Patent Publication Number: US-11639050-B2

Title: Film laminator for cell phones

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §§ 119(e) and 120 to application Ser. No. 14/945,189 filed Nov. 18, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,076,894; application Ser. No. 62/641,556 filed Mar. 12, 2018, now expired; application Ser. No. 16/104,322 filed Aug. 17, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,336,048; application Ser. No. 16/454,117, filed Jun. 27, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,723,111; application Ser. No. 16/916,827, filed Jun. 30, 2020, now abandoned; and application Ser. No. 17/230,545, filed Apr. 14, 2021. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The utility model relates to a manufacturing technology of cell-phone peripheral products, especially a film laminator for cell phones, and pertains to the field of film laminating equipments. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
     With the development of society and the improvement of living standards, more and more people start to use portable electronic devices, such as cell phones, tablet computers, etc. For ease of reading, the screen size of portable electronic devices is gradually increased, and people become more and more aware about screen protection. In general, people will attach a layer of protective film to the screen of a portable digital device. However, with the increasing frequency of use, the increasing of friction and a scratch from outside, the protective film is very easy to be destroyed, and then re-lamination of film is required. 
     In prior art, a manual mode is usually employed for conducting film lamination on a digital product. That is, after three layers of laminated films are aligned with the screen of an electronic device, an outer film in the first layer is peeled off firstly; next, an end of a primary film is attached to the screen of the electronic device, and air under the primary film is squeezed out slowly so that the primary film is attached to the screen of the electronic device; finally, a protective film in the outermost layer is peeled off. As regards the manual film lamination in prior art, the following circumstances are liable to occur: laminated films are not easy to align, bubbles are produced easily, and so on. In a word, the film laminating quality of manual film lamination is difficult to be ensured. 
     Another mode in prior art is to conduct film lamination by use of a roller, but its roller facility has a complex manufacturing process and a high cost, and it can only be used to stick a flexible thin film. 
     SUMMARY OF THE UTILITY MODEL 
     According to embodiments of the utility model, there is provided a film laminator for cell phones that has a low cost, a good film laminating quality and is usable to stick a hard thin film. 
     A film laminator for cell phones provided by an embodiment of the utility model, useful for film lamination on a surface of a cell phone, includes: a cell phone fixing plate, on which a through hole for receiving the cell phone is established, and a top surface of which is a horizontal face; with at least one position limiting plate for abutting the cell phone within the through hole being also fixed on the top surface; 
     the film laminator for cell phones further includes: a film laminating plate for fixing a cell phone film; one end of which is hinged to the cell phone fixing plate, and the other end of which is movable freely so that the film laminating plate is bonded with the top surface of the cell phone fixing plate. 
     As for the film laminator for cell phones stated above, wherein, two sets of positioning holes are provided on the cell phone fixing plate; and the position limiting plate is two, each of which is fixed onto the cell phone fixing plate by means of one set of positioning holes. 
     As for the film laminator for cell phones stated above, wherein, a groove for fixing the cell phone film is provided on the film laminating plate, and is established on a face of the film laminating plate for bonding with the cell phone fixing plate. 
     As for the film laminator for cell phones stated above, wherein, the cell phone film includes a first outer film, a primary film and a second outer film that are stacked sequentially, a separating strip is provided at an end of the first outer film, an end of the second outer film is jointed to the film laminating plate, and an adhering sheet is arranged between the first outer film and the primary film. 
     As for the film laminator for cell phones stated above, wherein, when the film laminating plate is bonded with the top surface of the cell phone fixing plate, the groove coincides with the through hole. 
     As for the film laminator for cell phones stated above, wherein, the shape of the through hole is the same as the shape of profile of the cell phone. 
     As for the film laminator for cell phones stated above, wherein, each of the position limiting plates is located at an edge of the through hole, and each of the position limiting plates covers a part of the through hole. 
     As for the film laminator for cell phones stated above, wherein, the film laminating plate is a transparent construct. 
