ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE DEVICE TO BE APPLIED TO A PORTION OF A GLOVE FOR USE WITH TOUCH SCREEN DEVICE
A device is removeably attachable to a fingertip portion of a glove worn on a hand of a user for use with a touch screen device. The device includes a conductive film layer and an adhesive layer secured to the conductive film layer. The adhesive layer is removeably attachable to the glove, and the conductive film layer is capable of contacting the touch screen device.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Number 61/349,825 filed May 29, 2010.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to an electrically conductive device to be attached to at least one fingertip portion of a glove with an adhesive that can be used with a touch screen device.
Personal digital assistants include a touch screen that is usually activated by the touch of a finger tip. Many personal digital assistants use a capacitive touch screen that requires the actual contact of a fingertip, which due to the conductivity of the skin, perturbs the field of the touch screen. When a user is wearing gloves, the material of the glove acts as an electrical insulator, and the capacitive touch screen cannot detect the conductivity of the skin of the fingertip through the gloves. Therefore, the touch screen device does not work.
In one prior device, a piece of material that is electrically conductive material is attached to the tip of a glove with bendable prongs that are inserted and punctured through the material of the glove. In another device, an electrically conductive material is woven or embedded into the fabric of tips of the fingertips of the glove. However, this device is not removable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA device is removeably attachable to a fingertip portion of a glove worn on a hand of a user for use with a touch screen device. The device includes a conductive film layer and an adhesive layer secured to the conductive film layer. The adhesive layer is removeably attachable to the glove, and the conductive film layer is capable of contacting the touch screen device.
A device is removeably attachable to a fingertip portion of a glove worn on a hand of a user for use with a touch screen device. The device includes a conductive film layer of polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride, and a portion of an upper surface of the conductive film layer includes a raised portion. The device also includes an adhesive layer secured to a lower surface of the conductive film layer. The adhesive layer is removeably attachable to the glove, and the conductive film layer is capable of contacting the touch screen device.
A method creates a device that is removably attachable to a fingertip portion of a glove worn on a hand of a user for use with a touch screen device. The method includes the steps of extruding a conductive film and rolling the film. The method also includes the steps of securing an adhesive to a lower surface of the conductive film and die cutting the film to create the device, and a release paper is attached on an opposing surface of the adhesive layer.
These and other features of the present invention will be best understood from the following specification and drawings.
The various features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the currently preferred embodiment. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows:
The conductive tip 28 includes a conductive film portion 30 and the adhesive layer 32. The conductive film portion 30 has an upper surface 34 that is exposed and is used to touch the capacitive touch screen 22 and a lower surface 36 to which the adhesive layer 32 is applied. The adhesive layer 32 can cover the entire lower surface 36 of the conductive film portion 30 or only a portion of the lower surface 36 of the conductive film portion 30.
A lower surface 85 of the adhesive layer 32 is applied on release paper 82. To use the conductive tip 28, the conductive tip 28 is removed from the release paper 82 to expose the adhesive layer 32. The adhesive layer 32 is applied to the fingertip portion of the desired finger portion 26 of the glove 26. The conductive tip 28 can then be used with the touch screen device 20.
The conducive tip 28 can have any dimensions that fit on the fingertip portion of the glove 24. For example, the conductive tips 28 can be sold in different sizes for different applications and types of gloves.
The conductive film portion 30 can be made of a film material that is flexible, easy to die cut, approved for medical applications, and have a great tensile strength. For example, the conductive film portion 30 can be a polymer or a thermoplastic polymer. For example, the conductive film portion 30 is polypolyurethane film (PUR) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In one example, the conducive film portion 30 is black. In one example, the conductive film portion 30 can have a thickness T of approximately 1.0, 1.25, 2.0 or 2.5 mils.
The adhesive layer 32 is a pressure sensitive hypoallergenic adhesive that is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. The adhesive layer 32 has a thickness t. In one example, the adhesive layer 32 has a thickness of approximately 2.0 mils. In one example, the adhesive layer 32 is MED 5512, manufactured by Avery Dennison of Chicago Ill. The adhesive layer 32 can also be P1500, manufactured by 3M of St. Paul, Minn.
In one example, the rollers 68 and 70 are heated to create the embossed raised surface 38. In one example, the rollers 68 and 70 are not heated, and the residual heat from the extruded conductive film sheet 76 allow the extruded conductive film sheet 76 to be soft enough such that the rollers 68 and 70 can create the embossed raised surface 38 without heating the rollers 68 and 70. This ability depends on the distance X between the extrusion head 66 and the rollers 68 and 70. After passing through the rollers 68 and 70, the extruded conductive film sheet 76 passes over and/or between a series of rollers 72 and is rolled around a rewind station 74.
