Stylus for an electronic touchscreen terminal

Abstract

The invention relates to a stylus (4) for an electronic touchscreen terminal, which stylus comprises: - a main body (6) extending in an axial direction and having a distal end intended to come into contact with an electronic terminal touchscreen, and a proximal end comprising an annular groove (12) forming a recess for an end loop (13) of a tether (5); and - a protective cap (7) intended, when attached to the main body, to at least partially cover the end loop of the tether so as to retain it inside the annular groove.

Description

Stylus for touchscreen electronic terminals

[0001] The invention relates to the field of electronic terminals with touch screens, and more particularly to the field of styluses for electronic terminals with touch screens. Technical background

[0002] We already know of prior art pointing devices, called styluses, designed to allow input on a screen or touch panel of an electronic terminal, for example, an electronic payment terminal. The stylus is a passive element whose function is to imitate the finger to allow input on the screen or touch panel of the electronic terminal.

[0003] When a stylus is present, it is known to include a device to prevent it from being dropped, lost, or stolen. Typically, this involves a wrist strap attached to the electronic terminal's casing on one side and to the stylus on the other, thus connecting the stylus to the terminal's casing. To achieve this, the stylus has a loop at its proximal end with an opening through which the wrist strap is passed and secured, for example, by tying a knot. However, such styluses have several drawbacks.

[0004] First, the wrist strap is mobile within the opening of the retaining ring, so friction occurs between the strap and the retaining ring when the stylus is handled. Such friction causes premature wear of the wrist strap, requiring frequent replacement to limit the risk of the strap breaking and thus of the stylus being dropped, lost, or stolen.

[0005] Furthermore, the knot typically used to attach the wrist strap to the attachment ring is easily accessible and can be quickly and easily untied by someone attempting to steal the stylus. In addition, the need to tie a knot with the wrist strap complicates the stylus's manufacture.

[0006] Finally, the fixing ring, which protrudes from a proximal end of the main body of the stylus, forms a point of mechanical weakness which is liable to be torn off in the event of excessive axial or transverse force.

[0007] The invention aims in particular to provide a stylus for electronic terminals with touch screens that overcomes at least some of the disadvantages mentioned above.

[0008] To this end, the invention relates to a stylus for an electronic terminal with a touch screen, characterized in that it comprises: - a main body elongated along an axial direction and having a distal end intended to come into contact with a touch screen of an electronic terminal and a proximal end comprising an annular groove forming a housing for an end loop of a wrist strap, and - a protective cap intended, when attached to the main body, to cover at least part of the end loop of the wrist strap so as to hold it in the annular groove.

[0009] The cooperation between the annular groove and the protective cap, which secures the wrist strap's end loop, ensures a reliable, robust, and easy-to-use attachment of the wrist strap to the stylus body. Simply place the end loop of the wrist strap into the annular groove, then attach the protective cap to the stylus body. This clamps the wrist strap's end loop between the bottom of the groove and the protective cap, thus securing it to the stylus body. It is clear that this method is faster and simpler than the prior art, which required passing the wrist strap through an opening in a retaining ring and then tying a knot. Furthermore, the strap's resistance to pull-out is improved.Indeed, in the case, for example, of an axial tensile force applied by pulling on the wrist strap, the force is distributed in the annular groove, which reduces the risk of mechanical breakage of the main body and also reduces the risk of theft by tearing.

[0010] The protective cap offers several advantages. First, as mentioned earlier, it reinforces the wrist strap's attachment to the stylus body by securing the strap loop within the stylus's ring groove. Furthermore, the cap prevents unauthorized access to the area where the wrist strap attaches to the main body, making it more difficult for someone to intentionally detach the stylus. Additionally, the cap protects the wrist strap from potential friction with external elements and from potential chemical damage. Finally, the cap enhances the stylus's appearance by concealing the attachment point between the wrist strap and the stylus.

[0011] The invention may also include one or more of the following optional features, taken alone or in combination.

[0012] Advantageously, the main body is formed by a core overmolded with a thermoplastic material, with a proximal portion of the core protruding from the thermoplastic material. This makes manufacturing the stylus quick and easy. In particular, the portion of the core protruding from the thermoplastic material can be used to facilitate handling the core during the overmolding process.