     As for the film laminator for cell phones stated above, wherein, an exhaust through hole is established on the film laminating plate, and communicates with the bottom of the groove. 
     As for the film laminator for cell phones stated above, wherein, the cell phone fixing plate is a hard paper board, and its thickness is in the range of 2.5 to 7 mm; the film laminating plate is a hard paper board, and its thickness is in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 mm; the position limiting plate is a PET board, and its thickness is in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 mm. 
     With respect to the film laminator for cell phones according to the utility model, because the position limiting plate is provided on the cell phone fixing plate, the surface of the cell phone to which a film is to be attached can handily be kept in flush with the top surface of the cell phone fixing plate. Upon film lamination, the film laminating plate can contact with the top surface of the cell phone fixing plate and the surface of the cell phone to which a film is to be attached at the same time, so that the stress that is laid on it in the course of film lamination is very even, and bubbles are not liable to occur. Thus, a good effect of film lamination is obtained. Furthermore, as the film laminating plate is hinged to the cell phone fixing plate, and a precise corresponding relationship between the cell phone film and the cell phone to which a film is to be attached can be obtained, the accuracy of alignment of the laminated film is guaranteed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order to illustrate the technical solution in the embodiments of the utility model or in prior art more clearly, the drawings necessary for description of the embodiments or existing technologies will be briefly introduced below; it is obvious that the drawings as described below are only related to some embodiments of the utility model, and based on these drawings, other drawings can also be obtained by those ordinarily skilled in the art without any inventive work. 
         FIG.  1    is a structural view illustrating a film laminator for cell phones according to an embodiment of the utility model; 
         FIG.  2    is a top perspective view illustrating a cell-phone fixing plate of a film laminator for cell phones according to an embodiment of the utility model; 
         FIG.  3    is a bottom perspective view illustrating a cell-phone fixing plate of a film laminator for cell phones according to an embodiment of the utility model; 
         FIG.  4    is a view illustrating a service state of a cell-phone fixing plate of a film laminator for cell phones according to an embodiment of the utility model; 
         FIG.  5    is a schematic view illustrating a film laminating process of a film laminator for cell phones according to an embodiment of the utility model; 
         FIG.  6    is a structurally schematic view illustrating a film laminator for cell phones according to another embodiment of the utility model; 
         FIG.  7    is a schematic view illustrating a film laminating process of a film laminator for cell phones according to another embodiment of the utility model; 
         FIG.  8    is a schematic view illustrating pressing of a cell-phone film of a film laminator for cell phones according to another embodiment of the utility model. 
         FIG.  9    is a side schematic view illustrating an alternate embodiment of the protective film applicator. 
         FIG.  10    is a side schematic view illustrating the protective film assembly in an alternative embodiment. 
         FIG.  11    is a top schematic view illustrating an alternate embodiment of the protective film applicator. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, technical solution in embodiments of the utility model will be described in a clearly and fully understandable way in conjunction with accompanied drawings in embodiments of the utility model. It is obvious that the described embodiments are just a part but not all of the embodiments of the utility model. Based on the embodiments in the utility model, those ordinarily skilled in the art can obtain other embodiment(s), without any inventive work, which come(s) within the scope sought for protection by the utility model. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1  to  5   , a film laminator for cell phones is provided by the embodiment, and useful for film lamination on a surface of a cell phone. The film laminator for cell phones according to the embodiment includes: a cell-phone fixing plate  1  and a film laminating plate  2 . A top surface of the cell-phone fixing plate  1  is a horizontal face, and in the cell-phone fixing plate, there is established a through hole  10  for receiving a cell phone, so that edges of the cell phone fit in with sidewalls of the through hole  10 . On the top surface of the cell-phone fixing plate  1 , there is further provided at least one position limiting plate  11  for abutting a cell phone within the through hole  10 . The position limiting plate  11  is fixed to the top surface of the fixing plate  1 , and is useful for abutting a surface of the cell phone to which a film is to be attached, so as to make sure that the surface of the cell phone to which a film is to be attached lies in the same plane as the top surface of the cell-phone fixing plate  1 . In general, the position limiting plate  11  serves to abut an edge of the surface of the cell phone  3  to which a film is to be attached, and as such, not only the normal film lamination is not affected, but also the surface of the cell phone to which a film is to be attached can be assured of lying in the plane on which the top surface is located. The film laminating plate  2  is useful for fixing a cell-phone film  30 , one end of the film laminating plate  2  is hinged to the cell-phone fixing plate  1 , and the other end of it is movable freely so that the film laminating plate  2  is bonded with the top surface of the cell-phone fixing plate  1 . The position limiting plate  11  is usually two, which are generally designed to be at both sides of the through hole  10 ; of course, the position limiting plate  11  may also be one. In the case that one position limiting plate is adopted, the position limiting plate  11  is usually U-shaped. This can make sure that the surface of the cell phone to which a film is to be attached fully abuts the position limiting plate  11  as well. 
