An effective seal for protecting a touchscreen and associated electronics from liquid infiltration, the seal being placed between the housing and the surface of the touchscreen and configured to surround the useful touchscreen area. The seal is preferably formed of a closed cell foam covered on the surface which contacts the touchscreen surface with a liquid impervious barrier, or an expanded polymer such as expanded PTFE. The seal may be secured to the bezel edge by a transfer adhesive coating applied to the bezel edge, except for a relatively thin edge strip along the inner edge of the bezel end, so that substantially no adhesive is present on a free surface of the seal body proximate to the window aperture of the bezel. Preferably, a smooth surface is provided for adhering the seal body to the bezel. The seal body may be compressed between the bezel and touchscreen surface to effect a seal.

The present invention provides a display screen seal made of a rigid or semi-rigid material that includes a base having first and second surfaces, and a wall portion extending from the second surface. The base is configured to mount to the screen and be positioned between the screen and a structure residing adjacent the screen, such as a bezel or frame of the display, so that the wall portion inhibits foreign objects from passing between the screen and the adjacent structure.

A sealing system for use with acoustic touchscreens is provided. The system includes a seal coupled to a frame, the frame being positioned directly over the acoustic touchscreen components, e.g., acoustic transducers, reflective arrays, etc. such that the seal prevents contamination of the underlying components. The system uses a plurality of tensioning elements that are either integral to, or separate from, the frame. The tensioning elements are preferably coupled at the four corners of the CRT, and more preferably coupled to the CRT mounting tabs. Assuming an approximately spherically curved touchscreen surface, the tensioning elements provide a uniform compressive force per unit length along the entire perimeter of the seal. As a consequence of the tensioning elements, the frame can be extremely thin, lightweight, and flexible, thus allowing it to substantially conform to the shape of the touch surface. Additionally, a very small and uniform gap can be maintained between the frame and the touch surface, e.g. less than 1 millimeter, thus allowing the designer to select from a wider range of sealing materials that meet the acoustic signal absorption requirements of the system while providing a robust contamination seal.

A method and apparatus for discriminating against false touches in a touchscreen system is provided. The system is designed to confirm a touch registered by one touch sensor with another touch sensor, preferably of a different sensor type, prior to acting upon the touch (i.e., sending touch coordinates to the operating system). If the touch registered by the first touch sensor is not confirmed by the second touch sensor, the touch is invalidated. Thus the strengths of one type of sensor are used to overcome the deficiencies of another type of sensor. This system is particularly well suited to meet the demands of an outdoor or semi-outdoor application. In one embodiment, one or more force sensors are used as the false touch sensor and a projective-capacitive sensor is used as the position coordinate determining sensor. In another embodiment, a projective-capacitive sensor is used as the false touch sensor. As the projective-capacitive sensor is only being used to provide touch confirmation, in this embodiment very few electrodes are required as well as minimal channel electronics. In another embodiment, both touch sensors are capable of providing accurate touch coordinates. In this configuration the system preferably determines which of the sensors is more likely to provide accurate information based on the circumstances.

A touchscreen system is provided that incorporates a simplified sealing system around the bezel. The touchscreen system includes a planar touchscreen coupled to a display device having a planar display surface, the touchscreen having a touch sensitive region on a touchscreen surface. A frame is positioned above the touchscreen. The frame includes a central opening that substantially provides an outer border for the touch sensitive region, a rigid portion comprising an outer periphery of the frame, a flexible resilient portion connected to the rigid portion, the flexible portion comprising an inner periphery of the frame, and a sealing portion interposed between the touchscreen surface and the flexible portion. The flexible portion of the frame is directed out of a plane defined by the rigid portion toward the touchscreen prior to bringing the frame into contact with the touchscreen. Upon installation into the touchscreen, the flexible portion is displaced such that flexible portion exerts pressure on the touchscreen through the sealing portion. The simplified sealing system around the bezel can be used with any type of display having a planar display surface or any type of touchscreen technology.