SYSTEMS, APPARATUSES, AND METHODS FOR A PROTECTIVE

AND PRIVACY SCREEN SLEEVE

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to screen covers including privacy filters, anti-scratch filters, anti-glare filters, harmful light filters, and/or other applicable filters. More particularly, this present disclosure pertains to systems, apparatuses, and methods for securely fastening various combinations of screen filters onto the surface of a display monitor.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] When traveling for business many professionals and other users are expected to remain productive while traveling. During the course of their travel, they might find themselves working on sensitive or confidential information in public spaces such as airports, train stations, restaurants, or the like. To protect their confidential information while in these public spaces, many of these professionals use privacy screens. Privacy screens are designed to protect displayed information by making the screen (or display device) on which the information is shown unreadable when viewed from any angle that is not directly in front of or perpendicular to the screen. Privacy screens are an important tool to keep sensitive and confidential information safe.

[0003] User experiences when employing privacy screens on their display devices are generally poor. Privacy screens typically come with either an attachment accessory or have an adhesive backing to aid in connecting the privacy screen to a display device. Attachment accessories included with a purchased privacy screen often do not effectively fasten the privacy screen to a given display device. Such attachment accessories also leave bulky attachments connected to the display device even when the privacy screen is not in use. Alternatively, privacy screens which attach to a display device using a semi-permanent adhesive can be difficult to apply and remove and often cannot be effectively reattached to the display at a later time. Users may become especially frustrated with these types of privacy screens because they cannot easily be removed when the user no longer needs the privacy screen, or subsequently reattached, such as when the user moves between public and private spaces or when the viewed content changes between sensitive and non-sensitive. The frustrating experiences accompanying each of these designs lead users to abandon the privacy screen or to use the privacy screen less frequently than they should.

[0004] The issues and frustrating experiences affecting the application, removal, and re- application of privacy screens similarly affect user’ s use and enjoyment of other screen covers such as those implementing anti-glare filters, anti-scratch filters, blue-light filters, and other applicable filters.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Accordingly, a need exists for an alternative design that provides a legitimate solution to the problems associated with applying, removing, and reapplying screen covers such as those implementing privacy filters, anti-glare filters, anti-scratch filters, blue-light filters, or other applicable and beneficial filters.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a screen sleeve for attachment to a monitor. The screen sleeve comprises a transparent portion and a back portion. The transparent portion has a first side edge and a second side edge. The transparent portion is configured to be positioned along a display portion of the monitor. The back portion is coupled between the first side edge and the second side edge of the transparent portion to define a passageway. The passageway is configured to receive at least a portion of the monitor for holding the transparent portion along the display portion of the monitor.

[0007] According to another aspect of the screen sleeve of the present disclosure, the transparent portion includes at least one of a privacy filter, an antiglare filter, an anti-scratch filter, or other applicable screen filter.

[0008] According to another aspect of the screen sleeve of the present disclosure, the privacy filter is configured to obscure the display portion when coupled to the monitor and viewed at an angle other than perpendicular.

[0009] According to another aspect of the screen sleeve of the present disclosure, the back portion includes a central portion, a first side portion extending from the central portion, and a second side portion extending from the central portion opposite the first side portion.

[0010] According to another aspect of the screen sleeve of the present disclosure, the first side portion is coupled between the central portion and the first side edge of the transparent portion. The second side portion is coupled between the central portion and the second side edge of the transparent portion.

[0011] According to another aspect of the screen sleeve of the present disclosure, the back portion is glued to the transparent portion along each of the first and second side edges.

[0012] According to another aspect of the screen sleeve of the present disclosure, the back portion includes a first overlapping portion and a second overlapping portion. The first overlapping portion extends onto a portion of the transparent portion along the first side edge. The second overlapping portion extends onto a portion of the transparent portion along the second side edge.

[0013] According to another aspect of the screen sleeve of the present disclosure, the first and second overlapping portions are configured to be positioned adjacent to opposite sides of the display portion of the monitor when coupled to the monitor.

[0014] According to another aspect of the screen sleeve of the present disclosure, the first and second overlapping portions in combination with the transparent portion have a common thickness configured to enable the laptop monitor to close while the screen sleeve is positioned on the monitor.