     When embodiments of the utility model are in use, because the position limiting plate  11  is provided on the cell-phone fixing plate  1 , the surface of the cell phone  3  to which a film is to be attached can handily be kept in flush with the top surface of the cell-phone fixing plate  1 . Upon film lamination, the film laminating plate  2  can contact with the top surface of the cell-phone fixing plate  1  and the surface of the cell phone  3  to which a film is to be attached (as shown in  FIG.  4   , which is usually the screen of the cell phone  3 ) at the same time, so that the stress that is laid on it in the course of film lamination is very even, and bubbles are not liable to occur. Thus, a good effect of film lamination is obtained. Embodiments of the utility model are especially adaptable for sticking hard cell-phone thin films, such as glass films, thin films of toughened glass, sapphire films, or the like. As the top surface of the cell-phone fixing plate  1  lies in the same plane as the surface of the cell phone  3  to which a film is to be attached, when a hard thin film is stuck on, there is no such case where it is splintered due to uneven stress laid on it. Thus, the sticking quality is guaranteed. Furthermore, as the film laminating plate  2  is hinged to the cell-phone fixing plate  1 , and a precise corresponding relationship between the cell-phone film  30  and the cell phone  3  to which a film is to be attached can be obtained, the accuracy of alignment of the laminated film is guaranteed. 
     On the basis of the above embodiment, a hanging hole  15  is further provided on the cell-phone fixing plate  1  in the embodiment. The hanging hole  15  is generally located at a terminal of the cell-phone fixing plate  1 , and is usually in a long strip shape. A notch may also be provided on a side wall of the hanging hole  15 , so that the cell-phone fixing plate  2  is kept in balance in a state of hanging. 
     On the basis of the above embodiment, two sets of positioning holes  12  are provided on the cell-phone fixing plate  1 ; the position limiting plate  11  is two, each of which is fixed onto the cell-phone fixing plate  1  by means of a set of positioning holes  12 . With the design of positioning holes  12 , position fixing accuracy of fixing the position limiting plate  11  onto the cell-phone fixing plate  1  can be assured, and a good contact is also guaranteed when a bottom surface of the position limiting plate abuts the surface of the cell phone  3  to which a film is to be attached. As shown in  FIG.  2   , preferably, in the case that two position limiting plates  11  are adopted, each of the position limiting plates  11  is located at an edge of the through hole  10 , and each of the position limiting plates  11  covers a part of the through hole  10 . As can be seen from  FIG.  3   , each of the position limiting plate  11  goes beyond an edge of the through hole  10  approximately by  1  to  3 mm, so that an edge of the cell phone  3  abuts well against the position limiting plate  11  and the region for film lamination is not affected. 
