Component assembly

• US 10,642,316 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2019
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: McClure, Stephen R., Banko, Joshua D., Gibbs, Kevin D., Rappoport, Benjamin M., Ternus, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Anthony Q
• Application Number:
  US16/410,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20190377388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: 3616793, 36167955, 36167956
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• 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 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1658 related to the mounting of internal components, e.g. disc drive or any other functional module
• 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: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/10 Bases; Stationary contacts mounted thereon
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0252 by means of a snap-on mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0277 for a printed circuit board assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0281 Reinforcement details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/118 specially for flexible printed circuits, e.g. using folded portions
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/147 at least one of the printed circuits being bent or folded, e.g. by using a flexible printed circuit H05K1/148 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

A portable computing device is disclosed. The portable computing device can take many forms such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, and so on. The portable computing device can include at least a single piece housing. The single piece housing including a plurality of steps. The plurality of mounting steps are formed by at least removing a preselected amount of housing material at predetermined locations on the interior surface. At least some of the mounting steps are used to mount at least some of the plurality of internal operating components housing.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing comprising;

a bottom wall that includes a first radio frequency (RF) transparent material, and

side walls extending from the bottom wall, the side walls having a front edge that defines a front opening; and

an RF panel that includes a second RF transparent material and is carried within the front opening by the front edge.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the bottom wall is integrally formed with the side walls so that the housing has a seamless appearance.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the side walls include the first RF transparent material.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the side walls include lateral surfaces having a spline-shaped profile.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

operational components carried by the housing, wherein the operational components include an RF circuit coupled to an RF antenna, wherein RF circuit uses the RF antenna to communicate over a wireless communication channel.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 5, wherein RF signals to or from the RF antenna pass through the RF panel.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the side walls includes an opening that is capable of receiving an electrical connector capable of transmitting audio signals.

8. A portable electronic device having a curved geometry, comprising:

a unibody housing formed of a first RF transmissive material, the unibody housing having a bottom wall that is integrally formed with side walls that extend from the bottom wall, wherein the side walls include lateral surfaces that (i) have a spline-shaped profile, and (ii) terminate at a front edge that defines a front opening; and

a front panel that is carried by the unibody housing at the front edge, wherein the front panel comprises a second RF transmissive material and is positioned within the front opening.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 8, wherein the curved geometry includes the spline-shaped profile of the lateral surfaces.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 8, wherein the unibody housing is characterized as having a seamless appearance.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 8, wherein the first RF transmissive material includes a plastic material and the second RF transmissive material includes a glass material.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 11, wherein the front panel includes an optically-transparent material.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 8, wherein the front panel is smaller than the bottom wall.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 8, further comprising:

a display assembly carried by the housing between the front panel and the bottom wall and that is overlaid by the front panel.

15. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a unibody housing formed of a first RF transparent material and that includes a bottom wall and side walls that include a front edge that defines a front opening;

a RF circuit coupled to an RF antenna that is carried by the unibody housing, wherein the RF circuit uses the RF antenna to establish a wireless communication channel; and

an RF panel formed of a second RF transparent material that is carried by the front edge within the front opening.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 15, wherein the bottom wall is opposite of the RF panel.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 15, further comprising:

a display assembly carried in the front opening and overlaid by the RF panel.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 15, wherein the first RF transparent material includes a plastic material and the second RF transparent material includes a glass material.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 15, wherein the bottom wall has a spline-shaped profile.

20. The portable electronic device of claim 15, wherein the housing is seamless.