Enclosures for protecting devices and methods of manufacturing enclosures for protecting devices

• US 9,600,028 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MilDef, Inc. (Mildef Group Ab)
• Original Assignee: MilDef, Inc. (Mildef Group Ab)
• Inventors: Gathings, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): THAKER, NIDHI VIVEK
• Application Number:
  US14/454,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20150049425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 36167901-67945, 36167955-67959
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1628 Carrying enclosures containing additional elements, e.g. case for a laptop and a printer
• 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 1/1656 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 1/182 with special features, e.g. for use in industrial environments; grounding or shielding against radio frequency interference [RFI] or electromagnetical interference [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

An enclosure for a computing device adapted to resist ingress of environmental elements comprises a frame, a first cover attached and sealed to the frame, and a second cover attached and sealed to the frame. The frame provides a sidewall structure including a first pair of channels having a first length and a second pair of channels having a second length. Each channel is separately fabricated and the frame is formed by corners of the first pair of channels to corners of the second pair of channels.

Claims

1. An enclosure for a computing device adapted to resist ingress of environmental elements, comprising:

a frame including a first pair of channels having a first length and defining opposite sides of the frame, wherein each channel from the first pair of channels includes a frame sidewall partially defining an inner space of the enclosure, and a front lip and a back lip each extending outward substantially the same distance and substantially parallel to each other so that the frame sidewall is recessed relative to an outer edge of the frame, and a second pair of channels having a second length and defining opposite ends of the frame, wherein each channel from the second pair of channels includes a frame sidewall partially defining an inner space of the enclosure, and a front lip and a back lip each extending outward substantially the same distance and substantially parallel to each other so that the frame sidewall is recessed relative to an outer edge of the frame, wherein a distance between the front lip and the back lip is substantially the same for each of the channels and substantially defines a thickness of the enclosure;

a back cover attachable to the frame via a plurality of attachments points formed in the back lip for each channel of the first and second pairs of channels; and

a front cover attachable to the frame via a plurality of attachments points formed in corners defined by the front lips of the frame; and

one or more modules for housing a component adapted to communicate with a computing device mounted within the enclosure so as to provide functionality to the computing device, wherein a width of the one or more modules is approximately the thickness of the enclosure, and wherein the one or more modules is seatable within a channel from the first and second pairs of channels and against the frame sidewall of the channel outside of the enclosure such that at least a portion of the one or more modules is recessed relative to the outer edge of the frame.

2. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the one or modules are physically accessible to the computing device through one or more holes formed through the frame.

3. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the one or modules are accessible to the computing device via a wireless connection established through the frame.

4. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the one or more modules are sized so as to be seated within a channel of the first and second pairs of channels so that the one or more modules does not extend beyond the outer edge of the frame.

5. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the one or more modules are configured to house one or more devices operable through the one or modules including one or more of an antenna, a camera, a sensor, a bar code reader, a radio frequency (RF) identification (ID) reader.

6. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the one or more modules are configured to house one or more devices accessible via a connector extending from the one or more modules, including a card swipe, a universal serial bus (USB) connector, a legacy connector.

7. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the one or more modules are configured to house one or more devices configured to supplement the computing device without interacting with an environment external to the enclosure.

8. The enclosure of claim 1, where the second cover has a footprint generally conforming to the outer dimensions of the frame and a hole formed therein sized to expose a display to thereby provide a bezel for the display.

9. The enclosure of claim 1, further comprising:

a first hand grip attachable to the frame via the back lip of a channel of the first pair of channels;

a second hand grip attachable to the frame via the back lip of an opposite channel from the channel of the first pair of channels; and

wherein when the one or more modules is seated within the channel from the first pair of channels and against the frame sidewall of the channel, the one or more modules is completely recessed relative to the outer edge of the first hand grip or the second hand grip.

10. A computing device, comprising:

an enclosure adapted to resist ingress of environmental elements, the enclosure including a frame, a front cover attached and sealed to the frame and a back cover attached and sealed to the frame;

wherein the frame includes a first pair of channels having a first length and defining opposite sides of the frame, wherein each channel from the first pair of channels includes a frame sidewall partially defining an inner space of the enclosure, and a front lip and a back lip each extending outward substantially the same distance and substantially parallel to each other so that the frame sidewall is recessed relative to an outer edge of the frame, and a second pair of channels having a second length and defining opposite ends of the frame, wherein each channel from the second pair of channels includes a frame sidewall partially defining an inner space of the enclosure, and a front lip and a back lip each extending outward substantially the same distance and substantially parallel to each other so that the frame sidewall is recessed relative to an outer edge of the frame, wherein a distance between the front lip and the back lip is substantially the same for each of the channels and substantially defines a thickness of the enclosure;

wherein the back cover is attached to the frame via a plurality of attachments points formed in the back lip for each channel of the first and second pairs of channels; and

wherein the front cover attached to the frame via a plurality of attachments points formed in corners defined by the front lips of the frame;

one or more circuit boards positioned within a tray;

wherein the tray is mounted to the back cover via a plurality of grommets such that the tray is arranged between and spaced apart from the front cover and back cover;

a display mounted to the front cover, wherein the display is sealed along edge of the display to the front cover to resist ingress;

one or more modules for housing a component adapted to communicate with the one or more circuit boards to provide functionality to the computing device, wherein a width of the one or more modules is approximately the thickness of the enclosure, and wherein the one or more modules is seatable within a channel from the first and second pairs of channels and against the frame sidewall of the channel outside of the enclosure such that at least a portion of the one or more modules is recessed relative to the outer edge of the frame.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the one or more modules are sized so as to be seated within a channel of the first and second pairs of channels so that the one or more modules does not extend beyond the outer edge of the frame.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the one or modules are configured to house one or more devices that are

operable through the one or modules including one or more of an antenna, a camera, a sensor, a bar code reader, a radio frequency (RF) identification (ID) reader, or

accessible via a connector extending from the one or more modules, including a card swipe, a universal serial bus (USB) connector, a legacy connector.

13. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the one or modules are configured to house one or more devices configured to supplement the computing device without interacting with an environment external to the enclosure.

14. The computing device of claim 10, further comprising:

a first hand grip attachable to the frame via the back lip of a channel of the first pair of channels;

a second hand grip attachable to the frame via the back lip of an opposite channel from the channel of the first pair of channels; and

wherein when the one or more modules is seated within the channel from the first pair of channels and against the frame sidewall of the channel, the one or more modules is completely recessed relative to the outer edge of the first hand grip or the second hand grip.

15. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the tray is formed from a pliable thermoplastic and the one or more circuit boards is suspended within the tray and permitted to float within the tray as wiring associated with the one or more circuit boards permits.