Deposit dissipating layer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9785192-B1
Application number	US-201314069804-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 1, 2013
Priority date	Nov 1, 2013
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

Described in this disclosure is a surface configured to break down deposits thereon. The surface may include breakdown structures, oleophilic structures, and hydrophilic structures. The oleophilic structures and hydrophilic structures are configured to disperse a deposit, such as fingerprint residue, to the breakdown structures. This dispersion increases the surface area of the deposit with respect to the breakdown structures, increasing the contact area between the two. The breakdown structures modify the deposit physically, chemically, or both, such that fragments are distributed into the ambient environment. The surface may be applied to portable electronic devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable electronic device comprising:
a processor configured to execute one or more instructions;
a display device coupled to the processor, the display device configured to emit light; and
an enclosure configured to contain the processor and at least a portion of the display device, the enclosure comprising:
a barrier layer associated with the display device and comprising at least one of metal, plastic, or composite material such as to be impermeable to water and oil;
a breakdown layer proximate to the barrier layer, the breakdown layer operable to modify at least a portion of a deposited material placed in contact therewith responsive to the light emitted from the display device;
a hydrophilic layer proximate to the breakdown layer, the hydrophilic layer comprising a hydrophilic material that disperses aqueous components of the deposited material; and
an oleophilic layer proximate to the hydrophilic layer, the oleophilic layer comprising an oleophilic material that disperses oil-based components of the deposited material across at least a portion of the breakdown layer.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the deposited material comprises a fingerprint and further wherein:
the breakdown layer is positioned on top of the barrier layer,
the hydrophilic layer is positioned on top of the breakdown layer, and
the oleophilic layer is positioned on top of the hydrophilic layer.

3. A device comprising:
one or more breakdown structures configured to modify at least a portion of a deposited material located proximate thereto;
one or more hydrophilic structures configured to disperse aqueous components of the deposited material, the one or more hydrophilic structures including elongate shapes spaced apart from one another to form one or more of first rows or first columns; and
one or more oleophilic structures configured to disperse oil-based components of the deposited material, the one or more oleophilic structures including elongate shapes spaced apart from one another to form one or more of second rows or second columns, the one or more hydrophilic structures and the one or more oleophilic structures forming a dispersion layer having a mesh shape.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the one or more hydrophilic structures and the one or more oleophilic structures are interspersed in a pattern in which the one or more hydrophilic structures are arranged in rows and the one or more oleophilic structures are arranged in columns positioned at an angle relative to the rows.

5. The device of claim 3 , wherein the one or more hydrophilic structures and the one or more oleophilic structures are interspersed in an ordered, alternating repeating pattern in which the one or more hydrophilic structures and the one or more oleophilic structures are generally parallel to one another and arranged in a common plane.

6. The device of claim 3 , wherein the one or more breakdown structures are positioned in a breakdown layer and the one or more hydrophilic structures and the one or more oleophilic structures are spaced apart from the one or more breakdown structures to define a gap between the dispersion layer and the breakdown layer, the gap increasing a surface area of the breakdown layer contacted by the deposited material.

7. The device of claim 3 , wherein at least a portion of the one or more breakdown structures comprises surface features configured to physically disassociate the deposited material into fragments.

8. A device comprising:
a breakdown layer operable to modify at least a portion of a deposited material; and
a dispersion layer external to the breakdown layer, wherein the dispersion layer is operable to physically disperse the at least a portion of the deposited material toward the breakdown layer, such that a surface area of the deposited material is increased from a first surface area at a first time upon deposition to the dispersion layer to a second surface area at a second time, wherein the second surface area is greater than the first surface area.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the dispersion layer further comprises:
one or more hydrophilic structures comprising one or more hydrophilic materials operable to disperse aqueous components of the deposited material, the one or more hydrophilic structures including elongate shapes spaced apart from one another to form one or more of first rows or first columns;
one or more oleophilic structures comprising one or more oleophilic materials operable to disperse oil-based components of the deposited material, the one or more oleophilic structures including elongate shapes spaced apart from one another to form one or more of second rows or second columns, the one or more hydrophilic structures and the one or more oleophilic structures forming a dispersion layer having a mesh shape; and
wherein the one or more hydrophilic materials exhibit a contact angle of less than 100 degrees and the one or more oleophilic materials exhibit an oil contact angle for squalene of less than 40 degrees.

10. The device of claim 8 , wherein the breakdown layer is operable to act as a catalyst for a chemical reaction, the chemical reaction having as a reactant the deposited material as dispersed by the dispersion layer.

11. The device of claim 8 , wherein the dispersion layer further comprises one or more breakdown structures interspersed therein, the breakdown structures operable to chemically react with the deposited material.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the breakdown layer is positioned on top of the barrier layer, the oleophilic layer is positioned on top of the breakdown layer, and the hydrophilic layer is positioned on top of the oleophilic layer.

13. The device of claim 3 , wherein the one or more hydrophilic structures and the one or more oleophilic structures are positioned external to the one or more breakdown structures.

14. The device of claim 8 , wherein the breakdown layer is spaced from the dispersion layer to define a gap between the breakdown layer and the dispersion layer for increasing an area of the breakdown layer contacted by the deposited material.

15. The device of claim 8 , wherein the dispersion layer comprises one or more dispersion structures proximate to or joined with the breakdown layer to form a crenellated pattern.

16. The device of claim 8 , further comprising a barrier layer, wherein the breakdown layer is external to the barrier layer, and wherein the barrier layer is configured to provide one or more of light or heat to the breakdown layer to cause one or more of photocatalysis or thermocatalysis of the deposited material.

17. The device of claim 8 , further comprising:
one or more illuminators positioned in association with the breakdown layer, the one or more illuminators configured to emit light, the breakdown layer configured to modify the at least a portion of the deposited material responsive to the light emitted by the one or more illuminators.

18. The device of claim 17 , further comprising a light distribution layer associated with the barrier layer, the light distribution layer configured to distribute the light emitted by the one or more illuminators across the breakdown layer.

19. The device of claim 17 , further comprising:
a processor configured to execute one or more instructions;
the one or more instructions including an illumination control module configured to:
determine a count of touches to a surface associated with the breakdown layer;
based at least in part on the count of touches, provide a signal to th

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Cheng Shan
• Kodialam Sasirekha
• Connors Julie Marie

Classifications

• B32B2457/202

  LCD, i.e. liquid crystal displays · CPC title

• B32B9/04

  comprising such {particular} substance as the main or only constituent of a layer, {which is} next to another layer of {the same or of} a {different material (next to a glass layer B32B17/06; layered products with at least two ceramic layers composed mainly of ceramic B32B18/00)} · CPC title

• C03C17/23

  Oxides (C03C17/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B32B27/06

  as the main or only constituent of a layer, {which is} next to another layer of {the same or of} a {different material (next to a layer of a particular substance B32B9/045; next to a bituminous or tarry layer B32B11/046; next to a water setting substance layer B32B13/12; next to a metal layer B32B15/08; next to a glass layer B32B17/10; next to a layer formed of natural mineral fibres or particles B32B19/045; next to a wood layer B32B21/08; next to a cellulosic plastic layer B32B23/08; next to a natural or synthetic rubber layer B32B25/08)} · CPC title

• G06F1/1643 Primary

  the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads (details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615) · CPC title