Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
  • G06F3/033—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor
  • G06F3/039—Accessories therefor, e.g. mouse pads
  • G06F3/0395—Mouse pads

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an underlay of the kind stated in the preamble of claim 1.
• Such an underlay is generally and in the following called a "mouse pad" .
• the invention further relates to a method for the manufacture of such a mouse pad, the use of a
• the mouse pad according to the invention is to be used together with a pointing device for a computer, the device on its underside having a freely rotating ball rolling on the underlay when the pointing device is
• Such a device is generally and in the following called a "mouse" .
• the mouse pad must have a top surface (facing upwards during use) having a fric ⁇ tion as high as possible against the ball of the mouse.
• the mouse pad 30 disadvantage that they do not rest in a sufficiently stable way on the tabletop or the like where they are placed during use. As the mouse and thus the user's hand are moved during use, the mouse pad is exposed to push ⁇ ing effects and can therefore be displaced on the 35 tabletop. Consequently, the pad should have a bottom surface (facing downwards during use) in a nonskid abut- ment against the piece of furniture on which the pad is placed.
• the bending back of the user's wrist during use of the mouse is particularly injurious and even very small angle differences are here of great importance. It is therefore essential that the mouse pad is made as thin as possible.
• mice pads are used for advertising purposes, i.e. with printed trademarks or logos, slo ⁇ gans, etc.
• a mouse pad must therefore be suitable for receiving such impressions of a good quality.
• the latter usually tantamounts to the impression being made by off ⁇ set printing as the printing methods available for prints on "difficult" surfaces such as serigraphy or print using solvent-containing or UV-light-hardening ink do not provide for a sufficiently good resolution and colour reproduction to satisfy today's demands from very discriminating users of advertising.
• mouse pads as advertising media also calls for the ability to manufacture these mouse pads within a very short time of delivery and in limited edi- tions.
• the possibility to use individual or "instant" printing processes such as computer print-outs is there ⁇ fore highly desirable.
• a mouse pad of the kind initially stated and with a thickness of about 0.7 mm is known.
• Thi ⁇ pad is marketed under the name ART-OFFICE by the German company
• This pad has an upper layer consisting of a so-called satin foil, i.e. a foil mainly consisting of a fabric, with a thickness of about 0.12 mm and a front sensitive to offset printing, typewriting, etc. and usually coated with an adhesive on its back.
• a so-called satin foil i.e. a foil mainly consisting of a fabric, with a thickness of about 0.12 mm and a front sensitive to offset printing, typewriting, etc. and usually coated with an adhesive on its back.
• an antistatic layer is provided under the upper layer.
• a tack coat filling out cavities, the said layers are adhered to a middle layer in the form of a hard, springy plastic foil with a thickness of about 0.50 mm.
• the middle layer is on its underside provided with a quite thin nonskid surface .
• This mouse pad has the drawback that the impres ⁇ sion provided on the satin foil of the upper layer is printed on the front of this foil and thus unprotected against wear. In the nature of the case, the mouse pad is affected in exactly a wearing way both by the mouse and the user's hand. In consideration of the advertising value of the mouse pad, the impression must maintain a high picture quality for as long time as possible; a poor picture quality may be destructive for the adver ⁇ tising value. Besides, placing the impression on top of the upper layer of the pad has the disadvantage that the very impression may smoothen the surface and thus reduce its friction against the ball of the mouse.
• WO 88/17 discloses a coaster or placemat intended to be sent by post in the manner of a postcard, before its use as a coaster or placemat . It has on its bottom surface a removable panel, the exposed surface of which can receive a communication in writing.
• the removable panel preferably made from paper is hereby holding the address and text such as greetings while the coaster is being transmitted by post. After removal of the remov- able panel, the coaster is ready for use as a coaster or placemat .
• 2,716,736 discloses a mouse pad to be adhered to a fixed surface such as the top side of a piece of furniture.
• This pad consists of a supporting, middle layer, prefer ⁇ ably paper, vinyl or polyester which is coated with a layer of a structuring varnish on its top side to pro ⁇ vide a good friction against the ball of the mouse, and which is coated with a layer of an adhesive material on its underside in order that the pad may be lying stable on the table top.