[0013] Advantageously, the core is made of a metallic material, preferably magnetic. Using a magnetic core allows the stylus to be held to an electronic terminal by a magnet. This makes using the stylus particularly easy, especially when the user wishes to put it down after use, as they simply need to bring the stylus close to the magnet for it to be held in place by the electronic terminal. Furthermore, using a metallic, preferably magnetic, core enhances the stylus's mechanical strength.

[0014] Advantageously, the protective cap includes guiding means for positioning the protective cap on the main body. These guiding means comprise at least one guiding relief extending from an inner face of the protective cap and defining a channel for the core of the main body. The core channel has a shape complementary to at least a portion of a proximal end of the core. This facilitates the positioning of the protective cap. Furthermore, the interaction between the guiding means of the protective cap and the proximal end of the stylus core reduces the risk of the protective cap being too easily removed, for example, by a force applied radially to the axis of the cap.Furthermore, this limits the movement of the protective cap, which helps to limit friction between the protective cap and the wrist strap, thus reducing wear on the wrist strap.

[0015] In an advantageous embodiment, the guide relief also defines a wrist strap channel. The presence of this wrist strap channel reduces friction between the protective cap and the wrist strap. Furthermore, the wrist strap channel facilitates stylus assembly, as it also guides the wrist strap during its insertion into the protective cap.

[0016] Advantageously, the stylus includes a clip-on attachment mechanism for the protective cap to the main body. This clip-on attachment is easy to implement and economical. Furthermore, it allows the protective cap to be attached via an axial translational movement, without rotating the cap. This reduces the risk of the protective cap damaging the wrist strap, for example, during a rotational movement of the protective cap if it were screwed in place.

[0017] Preferably, the means for clipping the protective cap onto the main body comprise an annular rib extending around the circumference of the proximal end of the main body, the annular rib being complementary to a clip groove formed on an inner face of the protective cap. This is a simple and economical way of clipping the protective cap onto the main body of the stylus.

[0018] Advantageously, the stylus further includes means for locking the protective cap from rotation. These means comprise a first locking member, carried by the main body, and a second locking member, carried by the protective cap, designed to cooperate by complementary shapes when the protective cap is attached to the main body, thus limiting or preventing rotation of the protective cap around its axial direction. In this way, on the one hand, the risk of friction between the protective cap and the wrist strap is reduced, thereby improving the stylus's lifespan by reducing wrist strap wear. On the other hand, the risk of the protective cap becoming detached from the main body of the stylus is reduced, thus limiting the protective cap's possible movement.

[0019] Preferably, the first locking element is formed by an axial locking groove, and the second locking element is formed by an axial locking rib having a shape complementary to the axial locking groove. This is a simple and economical way to implement the locking means. It is understood that the complementary shapes of the locking groove and the locking rib allow them to interlock when the protective cap is placed on the main body. This interlocking limits or prevents the rotation of the protective cap around the axial direction when the protective cap is placed on the main body.

[0020] The invention also relates to an electronic terminal characterized in that it comprises: - a main unit including a touch screen, - a stylus as described above, the stylus being able to make contact with the touch screen to allow data entry, and - a wrist strap attached on one side to the main unit and on the other side to the stylus. Brief description of the figures

[0021] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, given solely by way of example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0022] is a perspective view of an electronic payment terminal according to the invention;

[0023] is a perspective view of a stylus according to a first embodiment of the invention in which the protective cap is not shown;

[0024] is a perspective view of a stylus according to the first embodiment and a wrist strap, in which the protective cap is not yet placed on the main body of the stylus;

[0025] is a perspective view of a proximal portion of the stylus according to the first embodiment of the invention, in a step prior to the placement of the wrist strap in the annular groove;

[0026] is a view similar to that of the, in which the wrist strap is placed in the annular throat;

[0027] is a view similar to that of the, in which the protective cap is placed on the main body of the stylus;

[0028] is an axial cross-sectional view along axis A of the stylus according to the first embodiment of the invention;

[0029] is a perspective view of a distal end of the stylus protective cap according to the first embodiment of the invention;

[0030] is a cross-sectional view of a proximal end of the stylus according to the first embodiment of the invention;

[0031] is a perspective view of a proximal end of a stylus according to a second embodiment of the invention, in which the protective cap is not shown;

