Transparent electronic device components with opaque edge coverings

• US 9,182,789 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2011
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hill, Matthew, Dinh, Richard Hung Minh, Browning, Lucy E., Tan, Lee Hua, Tan, Tang Yew
• Primary Examiner(s): Higgins, Gerard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reddy, Sathavaram I
• Application Number:
  US13/037,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20120225258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,715 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/02 characterised by features of form at particular places, e.g. in edge regions non-uniform thickness B32B3/263
• 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: Y10T 428/24777 Edge feature

Abstract

An electronic device may have components such as button members, display cover glass layers, structures associated with connector ports, and other components. The components may have transparent and opaque structures. The transparent structures may be formed on top of the opaque structures. The transparent structures may have peripheral edges through which light may pass. To help prevent the appearance of the components from becoming degraded by the presence of dirt, at least some of the edge portions of the transparent structures may be covered with an opaque covering material. The opaque covering material may be formed from paint or sidewall structures that are formed as an integral part of the opaque structures.

Claims

1. An electronic device structure, comprising:

a layer of opaque material and

a transparent layer attached to the layer of opaque material, wherein the transparent layer has a top surface, a bottom surface and at least one edge,

wherein the layer of opaque material comprises a lower member on the bottom surface of the transparent layer and a vertically protruding sidewall that covers at least part of the at least one edge, and wherein the vertically protruding sidewall has different heights at different locations along the at least one edge.

2. The electronic device structure defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one edge has an edge area and wherein vertically protruding sidewall covers at least half of the edge area.

3. The electronic device structure defined in claim 1 wherein the layer of opaque material and the transparent layer form a button member.

4. The electronic device structure defined in claim 3 wherein the layer of opaque material comprises plastic.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the layer of opaque material comprises white plastic.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the button member comprises structures forming a label.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the layer of opaque material comprises paint.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the transparent layer has a circular outline.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the edge has an area and wherein the vertically protruding sidewall configured to cover at least half of the edge area.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the transparent layer and the layer of opaque material form part of a port cover.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the transparent layer and the layer of opaque material form a computer keyboard key.

12. The electronic device define in claim 11 wherein the computer keyboard key has a label that is visible through the transparent layer and wherein the computer keyboard key has at least three edges that are each at least half covered by the vertically protruding sidewall.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the layer of opaque material comprises paint.

14. A button member, comprising:

an opaque layer; and

a transparent layer attached to the top portion of the opaque layer, wherein the transparent layer has a top surface, a bottom surface and at least one peripheral edge,

wherein the opaque layer comprises a lower member on the bottom surface of the transparent layer and a vertically protruding sidewall that covers at least part of the at least one peripheral edge and wherein the vertically protruding sidewall has different heights at different locations of the at least one peripheral edge.

15. Electronic device structures, comprising:

a first structure having a first transparent layer attached to a first opaque layer, the first transparent layer having a top surface, a bottom surface and at least one edge, the first structure having first opaque sidewall structures that cover at least some of the at least one edge of the first transparent layer; and

a second structure having a second transparent layer attached to a second opaque layer, the second transparent layer having a top surface, a bottom surface and at least one edge, the second structure having second opaque sidewall structures that cover at least some of the at least one edge of the second transparent layer,

wherein the first opaque sidewall structures vertically protrude from a lower member of the first opaque layer and the second opaque sidewall structures vertically protrude from a lower member of the second opaque layer, and wherein the first opaque sidewall structures have different heights at different locations of the at least one edge of the first transparent layer and the second opaque sidewall structures have different heights at different locations of the at least one edge of the second transparent layer.

16. The electronic device structures defined in claim 15 wherein the first opaque sidewall structures and the second opaque sidewall structures comprise plastic sidewalls that are mounted adjacent to each other.