Portable Electronic Device Housing with Outer Glass Surfaces

• US 20110188180A1
• Filed: 06/04/2010
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Myers, Scott, Dinh, Richard Hung Minh, Pakula, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,797,721 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.01
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3481 Housings or casings incorporating or embedding electric or electronic elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/001 Miniaturised objectives for electronic devices, e.g. portable telephones, webcams, PDAs, small digital cameras G02B23/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/02 for lenses supports for magnifying lenses G02B25/002
• 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 1/1656 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: G06F 1/1658 related to the mounting of internal components, e.g. disc drive or any other functional module
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0086 portable, e.g. battery operated apparatus casings for switching devices H01H9/02
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/03 Covers
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/14 Mounting supporting structure in casing or on frame or rack
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

Improved housings for electronic devices are disclosed. In one embodiment, an electronic device housing can have one or more outer members (e.g., exposed major surfaces), such as front or back surfaces, that are formed of glass. The one or more glass surfaces can be part of outer member assemblies that can be secured to other portions of the electronic device housing. In other embodiments, apparatus, systems and methods for robustly attaching a cover portion of an electronic device to a bottom portion, e.g., a housing portion, of the electronic device are described. The electronic device can be portable and in some cases handheld.

Claims

1. An electronic device housing, comprising:

a front glass cover placed and secured to provide a front surface for the electronic device enclosure; and

a back glass cover placed and secured to provide a back surface for the electronic device enclosure.

2. An electronic device housing as recited in claim 1, wherein the front glass cover serves as substantially all of the front surface for the electronic device enclosure, and wherein the back glass cover serves as substantially all of the back surface for the electronic device enclosure.

3. An electronic device housing as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic device housing comprises:

an outer periphery member having side surfaces, the side surfaces being primarily formed by the outer periphery member.

4. An electronic device housing as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic device enclosure further includes a side member extending around a periphery of the electronic device enclosure.

5. An electronic device enclosure as recited in claim 1, wherein the side member is primarily metal or plastic.

6. An electronic device enclosure as recited in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the front glass cover is not more than about 5 mm and the back glass cover is not more than about 5 mm.

7. An electronic device enclosure as recited in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the front glass cover is about 1 mm and the back glass cover is about 1 mm.

8. An electronic device enclosure as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic device housing is substantially made of glass.

9. An electronic device enclosure as recited in claim 1, wherein about 75% of the external surface of the electronic device housing is glass.

10. An electronic device enclosure as recited in claim 1, wherein the front glass cover is at least substantially transparent, and wherein the back glass cover is rendered at least substantially non-transparent by a coating.

11. An electronic device housing, comprising:

an outer periphery member defining a side surface for the electronic device enclosure; and

a cover assembly placed and secured with respect to the outer periphery member, the cover assembly including at least a glass member that provides an exposed outer surface for the electronic device enclosure.

12. An electronic device housing as recited in claim 11, wherein the outer periphery member comprises metal.

13. An electronic device housing as recited in claim 11, wherein the glass member serves as a front surface for the electronic device housing.

14. An assembly comprising:

a cover part, the cover part including at least one attachment protruding therefrom;

a housing part, the housing part including at least one receptacle configured to receive the at least one attachment, the at least one receptacle being defined at least partially on a first side of the housing part, the at least one receptacle further being configured to capture the at least one attachment, wherein the cover part is interfaced with a second side of the housing part when the at least one attachment is captured in the at least one receptacle; and

at least one electronic component, the at least one electronic component being arranged within an inner volume defined by at least the housing part.

15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the cover part and the housing part cooperate to contain the at least one electronic component.

16. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the cover part is in substantially direct contact with the second side of the housing part when the at least one attachment is captured in the at least one receptacle.

17. The assembly of claim 14 further including at least one screw, wherein the at least one attachment is a slotted tab and the at least one receptacle is a threaded screw hole, the threaded screw hole being configured to capture the slotted tab when the at least one screw passes through the slotted tab and into the threaded screw hole.

18. The assembly of claim 17 further including a washer, the washer being positioned between the slotted tab and the threaded screw hole.

19. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the at least one attachment is a tab and the housing part includes a housing and a midplate, the midplate being attached to the housing, the housing being arranged to cooperate with the midplate to define the at least one receptacle.

20. The assembly of claim 19, wherein the at least one receptacle is configured to receive the tab, the at least one receptacle being arranged to engage the tab.

21. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the at least one attachment is a slotted tab and the housing part includes a housing and a bracket, the bracket being attached to the housing and having a compliant snap, wherein the bracket and the first side cooperate to define the at least one receptacle.

22. The assembly of claim 21, wherein when the slotted tab is captured in the at least one receptacle, the complaint snap engages the slotted tab.

23. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the cover part includes a glass member and a frame, the frame being arranged to support the glass member.

24. The assembly of claim 23, wherein the at least one attachment is formed from a metal and is insert molded into the frame.

25. The assembly of claim 14, wherein cover part is at least partially formed from a plastic material and the at least one attachment is formed from a metal, the at least one attachment being insert molded into the plastic material.

26. An electronic device enclosure, comprising:

an outer periphery member defining a side surface for the electronic device enclosure;

an internal structure secured to an inner surface of the outer periphery member, the internal structure offset from front and back planar boundaries of the outer periphery member;

a front cover assembly placed and secured adjacent the front planar boundary of the outer peripheral boundary, thereby providing a front surface for the electronic device enclosure; and

means for securely mounting the front cover assembly to the internal structure or the outer periphery member.

27. An electronic device enclosure, comprising:

an outer periphery member defining a side surface for the electronic device enclosure;

an internal structure secured to an inner surface of the outer periphery member, the internal structure offset from front and back planar boundaries of the outer periphery member;

an attachment member; and

a front cover assembly placed and secured adjacent the front planar boundary of the outer peripheral boundary using at least the attachment member, thereby providing a front surface for the electronic device enclosure.

28. An electronic device enclosure as recited in claim 27, wherein the attachment member facilitates attachment of the front cover assembly to the internal structure or the outer periphery member.

29. An electronic device enclosure as recited in claim 28, wherein the internal structure is a midplate.

30. An electronic device enclosure as recited in claim 27, wherein the at least one attachment member extends from the front cover assembly.

31. An electronic device enclosure as recited in claim 27, wherein the at least one attachment member includes a tab.

32. An electronic device enclosure as recited in claim 27,

wherein the attachment member facilitates attachment of the front cover assembly to the internal structure or the outer periphery member, and

wherein the outer peripheral member or the internal structure includes at least one receptacle configured to receive the at least one attachment member.

33. An electronic device enclosure as recited in claim 32, wherein the at least one receptacle being defined at least partially on a first side of the outer peripheral member, the at least one receptacle further being configured to capture the at least one attachment member, and wherein the front cover assembly is interfaced with a second side of the outer peripheral member when the at least one attachment member is captured in the at least one receptacle.