Machined window undercut

• US 20080063218A1
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Moolsintong, Pinida Jan, Weber, Douglas J., Zadesky, Stephen P.
• Application Number:
  US11/519,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20080063218A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/02 Casings; Cabinets ; Supports therefor; Mountings therein H04R1/28 takes precedence ; attachments for microphones H04R1/08; mounting of transducers in earpieces H04R1/1075
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/00 Stereophonic arrangements stereophonic pick-ups H04R9/16, H04R11/12, H04R17/08, H04R19/10
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/03 Covers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1059 Splitting sheet lamina in plane intermediate of faces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1062 Prior to assembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1064 Partial cutting [e.g., grooving or incising]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1066 Cutting to shape joining edge surfaces only
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1082 Partial cutting bonded sandwich [e.g., grooving or incising]

Abstract

A media player comprising a display screen is provided. The media player can include a housing having an opening and an area of reduced thickness around the opening. The media player can also include a transparent wall having a flange. Alternatively, the transparent wall may not require a flange but rather can be a flat, substantially transparent piece of material such as plexiglass or glass. The flange can be adhered to a surface of the area of reduced thickness in order to form a transparent protective cover for the display screen. In another embodiment of the invention, a method is provided. The method can include forming a transparent wall having a stepped edge for placing in an opening of a media player. The method can also include adhering an adhesive to at least one surface of the stepped edge of the transparent wall. The method can include as well using the cutting tool to cut away a portion of the underside of a housing that surrounds an opening in a media player. The method can also include adhering the transparent wall to the housing using the adhesive.

Claims

1. A portable media player comprising:

a display screen;

a housing having an opening and an area of reduced thickness around the opening; and

a transparent wall comprising a flange, the flange that is adhered to a surface of the area of reduced thickness, wherein the transparent wall a transparent protective cover for the display screen.

2. The media player of claim 1 wherein the area of reduced thickness is oriented internally to the media player.

3. The media player of claim 1 wherein the area of reduced thickness is oriented externally to the media player.

4. The media player of claim 1 the housing comprising a stepped edge around the opening.

5. The media player of claim 1 further comprising a closed-back face.

6. The media player of claim 1 further comprising a hand-held media player.

7. The media player of claim 1 further comprising a miniature media player.

24. The media player housing of claim 1 further comprising a hand-held media player housing.

25. The media player housing of claim 1 further comprising a miniature media player housing.

8. A method comprising:

forming a housing for storing components of a media player;

forming an opening in one of the faces of the housing;

penetrating a cutting tool through the opening; and

using the cutting tool to cut away a portion of the underside of the housing that surrounds the opening.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising adhering a transparent wall to the cut away portion of the underside of the housing.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising adhering an adhesive to a transparent wall, and then adhering the transparent wall to the cut away portion of the underside of the housing using the adhesive.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising adhering an adhesive to a cutout portion of the housing of the media player.

12. The method of claim 8 the forming a housing for storing components of a media player further comprising forming a housing for storing components of a miniature media player.

13. The method of claim 8 the forming a housing for storing components of a media player further comprising forming a housing for storing components of a hand-held media player.

14. A method for forming a housing of a media player, the method comprising:

forming a transparent wall having a stepped edge, the transparent wall for placing in an opening of a media player;

adhering an adhesive to at least one surface of the stepped edge of the transparent wall;

using the cutting tool to cut away a portion of the underside of a housing that surrounds an opening in a media player; and

adhering the transparent wall to the housing using the adhesive.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising adhering the adhesive to a plurality of surfaces of the transparent wall.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising placing the transparent wall through one end in the housing, the one end in the housing being different from the opening in the housing.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising using the cutting tool to cut away a portion of the underside of a housing that surrounds an opening in a miniature media player.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising using the cutting tool to cut away a portion of the underside of a housing that surrounds an opening in a hand-held media player.

19. A media player housing comprising an opening for disposing a window therein, the opening being substantially bound by a perimeter area of the housing, the perimeter area having a thickness less than a majority of the housing.

20. The media player housing of claim 19 wherein the perimeter area is oriented internally to the media player.

21. The media player housing of claim 19 wherein the perimeter area is oriented externally to the media player.

22. The media player housing of claim 19 the housing comprising a stepped edge around the opening.

23. The media player housing of claim 19 further comprising a closed-back face.

26. A media player comprising:

a display screen;

a housing having an opening and an area of reduced thickness around the opening, the dimension of corners of the area of reduced thickness in the x-axis and the dimension of the corner of the opening in the y-axis each being determined by the radius of a shaft and the radius of a cutting head of a cutter used for obtaining the area of reduced thickness; and

a transparent wall comprising a flange, the flange that is adhered to a surface of the area of reduced thickness.

27. The media player of claim 26 wherein the area of reduced thickness faces internally to the media player.

28. The media player of claim 26 wherein the area of reduced thickness faces externally to the media player.

29. The media player of claim 26 the housing further comprising a stepped edge around the opening.

30. The media player of claim 26 further comprising a closed-back face.

31. The media player of claim 26 further comprising a hand-held media player.

32. The media player of claim 26 further comprising a miniature media player.

33. A method for forming the housing of media player, the method comprising:

forming a housing for storing components of a media player;

forming an opening in one of the faces of the housing;

penetrating a cutting tool through the opening, the cutting tool comprising a circular cutting head; and

using the cutting tool to reduce the thickness of a portion of the underside of the housing that surrounds the opening, the portion of the underside comprising corners, dimensions of the corners in the x-axis and the y-axis being substantially dependent upon the radius of the head of the cutting tool.

34. The method of claim 33 further comprising adhering a transparent wall to the cut away portion of the underside of the housing, dimensions of the corners of the transparent wall being substantially dependent upon the dimensions of the corners of the reduced thickness portion of the underside of the housing.

35. The method of claim 33 further comprising adhering an adhesive to a transparent wall, and then adhering the transparent wall to the reduced thickness portion of the underside of the housing using the adhesive.

36. The method of claim 33 further comprising adhering an adhesive to the reduced thickness portion of the housing of the media player.

37. The method of claim 33 the forming a housing for storing components of a media player further comprising forming a housing for storing components of a hand-held media player.

38. The method of claim 33 the forming a housing for storing components of a media player further comprising forming a housing for storing components of a miniature media player.

39. The method of claim 33 the forming a housing for storing components of a media player further comprising m a housing for storing components of a miniature media player.

40. A method for forming a media player housing, the method comprising:

molding the housing, wherein the housing comprises an opening for disposing a window therein; and

molding the a perimeter region of the housing around the opening, the perimeter region having a thickness less than a majority of the housing.