COMPACT ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION DEVICE WITH SELF-MOUNTING FEATURE AND METHOD OF REMOVABLY COUPLING SUCH A DEVICE TO A SURFACE
A method and mounting assembly for mounting an electronic communication device having electronic circuitry to a surface is described, wherein the mounting assembly is associated with a back face of the electronic communication device. In a first preferred embodiment, the mounting assembly is a magnetic material associated with the back face of the electronic communication device. The magnetic material is magnetically influenced such that a magnetic field produced by the magnetic material emanates away from the back face of the electronic communication device. In an alternative first preferred embodiment, a synthetic resin laminate shield is intermediately placed between the back surface of the electronic communication device and the magnetic material for further insulating protection from the magnetic field of the magnetic material. In a second preferred embodiment, the back surface of the electronic communication device is provided with a repositionable adhesive. A silicone release layer is positioned on the repositionable adhesive for removal by the user and mounting of the electronic communication device on the surface.
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This is a continuation application of U.S. Ser. No. 10/065,463, filed Oct. 21, 2002, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein and claims the priority of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/386,211, filed Oct. 16, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to removably coupling compact electronic communication devices to a surface. More particularly, the present invention relates to such an electronic device having a self-mounting feature whereby it may be removably coupled to the surface using a magnet assembly or a repositionable adhesive.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Portable electronic communication devices are well known in the art. Examples broadly include radios, pagers, telephones, and transponders, which have the ability to receive and transmit information. One problem presented by electronic communication devices in connection with mounting has been the weight of the device, which has necessitated mechanical couplers. Newly developed electronic communication devices are more compact, yet have nonetheless required mechanical couplers to provide mounting support to an upright surface.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and assembly that overcomes the limitations of the prior art. Specifically, there is a need for a mounting assembly that is operable to removably secure an electronic communication device to the upright surface, without affecting electronic circuitry housed within the electronic communication device.
Additionally, there is a need for an assembly that removably couples disposable and portable electronic communication devices, such as a telephone, to any surface.
There is a further need for a mounting assembly which is compact and flush with the body of the electronic communication device and does not require a mechanical coupler.
There is a yet further need for a mounting assembly which can be economically produced so that its cost does not detract from the overall price of a disposable electronic communication device, thereby rendering the user less willing to purchase or dispose of such an electronic communication device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention's method and assembly for removably coupling an electronic communication device to a supporting surface overcomes the above-identified problems and provides a distinct advance in the art of removably coupling electronic communication devices to any surface. More particularly, a first embodiment of the present invention provides a magnet for removably coupling the electronic device to a metal surface, wherein the magnet has a strong enough magnetic field strength to hold the electronic communication device to the surface, but the magnet's magnetic field is low enough so as to not interfere with electronic circuitry housed within the electronic communication device. The magnet may be provided as a relatively thin layer of magnetic material adhered to the back face of the device such that the magnetic material is essentially flush with the body. Advantageously and surprisingly, the field of the magnetic material minimizes, if not completely avoids, interference with the operation of even extremely thin portable wireless electronic communication devices.
In order to achieve this balance, the present invention magnetically influences the magnetic material to a particular magnetic density and magnetic field strength, such that the magnetic field's coercive rings extend and are biased toward the surface on which the electronic communication device is to be placed and away from the surface of the electronic communication device. Alternatively, a synthetic resin laminate is either directly, or by adhesive, applied to a back face of the magnetically influenced magnetic material, and the combination laminate and magnet is affixed to the back face of the electronic communication device. In operation, the laminate acts as a shield against the magnetic field of the magnet. The magnetic field is low enough to not pass through the laminate and affect the electronic circuitry housed within the electronic communication device, but the magnetic field is strong enough to removably secure the electronic communication device to the surface.
A second embodiment of the present invention provides for a mounting assembly for removably mounting or coupling the electronic communication device to any surface, including non-metal surfaces. The mounting assembly includes a repositionable adhesive applied to the back face of the electronic communication device and a liner having a silicon release layer placed on the repositionable adhesive. The silicon release layer is adapted to be removed by a user of the invention for initial placement of the electronic communication device on the surface and, as desired, removal and replacement of the electronic communication device.
The method of the first preferred embodiment includes the steps of: magnetically influencing the thin layer of magnetic material such that the magnetic coercive rings produced by the magnetic field emanate from one face of the magnetic material; and applying the magnetically influenced magnetic material to a back surface of the electronic communication device for placement of the electronic communication device on a metal surface. Alternatively, the present invention includes the steps of: magnetically influencing the thin layer of magnetic material such that the magnetic coercive rings produced by the magnetic field emanate from one face of the magnetic material; applying the synthetic resin laminate to the back face of the magnet; and applying the magnetically influenced magnetic material to the laminate.
