Electronic devices with convex displays

• US 9,756,158 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lynch, Stephen Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Thoi
• Application Number:
  US14/866,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20160021227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 361749, 36167901, 361752, 36167926, 362382, 362362, 349 58, 349 60, 349 12, 349158, 349138, 349122, 455566, 4555562, 4555758
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133308 Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels
• 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: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0269 mounted in a fixed curved configuration, e.g. display curved around the edges of the telephone housing

Abstract

Electronic devices may be provided with convex displays. A convex display may be used to maximize the internal volume of a device. Convex displays may be formed from one or more flexible layers. A flexible display layer may be mounted to a rigid support structure or a rigid cover layer. Flexible display layers that conform to the curved shape of a rigid structure may provide additional internal volume in which internal components of the device may be positioned.

Claims

1. An electronic device having opposing front and rear surfaces and having at least one curved side surface between the front and rear surfaces, comprising:

a housing that forms at least some of the rear surface and a first portion of the curved side surface of the electronic device, wherein the housing has edges that define an opening;

a display in the opening, wherein the display comprises a rigid cover layer and a display layer that conforms to an interior surface of the rigid cover layer, wherein the rigid cover layer forms at least some of the front surface and a second portion of the curved side surface of the electronic device, and wherein the display layer has outer edges that abut the edges of the housing; and

an electronic component mounted between the housing and the display.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the housing comprises metal.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic component comprises a battery.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the display layer comprises a flexible display layer having an array of display pixels that displays images through the rigid cover layer.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the flexible display layer has a curved portion.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the first portion of the curved side surface formed by the housing is flush with the second portion of the curved side surface formed by the rigid cover layer.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the curved side surface of the electronic device has a curvature that is different than that of the front surface of the electronic device.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the display comprises a touch-sensitive layer having a curved portion.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the touch-sensitive layer is adhered to the rigid cover layer.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a connector mounted in the housing between the front and rear surfaces of the electronic device.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the display comprises an organic light-emitting diode display.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the display comprises a liquid crystal display.

13. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing structure having a curved portion, wherein the housing structure has a first edge that defines an opening;

a transparent display cover layer mounted in the opening, wherein the transparent display cover layer has a curved portion that adjoins the curved portion of the housing structure;

a display layer having an array of display pixels that displays images through the transparent display cover layer, wherein the display layer has a curved portion with a second edge, wherein the curved portion of the display layer adjoins the curved portion of the housing structure such that the first edge meets the second edge; and

electronic components mounted between the housing structure and the display layer.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the housing structure comprises metal.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the array of display pixels displays images through the curved portion of the transparent display cover layer.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the display layer comprises a flexible polymer substrate.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the flexible polymer substrate has a curved portion.

18. An electronic device, comprising:

a metal housing having an opening;

a rigid cover layer mounted to the metal housing, wherein the rigid cover layer has a curved portion;

a touch-sensitive layer attached to the rigid cover layer that detects touch input on the curved portion of the rigid cover layer; and

a display layer having an array of display pixels that displays images through the curved portion of the rigid cover layer, wherein the rigid cover layer, the touch-sensitive layer, and the display layer are located in the opening and meet edge-to-edge with the metal housing.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18 wherein the metal housing forms a rear surface of the electronic device.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 18 further comprising first and second layers of adhesive, wherein the first layer of adhesive attaches the touch-sensitive layer to the rigid cover layer and the second layer of adhesive attaches the display layer to the touch-sensitive layer.