Techniques for Strengthening Glass Covers for Portable Electronic Devices

• US 20150116919A1
• Filed: 12/30/2014
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Prest, Christopher, Zadesky, Stephen Paul
• Granted Patent: US 10,185,113 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.26
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 19/00 Surface treatment of glass, not in the form of fibres or filaments, by mechanical means sand-blasting, grinding, or polishing glass B24
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 21/002 to perform ion-exchange between alkali ions C03C21/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/007 Pressure-resistant sight glasses
• 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 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24777 Edge feature

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 forming its edges with a predetermined geometry and/or by chemically strengthening the edges. Advantageously, the glass member 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.

Claims

1. 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 by having edges of the glass cover correspond to a predetermined edge geometry and by chemically treating the edges of the glass cover,

wherein the strength reduction at the edges of the glass cover is not more than 10% lower than the strength at non-edge portions of the glass cover.

2. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the predetermined edge geometry has a predetermined edge radius of at least 20% of the thickness applied to the corners of the edges of the cover glass.

3. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the predetermined edge geometry insures that at least a plurality of the edges of the cover glass have an edge radii of at least 0.1 mm.

4. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the predetermined edge geometry insures that at least a plurality of the edges of the cover glass have an edge radii of at least 0.2 mm.

5. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the consumer electronic product is a mobile phone, portable media player, notebook computer or tablet computer.

6. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the consumer electronic product is a handheld electronic device, and wherein the consumer electronic product does not include a border or bezel for the cover glass at the edges of the cover glass.

7. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the depth of compressive layer resulting from the chemically strengthening of the cover glass is at least 10 microns.

8. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the cover glass extends completely across the front surface of the housing.

9. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the consumer electronic device does not include a border or bezel for the cover glass at the one or more edges.

10. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the glass sheet is alumino-silicate glass.

11. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the display is a touch-sensitive display.

12. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the consumer electronic product is a mobile phone, portable media player, notebook computer or tablet computer.

13. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the display is a liquid crystal display (LCD).

14. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the cover glass extends across the front surface of the housing from one of the side surfaces to another of the side surfaces such that the cover glass is provided over the side surfaces.

15. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein, following the chemical treatment of the edges of the glass cover, the cover glass has a strength that is substantially uniform across the surface of the cover glass, including the edges.

16. A cover glass member suitable for attachment to a housing for a handheld electronic device, the cover glass member being produced and strengthened by the process of:

forming a plurality of cover glass members, each of the cover glass members being suitably sized to be provided on an exposed surface of the handheld electronic device, each of the cover glass members including edges and at least one non-edge portion;

manipulating the edges of each of the cover glass members to correspond to a predetermined edge geometry, the predetermined edge geometry being selected to strengthen the glass covers; and

chemically strengthening at least the edges of each of the cover glass members, wherein chemically strengthening at least the edges of each of the cover glass members includes altering a composition of at least the edges such that the composition of at least the edges differs from a composition of the at least one non-edge portion.

17. A cover glass member as recited in claim 16, wherein the thickness of the cover glass is less or equal to 1 mm.

18. A cover glass member as recited in claim 16, wherein, following the chemical strengthening, each of the cover glass members have a strength that is substantially uniform across the surface of the cover glass members, including the edges.

19. A cover glass member as recited in claim 18, wherein the strength reduction at the edges of the glass cover members is not more than 10%.

20. A cover glass member as recited in claim 16, wherein chemically strengthening at least the edges of each of the cover glass members includes replacing at least a plurality of first type ions in at least the edges of each of the cover glass members with a plurality of second type ions.