[0032] is a view similar to that of the, in which the stylus has undergone a rotation of approximately 90° around the axial direction of the stylus;

[0033] is a perspective view of a distal end of the stylus protective cap according to the second embodiment of the invention

[0034] is a cross-sectional view of a proximal end of the stylus according to the second embodiment of the invention;

[0035] is a cross-sectional view of a proximal end of the stylus according to the second embodiment of the invention, in which the protective cap is not clipped onto the main body of the stylus; and

[0036] is a view similar to the one in which the protective cap is clipped onto the main body of the stylus. Detailed description

[0037] Figures 1 to 9 show an electronic terminal 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention. It should be noted that in the example described, the electronic terminal 1 is an electronic payment terminal.

[0038] The electronic payment terminal 1 includes a main unit 2, a stylus 4 and a wrist strap 5.

[0039] The main unit includes a physical keyboard and a touchscreen 3 for data entry. Data can be entered directly on the touchscreen 3 using a user's finger or via the stylus 4. Depending on the embodiment, the touchscreen 3 can be resistive or capacitive.

[0040] The stylus 4 comprises a main body 6 and a protective cap 7. The main body 6 is elongated along an axial direction A and, in this case, has a shape with rotational symmetry about the axial direction A. According to this embodiment, the main body 6 is formed by a core 8 overmolded with a thermoplastic material 9 (Figures 2 and 9). The appropriate thermoplastic material can be chosen by those skilled in the art according to the desired properties of the stylus 4 and / or according to the nature of the core 8.

[0041] As shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7, a proximal portion of the core 8 protrudes from the thermoplastic material 9. Thus, the manipulation of the main body 6 during its manufacturing process can be easily carried out using this protruding portion of the core 8, particularly during the overmolding step with the thermoplastic material 9. According to alternative embodiments, the core 8 may be provided not to protrude outside the thermoplastic material 9.

[0042] According to this embodiment, the core 8 is advantageously made of a metallic material, preferably magnetic, for example steel. The main housing 2 includes a stylus holder 10 for a stylus 4, which includes a permanent magnet designed to interact with the magnetic metallic core 8 by exerting a magnetic attraction force on it, capable of holding the stylus 4 in position on the stylus holder 10 of the main housing 2 of the electronic payment terminal 1. The use of the stylus 4 is thus easy for the user, who can easily remove the stylus 4 from its holder 10 or replace it on the holder.

[0043] The main body 6 comprises a proximal end and a distal end.

[0044] The distal end of the main body 6 is designed to make contact with the touchscreen 3 of the electronic payment terminal 1 to enable data entry. For this purpose, the distal end is equipped, in this case, with a tip 11 adapted to make contact with the touchscreen 3 to perform data entry (Figures 1 to 3). The nature of the tip 11 can vary and is chosen by those skilled in the art, depending, in particular, on the type of touchscreen 3 used.

[0045] The proximal end of the main body 6 includes an annular groove 12 forming a housing for an end loop 13 of the wrist strap 5 (Figures 4, 5 and 7).

[0046] The stylus 4 includes a protective cap 7 designed, when attached to the main body 6, to at least partially cover the end loop 13 of the wrist strap 5 so as to hold it in the annular groove 12. As can be seen in particular in Figures 7 and 9, when the protective cap 7 is attached to the main body 6 and the end loop 13 of the wrist strap 5 is housed in the annular groove 12, the end loop 13 of the wrist strap 5 is clamped between, on the one hand, an inner face of the protective cap 7 and, on the other hand, the bottom of the annular groove 12. It is understood that, in this configuration, the end loop 13 is held in the annular groove 12 even if force is applied to the wrist strap 5 or the stylus 4.It is also understood that in the event of a pulling force on the wrist strap 5, the force is mainly transmitted to the annular groove 12 so that it is the main body 6 which bears a greater part of this force and not the protective cap 7. This reduces the risk of the protective cap 7 being detached from the main body 6 in the event of a pull on the wrist strap 5 or the stylus 4.

[0047] The wrist strap 5 is therefore attached, on one side, to the stylus 4, and, on the other side, to the main unit 2 of the electronic payment terminal 1, thus securing the stylus 4 to the main unit 2 of the electronic payment terminal 1. This reduces the risk of the stylus 4 being dropped, lost, or stolen.

