Invisible, light transmissive display system

• US 10,034,350 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Andre, Bartley K., Coster, Daniel J., Howarth, Richard P., de Iuliis, Daniele, Ive, Jonathan P., Kerr, Duncan Robert, Nishibori, Shin, Rohrbach, Matthew Dean, Satzger, Douglas B., Seid, Calvin Q., Stringer, Christopher J., Whang, Eugene Anthony, Zorkendorfer, Rico, Morgenstern, David, Chow, Paul C. L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sohn, Seung C
• Application Number:
  US15/219,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20170006689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 25022726, 345173, 345204, 428690, 40580
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/003 the elements being electronics drivers or controllers for operating the light source, e.g. for a LED array
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0052 Audio or video equipment, e.g. televisions, telephones, cameras or computers; Remote control devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0056 Audio equipment, e.g. music instruments, radios or speakers
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2111/10 for personal use, e.g. hand-held
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/04 Signs, boards or panels, illuminated from behind the insignia
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/06 using individual cut-out symbols or cut-out silhouettes, e.g. perforated signs
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/08 using both translucent and non-translucent layers
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/30 in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell controlling light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. electro-optical or magneto-optical cell, G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/83 characterised by legends, e.g. Braille, liquid crystal displays, light emitting or optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49 Method of mechanical manufacture

Abstract

An invisible, light-transmissive display system with a light resistant material is provided. Substantially invisible, tapered, light-transmissive holes are penetrated in a light transmissive pattern through at least a portion of the light resistant material using a laser beam having a focal width less than the smallest diameter of the tapered holes.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a housing surface having adjacent first and second regions, wherein the first region has a hole and the second region is free of holes; and

a light source behind the housing surface, wherein the light source is operable in an on state in which the light source emits light through the hole and an off state in which the light source does not emit light through the hole, and wherein the hole is invisible when the light source is in the off state such that the first region of the housing surface blends in with the second region of the housing surface.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the housing surface is opaque.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the hole is less than 0.1 mm in diameter.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the hole is filled with a light-transmissive material.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the light-transmissive material comprises a light-cured polymer.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the light source forms part of a status indicator.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the second region of the housing surface has an irregular surface texture so that the first region blends in with the second region.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the light source comprises an infrared light source.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the light source comprises a visible light source.

10. An electronic device comprising:

an opaque surface having a region with perforations;

an array of pixels that emit light through the perforations; and

a controller that turns the pixels on and off, wherein the region with the perforations blends in with a surrounding region of the opaque surface when the pixels are turned off.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein each of the pixels is aligned with a respective one of the perforations.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the light comprises colored light and wherein the controller controls the pixels to produce different light patterns.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the pixels comprise light-emitting diode pixels.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the pixels comprise liquid crystal display pixels.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the opaque surface comprises a material selected from the group consisting of:

metal and plastic.

16. An electronic device comprising:

a housing wall having inner and outer surfaces and having a hole that passes from the inner surface to the outer surface;

a light source that emits light through the hole, wherein the hole is sloped so that the light exits the housing wall at an angle relative to a surface normal associated with the outer surface of the housing wall; and

a controller that turns the light source on and off, wherein the hole blends in with surrounding portion of the outer surface when the light source is turned off.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the housing wall is opaque.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the hole is less than 0.1 mm in diameter.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the hole has a first diameter at the inner surface and a second diameter at the outer surface, wherein the first diameter is larger than the second diameter.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the hole is filled with a light-transmissive polymer.