Co-mold features on a chassis shell of a mobile device

• US 9,525,764 B1
• Filed: 04/27/2016
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Essential Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Essential Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Hershenson, Matthew, Evans, David John V, Jiang, Xinrui, Rubin, Andrew E., Miao, Xiaoyu, Tate, Joseph Anthony, Gagne-Keats, Jason Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Nam
• Application Number:
  US15/140,461
• Time in Patent Office: 237 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0249 Details of the mechanical connection between the housing parts or relating to the method of assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/026 Details of the structure or mounting of specific components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A mobile device can include a unibody component (e.g. chassis shell) with at least a co-mold feature that isolates a contiguous portion of the unibody component from an outer portion of the unibody component. For example, the outer portion and the contiguous portion can be made of an electrically conductive material. The co-mold feature can be made of non-conductive material that electrically isolates the contiguous portion from the outer portion. The co-mold feature can be made by co-molding a resin material in a channel cut into a piece of metal and later exposing the cured resin material on two sides.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a chassis of a mobile device, comprising:

machining a channel partway into a first side of a metal piece in a pattern surrounding a contiguous portion of the metal piece;

injecting resin into the channel;

curing the resin;

shaving off a layer of the metal piece on a second side opposite from the first side to expose the resin; and

electrically connecting an inner portion of the metal piece surrounded by the resin to an electrical component of the mobile device, wherein the resin electrically isolates the inner portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein injecting the resin includes injecting the resin into the channel until the resin fill up to a top surface of the metal piece at a mouth of the channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the resin is an adhesive and wherein, after curing the resin, the resin hardens and creates a bond with immediately adjacent metallic structures in the metal piece.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the resin is an adhesive and wherein, after curing the resin, the resin hardens and creates a bond with immediately adjacent metallic structures in the metal piece.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said shaving off the layer includes shaving off only a localized region on the second side opposite from the resin in the channel.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising installing a sensor on the second side of the metal piece to detect human finger touch events.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel is a loop around the contiguous portion.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising cutting the metal piece into a plurality of pieces, wherein said cutting includes cutting through at least two distinct locations of the channel.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising installing a display onto the metal piece to hermetically seal a space surrounded by the display and the metal piece.