PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20100273530A1
• Filed: 04/23/2009
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Xu, Ming, Mittleman, Adam D., Jarvis, Daniel W., Tam, Ching Yu John
• Granted Patent: US 8,731,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 1/027 Planar, e.g. in sheet form; leaf springs
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 1/185 characterised by shape or design of individual leaves F16F1/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0052 Audio or video equipment, e.g. televisions, telephones, cameras or computers; Remote control devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4204 with determination of ambient light solar light G01J2001/4266
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0081 Mechanical or electrical aspects of the light guide and light source in the lighting device peculiar to the adaptation to planar light guides, e.g. concerning packaging
• 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 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033

Abstract

Portable electronic devices are provided. A device may include cover glass with a light mask. The light mask may be microperforated to allow light to pass through the light mask. The microperforations may allow light to pass through the light mask. The devices may include sensors and light emitters that receive and transmit light through the microperforations. The devices may include a variable cantilever spring as part of a button assembly. The spring may be flattened against itself without exceeding its elastic limit. The devices may include display modules. The display module may include structures that block light from leaking out of the module. The structures may include opaque tapes, opaque enclosures for the display module, and other suitable structures.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a transparent cover;

a mask covering a portion of the transparent cover, wherein the mask comprises portions defining a plurality of holes; and

a sensor mounted beneath the transparent cover and the plurality of holes in the mask.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of holes has a center and is adjacent to at least one other hole in the plurality of holes and wherein the centers of adjacent holes are separated by a distance in the range of 100 micrometers to 300 micrometers.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises an ambient light sensor that measures visible light that is received through the holes.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a proximity detector that detects the presence of an object when the object comes within a given distance of the electronic device.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises an emitter and a receiver pair configured as a proximity detector and wherein the mask comprises portions defining a plurality of additional holes, the electronic device further comprising:

an ambient light sensor mounted beneath the transparent cover under the plurality of additional holes in the mask.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the mask comprises a metallic layer and wherein the portions defining the plurality of holes in the mask are configured to allow light for the sensor to pass through the holes in the mask while obscuring the sensor from view.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the mask comprises ink.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a button that receives user input, wherein the transparent cover and the mask comprise portions defining a button hole and wherein the button extends at least partway into the button hole; and

a spring coupled to the button, wherein the spring has an elongated planar structure and has a curved structure coupled to the elongated planar structure at a given end of the curved structure, wherein the curved structure progressively curves away from the elongated planar structure along its length, wherein the curved structure is configured to provide resistance to a force compressing the curved structure towards the elongated planar structure, and wherein there is a point of contact between the curved structure and the elongated planar structure that shifts away from the given end of the curved structure as the curved structure is compressed towards the elongated planar structure.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a touchscreen display, wherein the transparent cover extends over the touchscreen display.

10. A variable cantilever spring in an electronic device comprising:

an elongated planar structure; and

a curved structure coupled to the elongated planar structure at a given end of the curved structure, wherein the curved structure progressively curves away from the elongated planar structure along its length, wherein the curved structure is configured to provide resistance to a force compressing the curved structure towards the elongated planar structure, and wherein there is a point of contact between the curved structure and the elongated planar structure that shifts away from the given end of the curved structure as the curved structure is compressed towards the elongated planar structure.

11. The variable cantilever spring defined in claim 10 wherein the point of contact continually shifts away from the given end as the curved structure is compressed towards the elongated planar structure.

12. The variable cantilever spring defined in claim 10 wherein the curved structure includes a contact member and wherein the contact member is gold plated.

13. The variable cantilever spring defined in claim 10 wherein the curved structure has a length and wherein the curved structure has a constant curvature over a majority of the length of the curved structure.

14. The variable cantilever spring defined in claim 10 wherein the elongated planar structure and the curved structure are formed from a single piece of metal.

15. The variable cantilever spring defined in claim 10 further comprising a second curved structure, wherein the curved structure is coupled to the elongated planar structure through the second curved structure and wherein, when the curved structure is compressed towards the elongated planar structure, the second curved structure remains substantially undeformed.

16. The variable cantilever spring defined in claim 10 wherein the curved structure comprises a tip portion opposite the given end of the curved structure, wherein the tip portion is formed to curve towards the elongated planar structure.

17. The variable cantilever spring defined in claim 16 wherein, when the spring is compressed substantially all the way towards the elongated planar structure, the tip portion undergoes a plastic deformation.

18. The variable cantilever spring defined in claim 10 wherein the electronic device includes a button that receives user input and circuitry that processes the user input, wherein the variable cantilever spring is coupled between the button and the circuitry, and wherein signals from the circuitry pass through the variable cantilever spring.

19. An electronic device comprising:

a housing; and

a display module mounted in the housing, wherein the display module comprises;

a light source;

a planar backing structure;

a chassis that holds the light source and the planar backing structure; and

an opaque seal that overlaps a gap between the chassis and the planar backing structure.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 19 wherein the opaque seal comprises black tape.

21. The electronic device defined in claim 19 wherein the display module further comprises a planar light guide, wherein the planar backing structure comprises a reflector that overlaps that planar light guide, wherein there is at least one gap at which the reflector does not overlap the planar light guide, and wherein the opaque seal covers the at least one gap.

22. The electronic device defined in claim 19 wherein the opaque seal comprises a double-sided opaque tape that is also used to mount the display module in the electronic device.

23. The electronic device defined in claim 19 wherein the light source comprises multiple light emitting diodes.

24. The electronic device defined in claim 19 wherein the display module comprises a touch screen display.

25. The electronic device defined in claim 24 further comprising:

a transparent cover, wherein the transparent cover extends over the touch screen display;

a mask covering a portion of the transparent cover, wherein the mask comprises portions defining a plurality of holes; and

a sensor mounted beneath the transparent cover and the plurality of holes in the mask.

26. The electronic device defined in claim 24 wherein the electronic device comprises a cellular telephone.

27. An electronic device, comprising:

a display having a transparent cover with an active image area and an inactive peripheral region;

a light sensor under the inactive peripheral region; and

an opaque layer on the transparent cover in the inactive peripheral region, wherein the opaque layer comprises an array of holes through which light passes to the light sensor while the opaque layer obscures the image sensor from view.

28. The electronic device defined in claim 27 wherein the transparent cover comprises a glass cover and wherein the display comprises a touch screen display.

29. The electronic device defined in claim 27 wherein the opaque layer comprises a layer of metal.

30. The electronic device defined in claim 27 wherein the opaque layer comprises a layer of metal and wherein the holes each have a diameter of less than 0.5 mm.