Techniques for Strengthening Glass Covers for Portable Electronic Devices
First Claim
1. A method for producing a cover for an exposed surface of a consumer electronic product, the method comprising:
- obtaining a glass cover for the exposed surface of the consumer electronic product; and
chemically strengthening the glass cover using a series of ion exchange stages.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus, systems and methods for improving strength of a thin glass cover for an electronic device are disclosed. In one embodiment, the glass member can have improved strength by chemical strengthening in a series of stages. The stages can, for example, have a first ion exchange stage where larger ions are exchanged into the glass cover, and a second ion exchange stage where some of the larger ions are exchanged out from the glass cover. Optionally, in one embodiment, the glass cover can improve its strength by forming its edges with a predetermined geometry. Advantageously, the glass cover can be not only thin but also adequately strong to limit susceptibility to damage. In one embodiment, the glass member can pertain to a glass cover for a housing for an electronic device. The glass cover can be provided over or integrated with a display, such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) display.
-
Citations
32 Claims
-
1. A method for producing a cover for an exposed surface of a consumer electronic product, the method comprising:
-
obtaining a glass cover for the exposed surface of the consumer electronic product; and chemically strengthening the glass cover using a series of ion exchange stages. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A method for producing a glass cover for an exposed surface of a consumer electronic product, the method comprising:
-
obtaining a glass sheet; singulating the glass sheet into a plurality of glass covers, each of the glass covers being suitably sized to be provided on the exposed surface of a consumer electronic product; and chemically strengthening the glass covers by (i) placing the glass covers in a first heated solution for a first period of time to allow at least one component of the first heated solution to diffuse into the glass covers, and (ii) placing the glass covers in a second heated solution for a second period of time after removing the glass covers from the first heated solution. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
-
-
25. A consumer electronic product, comprising:
-
a housing having a front surface, a back surface and side surfaces; electrical components provided at least partially internal to the housing, the electrical components including at least a controller, a memory, and a display, the display being provided at or adjacent the front surface of the housing; and a cover glass provided at or over the front surface of the housing such that it is provided over the display, the cover glass being strengthened chemically strengthening using a series of ion exchange stages. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
-
Specification