Techniques for strengthening glass covers for portable electronic devices
First Claim
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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 thickness of the cover glass is between about 0.5-2.5 mm,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, andwherein the consumer electronic product is a mobile phone, portable media player, notebook computer or tablet computer.
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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.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A consumer electronic product, comprising:
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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 thickness of the cover glass is between about 0.5-2.5 mm, 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, and wherein the consumer electronic product is a mobile phone, portable media player, notebook computer or tablet computer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A consumer electronic product, comprising:
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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 and extends across the front surface of the housing from one edge of the housing to another edge of the housing, 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 thickness of the cover glass is between about 0.5-2.5 mm, and 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, 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, 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. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification