Patent ID: 7589798

Claim:
A touch panel comprising: an upper electrode plate including a lamination of (i) an upper electrode formed as a transparent conductive film and defining a lower surface of said upper electrode plate, (ii) a polarizing plate, (iii) a quarter wave plate between said upper electrode and said polarizing plate, with an absorption axis of said polarizing plate crossing an optical axis of said quarter wave plate at an angle of 45° or 135°, and (iv) a 0.15 to 0.80 mm thick optically isotropic heat-resistant transparent resin plate having a glass transition temperature of not less than 150° C. and an absorption coefficient of not more than 1.3%, said heat-resistant transparent resin plate being laminated directly to, or indirectly to, said quarter wave plate, and being coextensive with said quarter wave plate; and a lower electrode plate including a lower electrode formed as a transparent conductive film and defining an upper surface of said lower electrode plate, wherein said upper electrode plate and said lower electrode plate are bonded and fixed to one another at regions except for a display area so that said upper electrode and said lower electrode oppose each other with via an air layer, and wherein a seal layer covers side surfaces of said upper electrode plate and portions of said lower electrode plate that are adjacent said side surfaces such that said seal layer prevents penetration of water through said side surfaces of said upper electrode plate and said portions of said lower electrode plate into said touch panel and such that said side surfaces are not exposed.