LOW-FORCE DUST SEAL

• US 20130342970A1
• Filed: 06/20/2012
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Franklin, Jeremy C., Ai, Jiang, Qian, Amy, Rappoport, Benjamin M., Gibbs, Kevin D., Wright, Derek, Ternus, John P., Raff, John, McClure, Stephen R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,223,349 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.01
• 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: G06F 1/1658 related to the mounting of internal components, e.g. disc drive or any other functional module
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49863 with prestressing of part
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49865 by temperature differential [e.g., shrink fit]

Abstract

An electronic device may have polarizer layers, color filter layers, thin-film-transistor layers, and other display layers. A display layer may be separated from structures such as a display cover layer formed from clear glass or plastic and a touch sensor layer mounted on an inner surface of the display cover layer by an air gap. Cavities within an electronic device housing may serve as a source of dust and other contaminants. The air gap may be sealed against dust intrusion from a cavity within an electronic device using a dust sealing structure. The dust sealing structure may have a rectangular ring shape that runs around a rectangular peripheral portion of a display layer. The dust sealing structure may be formed from a tape-based structure, an elastomeric structure, a compressible foam structure, or a cured liquid structure.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a display layer;

a structure that is separated from the display layer by an air gap; and

a tape-based dust seal that is configured to span the display layer and the structure to seal the air gap against dust intrusion.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the structure comprises a housing structure.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the tape-based dust seal comprises a strip of tape having one portion that is attached to the housing structure and another portion that is attached to the display layer.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the strip of tape has an S-shaped cross-sectional shape.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the tape-based dust seal comprises a strip of tape with a C-shaped cross-sectional shape.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the structure comprises a display cover layer.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the display layer comprises a color filter layer and wherein the tape-based dust seal comprises a strip of tape having one portion that is attached to the color filter layer and another portion that is attached to the display cover layer.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

a display layer;

a structure that is separated from the display layer by an air gap; and

an elongated dust seal structure that seals the air gap against dust infiltration, wherein the elongated dust seal structure comprises a foam member surrounded at least partially by a dust barrier layer.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the structure comprises a touch sensor layer and wherein the dust barrier layer comprises a layer of fabric.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the dust barrier layer comprises a layer selected from the group consisting of:

a plastic layer, a metal layer, and a resolidified layer of melted foam.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the display layer comprises a color filter layer.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the structure comprises a touch sensor layer.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the display layer comprises a display cover layer.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the dust barrier layer has a C-shaped cross-sectional shape.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the dust barrier layer has an O-shaped cross-sectional shape.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

a display layer;

a structure that is separated from the display layer by an air gap; and

an elastomeric dust sealing structure that seals the air gap against dust, wherein the elastomeric air sealing structure is formed from a solid elastomeric material that is configured to at least partly surround an air cavity.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the solid elastomeric material comprises silicone.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the solid elastomeric material has a Shore A hardness of less than 70.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the elastomeric dust sealing structure has a C-shaped cross-sectional shape having a first portion that contacts the display layer and having a second portion that contacts the structure.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the elastomeric dust sealing structure has a rectangular ring shape.

21. The electronic device defined in claim 20 wherein the display layer comprises a color filter layer.

22. The electronic device defined in claim 21 wherein the structure comprises a touch sensor layer.

23. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the display layer comprises a color filter layer having a rectangular periphery and wherein the elastomeric dust sealing structure has a rectangular ring shape that runs along the rectangular periphery of the color filter layer.

24. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the display layer comprises a color filter layer, the electronic device further comprising a polarizer layer on the color filter layer, wherein the elastomeric dust sealing structure has a first portion that contacts the color filter layer, a second portion that contacts the polarizer layer, and a third portion that contacts the structure.

25. The electronic device defined in claim 24 wherein the structure comprises a touch sensor layer.

26. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the structure comprises a touch sensor layer and wherein the elastomeric sealing structure has a C-shaped cross section with opposing portions that bear against the touch sensor layer.

27. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the elastomeric dust sealing structure has a rectangular ring shape that runs along a rectangular periphery of the display layer and wherein the elastomeric dust sealing structure has protruding alignment structures with holes.

28. A method of assembling an electronic device, comprising:

compressing a compressible foam member between a display layer and a structure that is separated from the display layer by an air gap to form a dust sealing structure that seals the air gap against dust; and

while the compressible foam member is in a compressed state between the display layer and the structure, processing the compressible foam member with equipment to set the compressible foam member in the compressed state.

29. The method defined in claim 28 wherein processing the compressible foam member comprises applying heat to the compressible foam member with the equipment.

30. The method defined in claim 28 wherein processing the compressible foam member with the equipment comprises applying ultrasonic signals to the foam member with the equipment.

31. The method defined in claim 28 wherein processing the compressible foam member with the equipment comprises using the equipment to expose the foam member to an atmosphere with an elevated humidity.

32. The method defined in claim 28 wherein the structure comprises a touch sensor layer and wherein compressing the compressible foam member comprises compressing the compressible foam member between the touch sensor layer and the display layer.

33. A method of assembling an electronic device, comprising:

depositing liquid material between a display layer and a structure that is separated from the display layer by an air gap to form a dust sealing structure that seals the air gap against dust; and

while the liquid material is between the display layer and the structure, curing the liquid material in the dust sealing structure.

34. The method defined in claim 33 wherein the cured liquid material is characterized by a Shore A hardness of 15 to 70.

35. The method defined in claim 33 wherein depositing the liquid material comprises depositing a bead of the liquid material around a rectangular periphery of the display layer.

36. The method defined in claim 33 wherein curing the liquid material comprises using equipment to heat the liquid material.

37. The method defined in claim 33 further comprising mounting the structure and the display layer into an electronic device housing after forming the dust sealing structure.

38. The method defined in claim 33 wherein the structure comprises a touch sensor layer and wherein depositing the liquid material comprises depositing the liquid material between the display layer and the touch sensor layer.

39. The method defined in claim 38 wherein the structure comprises a display cover layer, wherein the electronic device includes a housing, and wherein depositing the liquid material comprises depositing the liquid material between the display layer, the display cover layer, and the housing.

40. The method defined in claim 33 further comprising inserting a spacer between the structure and the display layer to maintain the air gap while curing the liquid material in the dust sealing structure.