Log-cosh obstacle variational inequality ($\int \nabla u\cdot \nabla (v-u)+\tanh (u)(v-u)\ge 0$)

Minimizing the log-cosh energy over zero-trace functions above an obstacle yields the displayed inequality for every feasible competitor. Convexity supplies the one-sided admissible segments. On the open noncontact region, compactly supported variations of both signs are feasible because the gap from the obstacle has a positive minimum on their support. Their first variations vanish, giving $-\Delta u+\tanh u=0$ there. This stationarity equation need not hold on the contact set.