Patent ID: 7237937

Claim:
A touch panel assembly in a front-light spread illuminating device, the touch panel assembly comprising: a light conductor plate made of a transparent material, the light conductor plate having, on a major surface, a light reflecting pattern; a rod-like lamp composed of a light conductor rod made of a transparent material and disposed close to and along at least one of end surfaces of the light conductor plate, and a point light source disposed adjacent to at least one of two ends of the light conductor rod; a liquid crystal display device having a display portion in which light, that is emitted from the rod-like lamp, falls incident on the end surface of the light conductor plate and is introduced into the light conductor plate, exits out of the light conductor plate from its major surface toward the display portion of the liquid crystal display device; a housing frame supporting components of the spread illuminating device in an integral manner and being provided with a positioning mechanism for a touch panel, wherein a touch panel having no reinforcement member is fixed to the positioning mechanism; and a transparent buffer member disposed between the touch panel and the light conductor plate, wherein a gap is provided between the transparent buffer member and the light conductor plate, and wherein the transparent buffer member is composed of a polyethylene terephthalate film and a transparent gel layer, and the transparent gel layer is disposed in contact with the touch panel.