The method of the second preferred embodiment includes the steps of: applying the repositionable adhesive to the back face of the electronic communication device; and providing the liner, having the silicon release layer, on the repositionable adhesive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention hereof is directed to removable mounting or coupling of an electronic communication device 5. Such devices 5 permit wireless receipt, and preferably also transmission, of signals for voice or data transmission. The invention hereof is particularly useful in connection with disposable electronic communication devices, and one such device 5 is a disposable telephone 10, as shown in
The body 12, in an assembled condition, has a front face 12a and a back face 12b, as illustrated in
The power source 14 for the telephone 10 is preferably two, but at least one, batteries preferably affixed to the fifth panel 30, as illustrated in
The earphone 16 and the microphone 18 are preferably secured to the first panel 22 after the body 12 is printed. Once folded, the earphone 16 is preferably secured to an upper portion of the telephone 10 and preferably offset to the right side of the telephone 10. The microphone 18 is preferably secured to a lower portion of the telephone 10 and preferably offset to the left side of the telephone 10. The earphone 16 and the microphone 18 may also be remotely connected to the telephone 10. As described below and illustrated in
A disposable electronic communication device, particularly a telephone, and a method for making is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,965,848 assigned to Randice-Lisa Altschul and hereby incorporated by reference.
In operation, a user of the telephone 10 may receive the telephone 10 in an extended form, as illustrated in
The panels 22,24,26,28,30 may be printed in one of two options to allow for correct operation of the printed electronic circuitry 13.
A second option is to print all electronic circuitry 13 on the front face 22a,24a,26a,28,30a of each panel 22,24,26,28,30, as illustrated in
In accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, a sixth and final panel 32 of the telephone 10 is positioned proximately adjacent to the fifth panel 30 and connected to the fifth panel 30 using the thin webbing material 36 that joins the other five panels 22,24,26,28,30, as illustrated in
The magnetic material 42 is between 4 mil and 16 mil in thickness and more preferably approximately 8 mil in thickness. The magnetic material 42 may be any thin, flexible magnetic material, such as that manufactured by Magnum Magnetics of Marietta, Ohio, or Precision Web Coating of Dayton, Ohio, and available from Magnetic Specialities, Inc. of Marietta, Ohio. The magnetic material 42 is preferably magnetically influenced by passing the material 42 through a magnetic influencer with an air gap of 0.005 to 0.010 inch between the influencer and the magnetic material 42. Referring to
Alternatively, the sixth panel 32 of the first preferred embodiment may include two layers, as illustrated in
In combination, the synthetic resin laminate 44 applied to the back face 42b of the magnetic material 42 acts as a shield from the magnet's magnetic field, resulting in a very low or almost undetectable magnetic field strength as measured from the back face 42b of the magnetic material 42. This is especially important since it is the back face 42b of the magnetic material 42 that is in contact with the printed electronic circuitry 13 of the four panels 24,26,28,30. Therefore, in order to couple the magnetic material 42 with the telephone 10 without interfering with the electronic circuitry 13, the magnetic field of the magnetic material 42 must not emanate towards the electronic circuitry 13. To remedy this problem, the present invention affixes the laminate 44 to the back face 42b of the magnetic material 42 and produces a magnetic field of relatively low strength, such that the electronic circuitry 13 is operable, and the magnetic material 42 is still capable of removably coupling the telephone 10 to the surface.
In accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, and as illustrated in
The first and second embodiments may also be folded in an alternative form, such as folding the extended form of the telephone 10 “around itself,” as best illustrated in
The present invention may also be used with other electronic communication devices 5, such as radio frequency identification (“RFID”) devices, including RFID tags 52, which function as transponders or transmitters. Examples of suitable RFID devices as electronic communication devices 5 or methods of using such are shown and described in the following U.S. patents, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 6,127,928 assigned to E-Tag Systems, Inc.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,865 assigned to Moore U.S.A. Inc.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,920,287 assigned to Widata Corporation; U.S. Pat. No. 5,936,527 assigned to E-Tag Systems, Inc.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,838,253 assigned to Accu-Sort Systems, Inc.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,222 assigned to International Business Machines Corporation; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,140 assigned to Micron Technology, Inc.
Recent technological advances have furthered RFID technology by developing an RFID tag 52 broadly comprised of paper printed with conductive ink and a silicone microprocessor, as illustrated in
The present invention is preferably mounted on a substantially smooth upright surface, such as a refrigerator or wall, as illustrated in
The repositionable adhesive 48 described in the second preferred embodiment is particularly adapted for securement of the electronic communication device 5 to any surface. Since the present invention is operable to self-mount the device 5, a mechanical mount need not be used to mount the device 5 on, for example, a dashboard of a car. The self-mounting feature of the present invention thus reduces the cost of having to buy and install the mechanical mount. Also, the present invention does not damage the surface to which it is mounted, as opposed to some mechanical mounts.
