surrounding the transparent window, having a thickness sufficient to space the plastic film near but not in contact with the touch screen portion; an exposed adhesive for removably mounting the protector upon the outer perimeter of the front face to form an enclosed air space between the transparent window of the plastic film, the spacer and the touch screen portion of the device; and a joining adhesive for adhering the spacer to the back side of the plastic film.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A touch screen protector for a hand held electronic device having a front face that includes a touch screen portion and a non-functional band, the touch screen protector comprising:
 a plastic film having front and back sides, an outer perimeter that corresponds to that of the front face of the device, and a transparent window that corresponds in size to the touch screen portion; and   a spacer provided on the back side of the plastic film along the outer perimeter of the plastic film continuously surrounding the transparent window, having a thickness sufficient to space the plastic film near but not in contact with the touch screen portion, and an exposed adhesive on one side of the spacer for removably mounting the protector upon an outer perimeter of the front face to form an enclosed air space between the transparent window of the plastic film, the spacer and the touch screen portion of the device, wherein the exposed adhesive has an adhesive strength of 5-50 grams which is sufficient to releasably mount the protector onto the device but which enables its removal without leaving adhesive residue on the touch screen portion; and   a joining adhesive for adhering the spacer to the back side of the plastic film, wherein the joining adhesive has an adhesive strength that is at least 5 times and preferably is at least 10 times stronger than that of the exposed adhesive so that the spacer is not removed from the plastic film when the protector is removed from the front face of the device;   wherein the window can be pressed against the touch screen portion for operation of the electronic device while preventing direct contact of a user's fingers with the touch screen portion and without producing visible interference patterns during use.   
     
     
         2 . The touch screen protector of  claim 1 , wherein the spacer has a thickness of between about 0.05 and about 1 mm, and the plastic film has a thickness of between 0.5 and 2 mm and includes an opaque band about its periphery that receives the spacer. 
     
     
         3 . The touch screen protector of  claim 1 , wherein micro-particles are present on the back side of the plastic film at a density which is sufficiently high to provide an anti-static effect without adversely affecting quality of images viewed through the window. 
     
     
         4 . The touch screen protector of  claim 3 , wherein the micro-particles are transparent and cover more than 5% up to 50% of the back side of the plastic film to prevent interference patterns from arising when the transparent window is pressed against the touch screen portion of the electronic device during operation. 
     
     
         5 . The touch screen protector of  claim 4 , wherein the plastic film also includes micro-particles adhered to the front side of the window in an amount effective for providing anti-glare and anti-static effects to the window. 
     
     
         6 . The touch screen protector of  claim 1 , wherein the spacer width is selected to conform to or be within the non-functional band of the front face of the device so that the spacer does not interfere with the use of the touch screen portion when the protector is adhesively mounted onto the device. 
     
     
         7 . The touch screen protector of  claim 1 , wherein the joining adhesive is present on the spacer in the form of at least one adhesive strip that joins the spacer to the plastic film, wherein the adhesive strip is opaque. 
     
     
         8 . The touch screen protector of  claim 7 , wherein the joining adhesive of the at least one adhesive strip joining the spacer to the plastic film has an adhesive strength of 200-2000 grams. 
     
     
         9 . The touch screen protector of  claim 7 , wherein the spacer comprises at least two strips; a first strip adhesively mounted upon the perimeter of the plastic film and a second strip adhesively mounted upon the first strip, wherein the thickness of each strip is 0.05 to 0.5 mm and the second strip supports the exposed adhesive. 
     
     
         10 . The touch screen protector of  claim 9 , wherein the first and second strips are joined together and to the plastic film by an adhesive that has an adhesive strength of 200-2000 grams. 
     
     
         11 . The touch screen protector of  claim 1 , which further comprises a backing member to protect the back side of the plastic film and the exposed adhesive of the spacer prior to use. 
     
     
         12 . The touch screen protector of  claim 11 , wherein the backing member further includes a tab to assist in the removal of the backing member when mounting the protector on the device. 
     
     
         13 . The touch screen protector of  claim 1 , which further comprises one or more alignment holes that match one or more buttons on the electronic device to facilitate mounting of the protector on the device. 
     
     
         14 . The touch screen protector of  claim 1 , wherein the touch screen of the device and the plastic film are each substantially rectangular and the touch screen is part of a telephone, reading device, music device, viewing device or navigation device. 
     
     
         15 . The touch screen protector of  claim 1 , wherein the plastic film includes at least two layers, and the transparent window is clear but includes a coating that provides a matte effect or a privacy screen feature. 
     
     
         16 . A touch screen protector for a hand held electronic device having a front face that includes a touch screen portion and a non-functional band, the touch screen protector comprising:
 a plastic film that includes at least two layers and having front and back sides, an outer perimeter that corresponds to that of the front face of the device, and a transparent window that at least corresponds in size to the touch screen portion; and   a spacer provided on the back side of the plastic film along the outer perimeter of the plastic film continuously surrounding the transparent window, having a thickness sufficient to space the plastic film near but not in contact with the touch screen portion, and an exposed adhesive on one side of the spacer for removably mounting the protector upon an outer perimeter of the front face to form an enclosed air space between the transparent window of the plastic film, the spacer and the touch screen portion of the device, wherein the exposed adhesive has an adhesive strength of 5-50 grams which is sufficient to releasably mount the protector onto the device but which enables its removal without leaving adhesive residue on the touch screen portion; and   a joining adhesive for adhering the spacer to the back side of the plastic film, wherein the joining adhesive has an adhesive strength that is at least 5 times and preferably is at least 10 times stronger than that of the exposed adhesive so that the spacer is not removed from the plastic film when the protector is removed from the front face of the device;   wherein the window can be pressed against the touch screen portion for operation of the electronic device while preventing direct contact of a user's fingers with the touch screen portion and without producing visible interference patterns during use.   
     
     
         17 . The touch screen protector of  claim 16 , wherein the plastic film includes micro-particles on the front and back surfaces. 
     
     
         18 . The touch screen protector of  claim 16 , wherein the spacer has a thickness of between about 0.05 and about 1 mm, and the plastic film has a thickness of between 0.5 and 2 mm and includes an opaque band about its periphery that receives the spacer. 
     
     
         19 . The touch screen protector of  claim 16 , which further comprises a backing member to protect the back side of the plastic film and the exposed adhesive of the spacer prior to use, and one or more alignment holes that match one or more buttons on the electronic device to facilitate mounting of the protector on the device. 
     
     
         20 . The touch screen protector of  claim 16 , wherein the touch screen of the device and the plastic film are each substantially rectangular and the touch screen is part of a telephone, reading device, music device, viewing device or navigation device.