Curved Mobile Cover With Integrated Touch Surface
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile devices with touch-sensitive inputs face design and manufacturing challenges due to the need for a separate touch pad and side key, which increase thickness, cost, and complexity, limiting the usable touch area to the size of the display.
Innovation Solution
Integrally molding a touch-sensitive portion into the device's cover, allowing for both upper and side touch inputs without additional components, reducing thickness and manufacturing complexity while enhancing design aesthetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a separate touch pad is attached to the display using double-sided adhesive tape, then touch input functionality is achieved, but device thickness increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the touch pad functionality directly into the display assembly by integrating a touch-sensitive layer with the display panel during manufacturing. This eliminates the need for a separate touch pad component and double-sided adhesive tape, thereby reducing device thickness while maintaining touch input functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The display assembly is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides visual display information and simultaneously serves as the touch input interface. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate components, reducing overall device thickness while achieving both display and touch input capabilities.
2Ease of operation
If a separate touch pad is attached to the display using double-sided adhesive tape, then touch input functionality is achieved, but manufacturing process becomes more complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The touch-sensitive layer is integrated with the display panel in a single manufacturing process, eliminating the need for separate assembly steps involving double-sided adhesive tape. This simplifies the manufacturing process by reducing the number of components and assembly operations required.
3Adaptability or versatility
If additional components (touch pad and side key) are added to the device, then input functionality is enhanced, but device thickness increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates side key functionality directly into the display assembly by incorporating additional touch-sensitive regions or patterns on the display surface. This eliminates the need for separate physical side key components, thereby enhancing input versatility while maintaining reduced device thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends touch input functionality to multiple surfaces of the device by making the entire exterior surface touch-sensitive. This allows side key functionality to be achieved through touch input on side surfaces rather than adding physical side key components, thereby enhancing input versatility without increasing device thickness.
4Ease of operation
If the touch pad is attached to the front surface of the display, then touch input is enabled, but the usable touch area is limited to display size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the touch-sensitive surface beyond the display boundaries by making the entire exterior surface of the device touch-sensitive. This allows users to interact with the device on all surfaces, dramatically increasing the usable touch area from just the display size to the entire device exterior.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A mobile device having a cover (10), the cover (10) comprising: a base cover (32; 62; 96) comprising an upper surface portion (20; 98) and at least one side surface portion (22; 100) integrally formed with the upper portion (20; 98) and made of a transparent material, wherein the upper surface portion of the base cover and at least one side surface portion of the base cover are connected in a curved shape; a touch sensitive portion (34; 64; 94) configured to generate a signal when touched to control the mobile device, the touch sensitive portion comprising an upper touch portion (106) and at least one side touch portion (108) integrally formed with the upper touch portion (106), wherein the upper touch portion (44, 106) is disposed at the upper surface portion of the base cover and the at least one side touch portion (46) is disposed at the at least one side surface portion of the base cover, and wherein the upper touch portion is configured to generate a first input signal and the at least side touch portion is configured to generate a second input signal different than the first input signal; a display unit (12;92) comprising an upper display portion (110) and at least one side display portion (48;72;112) integrally formed with the upper display portion (110) and oriented in a different direction than the upper display portion, wherein the upper display portion is disposed beneath the upper surface portion of the base cover and the at least one side display portion disposed beneath the side surface portion of the base cover, wherein the upper display portion and the at least one side display portion are connected in a curved shape, and wherein the upper display portion is visible through the upper surface portion of the base cover and the at least one side display portion is visible through the at least side surface portion of the base cover.