Systems for securing protective films to surfaces of substrates

摘要

Systems and films for protecting surfaces of various substrates, including electronic devices, such as portable electronic devices, include a liner with a strip liner and a main liner. The strip liner, which covers a small strip of adhesive on the back side of a protective film, is configured to be removed before the main liner. With the small strip of adhesive exposed, the protective film may be aligned with a substrate and, if necessary, removed from the substrates and repositioned thereon. Thereafter, the main liner may be removed to enable complete application of the protective film to the substrate. Methods for securing protective films to substrates are also disclosed.

主权项

1. A method for applying a protective film to an electronic device, comprising:
providing a protective film with a configuration that corresponds to a configuration of a surface of an electronic device on which the protective film is to be secured, the protective film including a lower surface that carries adhesive material for securing the protective film to the surface of the electronic device and an upper surface that is to be exposed when the protective film is secured to the surface of the electronic device; removing a liner secured to the adhesive material on the lower surface of the protective film, including:
separating a liner strip of the liner from a main liner of the liner to enable the liner strip to be removed from the adhesive material on the lower surface of the protective film without removing the main liner from the adhesive material on the lower surface of the protective film, the separating comprising cracking the liner strip of the liner apart from the main liner of the liner to enable the liner strip to be removed from the adhesive material on the lower surface of the protective film without removing the main liner from the adhesive material on the lower surface of the protective film;removing the liner strip from a first end of the protective film, the liner strip covering a strip of the adhesive material on the lower surface of the protective film at the first end of the protective film, the liner strip including a first tab protruding beyond the first end of the protective film so as to enable removal of the liner strip from the strip of the adhesive material;applying the strip of the adhesive material to a corresponding location on the surface of the electronic device;gradually removing the main liner from the adhesive material on the lower surface of the protective film, the main liner covering a remainder of the adhesive material on the lower surface of the protective film, from a location adjacent to the strip of the adhesive material to a second end of the protective film, the main liner including a second tab protruding beyond the second end of the protective film; andwhile gradually removing the main liner from the adhesive material on the lower surface of the protective film, securing the adhesive material previously covered by the main liner to the surface of the electronic device, from the location adjacent to the strip of the adhesive material to the second end of the protective film; applying pressure to a cap shield over the upper surface of the protective film, the cap shield distributing the pressure applied thereto over the protective film so as to adhesively secure the lower surface of the protective film to the surface of the electronic device and to prevent damage to the protective film as pressure is applied to the cap shield; and after applying pressure to the cap shield, removing the cap shield from the upper surface of the protective film, a release layer positioned between the upper surface of the protective film and a lower surface of the cap shield enabling removal of the cap shield from the upper surface of the protective film without removing the protective film from the surface of the electronic device.