Devices with protected electrically-conductive metal grids

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9557841-B2
Application number	US-201514602509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2015
Priority date	Jan 22, 2015
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

An electronic device has a touch screen comprising a transparent substrate having a first supporting side and an opposing second supporting side. The first supporting side of the touch screen has at least one electrically-conductive pattern, and a dry outermost polymeric coating disposed over at least part but not all of the electrically-conductive metal pattern. The dry polymeric coating has a dry thickness of less than 5 μm, an integrated transmittance of at least 80%, and a non-crosslinked thermoplastic polymer having a glass transition temperature (T g ) that is equal to or greater than 65° C.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising a touch screen comprising a transparent substrate having a first supporting side and an opposing second supporting side,
the touch screen comprising on at least the first supporting side:
at least one electrically-conductive pattern, and
a dry outermost polymeric coating disposed over at least part but not all of the electrically-conductive metal pattern, the dry polymeric coating having a dry thickness of less than 5 μm, an integrated transmittance of at least 80%, and comprising a non-cured and non-crosslinked thermoplastic polymer having a glass transition temperature (T g ) that is equal to or greater than 65° C.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the non-cured and non-crosslinked thermoplastic polymer is a non-cured and non-crosslinked thermoplastic acrylic polymer.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the dry outermost polymeric coating has a dry thickness of less than 3 μm.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the non-cured and non-crosslinked thermoplastic polymer is a polymer comprising at least recurring units derived from methyl (meth)acrylate and recurring units derived from an alkyl (meth)acrylate wherein the alkyl has 1 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein the recurring units derived from the alkyl (meth)acrylate comprise at least 5 mol % and up to and including 25 mol % of the total polymer recurring units.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electrically-conductive pattern disposed on at least the first supporting side comprises electrically-conductive metal wires composed of at least silver, copper, palladium, or platinum.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electrically-conductive pattern disposed on at least the first supporting side comprises at least:
an electrically-conductive grid, and
an electrically-conductive connector that is connected to the electrically-conductive grid.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the touch screen has a viewing area of at least 1 cm 2 and up to and including 100 m 2 .

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , comprising an electrically-conductive pattern disposed on the opposing second supporting side of the transparent substrate, and a dry outermost polymeric layer that is disposed over at least part but not all of the electrically-conductive pattern on the opposing second supporting side, the dry outermost polymeric coating having a dry thickness of less than 5 an integrated transmittance of at least 80%, and comprising a non-cured and non-crosslinked thermoplastic polymer having a glass transition temperature (T g ) that is equal to or greater than 65° C.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the non-cured and non-crosslinked thermoplastic polymer on the opposing second supporting side is a non-cured and non-crosslinked thermoplastic acrylic polymer.

10. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the dry outermost polymeric coating on the opposing second supporting side has a dry thickness of less than 3 μm.

11. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the non-cured and non-crosslinked thermoplastic polymer on the opposing second supporting side is a polymer comprising at least recurring units derived from methyl (meth)acrylate and recurring units derived from an alkyl (meth)acrylate wherein the alkyl has 1 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein the recurring units derived from the alkyl (meth)acrylate comprise at least 5 mol % and up to and including 25 mol % of the total polymer recurring units.

12. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the electrically-conductive pattern disposed on the opposing second supporting side comprises electrically-conductive metal wires composed of at least silver, copper, palladium, or platinum.

13. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the electrically-conductive pattern disposed on the opposing second supporting side comprises at least:
an electrically-conductive grid, and
an electrically-conductive connector that is connected to the electrically-conductive grid.

14. The electronic device of claim 1 , comprising:
two or more of the same or different electrically-conductive patterns on either or both of the first supporting side and the opposing second supporting side, and
the same or different dry outermost polymeric layer disposed over at least part but not all of each of the two or more electrically-conductive patterns, each of the dry outermost polymeric coatings having a dry thickness of less than 5 μm, an integrated transmittance of at least 80%, and comprising the same or different non-cured and non-crosslinked thermoplastic polymer having a glass transition temperature (T g ) that is equal to or greater than 65° C.

Assignees

• Bermel Marcus Stephen
• Todd Lisa Baxter
• Franklin Linda Mae
• Mourey Thomas Henry
• Landry-Coltrain Christine Joanne
• Eastman Kodak Co

Inventors

• Bermel Marcus Stephen
• Todd Lisa Baxter
• Franklin Linda Mae
• Mourey Thomas Henry
• Landry-Coltrain Christine Joanne

Classifications

• G06F2203/04112

  Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material · CPC title

• G06F2203/04107

  Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds · CPC title

• G06F3/045 Primary

  using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact · CPC title

• G06F2203/04103

  Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices · CPC title

• G06F3/0412 Primary

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title