[0015] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of using a screen sleeve on a monitor. The method comprises aligning a transparent portion of the screen sleeve to face in the same direction as a display portion of the monitor and positioning a passageway of the screen sleeve over the monitor.

[0016] According to another aspect of the method of the present disclosure, the method further includes providing privacy to content displayed on the monitor.

[0017] According to another aspect of the method of the present disclosure, the method further includes positioning a top portion of the monitor above the screen sleeve.

[0018] According to another aspect of the method of the present disclosure, the method further includes frictionally engaging the screen sleeve with the monitor to maintain alignment of the screen sleeve relative to the monitor. [0019] According to another aspect of the method of the present disclosure, the method further includes removing the passageway of the screen sleeve from the monitor.

BRTEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Fig. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of a screen sleeve of the present disclosure.

[0021] Fig. 2 illustrates an exploded front perspective view of the screen sleeve of Fig. 1 showing a transparent portion and a back portion of the screen sleeve in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Fig. 3 A illustrates a front perspective view of the screen sleeve of Fig. 1 showing a reinforced stitching along first and second overlapping portions between the transparent portion and the back portion in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Fig. 3B illustrates an enlarged front perspective view of the second overlapping portion and the reinforced stitching of the screen sleeve of Fig. 3A emphasizing area 3B of Fig. 3 A.

[0024] Fig. 4A il lustrates a rear perspective view of the screen sleeve of Fig. 1 showing a reinforced stitching along first and second overlapping portions between the transparent portion and the back portion in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Fig. 4B illustrates an enlarged rear perspective view of the second overlapping portion and the reinforced stitching of the screen sleeve of Fig. 4A emphasizing of area 4B of Fig. 4A.

[0026] Fig. 5 illustrates a front perspective view the screen sleeve of Fig. 1 positioned on a monitor in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0027] Fig. 6 illustrates a rear perspective view of the screen sleeve and the monitor of Fig. 5 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0028] Fig. 7 illustrates a rear elevation view of the screen sleeve and the monitor of Fig. 5 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0029] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present disclosure, one or more drawings of which are set forth herein. Each drawing is provided by way of explanation of the present disclosure and is not a limitation. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment.

[0030] Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. Other objects, features, and aspects of the present disclosure are disclosed in, or are obvious from, the following detailed description. It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present disclosure.

[0031] The words “connected”, “attached”, “joined”, “mounted”, “fastened”, and the like should be interpreted to mean any manner of joining two objects including, but not limited to, the use of any fasteners such as screws, nuts and bolts, bolts, pin and clevis, and the like allowing for a stationary, translatable, or pivotable relationship; sewing and the like; using any resin, glue, epoxy, and the like; being integrally formed as a single part together; any mechanical fit such as a friction fit, interference fit, slidable fit, rotatable fit, pivotable fit, and the like; any combination thereof; and the like.

[0032] Unless specifically stated otherwise, any part of the apparatus of the present disclosure may be made of any appropriate or suitable material including, but not limited to, metal, alloy, polymer, polymer mixture, wood, composite, leather, or any combination thereof.

[0033] Referring to Figs. 1-7, an exemplary embodiment of a screen sleeve 100 is shown. The screen sleeve 100 is configured to be attached to a monitor 150 (shown in Figs. 5-7). The monitor 150 may be part of a laptop, desktop computer, tablet, e-reader, cell phone, television, or the like. The screen sleeve 100 includes a transparent portion 102 and a back portion 104 coupled to the transparent portion 102. The transparent portion 102 is configured to be positioned along a display portion 152 of the monitor. The display portion 152 may also be referred to herein as a display 152. The display portion 152 is configured to display content which may be sensitive or confidential in various embodiments. The back portion 104 is configured to be positioned along a rear surface 154 of the monitor 150.

[0034] The transparent portion 102 includes a first side edge 110 and a second side edge 112. The first side edge 110 may also be referred to as a first edge 110. The second side edge 112 may also be referred to herein as a second edge 112. As can best be seen in Fig. 1, the back portion 104 of the screen sleeve 100 is coupled between the first and second side edges 110, 112 to define a passageway 114.

