Component assembly

• US 9,431,190 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2013
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: McClure, Stephen R., Banko, Joshua D., Gibbs, Kevin D., Rappoport, Benjamin M., Ternus, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Courtney
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morrison, Rashen E
• Application Number:
  US13/855,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20130216067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 381 1- 231, 381 26- 28, 381 54- 67, 381 70- 89, 381 91-124, 36167901-67945, 36167955-67961, 361724-747, 361752-759, 361796-837, 200/520, 200/521, 200/523, 200/529, 200/530, 200/534, 200/553
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/1626 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 1/1643 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: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/10 Bases; Stationary contacts mounted thereon
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0252 by means of a snap-on mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0277 for a printed circuit board assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0281 Reinforcement details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/118 specially for flexible printed circuits, e.g. using folded portions
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/147 at least one of the printed circuits being bent or folded, e.g. by using a flexible printed circuit H05K1/148 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

A portable computing device is disclosed. The portable computing device can take many forms such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, and so on. The portable computing device can include at least a single piece housing. The single piece housing including a plurality of steps. The plurality of mounting steps are formed by at least removing a preselected amount of housing material at predetermined locations on the interior surface. At least some of the mounting steps are used to mount at least some of the plurality of internal operating components to the housing.

Claims

1. A button assembly for a portable electronic device having a housing and a button aperture, the button assembly comprising:

a single piece button body having a first post and a second post extending from opposite ends of the single piece button body;

a first structural member having first and second openings, the first structural member being contained within the housing coupled to an internal side of the housing at the button aperture to form a housing recessed area;

a second structural member having third and fourth openings, the third and fourth openings engaging the first and second posts to couple the first and second structural members together; and

a first tactile switch and a second tactile switch aligned with the first and second posts, wherein the single piece button body is configured such that the first post independently contacts the first tactile switch when a first force is applied to the button body at the end of the first post, the second post independently contacts the second tactile switch in response to when a second force is applied to the button body at the end of proximate the second post, and both the first post and second post simultaneously contact the first and second tactile switches when a third force is applied to the single piece button body across both the first post and second post.

2. The button assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the first structural member is fastened to the housing of the electronic device one of by welding, epoxy or adhesive.

3. The button assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein the single piece button body is at least partially disposed within the recessed area.

4. The button assembly as recited in claim 3, wherein the single piece button body is complimentary shaped with the aperture.

5. The button assembly as recited in claim 3, wherein the second structural member reinforces the housing of the electronic device proximate to the recessed area.

6. The button assembly as recited in claim 1, further comprising a printed circuit board coupled to the second structural member, wherein the printed circuit board is coupled to the first and second tactile switches.

7. The button assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the third and fourth openings are slots that extend to an edge of the second structural member.

8. The button assembly as recited in claim 7, wherein the first and second posts each have stem portions having a cylindrical shape with a first diameter and capture portions having a cylindrical shape with a second diameter.

9. The button assembly as recited in claim 8, wherein the first diameter is less than a width of the slots forming the third and forth openings and the second diameter is greater than the width of the slots forming the third and forth openings.

10. An electronic device comprising:

a housing enclosing one or more electronic components;

a large opening in the housing;

a reinforcing plate coupled to an interior surface of the housing and covering the large opening, the reinforcing plate having first and second openings wherein the large opening and the reinforcing plate cooperate to form a depression in the housing

a single piece button body disposed in the depression;

a first post and a second post extending from the single piece button body, wherein the first post protrudes through the first opening and the second post protrudes through the second opening;

a retention bracket disposed along an interior surface of the housing and having a third opening and a fourth opening, wherein the first and second posts protrude through the third and fourth openings and the single piece button body is coupled to the electronic device by the retention bracket; and

,

a first tactile switch and a second tactile switch aligned with the first and second posts, wherein the single piece button body is configured such that the first post independently contacts the first tactile switch when a first force is applied to the button body at the end of the first post, the second post independently contacts the second tactile switch in response to when a second force is applied to the button body at the end of proximate the second post, and both the first post and second post simultaneously contact the first and second tactile switches when a third force is applied to the single piece button body across both the first post and second post.

11. The electronic device as recited in claim 10, wherein exerting a force on a first end of the single piece button body causes the electronic device to perform a first electrical function, exerting a force on a second end of the single piece button body causes the electronic device to perform a second electrical function, and exerting the third force causes the electronic device to perform a third electrical function.

12. The electronic device as recited in claim 11, wherein the first electrical function raises a volume level of the electronic device and the second electrical function lowers the volume level of the electronic device.

13. The electronic device as recited in claim 12, wherein the electronic device is a tablet computer.

14. The electronic device as recited in claim 12, wherein the third and fourth openings are slots that extend to a lower edge of the retention bracket, the slots allowing the retention bracket to be placed in position and retain the single piece button body after the first and second posts are inserted through the first and second openings in the housing.

15. The electronic device as recited in claim 14, wherein the reinforcing plate and retention bracket cooperate to provide structural stiffness to the housing in an area surrounding the large opening in the exterior layer of the housing.

16. The electronic device as recited in claim 14, further comprising at least one flange extending from the retention bracket, wherein the at least one flange is coupled to a printed circuit board including the first and second tactile switches.

17. The electronic device as recited in claim 16, wherein first and second posts are formed integrally with the single piece button body.

18. A button assembly for receiving a user input to an electronic device having a housing having a recess, comprising:

a single piece button body disposed within the recess and comprising a first distal end and a second distal end, the single piece body comprising;

a first stem portion aligned with a first tactile switch and comprising a first post directly aligned with the first distal end that extends away from an interior surface of the single piece button body along a first axis and that terminates at a first capture portion that is larger than the first post, and

a second stem portion aligned with a second tactile switch and comprising a second post directly aligned with the second distal end that extends away from the interior surface of the single piece button body along a second axis and terminates at a second capture portion that is larger than the second post; and

a retention member secured to an interior of the housing and having a first opening aligned with the first axis and being larger than the first post and narrower than the first capture portion and a second opening aligned with the second axis being larger than the second post and narrower than the second capture portion, wherein when a force is applied to the single piece button body at the first distal end, the force is directed along the first axis such that the first stem portion pivots about the second axis that acts as a first fulcrum for actuating the first tactile switch.

19. The button assembly of claim 18, wherein when a second force is applied to the single piece button body at the second distal end, the second force is directed along the second axis such that the second stem portion pivots about the first axis that acts as a second fulcrum for actuating the second tactile switch.

20. The button assembly of claim 19, wherein when a third force is applied to the single piece button body across the second distal end and the first distal end, the third force is directed along both the second and first axis actuating both the first and second tactile switch.