     On the basis of the above embodiment, further, a groove  20  for fixing the cell-phone film  30  is provided on the film laminating plate  2 , and is established on a face of the film laminating plate  2  for bonding with the cell-phone fixing plate  1 . In general, when the film laminating plate  2  is bonded with the top surface of the cell-phone fixing plate  1 , the groove  20  coincides with the through hole  10 . Especially when the cell-phone film is stuck on the cell phone screen, the groove  20  and the through hole  10  are substantially equal in area. Of course, when the film is attached to the cell phone screen, the shape of the through hole  10  is the same as the shape of profile of the cell phone  3 , so that the cell phone  3  is firmly clamped within the through hole  10  on the cell-phone fixing plate  1 . 
     On the basis of the above embodiment, further, the cell-phone film  30  includes a first outer film, a primary film and a second outer film that are stacked sequentially. A separating strip (not shown in the figure) is provided at an end of the first outer film, an end of the second outer film is jointed to the film laminating plate, and an adhering sheet is arranged between the first outer film and the primary film. 
     As shown in  FIG.  5   , after the cell-phone film  30  is fixed onto the film laminating plate  2 , the first outer film is torn off by the aid of the separating strip, and the film laminating plate  2  is bonded with the top surface of the cell-phone fixing plate  1  after it has passed through three positions of A, B and C in sequence, so that the primary film is stuck on a surface of the cell phone  3  to which a film is to be attached with the adhering sheet. Subsequent to the film sticking, open the film laminating plate  2 . As the second outer film is fixed onto the film laminating plate  2 , the second outer film is automatically separated from the primary film. Thus, the entire process of film lamination is completed. 
     On the basis of the above embodiment, further, the position limiting plate  11  is generally made of a hard plastic plate, preferably a PET board, and its thickness is in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 mm. The film laminating plate  2  is usually also made of a hard material, and for the sake of reducing the cost, is preferably a hard paper board, and its thickness is in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 mm. The cell-phone fixing plate  1  is a hard paper board, and its thickness is in the range of 2.5 to 7 mm. A hard paper board is usually made of multiple levels of hard paperboard by pressing, so as to ensure a sufficient strength. Certainly, the used hard materials are each a thin plate or a sheet possessing a certain hardness, such as a plastic board, a cardboard sandwich plate, or the like. 
     As shown in  FIG.  6   ,  FIG.  7    and  FIG.  8   , in another embodiment of the utility model, a film laminating plate  2  is usually a transparent construct. That is, in a practical application process, a transparent plastic substance or other transparent material with a certain hardness is used for the film laminating plate  2 . Because the film laminating plate  2  is a transparent construct, in the entire process of film lamination, an operator can visually inspect whether or not dust or air bubbles is/are present between a primary film and the surface of a cell phone to which a film is to be attached. Therefore, the success rate of film lamination and the quality of film lamination are improved greatly. 
     On the basis of the above embodiment, further, an exhaust through hole  25  is established on the film laminating plate  2 , and communicates with the bottom of a groove  20 . The exhaust through hole  25  is generally designed to be in the center of the groove  20 , and is usually in the shape of an oval or a long strip, and its size is usually subject to receptibility of a thumb. The function of the exhaust through hole  25  is not merely limited to such a function that the residual air between a cell-phone film  30  and the film laminating plate  2  can be discharged by it, but also it can facilitate the operation. As shown in  FIG.  8   , after a primary film of the cell-phone film  30  is aligned with the surface of a cell phone to which a film is to be attached, an operator presses a central zone of the cell-phone film  30  via the exhaust through hole  25  so that the central zone of the cell-phone film  30  is bonded firstly. Thus, bubbles are prevented from generating in the central zone, and the operational quality is improved. It is to be noted that, when an opaque substance is used for the film laminating plate  2 , the opaque substance takes priority for establishment of the exhaust through hole  25  on it over others. As such, not only the cost can be saved, but also the quality of laminated film is improved greatly. 
     It is to be noted that, the technical solution of the embodiment is not limited to the field of cell phones, rather, digital products such as tablet computers, digital cameras, digital music players and the like each can adopt the solution of the utility model for film lamination. Of course, the utility model is especially adapted for the sticking of a hard cell-phone film, such as, a glass film, a thin film of toughened glass, a sapphire film, or the like. 
