IP Library Granted Patent US 9,342,174
Granted Patent B2
US 9,342,174 · App. 14/377,530 · Granted May 17, 2016

Electronic device

Inventors: Hisashi Watanabe (Osaka, JP); Yohzoh Narutaki (Osaka, JP)
Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
G06F3/041G06F1/1626G06F1/1643H04M1/0266H04M1/0281
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,342,174
App. No.
14/377,530
Granted
May 17, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

The electronic device is an electronic device ( 100 ) having a multilayer structure including a touch panel ( 12 ) and a display device ( 10 ), the electronic device including a manipulation surface ( 22 A) configured to accept an input from a user, the manipulation surface being provided on a surface closer to the touch panel, and constituting a curved surface such that a central portion of the manipulation surface ( 22 A) is dented relative to an end of the manipulation surface ( 22 A). The most-dented portion of the manipulation surface ( 22 A) is dented relative to an end of the manipulation surface ( 22 A) by a distance of not less than 0.2 mm and not more than 3.0 mm along a direction perpendicular to the panel plane.

Claims (26)

1. An electronic device having a multilayer structure including a touch panel and a display device,

the electronic device comprising a manipulation surface configured to accept an input from a user, the manipulation surface being provided on a surface of the electronic device closer to the touch panel,

the manipulation surface includes a curved surface such that a central portion of the manipulation surface is dented relative to an end of the manipulation surface, wherein

a most-dented portion of the manipulation surface is dented by a distance of not less than 0.2 mm and not more than 3.0 mm relative to an end of the manipulation surface along a direction perpendicular to the panel plane,

the curved surface includes a curve with a radius of curvature of not less than 50 mm and not more than 500 mm, and

the surface of the electronic device includes an unmanipulable region which does not permit touch panel manipulation, the unmanipulable region spanning at least about 5 mm or more from each end of the electronic device.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein,

the electronic device has an outer shape of a rectangular plate; and

the electronic device has a width of not less than 40 mm and not more than 70 mm and is configured to be manipulable by the user with one hand.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the display device is plate-shaped.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein,

the touch panel is disposed on a viewer's side of the display device; and

the manipulation surface is provided on a light-transmitting front plate, the light-transmitting front plate being disposed so as to constitute the surface closer to the touch panel.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein,

the display device is plate-shaped; and

the light-transmitting front plate is made of an acrylic resin, and includes a portion with a thickness greater than 1.7 mm on a display region of the display device.

6. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein,

the display device is plate-shaped; and

the light-transmitting front plate is made of glass, and includes a portion with a thickness greater than 2.7 mm on a display region of the display device.

7. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the light-transmitting front plate includes a convex lens portion disposed so as to cover a peripheral display region and a frame region of the display device.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the light-transmitting front plate further includes a flat portion provided outside the convex lens portion.

9. The electronic device of claim 7 satisfying 3.0≦Y/X≦4.2, where X is a width of a non-display region including the frame region; and Y is a distance from a light-outgoing surface of a display element of the display device to a lens vertex of the convex lens portion along a panel normal direction.

10. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein a thickness of the light-transmitting front plate in the unmanipulable region is greater than a thickness of the light-transmitting front plate at the manipulation surface.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein a touch sensitivity at the end of the manipulation surface is lower than a touch sensitivity at the central portion of the manipulation surface.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein a distance from a display region of the display device to an outer end face of the electronic device is not less than 3 mm and not more than 5 mm.

13. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the unmanipulable region partially overlaps with a display region of the display device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 1, 2016
From: WATANABE, HISASHI; NARUTAKI, YOHZOH
To: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 038167/0850 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2012-024677 · Feb 8, 2012 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20150022475A1 · Jan 22, 2015