HANDHELD COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20110166690A1
• Filed: 01/26/2010
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Yu, Ming, McClure, Stephen R., Banko, Joshua D., Ternus, John P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,345,410 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/117
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• 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 1/1633 Constructional details or arrangements of portable computers not specific to the type of enclosures covered by groups G06F1/1615 - G06F1/1626
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2266 disposed inside the computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0252 by means of a snap-on mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0277 for a printed circuit board assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0281 Reinforcement details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/118 specially for flexible printed circuits, e.g. using folded portions
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/147 at least one of the printed circuits being bent or folded, e.g. by using a flexible printed circuit H05K1/148 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/03 Covers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49995 Shaping one-piece blank by removing material

Abstract

A portable computing device is disclosed. The portable computing device can take many forms such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, and so on. The portable computing device can include at least a single piece housing. The single piece housing including a plurality of steps. The plurality of mounting steps is formed by at least removing a preselected amount of housing material at predetermined locations on the interior surface. At least some of the mounting steps are used to mount at least some of the plurality of internal operating components to the housing.

Claims

1. A portable computing device, comprising:

a single piece housing having a front opening, the single piece housing further comprising;

an integral bottom and side walls that cooperate to form a cavity in cooperation with the front opening, the bottom wall having a curved bottom surface, the side walls having rectilinear edges arranged such that they form a flat side surface an undercut within the cavity, an edge of the side walls surrounding and defining the front opening, wherein an interior surface of the bottom wall includes a plurality of machined steps suitable for mounting an internal component thereon; and

a cover disposed within the front opening and attached to the seamless housing without a bezel.

2. The portable computing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the portable computing device is sized to be carried in one hand of a user and operated by the user'"'"'s other hand.

3. The portable computing device as recited in claim 1, the cover having a flat top surface and being disposed within the cavity at the front opening, the cover substantially filling the front opening between the side walls, the flat top surface being substantially flush with an upper surface of the edge of the side walls.

4. The portable computing device as recited in claim 1 wherein the housing is metal and the cover is glass.

5. The portable computing device as recited in claim 4, wherein the portable computing device further comprises:

an antenna window formed of radio transparent material, wherein the antenna window replaces a corresponding portion of the metal housing.

6. The portable computing device as recited in claim 4 further comprising:

a display unit disposed within the cavity of the housing; and

a display screen of the display unit being visible through the glass cover.

7. The portable computing device as recited in claim 6 wherein a substantially transparent touch sensing layer is disposed between the cover glass and the display screen of the display unit.

8. A system, comprising:

a seamless housing, the housing formed of material used to support a plurality of internal operating components;

a plurality of mounting steps formed on a interior surface of the housing, wherein the plurality of mounting steps are formed by at least removing a preselected amount of housing material at predetermined locations on the interior surface, wherein at least some of the mounting steps are used to mount at least some of the plurality of internal operating components to the housing; and

an integrated beam system integrally formed in the housing, the integrated beam system used to provide support for the housing by distributing a force applied at a point in the housing evenly about the housing, the integrated beam system formed by removing an amount of housing material that is less than the preselected amount used to form the mounting steps at predetermined locations on the interior surface of the housing.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the system is a portable computing device.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the portable computing device is sized to be carried in one hand of a user and operated by the user'"'"'s other hand.

11. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the portable computing device includes a cover having a flat top surface and being disposed within a cavity at a front opening of the seamless housing, the cover substantially filling the front opening between side walls of the housing, the flat top surface being substantially flush with an upper surface of the edge of the side walls.

12. A method of forming a plurality of steps within an enclosure, the enclosure used to support operational components for a portable computing device, the method comprising:

providing a housing having a nominal wall thickness suitable for enclosing and supporting the operational components of the portable computing device;

determining a minimum wall thickness of the housing;

determining a step height corresponding to each of the plurality of steps;

determining a step pattern; and

removing an amount of housing material corresponding to the step height and the step pattern.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the amount of material removed substantially reduces the weight of the housing without adversely affecting the structural integrity of the housing.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the step pattern corresponds to an integrated beam structure.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the integrated beam structure evenly distributes a load applied to the housing.

16. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of steps is used to provide a support for mounting at least one of the operational components.

17. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the amount of housing material removed substantially reduces the weight of the housing without adversely affecting the structural integrity of the housing.

18. A single piece housing having a front opening, the single piece housing wherein most of the housing is formed of a radio opaque material, the single piece housing, comprising:

an integral bottom and side walls that cooperate to form a cavity in cooperation with a front opening, the bottom wall having a curved bottom surface, the side walls having rectilinear edges arranged such that they form a flat side surface an undercut within the cavity, an edge of the side walls surrounding and defining the front opening;

a cover disposed within the front opening and attached to the seamless housing without a bezel, wherein at least a portion of the housing is removed and replaced with a portion formed of radio transparent material integrated with the remainder of the single piece housing, the radio transparent portion is conforms to the shape of the removed portion of the housing.

19. The single piece housing as recited in claim 18, wherein the radio transparent portion is an antenna window.

20. The single piece housing as recited in claim 18, wherein the radio transparent material is plastic.

21. The single piece housing as recited in claim 18, wherein the radio transparent material is ceramic.

22. Computer readable medium for tangibly storing a computer program used by a processor for forming a plurality of steps within an enclosure, the enclosure used to support operational components for a portable computing device, the computer readable medium comprising:

computer code for providing a housing having a nominal wall thickness suitable for enclosing and supporting the operational components of the portable computing device;

computer code for determining a minimum wall thickness of the housing;

computer code for determining a step height corresponding to each of the plurality of steps;

computer code for determining a step pattern; and

computer code for removing an amount of housing material corresponding to the step height and the step pattern.

23. Computer program product as recited in claim 22 wherein the amount of material removed substantially reduces the weight of the housing without adversely affecting the structural integrity of the housing.

24. Computer program product as recited in claim 22, wherein the step pattern corresponds to an integrated beam structure.

25. Computer program product as recited in claim 22, wherein the integrated beam structure evenly distributes a load applied to the housing.