Although preferred forms of the invention have been described above, it is to be recognized that such disclosure is by way of illustration only and should not be utilized in a limiting sense in interpreting the scope of the present invention. Obvious modifications to the exemplary embodiments, as hereinabove set forth, could be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the present invention may be used with a variety of electronic communication devices 5, such as a GPS unit, a calculator, or an electronic game. A plurality of the present invention may also be provided on a carrier sheet, preferably three telephones 10 to each sheet. An outer edge of the extended body 12 is provided with score lines or lines of weakness 54, as illustrated in
Additionally, the dielectric material used to form the body 12 of the electronic communication device 5 may be folded in a different manner from those described above. The body 12 of the device 5 may also comprise one solid piece not formed of a folded material. Additionally, it is not essential that the body 12 be disposable, since the present invention is operable to be used with any thin-bodied electronic communication device 5. The body 12 may also be wrapped to protect it from water or normal use, such as wrapping the body in shrink wrap.
Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following:
Claims
1. In combination:
- an electronic communication device having electronic circuitry adapted for wireless transmission and/or reception of communication signals,
- said device further including a body having a front surface adapted for the input or output of information corresponding to said signals to be transmitted and/or received and a back surface; and
- mounting material for providing removable mounting of said device in self-supporting relationship to a supporting surface,
- said mounting material and at least one of said front and back surfaces being laminated relative to one another.
2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein the electronic communication device is a disposable and portable device which includes a folded dielectric material.
3. The combination as set forth in claim 2, wherein the dielectric material is between 2 mil and 10 mil in thickness.
4. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein the mounting material is a magnetic material between 4 mil and 16 mil in thickness.
5. The combination as set forth in claim 4, wherein the magnetic material is magnetically influenced such that the magnetic density is about 14 poles per inch with a resulting magnetic field strength of about 85 gauss for each pole when measured at a distance of about 0.004 inches from the magnetic material, about 75 gauss for each pole when measured at a distance of about 0.0065 inches from the magnetic material, and about 65 gauss for each pole when measured at a distance of about 0.015 inches from the magnetic material.
6. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein the mounting material is an adhesive having a silicone release layer positioned thereon.
7. The combination as set forth in claim 6, wherein the adhesive is a repositionable adhesive.
8. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein the mounting material is coupled to the back side for mounting the device adjacent to a separate supporting surface.
9. In an electronic communication device adapted for wireless reception and/or transmission of signals, said device having a body with a front surface adapted for the input and/or output of information corresponding to said signals and a back surface, the improvement comprising:
- a thin coupling material which renders the device self-supporting when the device is attached to an upright surface,
- said coupling material and at least one of said front and back surfaces configured to be laminated relative to one another.
10. The device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the coupling material is a magnet assembly coupled to one of the front surface and the back surface for self-mounting said electronic communication device to a surface in self-supporting relationship, the magnet assembly comprising:
- a shield associated with a back surface of the electronic communication device, wherein the shield is adapted to provide electromagnetic protection to electronic circuitry housed within the device from a magnetic field; and
- a magnetic material coupled with the shield opposite the electronic circuitry, wherein the magnetic material is magnetically influenced so as to produce said magnetic field.
11. The device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the electronic communication device is disposable and portable and wherein the body includes a folded dielectric material, and the dielectric material is between 2 mil and 10 mil in thickness.
12. The device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the electronic communication device is a radio frequency identification tag.
13. The device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the electronic communication device is a telecommunication device for receiving and transmitting signals.
14. The device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the shield is a synthetic resin laminate adhesively coupled to the device.
15. The device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the magnetic material is between 4 mil and 16 mil in thickness and relatively thinner than the thickness of the body of the device.
16. The device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the magnetic material is magnetically influenced such that the magnetic density is about 14 poles per inch with a resulting magnetic field strength of about 85 gauss for each pole when measured at a distance of about 0.004 inches from the magnetic material, about 75 gauss for each pole when measured at a distance of about 0.0065 inches from the magnetic material, and about 65 gauss for each pole when measured at a distance of about 0.015 inches form the magnetic material.
17. The device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the coupling material includes:
- an adhesive associated with one of the back surface and the front surface; and
- a protective layer coupled with the adhesive and adapted to be removed for coupling the electronic communication device to the surface.
18. The device as set forth in claim 17, wherein the adhesive is a repositionable adhesive.
19. The device as set forth in claim 17, wherein the protective layer is a web having a silicone release coating thereon.
20. The device as set forth in claim 17, wherein the adhesive is associated with the back surface of the device whereby the front surface is oriented away from the surface supporting the device when the device is adhesively coupled thereto.
21. In combination:
- an electronic communication device having electronic circuitry adapted for wireless transmission and/or reception of communication signals,
- said device further including a cardstock body having a front surface adapted for the input or output of information corresponding to said signals to be transmitted and/or received and a back surface,
- said cardstock body including a plurality of panels folded into substantially overlying relationship; and
- mounting material for providing removable mounting of said device in self-supporting relationship to a supporting surface,
- said mounting material and at least one of said plurality of panels being laminated relative to one another.
Type: Application
Filed: May 16, 2005
Publication Date: Sep 1, 2005
Applicant: WARD-KRAFT, INC. (Fort Scott, KS)
Inventor: Jesse Crum (Fort Scott, KS)
Application Number: 10/908,522