Customizable wearable electronic devices and methods of assembling the same

• US 10,075,206 B1
• Filed: 03/13/2017
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Erentok, Aycan, Groff, John, Hwang, Huan-Sheng, Beaucourt, Paul, Liu, Thomas H., Camacho Perez, Jose R., Girvin, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan H
• Application Number:
  US15/457,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20180262226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/06 using light valves, e.g. liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers

Abstract

Example customizable example customizable wearable electronic devices, and methods of assembling the same are disclosed. An example customizable wearable electronic device includes a housing bottom member, a housing top member including a radio frequency (RF) attenuating portion that includes a material that attenuates RF energy and an RF conducting portion that includes an electrically-conductive material, the housing top member separated from the housing bottom member by an electrical isolation gap member, an electrically-conductive contact to couple the RF conducting portion of the top housing member to a communication module in the customizable wearable electronic device, and a customization part selected from a plurality of different customization parts having respective different configurations, the selected customization part electrically coupled to the RF conducting portion of the housing top member when the selected customization part is assembled to the housing top member.

Claims

1. A customizable wearable electronic device comprising:

a housing bottom member;

a housing top member including a radio frequency (RF) attenuating portion that includes a material that attenuates RF energy and an RF conducting portion that includes an electrically-conductive material, the housing top member separated from the housing bottom member by an electrical isolation gap member;

an electrically-conductive contact to couple the RF conducting portion of the top housing member to a communication module in the customizable wearable electronic device; and

a customization part selected from a plurality of different customization parts having respective different configurations, the selected customization part electrically coupled to the RF conducting portion of the housing top member when the selected customization part is assembled to the housing top member, the selected customization part is at least partially externally exposed when the selected customization part is assembled to the housing top member.

2. The customizable wearable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the selected customization part implements part of an antenna.

3. The customizable wearable electronic device of claim 1, further including the communication module disposed between the housing top member and the housing bottom member.

4. The customizable wearable electronic device of claim 3, wherein the communication module includes at least one of a global navigation satellite system receiver, a Bluetooth®

transceiver, a cellular communication transceiver, a near-field communication transceiver, and a Wi-Fi transceiver.

5. The customizable wearable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the customizable wearable electronic device includes a watch, and the selected customization part includes a watch bezel.

6. The customizable wearable electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of different customization parts are formed of different conductive materials.

7. The customizable wearable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the material that attenuates the RF energy includes a layer of electrically-conductive material.

8. The customizable wearable electronic device of claim 1, further including a display touch module disposed at least partially within the housing top member.

9. The customizable wearable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the RF conducting portion of the top housing member and the selected customization part form an antenna tuned for use with at least one of a global navigation satellite system transceiver, a Bluetooth®

transceiver, a cellular communication transceiver, and a Wi-Fi transceiver.

10. A customizable wearable electronic device comprising:

a housing bottom member;

a housing top member including a radio frequency (RF) attenuating portion that includes a material that attenuates RF energy and an RF conducting portion that includes an electrically-conductive material, the housing top member separated from the housing bottom member by an electrical isolation gap member;

an electrically-conductive contact to couple the RF conducting portion of the housing top member to a communication module in the customizable wearable electronic device;

a customization part selected from a plurality of different customization parts having respective different configurations, the selected customization part electrically coupled to the RF conducting portion of the housing top member when the selected customization part is assembled to the housing top member; and

an electrically-conductive coupler between the selected customization part and the RF conducting portion of the housing top member when the selected customization part is assembled to the housing.

11. The customizable wearable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the electrically-conductive coupler includes an elastic member.

12. A method of assembling a customizable wearable electronic device, the method comprising:

electrically coupling a communication module to a radio frequency (RF) conducting portion of a first housing member;

assembling the RF conducting portion to a second housing member with an intervening electrical isolation gap, the assembling of the first and second housing members disposing the communication module between the first and second housing members; and

assembling a customization part selected from a plurality of customization parts to the first housing member to provide a selected aesthetic appearance, the selected customization part electrically coupled to the communication module via the RF conducting portion.

13. The method claim 12, further comprising placing an electrically-conductive coupler between the customization part and the RF conducting portion when the customization part is assembled to the first housing member.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the customizable wearable electronic device includes a watch.

15. The method of claim 12, further including assembling to the customization part a second customization part selected from a second plurality of customization parts having respective second aesthetic appearances.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the customizable wearable electronic device includes a watch, and the second customization part is a watch bezel.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the customizable wearable electronic device includes a watch, and wherein at least some of the plurality of customization parts are formed of different electrically-conductive materials and different electrically non-conductive materials.

18. The method of claim 12, further including disposing a display touch module at least partially within the first housing member.

19. The method of claim 12, further including forming the intervening electrical isolation gap using an electrically isolating material.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

select a customization part for assembly to a customizable base wearable electronic device; and

assemble the selected customization part to the customizable base wearable electronic device to electrically couple an antenna of the customizable base wearable electronic device to an electrically-conductive portion of the customization part, wherein the selected customization part is externally exposed after assembly to the customizable base wearable electronic device.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

select a customization part for assembly to a customizable base wearable electronic device;

assemble the selected customization part to the customizable base wearable electronic device to electrically couple an antenna of the customizable base wearable electronic device to an electrically-conductive portion of the customization part; and

position a resilient electrically-conductive member between the selected customization part and the customizable base wearable electronic device.