HANDHELD COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20110051360A1
• Filed: 08/31/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Montevirgen, Anthony, Hobson, Phillip M., Dabov, Teodor
• Granted Patent: US 8,385,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.55
• 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 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/181 Enclosures for portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/021 incorporating only one transducer
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 31/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of transducers or diaphragms therefor manufacture of microstructural arrangements of deformable or non-deformable structures in general B81C1/00182
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing or adjusting assemblages of electric components
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49005 Acoustic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49169 Assembling electrical component directly to terminal or elongated conductor

Abstract

A handheld computing device is disclosed. The handheld computing device includes a seamless housing formed from an extruded tube. The extruded tube includes open ends and internal rails which serve as a guide for slidably assembling an operational assembly through the open ends of the extruded tube, a reference surface for positioning the operational assembly relative to an access opening in the seamless housing, and a support structure for supporting the operational assembly during use.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising;

a frame;

a device module mounted to the frame, the device module comprising;

a first function assembly,

a second function assembly, and

an electrical interface configured to facilitate communication between the first and the second function assemblies, wherein the first and the second function assemblies are movable relative to one another, and wherein the electrical interface can expand or contract commensurate with the relative displacement between the first and the second assemblies; and

a user interface module, wherein the user interface module is electrically coupled to the device module, wherein the device module and the user interface module are each stand alone modules in that each can be fully function tested prior to being incorporated into the portable electronic device.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second function assembly includes a camera module.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

aligning the camera module to the housing a camera alignment pin, the camera alignment pin having a head portion and a pin portion.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the aligning using the camera alignment pin comprises:

inserting the camera alignment pin portion through a pin hole in a rear portion of the housing, wherein the pin hole is shaped in accordance with the shape of the camera alignment head portion;

inserting the pin portion through a camera alignment hole in the camera module; and

inserting the camera alignment pin portion into a camera alignment hole, wherein the camera alignment hole is formed from a front portion of the housing such that the alignment pin portion is anchored in the camera alignment hole and the camera alignment head portion is fitted into the pin hole in the rear portion of the housing such that the camera module is supported by the front and rear portions of the housing.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

wherein the camera boot includes a plurality of grooves, the plurality of grooves used to form a dust seal slideably formed with the housing.

2. The portable electronic device, further comprising:

a seamless housing, the seamless housing comprising;

at least a first open end, and

a reference structure incorporated into an interior surface of the seamless housing, wherein during assembly of the portable electronic device, the device module is slideably inserted into the at least one open end using the reference structure to guide and to support the device module.

3. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 2, wherein the seamless housing is formed from an extruded tube, the extruded tube including a second open end and internal rails comprised of resilient material, wherein the internal rails operate to guide the device module during the insertion into the seamless housing.

4. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 3, wherein the housing is formed of metallic or plastic material.

5. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

at least one end cap configured seal the first open end, the end cap having a locking tab, the locking tab being used to lock the user interface module into place.

6. A method of assembling a portable electronic device, comprising:

providing a seamless housing, the seamless housing comprising at least a first open end and a resilient reference structure formed on an inside surface of the housing;

inserting a pre-tested device module into the first open end using the resilient reference structure as a guide, the device module including a first function assembly and a second function assembly, wherein the first function assembly is fixed to the frame and wherein the second function assembly is moveably mounted to the frame such that the second function assembly can move relative to the first function assembly;

affixing the location of the first function assembly to an reference point on the seamless housing; and

moving the second function assembly in relation to the fixed first function assembly.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, comprising:

locking the device module into place in relation to the seamless housing;

electrically connecting a pre-tested user interface module to the device module; and

locking the user interface module into place using an end cap having a locking tab.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the device module includes a display circuit and wherein the seamless housing includes a display opening.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the locking the device module into place comprises:

centering the display in the display opening;

placing a cover glass within the display opening, the cover glass having a locking mechanism, the locking mechanism configured to interact with the housing at the display opening to lock the cover glass in place;

pressing on the cover glass to engage the locking mechanism, wherein the pressing forces the display circuit to compress and engage the resilient reference structure.

15. A user interface module for use in a portable electronic device, comprising:

a user touch interface having a plurality of discrete regions sensitive to a user'"'"'s touch;

a plurality of actuators each being responsive to a user touch event at a corresponding one of the plurality of touch sensitive regions;

a flexible electrical connector configured to electrically connect the plurality of actuators to a connector; and

a diffusion bonded support plate formed of a number of chemically etched layers, the support place providing support to the user interface assembly, wherein the user interface module is pre-tested prior to installation in the portable electronic device.

16. The user interface module as recited in claim 15, wherein the plurality of actuators are each a dome button.

17. The user interface module as recited in claim 16, wherein each of the dome buttons are reverse oriented with regards to the user touch interface.

18. The user interface module as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

a user interface module support structure configured to support the user interface module, the user interface module comprising a centrally located electrically conductive spring structure arrange to provide a conductive ground path to an chassis ground.

19. The user interface module as recited in claim 15, wherein the plurality of actuators are mounted to the same side of the flexible electrical connector.

20. An integrated flex connector adapted for electrically connecting each of a plurality of components to an external circuit independent of one another, the components arranged in at least two dimensions, comprising:

a single electrical board to board connector;

a first portion having a first connector electrically connected to the single electrical board to board connector;

a second portion independent of the first portion, the second portion having a second connector electrically connected to the single electrical board to board connector; and

a third portion independent of the first portion and the second portion, the third portion having a third connector electrically connected to the single electrical connector, wherein the single electrical connector provides an independent electrical path for the each of the first, second, and third connectors to the external circuit.

21. The integrated flex connector as recited in claim 20, wherein a first component connected to the first connector or a second component connected to the second connector or a third component connected to the third connected can each independently receive power from the external circuit.

22. The integrated flex connector as recited in claim 21, wherein when the external circuit is a tester, the tester can functionally test each of the first, the second, and the third component independently.

23. The integrated connector as recited in claim 22, wherein those of the first, the second, and the third that fail the function test can be replaced prior to insertion into a portable electronic device.

24. The integrated flex connector as recited in claim 23, wherein the first component is a camera module, wherein the second component is an audio module, and wherein the third component is a piezo-acoustic module.

25. The integrated flex connector as recited in claim 24, wherein the integrated flex connector electrically connects the camera module, the audio module, and the piezo—

acoustic module each independently to a main logic board in a portable electronic device.