[0048] The protective cap 7 includes guide means for positioning the protective cap 7 onto the main body 6. These guide means comprise at least one guide relief 14 extending from an inner face of the protective cap 7 and defining a channel 15 for the core 8 of the main body 6. The channel 15 for the core 8 has a shape complementary to the proximal end of the core 8, which protrudes from the thermoplastic material 9 (Figures 7 and 8). The guide relief 14 further defines a channel 16 for the wrist strap 5. Thus, in this case, the guide relief 14 has the shape of an internal flange defining a central opening that forms the channel 15 for the core. The internal flange is interrupted to define the channel 16 for the wrist strap 5.The channel 16 for the passage of the wrist strap 5 continues to a proximal end of the protective cap 7 and terminates in an opening 17 for the passage of the wrist strap 5 provided in the protective cap 7. The channel 16 for the passage of the wrist strap 5 helps to limit friction between the protective cap 7 and the wrist strap 5, thus reducing the risk of premature wear of the wrist strap 5, and also makes it easier to put in place the wrist strap 5 during the manufacture of the stylus 4.

[0049] According to this embodiment, the protective cap 7 is attached to the main body 6 by clipping. For this purpose, the stylus 4 includes clipping means for attaching the protective cap 7 to the main body 6 which include an annular rib 18 extending around the circumference of the proximal end of the main body 6, the annular rib being complementary to a clipping groove 19 provided on the inner face of the protective cap 7 ().

[0050] The following are described the assembly steps for the different parts forming the stylus 4 and the wrist strap.

[0051] Initially, the wrist strap 5, the protective cap 7, and the main body 6 of the stylus 4 are not attached to each other ( ). The end loop 13 of the wrist strap 5 is then passed through the wrist strap 5 passage opening 17 and through the wrist strap 5 passage channel 16 so as to pass completely through the protective cap 7 ( ). The end loop 13 of the wrist strap 5 is then positioned in the annular groove 12 of the main body 6 so as to occupy substantially the entire annular groove 12 ( ). The protective cap 7 is then threaded onto the proximal end of the main body 6 until the annular rib 18 of the main body engages in the clipping groove 19 of the protective cap 7 so as to clip the protective cap 7 onto the main body 6 (Figures 6 and 7).During the threading of the protective cap 7 onto the main body 6, the proximal end of the core 8, protruding from the thermoplastic material 9, is progressively introduced into the channel 15 through which the core 8 passes, a channel delimited by the guide relief 14 of the protective cap 7. The interaction between the core 8 and the guide relief 14 guides the trajectory of the protective cap 7 and thus facilitates its clipping onto the main body 6. As shown in the figure, once the protective cap 7 is clipped onto the main body 6, it at least partially covers the end loop 13 of the wrist strap 5, which is housed in the annular groove 12, thereby holding it in the annular groove 12.This provides a simple and secure attachment of the wrist strap 5 to the main body 6 of the stylus 4, while reducing the risk of premature wear of the wrist strap 5 since the end loop 13 is protected by the protective cap 7. Furthermore, when tensile force is applied to the wrist strap 5, this force is minimally or not at all transmitted to the protective cap 7, thus reducing the risk of the protective cap detaching when tension is applied to the stylus 4 or the wrist strap 5. In addition, the tensile force is not transmitted to the main body 6 at a single point but is distributed around the entire circumference of the main body 6 at the annular groove 12, which reduces the risk of mechanical breakage.

[0052] The wrist strap 5 thus forms a linking element allowing the stylus 4 to be fixed to the electronic payment terminal 1.

[0053] Figures 10 to 15 show a stylus 4 for an electronic payment terminal 1 according to a second embodiment of the invention. In these figures, elements similar to those in Figures 1 to 9, corresponding to the first embodiment, are designated by identical reference numerals. The stylus 4 according to the second embodiment is described below only with regard to its differences from the first embodiment.

[0054] The stylus 4 according to the second embodiment differs from the stylus 4 according to the first embodiment in that it further includes means for locking a rotation of the protective cap 7.

[0055] The means for locking the rotation of the protective cap 7 include a first locking member, carried by the main body 6, and a second locking member, carried by the protective cap 7. The first and second locking members are intended to cooperate by complementary shape when the protective cap 7 is fixed to the main body 6 so as to limit or prevent a rotation of the protective cap 7 around the axial direction A.