Returning to
After leaving the rollers 90, as shown in
Alternately, die cut raised sponge-sticky based foam material could be mounted on the adhesive layer 32 and covered by urethane film. In another example, the sticky backed sponge foam material is replaced with a rigid circuit center tipped plastic disk that could be mounted on a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA coated surface and covered by the urethane film.
The scrap material around the capacitive tip 28 is discarded, such as on a paper core on a shaft of the printing press. The die cut film 104 then is directed by rollers 102 to a rewind station 106.
A plastisol based “thermo-chromic” ink can be used, which can change color. For example, the ink can be thermochromic, which changes color when exposed to heat, piezochromic, which changes colors when pressure is applied, or photochromic, which changes color when exposed to UV light. Besides rolling, the ink can be applied by a silk-screening process.
The die cut film 114 can then be cut into portions sized for retail sale in step 52. As shown in
The foregoing description is only exemplary of the principles of the invention. Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. The preferred embodiments of this invention have been disclosed, however, so that one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described. For that reason the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.
Claims
1. A device removably attachable to a glove worn on a hand of a user for use with a touch screen device, the device comprising:
- a conductive film layer; and
- an adhesive layer secured to the conductive film layer,
- wherein the adhesive layer is removably attachable to a fingertip portion of a glove, and the conductive film layer is capable of contacting a touch screen device.
2. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the device is substantially oval.
3. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein conductive film layer is one of a polymer or a thermoplastic.
4. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein conductive film layer is one of polypolyurethane or polyvinyl chloride.
5. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the conductive film layer includes a heat sensitive feature.
6. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the conductive film layer has a thickness of between 1.0 and 2.5 mils.
7. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer has a thickness of 2.0 mils.
8. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein a portion of an upper surface of the conductive film layer includes a raised surface.
9. The device as recited in claim 8, wherein the raised surface defines a design.
10. The device as recited in claim 9, wherein the raised surface has a thickness between 0.25 to 1.50 mils.
11. The device as recited in claim 1 wherein the conductive film layer includes a dye.
12. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein, prior to application of the device to the glove, an upper surface of the adhesive layer is secured to the conductive film layer, and a lower surface of the adhesive layer is adhered to release paper.
13. A device removably attachable to a glove worn on a hand of a user for use with a touch screen device, the device comprising:
- a conductive film layer of polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride, wherein a portion of an upper surface of the conductive film layer includes a raised surface; and
- an adhesive layer secured to a lower surface of conductive film layer,
- wherein the adhesive layer is removably attachable to a fingertip portion of a glove, and the conductive film layer is capable of contacting a touch screen device.
14. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein the device is substantially oval.
15. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein the conductive film layer includes a heat sensitive feature.
16. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein the conductive film layer has a thickness of between 1.0 and 2.5 mils, the adhesive layer has a thickness of 2.0 mils, and the raised surface has a thickness between 0.25 to 1.50 mils.
17. The device as recited in claim 13 wherein the conductive film layer includes a dye.
18. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein, prior to application of the device to the glove, an upper surface of the adhesive layer is secured to the conductive film layer, and a lower surface of the adhesive layer is adhered to release paper.
19. A method of creating a device that is removably attachable to a fingertip portion of a glove worn on a hand of a user for use with a touch screen device, the method comprising the steps of:
- extruding a conductive film;
- rolling the conductive film;
- securing an upper surface of an adhesive layer to a lower surface of the conductive film, wherein a release paper is attached on a lower surface of the adhesive layer; and
- die cutting the conductive film to create the device.
20. The method as recited in claim 19 further including the step of adding a raised image to an upper surface of the conductive film.
21. The method as recited in claim 19 further including the steps of adding color to the film after the step of die cutting the film, and drying the film after the step of adding color to the film.
22. The method as recited in claim 19 further including the steps of removing the device from the release paper and removably attaching the device to a fingertip portion of a glove of a user for use with a touch screen device
Type: Application
Filed: May 25, 2011
Publication Date: Dec 1, 2011
Inventors: Thomas Lovell Williams (Austin, TX), Alex Lawson (Washington, DC), Greg Sarmas, SR. (Lake Forest, IL)
Application Number: 13/115,213
International Classification: A41D 19/00 (20060101); A41D 19/04 (20060101);