• the varnish may be applied by means of serigra ⁇ phy and a picture may be printed on the middle layer, under the varnish.
• the adhesive material may be a "re ⁇ movable" glue such as "Scotchmark - Post-it" from the company 3M.
• a further disadvantage of this mouse pad is that an adhesive as the 3M "Post-it” glue is adhesive in a quite unnecessarily strong way when only to assure that the mouse pad remains lying during use. This is an obvi- ous disadvantage when the pad is to be moved, and such a fragile pad as the known one can presumably not tolerate being moved often in thi ⁇ way.
• European patent No. 360,450 discloses a heated vacuum mounting press.
• This press has a heating plate of glass with an electrically conductive coating heated by a passing through electric current, and a flexible, airtight cloth. Workpiece sheet material to become stuck together under pressure and heat are placed between the heating plate and the cloth whereupon the interspace is evacuated to a partial vacuum, whereby the workpieces are pressed tightly together. The glass plate is then heated, thereby activating heat sensitive adhes ⁇ ives bonding the workpieces together.
• the object of the present invention is to pro- cure a mouse pad of the initially stated type, which pad while resting securely and fixed on the table top or the like without hereby making movement of the pad diffi ⁇ cult, is extraordinarily thin, is free from the above- described drawbacks of the known pads, provides good friction against the ball of the mouse and high resis ⁇ tance to wear, and furthermore provides a removable rear panel constituting an independent document such as a postcard when removed from the mouse pad.
• the option is obtained to use this layer as a sep ⁇ arate advertising medium.
• this advertis ⁇ ing medium is unexpected by the consumer, as thus having the additional, valuable feature of attracting the user's attention when removed from the mouse pad.
• the removable panel when made from cardboard of sufficient stiffness, may be used right away as a po ⁇ tcard, e.g. provided with a questionnaire, and preferably being ⁇ tamped for postage free posting.
• the mouse pad may be provided on its upper surface with a picture produced by offset-printing which assures an optimal printing quality and thus a high advertising value, and that this picture is protected in the best possible way against wear.
• a material for the layer immediately below the top surface layer which material is as well susceptible to individual or "instant" print ⁇ ing processes such as computer print-outs the additional advantage is obtained that small editions of mouse pads can be produced with differing or totally individual impressions, such as e.g. the name of the receiving per ⁇ son.
• a further object of the invention is to procure a method of the initially stated kind for the manufac ⁇ ture of a mouse pad.
• the invention also concerns the use of a self-clinging vinyl film for the formation of a bottom surface of such a mouse pad and the use of a sur ⁇ face texture film for formation of a top surface of such a mouse pad.
• a self-clinging vinyl film for the formation of a bottom surface of such a mouse pad
• a sur ⁇ face texture film for formation of a top surface of such a mouse pad.
• Preferred surface texture films are available from Hunt Europe Ltd. , Chester Hall Lane, Basildon, Essex (GB) under the brand name “Printguard Texture Films", the grade HS42 "Sandtex” being particularly pre- ferred. This latter grade is also available from the supplier mentioned in example 1, under the brand name "Sandtex Heat Seal”.
• This film consists of an embossed plasticised PVC film, 100 ⁇ m in thickness and with a gram age of 130 g/m J , coated on its rear side with an acrylic, heat activated adhesive at a grammage of 28 g/m 2 .
• the film is available pierced or unpierced, for evacuating air caught between layers, cf. example 1.
• the film is supplied with a silicone-treated protective liner paper to be removed from the rear side before la ⁇ minating.
• Self-clinging vinyl film is used for e.g. window dressing, providing advertising posters which may be securely but in a non-permanent way fixed to the inside face of a display window. It is also used for the manu ⁇ facture of toy figures to be fixed in a removable way to e.g. a smooth panel or a window pane.
• a preferred film is "Self Cling PVC", certifi- cate No. FM 27112 from the supplier Sheet & Roll Conver ⁇ ters, 551 Fairlie Road, Trading Estate, Slough, Berkshire (GB) .
