Extruded Housing for Hand-Held Device with a Cap for Covering Two or More Adjacent Sides

• US 20100053853A1
• Filed: 11/12/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weiss, Gary R., Allore, Joseph L., Wojack, Jason P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,430,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.10
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/00 Extrusion moulding, i.e. expressing the moulding material through a die or nozzle which imparts the desired form; Apparatus therefor extrusion blow-moulding B29C49/04
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/09 Articles with cross-sections having partially or fully enclosed cavities, e.g. pipes or channels
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/11 comprising two or more partially or fully enclosed cavities, e.g. honeycomb-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/12 Articles with an irregular circumference when viewed in cross-section, e.g. window profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03

Abstract

A housing for a hand-held electronic device is provided. The housing includes an extruded element having a length and a profile, the length corresponding to a distance that the extruded element extends in the direction of extrusion, and the profile corresponding to a cross-section of the element, which is perpendicular to the direction of extrusion. The housing further includes a cap, coupled to the extruded element, wherein the cap extends to cover substantial portions of two or more adjacent sides.

Claims

1. A housing for a hand-held electronic device comprising:

an extruded element having a length and a profile, the length corresponding to a distance that the extruded element extends in the direction of extrusion, and the profile corresponding to a cross-section of the element, which is perpendicular to the direction of extrusion; and

a cap, coupled to the extruded element, wherein the cap extends to cover substantial portions of two or more adjacent sides.

2. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cap, which extends to cover substantial portions of two or more adjacent sides includes a cap which substantially extends the full width and length of each of the respective two or more adjacent sides.

3. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cap includes one or more access openings for accessing a space behind the cap.

4. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 3, wherein the cap includes a door which covers a substantial portion of one or more respective access openings.

5. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the profile has a substantially continuous outer boundary, corresponding to an outer perimeter of the profile, which extends the length of the extruded element, defining a substantially tubular member having an internal space, which extends the length of the extruded element in the direction of the extrusion and has an opening at each of a beginning and an end of the extruded element;

and

wherein at least one of the two or more adjacent sides for which substantial portions are covered by the cap includes one of the opening at the beginning of the extruded element or the opening at the end of the extruded element.

6. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 5, wherein the two or more adjacent sides of the cap includes three adjacent sides, where two of the three adjacent sides, respectively, substantially cover the opening at each of the beginning and the end of the extruded element.

7. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 5, wherein the profile includes one or more arms, which extend from respective points along the substantially continuous outer boundary in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of extrusion.

8. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 7, wherein along at least one of the two or more adjacent sides the cap extends from an end of the arm that is distal from the substantially continuous outer boundary to a point along the substantially continuous outer boundary a distance away from the respective point that the arm extends from the substantially continuous outer boundary.

9. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 8, wherein space between the cap and the outer boundary define a pocket.

10. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the profile of the extruded element has a major axis which extends a distance in a first direction and a minor axis which extends a distance in a second direction which is substantially perpendicular to the first direction, and wherein the amount of the distance that the profile extends in the direction of the major axis is greater than the amount of the distance that the profile extends in the direction of the minor axis;

and

wherein a front surface and a back surface of the hand-held electronic device are defined by the major axis of the profile of the extruded element and the length of the extruded element in the direction of extrusion proximate respective ends of the profile along the minor axis.

11. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 10, wherein the front surface and the back surface are non-symmetrical.

12. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 11, wherein the non-symmetrical front and back surfaces are formed by machining one side of the profile at at least one of a beginning and an end of the extruded element.

13. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 11, wherein the non-symmetrical front and back surfaces are formed by cutting the extruded element during extrusion at an angle that is not perpendicular to the direction of extrusion, thereby forming one of a beginning or an end of the extruded element.

14. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 10, wherein the cap extends to cover substantial portions of at least one of the surfaces defined by the major axis of the profile of the extruded element and the minor axis of the profile of the extruded element at one of a beginning or an end of the extruded element, and at least one of the surfaces defined by the minor axis of the profile of the extruded element and the length of the extruded element in the direction of the extrusion proximate a respective end of the profile along the major axis.

15. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 10, wherein the length of the extruded element in the direction of extrusion is less than an amount of the distance that the profile extends in the direction of the major axis.

16. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 15, wherein the profile has a substantially continuous outer boundary, corresponding to an outer perimeter of the profile, which extends the length of the extruded element, defining a substantially tubular member having an internal space, which extends the length of the extruded element in the direction of the extrusion and has an opening at each of a beginning and an end of the extruded element.

17. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the openings at the beginning and the end of the extruded element, correspond to a right side and a left side of the hand-held electronic device.

18. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the openings at the beginning and the end of the extruded element, correspond to a top and a bottom of the hand-held electronic device.

19. A housing for a hand-held electronic device in accordance with claim 10, wherein the length of the extruded element in the direction of extrusion is greater than an amount of the distance that the profile extends in the direction of the major axis.

20. A hand-held electronic device including a housing comprising:

an extruded element having a length and a profile, the length corresponding to a distance that the extruded element extends in the direction of extrusion, and the profile corresponding to a cross-section of the element, which is perpendicular to the direction of extrusion; and

a cap, coupled to the extruded element, wherein the cap extends to cover substantial portions of two or more adjacent sides.