[0035] The passageway 114 may include an upper opening 116 and a lower opening 118. The passageway 114 is configured to receive at least a portion of the monitor 150 for holding the transparent portion 102 along the display 152 of the monitor. The screen sleeve 100 is configured to slideably attach to and slideably detach from the monitor 150 via the passageway 114.

[0036] In an exemplary embodiment, transparent portion 102 may be a privacy filter. The privacy filter may be configured to be transparent when the transparent portion 102 is viewed perpendicularly relative to a horizontal axis 140 of the transparent portion 102. The privacy filter is configured to obscure the display portion 152 of the monitor 150 when coupled to the monitor 150 and viewed at an angled 142 other than perpendicular. For example, the privacy filter may be configured to be opaque when viewed from an angle 142 greater than 20 degrees from perpendicular relative to the horizontal axis 140 of the transparent portion 102. Accordingly, the display 152 may either be viewable or opaque depending on the viewing angle. The privacy filter allows a user sitting directly in front of the transparent portion 102 to be able to see through the transparent portion 102 while blocking or distorting the view of anyone sitting next to the user. In other embodiments, the privacy filter may obscure the display portion 152 of the monitor 150 at similar angles above and below. In further embodiments, the transparent portion 102 may include an antiglare filter, an anti-scratch filter, a blue-blocking filter, or any other applicable or beneficial screen filter.

[0037] In various embodiments, the transparent portion 102 may include one or more of the privacy filter, the anti-glare filter, an anti-scratch filter, and/or a blue-blocking filter. Other applicable and beneficial filters may be used in combination with or in the alternative to any of the above-listed filter options. It should be understood that this list of potential filters is not exclusive and may be expanded to include other applicable and beneficial screen filters now known or yet to be discovered. [0038] The transparent portion 102 may be made from any suitable material such as plastics (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, thermoplastic polyurethane, acrylic, or the like) or tempered glass. Accordingly, the transparent portion 102 may be flexible, semi-rigid, rigid, or the like.

[0039] As can best be seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the back portion 104 may include a central portion 120, a first side portion 122, and a second side portion 124. The first and second side portions 122, 124 extend from opposite sides of the central portion 120. The first and second side portions 122, 124 may be coupled to the central portion 120 via stitching or the like. The first side portion 122 is coupled between the central portion 120 and the first side edge 110 of the transparent portion 110. The second side portion 124 is coupled between the central portion 120 and the second side edge 112 of the transparent portion 110. In other embodiments (not shown), the back portion 104 may be a continuous piece of material spanning between first side edge 110 and the second side edge 112.

[0040] The back portion 104 includes a first overlapping portion 130 and a second overlapping portion 132. The first overlapping portion 130 extends onto a portion of the transparent portion 102 along the first side edge 110. The second overlapping portion 132 extends onto a portion of the transparent portion 102 along the second side edge 112. The first and second overlapping portions 130, 132 may have a common width 134 of, for example, approximately 1/4 of an inch. The first and second overlapping portions 130, 132 may have a common thickness 136 configured to enable the monitor (e.g., a laptop monitor) to close while the screen sleeve 100 remains positioned on the monitor 150. The common thickness 136 may, for example, be approximately 1/16 of an inch, however, it is ideally minimized as much as possible to allow the monitor to fully shut and not interfere with any potential latch mechanism.

[0041] In an exemplary embodiment, the back portion 104 is glued to the transparent portion 102 along each of the first and second side edges 110, 112. For example, as can best be seen in Fig. 2, there may be an adhesive strip 146 (e.g., glue) applied between the back portion 104 and the transparent portion 102 along the first overlapping portion 130, and another adhesive strip 146 (e.g., glue) applied between the back portion 104 and the transparent portion 102 along the second overlapping portion 132. As can best be seen in Figs. 3A-4B, additional reinforcement such as a reinforcement stitching 144 may be utilized between the back portion 104 and the transparent portion 102 along the first and second overlapping portions 130, 132. In some embodiments, stitching may be used as an alternative to the adhesive connection. The adhesive strips are used to minimize a thickness at the first and second overlapping portions 130, 132.