• the gauge of this film is 150 ⁇ m with a specific gravity of 1.25. It has a plasticiser content of 33.8% by weight and a softness according to BS 2782, part 3/307, of 39.
• the film is available in sheet or roll form.
• the film comes with a protective card- board liner (support sheet) , which is to be removed after placing the film poster.
• a protective card- board liner support sheet
• Three support sheet al ⁇ ternatives are available: 220 g/m 2 PE coated board, 135 g/m 2 cast coated board or 200 g/m 2 cast coated board.
• An alternative self-clinging vinyl film is en- tioned in example 1.
• the intended front surface of the film will indeed become an inner surface in the laminated mouse pad, as the liner is to be left clinging to the film during lamination, but this again provides the very essential advantage of the mouse pad according to the invention, that the protective card- board liner of the self-clinging film may be left on the film and thus on the pad even after the manufacture of the pad, whereby the free side of this cardboard is available for impressions.
• an important advertising profit of the mouse pad according to the invention is that the removed protective cardboard constitutes an in ⁇ dependent advertising document which will "startle" the user and make him particularly responsive to the adver ⁇ tising message printed on said cardboard.
• the removable protective cardboard may alterna ⁇ tively be used as the "primary" advertising medium, e.g. as a questionnaire for performing a market survey.
• the mouse pad itself would then function as an advertising gift (a "give-away” or a "gimmick") , motivating the re- cipient to actually fill in the questionnaire and post it.
• Northampton was placed on the picture side of said stout paper.
• This film has a thickness of 0.1 mm, is transparent and provided with a so-called sand texture surface produced by pattern stamping (embossing) .
• the film has very good resistance properties against ageing and UV light.
• the quality used was punctured, i.e. over its entire area perforated at regular intervals so that any air would escape which might otherwise be stuck between the film and the paper.
• the Sandtex film is provided in rolls of 25 or 100 m and has a grammage of 130 g/m 2 and is on its back ⁇ side coated with an acrylic based hot-melt adhesive. The back side was provided with a protective paper which was removed before placing the film on the paper.
• the Penstick film is on one side coated with a protective layer of cardboard with a grammage of 215 g/m 2 and coated with a thin, smooth plastic coating on the side facing against the film to secure the remov ⁇ ability and good protection of the film.
• the protective layer On the side facing away from the film, the protective layer has a calendered, white surface intended to receive impres ⁇ sions.
• the protection layer is sufficiently stuck on the film so as to tolerate all usual handling, printing pro ⁇ Des etc.
• the film is supplied either in sheets or in rolls of 500 m.
• the lamination was effected at 80°C for 8 min. After the lamination, the pad appeared as a handy unit which could straight away be handled by mechanical means. By means of an offset technique, a questionnaire was printed on the free side of the protection paper of the Penstick film.
• the thus manufactured mouse pad was suitable for use as an advertising medium by forwarding it to a reci ⁇ pient (target person or firm) who would ever have the printed advertising message before his eyes when using the mouse pad, and who upon receiving the pad would remove the protection cardboard, which would then con- stitute a finished questionnaire, ready to be posted and with printed questions as to the advertiser's products.
• a reci ⁇ pient target person or firm
• the gauge of this film is 150 ⁇ m with a specific gravity of 1.25. It has a plasticiser content of 33.8% by weight and a softness according to BS 2782, part 3/307 of 39.
• mice pads were used in an advertising campaign, the message and slogans of the campaign appearing from said laser printed message.
• the questionnaire on the rear side of the protective liner contained questions relating to the campaign and to the mouse pad itself, and was stamped for postage free post ⁇ ing.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Position Input By Displaying (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8103444

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

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Family Cites Families (6)

• 1996
  • 1996-11-19 WO PCT/DK1996/000474 patent/WO1997018729A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1996-11-19 ZA ZA969688A patent/ZA969688B/xx unknown
  • 1996-11-19 EP EP96938976A patent/EP0883362A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1996-11-19 AU AU76208/96A patent/AU7620896A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1996-11-19 DE DE0883362T patent/DE883362T1/de active Pending
• 1998
  • 1998-05-14 NO NO982210A patent/NO982210L/no not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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