[0056] In the present case, the first locking member is formed by an axial locking groove 20 and the second locking member is formed by an axial locking rib 21 having a shape complementary to the axial locking groove 20 (figures 10 to 15).

[0057] The axial locking groove 20 is formed in the main body 6 at its proximal end ( ). The axial locking rib 21 projects from the face of the guide relief 14 opposite the proximal end of the main body 6 ( ). When the protective cap 7 is clipped onto the main body 6 (Figures 13 and 15), the axial locking rib 21 is housed in the axial locking groove 20 so as to prevent or limit rotation of the protective cap 7 around the axial direction A. Limiting or preventing rotation of the protective cap 7 reduces wear on the wrist strap 5 caused by friction with the protective cap 7. It also reduces the risk that rotation of the protective cap 7 will displace, by friction, part of the end loop 13 of the wrist strap 5 outside the annular groove 12.

[0058] Furthermore, the presence of the axial locking groove 20 and the axial locking rib 21 facilitates the installation of the protective cap 7 onto the main body. Indeed, the axial locking groove 20 and the axial locking rib 21 help guide the protective cap 7 during its placement on the main body 6.

[0059] The invention is not limited to the embodiments presented in the detailed description, and other embodiments will be obvious to a person skilled in the art. List of references

[0060] 1: Electronic payment terminal 2: Main housing 3: Touchscreen 4: Stylus 5: Wrist strap 6: Main body 7: Protective cap 8: Core 9: Thermoplastic material 10: Stylus holder 11: Tip 12: Annular groove 13: Wrist strap end loop 14: Guide relief 15: Core passage channel 16: Wrist strap passage channel 17: Wrist strap passage hole 18: Annular rib 19: Clip groove 20: Axial locking groove 21: Axial locking rib

Claims

Stylus (4) for electronic terminal (1) with touch screen, characterized in that it comprises: - a main body (6) elongated along an axial direction (A) and having a distal end intended to come into contact with a touch screen (3) of electronic terminal (1) and a proximal end comprising an annular groove (12) forming a housing for an end loop (13) of a wrist strap (5), and - a protective cap (7) intended, when attached to the main body (6), to cover at least part of the end loop (13) of the wrist strap (5) so as to hold it in the annular groove (12). Stylus (4) according to claim 1, wherein the main body (6) is formed by a core (8) overmolded by a thermoplastic material (9), a proximal portion of the core (8) protruding out of the thermoplastic material (9). Stylus (4) according to claim 2, wherein the core (8) is made of a metallic material, preferably magnetic. Stylus (4) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the protective cap (7) includes guiding means for guiding the placement of the protective cap (7) on the main body (6), the guiding means including at least one guiding relief (14) extending from an inner face of the protective cap (7) and defining a channel (15) for the passage of the core (8) of the main body (6), the channel (15) for the passage of the core (8) having a shape complementary to at least a part of a proximal end of the core (8). Stylus (4) according to claim 4, wherein the guide relief (14) further delimits a channel (16) for the passage of the wrist strap (5). Stylus (4) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising means for clipping the protective cap (7) onto the main body (6). Stylus (4) according to claim 6, wherein the means for clipping the protective cap (7) onto the main body (6) comprise an annular rib (18) extending around the perimeter of the proximal end of the main body (6), the annular rib (18) being complementary to a clipping groove (19) provided on an inner face of the protective cap (7). Stylus (4) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising means for locking the protective cap (7) from rotation, comprising a first locking member, carried by the main body (6), and a second locking member, carried by the protective cap (7), intended to cooperate by complementarity of form when the protective cap (7) is fixed to the main body (6) so as to limit or prevent a rotation of the protective cap (7) around the axial direction (A). Stylus (4) according to claim 8, wherein the first locking member is formed by an axial locking groove (20) and the second locking member is formed by an axial locking rib (21) having a shape complementary to the axial locking groove (20). Electronic terminal (1) characterized in that it comprises: - a main housing (2) including a touch screen (3), - a stylus (4) according to any one of the preceding claims, the stylus (4) being able to come into contact with the touch screen (3) to allow data entry, and - a wrist strap (5) attached on one side to the main housing (2) and on the other side to the stylus (4).

Images