Film layer, assembly and method for altering the appearance of a mobile station
A film layer for a mobile station that allows the appearance of the mobile station to be easily changed. The layer is thin enough to allow it to be positioned between the plungers on a plunger mat and the keys on a key mat of the mobile station. Flexibility of the film layer allows a key press to be transmitted through the film insert to one of the plungers, which in turn compresses a contact on a printed wiring board. Flexibility may be due to perforations around the keys of the key mat. Preferably, the film layer includes some visually detectable characteristic, such as a color, that is visible through openings or translucent portions of the key mat. The film layer may be constructed of various materials, such as paper, elastomer, polymer or electric luminescent materials which can be interchangeably inserted into the mobile station to change its appearance.
1. A mobile station for sending and receiving wireless communication signals, said mobile station comprising:
a housing comprising a first cover and a second cover, said first and second covers configured to mate to form the housing, wherein said first cover has at least one translucent portion;
a wireless communications signal processing assembly positioned in the housing, said processing assembly having a plurality of pressure-sensitive areas, each of said pressure sensitive areas configured to register an input;
a film layer positioned in the housing so as to overlie the signal processing assembly, said film layer including at least one visually detectable characteristic and configured to be positioned in the housing by a user of the mobile station; and
a key mat positioned in the housing so as to overlie the film layer, said key mat having a plurality of keys, wherein each of the keys is positioned relative to a corresponding one of the pressure sensitive areas so that depression of a key deflects a portion of the film layer and similarly depresses the corresponding pressure-sensitive area, wherein the key mat and film layer are configured to allow observation of the visually detectable characteristic through the translucent portion of the first cover, and wherein at least one of the keys of the key mat is sufficiently translucent to allow observation of the visually detectable characteristic.
2. A mobile station of claim 1 , wherein the processing assembly includes a plunger mat positioned in the housing and having a plurality of plungers and wherein the film layer is positioned to overlie the plunger mat, said plungers defining portions of the pressure sensitive areas.
3. A mobile station of claim 2 , wherein the processing assembly includes a printed wiring board having a plurality of contacts and wherein the plungers of the plunger mat are correspondingly positioned so as to overlie the contacts, said contacts and plungers defining the pressure sensitive areas.
4. A mobile station of claim 1 , wherein the film layer includes weakened areas in proximity to the keys.
5. A mobile station of claim 4 , wherein the weakened areas are perforations defined by the film layer.
6. A mobile station of claim 5 , wherein the perforation lines extend around at least a portion of a periphery of each of the keys.
7. A mobile station of claim 4 , wherein the weakened areas have greater flexibility than the remainder of the film layer.
8. A mobile station of claim 4 , wherein the weakened areas are thinner than the remainder of the film layer.
9. A mobile station of claim 1 , wherein the film layer is constructed of any one of a paper, elastomer, polymer and electric luminescent materials.
10. A mobile station of claim 1 , wherein the key mat is constructed of an optically clear silicone.
11. A method of changing a visual appearance of a mobile station, said method comprising:
positioning a film layer having a visually detectable characteristic over a plurality of pressure sensitive areas of a wireless signal processing assembly; and
aligning a plurality of keys of a key mat over the film layer so that each of the keys is positioned in correspondence to at least a respective one of the pressure sensitive areas, wherein at least one of the keys is at least partially translucent such that the visibly detectable characteristic of the film layer can be perceived,
wherein the film layer and the keys are disposed within a housing, and the visibly detectable characteristic of the film layer can be perceived through at least a portion of the housing of the mobile station.
12. A method of claim 11 further comprising opening the housing and separating the key mat from the wireless signal processing assembly before positioning the film layer therebetween.
13. A method of claim 12 , wherein separating the key mat includes separating the key mat from a plunger mat that overlies the wireless signal processing assembly and wherein aligning the keys includes aligning the keys in correspondence with the respective plungers of the plunger mat.
14. A film layer for altering a visual appearance of a mobile station, said film layer configured to be positioned within a housing of the mobile station formed by a first cover and a second cover, said film layer sized to extend over a plurality of plungers of a plunger mat, said film layer comprised of a flexible material configured to allow sufficient deflection of the film layer when a key of a key mat is pressed to depress a corresponding one of the plungers, and said film layer also comprising a visually detectable characteristic that is configured to be viewed through the key mat and at least a portion of the first cover.
15. A film layer of claim 14 , further comprising weakened areas in proximity to the keys.
16. A film layer of claim 15 , wherein the weakened areas are perforations defined by the film layer.
17. A film layer of claim 16 , wherein the perforation lines extend around at least a portion of a periphery of each of the keys.
18. A film layer of claim 15 , wherein the weakened areas have greater flexibility than the remainder of the film layer.
19. A film layer of claim 15 , wherein the weakened areas are thinner than the remainder of the film.
20. A film layer of claim 14 , wherein the film layer is constructed of any one of a paper, elastomer, polymer and electric luminescent materials.
21. A method of claim 11 , said method further comprising removing a first film layer from within the mobile housing and positioning a second film layer having a visually detectable characteristic over the plurality of pressure sensitive areas of the wireless signal processing assembly to change the visual appearance of the mobile station.