[0042] As can best be seen in Fig. 5, the display portion 152 of the monitor 150 includes opposite sides 156 positioned vertically along a periphery of the display portion 152. The first and second overlapping portions 130, 132 are configured to be positioned adjacent to the opposite sides 156 of the display portion 152 when the screen sleeve 100 is coupled to the monitor 150. Accordingly, the overlapping portions 130, 132 are positioned outside of the display portion 152 of the monitor 150 so as not to interfere with any content displayed on the monitor 150. In other embodiments, the overlapping portions 130, 132 may be spaced apart from the opposite sides 156 of the display portion 152 so as not to interfere with any content displayed on the monitor 150 when the screen sleeve 100 is slightly misaligned with the monitor 150. [0043] In various embodiments (not shown), the back portion 104 may include a track system to permanently or temporarily attach the transparent portion 102 to the back portion 104. One advantage of such a track system (not shown) is that transparent portions having different filters applied may be easily used according to the needs of a user.

[0044] In an exemplary embodiment, the back portion 104 is majoritively fabric and may incorporate an elastic blend or interlay. The back portion 104 may be any suitable material such as neoprene, cotton, polyester, lycra, plastic blends, nylon, microfiber, suede, or the like. The back portion 104 may also include multiple layers of materials and fabrics, for example, an outer neoprene layer and an inner microfiber layer. The back portion 104 is infinitely customizable from fabric choice to fabric pattern. Such customizations include, for example, selecting an exterior pattern for the material, uploading custom images to be printed on the fabric, or uploading company logos to be prominently displayed on the back portion 104.

[0045] In some embodiments (not shown), the second back portion 104 may include a second transparent portion. The second transparent portion (not shown) may have one or more filters different from the transparent portion 102. Such implementations may permit a user easily to switch between different filters depending, for example, on varying environmental and extraneous conditions by flipping the screen sleeve around.

[0046] As can best be seen in Fig. 5, the transparent portion 102 is configured to cover at least a portion of the display portion 152 of the monitor 150. The first and second side edges 110, 112 of the transparent portion 102 may extend slightly beyond the display portion 152 so that the first and second overlapping portions 130, 132 of the back portion 104 do not block any part of the display portion 152 of the monitor 150. For example, the transparent portion 102 may fit flush along, or extend beyond, an outer perimeter of the display portion 152. The first and second side edges 110, 112 of the transparent portion 102 may be positioned proximate to respective sides 158 of the monitor 150. The back portion 104 extends around the sides 158 and along a front surface of the monitor 150 to connect with the transparent portion 102.

[0047] The screen sleeve 100 being positioned on the monitor 150 can best be seen in Figs. 5-7. To install the screen sleeve 100 on a monitor 150, the transparent portion 102 may be positioned on the same side and facing the same direction as the display portion 152 of the monitor 150. The lower opening 118 of the passageway 114 of the screen sleeve 100 may be pulled over the monitor 150. The screen sleeve 100 may continue to be pulled onto the monitor 150 until the transparent portion 102 aligns with the display portion 152 of the monitor 150. When the transparent portion 102 aligns with the display portion 152, the monitor 150 may extend at least slightly beyond the upper opening 116 of the passageway 114 of the screen sleeve 100.

[0048] During installation, the screen sleeve 100 is pulled down over the monitor 150 to attach or install the screen sleeve 100 on the monitor 150. When detaching the screen sleeve 100, the screen sleeve is pulled upward off of the monitor 150.

[0049] The transparent portion 102 and the back portion 104 may be configured to fit tightly around the monitor 150. This tight fit may be caused by the back portion 104, where more variation with material selection is possible with regard to the back portion 104 relative to the transparent portion 102. The tightness of the fit between the monitor 150 and the screen sleeve 100 may securely fasten the transparent portion 102 to the display portion of the monitor 150. The tightness of this fit may also keep the transparent portion 102 aligned with the display portion 152 of the monitor 150.

[0050] In some embodiments (not shown), an inner surface of the back portion 104 of the screen sleeve 100 may include a frictional material (not shown) disposed thereon to counteract any possible slippage of the screen sleeve 100 due to prolonged use or a fit which is slightly too loose on the monitor 150. The frictional material may be considered a preventative countermeasure to ensure proper alignment of the transparent portion 102 with the display portion 152, user enjoyment, and quality.