     Many of the latest portable electronic devices feature screens that encompass almost the entire flat upper surface of the device, e.g. the iPhone X™. For these devices, the embodiments described thus far that employ position limiting plate(s)  11  are not optimal because the protective film extends to the edges of the screen, and there may not be a portion of the device that the position limiting plates  11  can contact without blocking a portion of the screen. The embodiment shown in  FIGS.  9 - 11    addresses this issue. This embodiment features fixing plate  1 , hinge  5 , and protective film assembly  31 . Protective film assembly  31  is similar in structure to cell-phone film  30  described above, and is shown in detail in  FIG.  10   . Protective film assembly  31  in this embodiment is comprised of primary protective film  32 , which is sandwiched between a first covering layer  33  and second covering layer  34 . Adhesive film layers  35  are comprised of releasable adhesives and bond the first and second covering layers to primary protective film  32  prior to it being applied to device  3 ′. Adhesive film layer  35  also facilitates the bonding of primary protective film  32  to the screen of device  3 ′. The particular embodiment shown in FIG.  10  is for use with PET and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) films. Other embodiments featuring tempered glass protectors or other materials having high scratch resistance do not utilize second covering layer  34  and adhesive layer  35 . 
     In this embodiment, the top of the device  3 ′ is not held in place relative to the top surface of fixing plate  1  using position limiting plates  11 . Instead, a supporting sidewall  4  extends downward from fixing plate  1  to a common surface supporting both fixing plate  1  and device  3 ′. The height of sidewall  4  is such that the top surface of device  3 ′ to which the film is to be applied is coplanar with the horizontal top surface of fixing plate  1  when the device  3 ′ is placed on the supporting surface, i.e., the top horizontal surface of fixing plate  1  is even with the surface of the device to which the protective film is to be applied. In certain embodiments, sidewall  4  is continuous around device  3 ′ (i.e. completely surrounding device  3 ′); however, in other embodiments, there may be one or more sidewalls  4 . Fixing plate  1  and sidewall(s)  4  may be made of injection-molded materials such as polycarbonate, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, acrylic, and the like. Hinge  5  can be comprised of any flexible material such as polyethylene or paper. In one certain embodiment, hinge  5  is a paper sticker having a non-drying adhesive that attaches directly to the primary protective film  32  as shown in  FIG.  10   . The adhesive permits the hinge to be easily peeled off once the primary protective film  32  has been applied to the device screen. 
       FIG.  9    is a side profile view of the embodiment showing hinge  5 , one end of which is bonded to the horizontal top surface of fixing plate  1 , and the other end of which is bonded to protective film assembly  31 , specifically to second covering layer  34 . In certain embodiments, protective film assembly  31  does not have a second covering layer  34 . In these embodiments, hinge  5  is bonded directly to primary protective film  32  using adhesive that does not dry, such as that manufactured by  3 M Corporation. This adhesive permits the entire applicator assembly to be lifted away from the device once the primary protective film  32  is applied to the screen. 
     The embodiment featuring sidewall  4  is used by first placing device  3 ′ on a supporting surface. The embodiment is then placed over device  3 ′ so that both are supported by the supporting surface. In this configuration, the top of device  3 ′ and the horizontal top surface of fixing plate  1  should at the same level, i.e. coplanar. The first covering layer  33  is then removed using a separating tab either firmly bonded to, or integral with, first covering layer  33 . This exposes adhesive layer  35 , which is brought into contact with the surface of the device&#39;s screen and which adheres primary protective film  32  thereto. Once primary protective film  32  is in place, the second covering layer  34  is removed with the aid of a separating tab such that adhesive layer  35  remains with the secondary covering layer  34 . 
     With reference to the specific embodiments stated above, the objectives, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the utility model have been further explained in detail. It should be understood that, descriptions made above are merely specific embodiments of the utility model, but are not used to limit the protective scope of the utility model. All modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements or the like, made within the spirit and principle of the utility model, shall be embraced in the protective scope of the utility model.