Handheld computing device

• US 8,385,060 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2009
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Dabov, Teodor, Hobson, Phillip M., Montevirgen, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jinhee
• Assistant Examiner(s): WRIGHT, INGRID D
• Application Number:
  US12/551,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20110051360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,275 Days
• Field of Search: 361/816, 361/818, 361/679.01, 361/679.02, 361/679.58, 361/679.56, 361/679.55, 361/679, 361/679.27, 361/679.26, 361/679.09, 361/679.08, 361/686, 361/683, 361/679.3, 361/680, 361/679.4, 295/921, 298/30, 298/32, 298/54, 298/31, 715/864, 345/173, 439/883, 439/67, 200/50.28, 200/43.02, 200/451.R, 200/51.R
• US Class Current: 361/679.3
• 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 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 display assembly and a main logic board (MLB) assembly, wherein the display assembly is fixed to a frame and wherein the MLB assembly is moveably mounted to the frame such that the MLB assembly can move relative to the display assembly;

affixing the location of the display assembly to a reference point on the seamless housing with a cover glass, thereby locking the device module into place;

coupling the display assembly to the MLB assembly using a cross over flex, the cross over flex comprising a first connector, a second connector and a flexible body electrically coupling the first connector and the second connector, the flexible body allowing the second connector to rotate and translate with respect to the first connector, the coupling comprising;

connecting the first connector to the display assembly,

rotating and translating the second connector with respect to the first connector and,

connecting the second connector to the MLB assembly; and

positioning the MLB assembly in relation to the fixed display assembly.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising:

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.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the seamless housing includes a display opening.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the locking the device module into place comprises:

centering the display assembly in the display opening;

placing the 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 assembly to compress and engage the resilient reference structure.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device includes a camera module.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, 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.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, 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.

8. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

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

9. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a main logic board, (MLB) assembly including a board-to-board connector for coupling to a flex connector, wherein the MLB is positioned within the housing; and

a integrated flex connector adapted for electrically connecting each of a plurality of components to the board to board connector on the MLB, the components arranged in at least two dimensions comprising;

a single electrical board to board connector,

a hold switch connector coupled to the board to board connector through a service loop, wherein the service loop accommodates positional adjustments between a hold switch disposed on the housing and the integrated flex 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 a external circuit wherein the external circuit is a test fixture, configured to test the functionality each of the first, the second and the third components independently, wherein a first component connected to the first connector is a microphone, a second component connected to the second connector is an audio module, and a third component connected to the third connector is a piezo-acoustic module.

10. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 9, wherein the first component connected to the first connector or the second component connected to the second connector or the third component connected to the third connected can each independently receive power from the external circuit.

11. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 9, wherein those of the first, the second, and the third components that fail the function test can be replaced prior to insertion into a portable electronic device.

12. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 9, wherein the integrated flex connector electrically connects the microphone, the audio module, and the piezo-acoustic module each independently to the main logic board in the portable electronic device.

13. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a housing, the housing having a top opening and a side opening;

a display assembly, the display assembly comprising a display, the display centered at the top opening and fixed to the housing;

a main logic board, (MLB) assembly, wherein prior to attachment of the MLB assembly to the housing during a portable electronic device assembly operation, the MLB assembly floats with respect to the display assembly; and

a cross over flex arranged to electrically connect the display assembly and the MLB assembly and provide a mechanism for adjusting a position of the floating MLB assembly with respect to the fixed display assembly, the cross over flex comprising;

a first connector, the first connector connected to the display assembly,

a second connector, the second connector connected to the MLB assembly, and

a fold over body portion, the fold over body portion comprising electrical conductors and having a length sufficient to permit the second connector to rotate and translate with respect to the first connector when connected to the display assembly for adjusting the position of the floating MLB assembly.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 13, wherein the housing further comprises:

a cover glass;

at least two grooves arranged on an inner surface of the housing; and

rails arranged to fit into the grooves and form an internal reference structure wherein the internal reference structure cooperates with the display assembly and the cover glass to force the cover glass against the housing and position an upper surface of the cover glass flush with an outer surface of the housing.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 14, wherein the housing is formed of metallic or plastic material.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 13, further comprising an end cap configured to seal the side opening, wherein the end cap shaped to conform to a internal cross section of the housing.