[0051] In other embodiments (not shown), the back portion 104 may comprising a first back piece (not shown) connected to and extending from the first side edge 110 of the transparent portion 102 and a second back piece (not shown) connected to and extending from the second side edge 112 of the transparent portion 102. The first and second back pieces may include an attachment mechanism (not shown) that allows the first and second back pieces to be connected to one another behind the monitor 150. This further allows the screen sleeve 100 to be adjusted depending on a thickness of the monitor 150 or a desired tightness. Also, depending on whether the monitor 150 includes a rearwardly extending mount (not shown), this implementation may be able to avoid the mount and still function similarly to the embodiment shown. The first and second back pieces may be connectable to one another behind the monitor 150 using any means suitable for adjustability in tightness such as Velcro, zippers, buttons, snaps, or the like.

[0052] The screen sleeve 100, including the transparent portion 102 and the back portion 104, may be easily scalable and customizable so as to be able to fit screens of all types and sizes. As the screen sleeve 100 is made, customizations and accommodations are possible for screen thickness, bevel width (i.e., the width between the display screen and the edge), screen curvature, or any other characteristics of a specific monitor. Such scalability allows the screen sleeve 100 to be able to achieve a proper fit on any given monitor 150.

[0053] The screen sleeve 100 is thin in various embodiments, thus enabling it to remain attached to a given device even when not in use or closed, as shown in Fig. 7. This is due to the small common thickness 136 of the overlapping portions. Additionally, due to its low profile, the screen sleeve 100 is configured to be easily attached, easily removed, and easily stored until its next use.

[0054] In some embodiments (not shown), the upper opening 116 of the passageway may be closed and the screen sleeve 100 may be referred to as a screen sock. The upper opening 116 of the screen sleeve 100 being closed may complicate issues with regard to sizing and alignment, as well as the use of cameras installed along an upper portion of the monitor 150.

[0055] In other embodiments (not shown), the screen sleeve 100 may include two elastic or fabric straps (not shown) positioned in front of the transparent portion 102 and along a top and a bottom of the transparent portion 102. The two elastic straps may function in combination with the back portion 104 to tighten and hold the screen sleeve 300 onto the monitor 150.

[0056] A method of using the screen sleeve 100 is now disclosed herein. The method may comprise aligning the transparent portion 102 of the screen sleeve 100 in the same direction as the display portion 152 of the monitor 150 and positioning the passageway 114 of the screen sleeve 100 over the monitor 150. [0057] The method may further include providing privacy to content displayed on the monitor. For example, privacy may be provided by distorting content displayed on the monitor when the monitor is viewed from an angle 142 greater than 20 degrees from perpendicular relative to the transparent portion 102. The angle 142 may be larger or smaller in other embodiments. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the angle 142 may be defined circumferentially about a central point (not shown) of the transparent portion 102 from perpendicularly relative to the monitor 150.

[0058] The method may further include positioning an upper portion 160 of the monitor 150 above the screen sleeve (e.g., extending beyond the upper opening 116 of the passageway 114 of the monitor 150).

[0059] The method may further include frictionally engaging the screen sleeve 100 with the monitor 150 to maintain alignment of the screen sleeve 100 relative to the monitor 150.

[0060] The method may further include removing the passageway 114 of the screen sleeve 100 from the monitor 150.

[0061] To facilitate the understanding of the embodiments described herein, a number of terms have been defined above. The terms defined herein have meanings as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the areas relevant to the present invention. Terms such as“a,”“an,” and“the” are not intended to refer to only a singular entity, but rather include the general class of which a specific example may be used for illustration. The terminology herein is used to describe specific embodiments of the invention, but their usage does not delimit the invention, except as set forth in the claims. The phrase“in one embodiment,” as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may.

[0062] Conditional language used herein, such as, among others,“can,”“might,”“may,”“e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

[0063] The previous detailed description has been provided for the purposes of illustration and description. Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of a new and useful apparatus and method for automatic tire ply splicing, it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this disclosure except as set forth in the following claims.