Wrap-around micro-wire circuit method

1. A method of making a micro-wire circuit structure adapted for wrapping, comprising:

providing a flexible substrate having a touch portion, a wrappable edge portion, and a circuit portion on a common side of the flexible substrate, the wrappable edge portion located between the touch portion and the circuit portion;

forming a plurality of electrically conductive micro-wires on, in, or adjacent to the common side of the flexible substrate in the touch portion, the wrappable edge portion, and the circuit portion in common steps using common materials, one or more of the micro-wires extending from the touch portion, through the wrappable edge portion, and into the circuit portion, wherein the micro-wires have a width that is less than 15 microns;

locating one or more electrical circuits on or in the circuit portion and electrically connecting the one or more electrical circuits to corresponding extended micro-wires; and

locating the flexible substrate in relation to a display with the touch portion located adjacent to a display viewing side and wrapping the wrappable edge portion around an edge of the display from the display viewing side to a display back side wherein the touch portion has a touch-portion edge which is parallel to the edge of the display;

wherein any micro-wires through which electrical signals are provided and which extend through the wrappable edge portion are non-orthogonal to the touch-portion edge.

2. The method of claim 1 , further including printing circuits on the flexible substrate or affixing circuits to the flexible substrate.

3. The method of claim 1 , further including cutting the flexible substrate from a web.

4. The method of claim 1 , further including locating a protective layer on the micro-wires in the wrappable edge portion.

5. The method of claim 4 , further including laminating or coating a protective layer on the micro-wires in the wrappable edge portion.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the protective layer has a thickness that is equal to or greater than a thickness of the flexible substrate.

7. The method of claim 1 further including locating a common protective layer on the wrappable edge portion and the touch portion.

8. The method of claim 1 further including coating the common side of the flexible substrate with an uncured layer, imprinting the uncured layer to form micro-channels in the uncured layer, curing the uncured layer to form a cured layer, coating the cured layer and micro-channels with a conductive ink, removing the conductive ink from the surface of the cured layer leaving the conductive ink in the micro-channels, and curing the conductive ink to form micro-wires in the micro-channels.

9. The method of claim 1 further including providing a patterned stamp, coating the patterned stamp with a conductive ink, and printing the conductive ink on the common side of the flexible substrate.

10. The method of claim 1 further including rolling up the flexible substrate into a rolled configuration.

11. The method of claim 1 , further including adhering the touch portion to the display viewing side and adhering the circuit portion to the display back side.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the flexible substrate has an opposite side opposing the common side and further including adhering the opposite side of the flexible substrate to the display.

13. The method of claim 1 , further including affixing circuits to the flexible substrate after the flexible substrate is located in relation to the display.

14. The method of claim 1 further including providing or arranging the flexible substrate in a flat configuration, processing the flexible substrate to form the micro-wires while the flexible substrate is in the flat configuration, and then bending the flexible substrate to locate the flexible substrate in relation to the display.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the touch portion has a plurality of touch-portion edges, the flexible substrate further includes a plurality of circuit portions and wrappable edge portions, and each wrappable edge portion is located between a corresponding touch-portion edge and a corresponding circuit portion, and further including locating the flexible substrate in relation to the display with the touch portion located adjacent to the display viewing side, and each wrappable edge portion wrapping around the display from the display viewing side to the display back side.

16. The method of claim 15 further including adhering a first circuit portion to the display back side and overlapping a second circuit portion over the one circuit portion.

17. The method of claim 15 further including adhering each of the first and second circuit portions to a different portion of the display back side without overlapping the first and second circuit portions.

18. A method of making a wrap-around micro-wire circuit structure, comprising:

providing a display, the display having a display viewing side, a display back side opposite the display viewing side, and a display edge;

providing a flexible substrate having a touch portion, an edge portion, and a circuit portion on a common side of the flexible substrate, the edge portion located between the touch portion and the circuit portion;

forming a plurality of electrically conductive micro-wires on, in, or adjacent to the common side of the flexible substrate in the touch portion, the edge portion, and the circuit portion in common steps using common materials, one or more of the micro-wires extending from the touch portion, through the edge portion, and into the circuit portion;

locating one or more electrical circuits on or in the circuit portion and electrically connecting the one or more electrical circuits to corresponding extended micro-wires; and

locating the flexible substrate in relation to the display with the touch portion located adjacent to the display viewing side, the circuit portion located adjacent to the display back side, and the edge portion wrapping around the display edge from the display viewing side to the display back side.