Electronic devices with concave displays

• US 9,866,660 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2011
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Myers, Scott A., Rappoport, Benjamin M., Lynch, Stephen Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adams, Carl
• Application Number:
  US13/108,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20120242588A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,430 Days
• Field of Search: 345173
• 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 1/0266 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 concave displays that reduce the risk of damage in the event of a drop while maximizing the internal volume of the device. Concave displays may be formed from one or more flexible layers including a flexible display layer. The 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 cover structure provide additional internal volume in which internal components of the device may be positioned.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing; and

a concave display mounted in the housing, wherein the concave display comprises;

a rigid internal support structure having a concave surface;

a concave touch-sensitive layer; and

a flexible display layer having a concave surface, wherein the flexible display is interposed between the concave touch-sensitive layer and the rigid internal support structure, wherein the flexible display layer comprises a flexible polymer substrate that conforms to and is directly attached to the concave surface of the rigid internal support structure, and wherein the concave touch-sensitive layer conforms to and is directly attached to the concave surface of the flexible display layer such that the flexible display layer and the touch-sensitive layer are held in a concave shape by the rigid internal support structure.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the concave display further comprises a first adhesive layer, and wherein the first adhesive layer attaches the flexible display layer to the concave surface of the rigid internal support structure.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the concave display further comprises a second adhesive layer, wherein the second adhesive layer attaches the flexible display layer to the touch-sensitive layer.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the rigid internal support structure has a convex inner surface and wherein the electronic device further comprises at least one internal component mounted adjacent to the convex inner surface.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4, wherein the rigid internal support structure has at least one opening.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the at least one opening comprises a hole in the rigid internal support structure, and wherein the at least one internal component is mounted in the hole in the rigid internal support structure.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the concave touch-sensitive layer comprises a flexible sheet of polymer.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the housing comprises a bezel, and wherein the bezel surrounds a periphery of the concave display.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible display layer comprises an array of display pixels, wherein the concave touch-sensitive layer has a convex inner surface, and wherein the flexible display layer conforms to the convex surface of the concave touch-sensitive layer.

10. An electronic device having opposing front and rear external surfaces, comprising:

a rigid housing having a planar surface that forms the rear external surface of the electronic device;

a concave display mounted in the housing, wherein the concave display includes a rigid cover layer having at least one concave outer surface and at least one corresponding convex inner surface and includes a flexible display layer, wherein the flexible display layer conforms to the convex inner surface of the rigid cover layer such that the flexible display layer maintains a concave shape provided by the rigid cover layer; and

an electronic component interposed between the concave display and the planar surface of the rigid housing.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the flexible display layer comprises image pixels formed from organic light-emitting diodes.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the concave display further comprises a first adhesive layer, and wherein the first adhesive layer attaches the flexible display layer to the convex inner surface of the rigid cover layer.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the rigid cover layer has at least one opening, wherein the electronic device further comprises an internal component, and wherein the internal component is mounted adjacent to the flexible display layer under the at least one opening in the rigid cover layer.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the internal component comprises a speaker and wherein the speaker transmits sound through the flexible display layer.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the internal component comprises a button, wherein the electronic device further comprises a button member in the at least one opening in the rigid cover layer, wherein the button member moves within the at least one opening in the rigid cover layer, and wherein the movement of the button member compresses the button.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the electronic device has opposing front and rear surfaces, wherein the concave outer surface of the rigid cover layer forms the front surface of the electronic device, and wherein the planar surface of the rigid housing forms the rear surface of the electronic device.

17. An electronic device, comprising:

an electronic device housing; and

a concave display mounted in the electronic device housing, wherein the concave display comprises a rigid cover layer having a concave outer surface and a convex inner surface, a flexible display layer, and a touch-sensitive layer having a concave outer surface and a convex inner surface, wherein the concave outer surface of the touch-sensitive layer conforms to and is directly attached to the convex inner surface of the rigid cover layer, wherein the flexible display layer conforms to and is directly attached to the convex inner surface of the touch-sensitive layer such that the touch-sensitive layer and the flexible display layer are held in a concave shape by the rigid cover layer, and wherein the rigid cover layer comprises at least one opening.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the concave display further comprises first and second adhesive layers, wherein the flexible display layer is attached to the touch-sensitive layer with the first adhesive layer, and wherein the touch-sensitive layer is attached to the convex inner surface of the rigid cover layer with the second adhesive layer.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18 further comprising at least one internal component mounted adjacent to the flexible display layer of the concave display.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 19 wherein the at least one internal component is an audio component, and wherein the audio component is mounted under the at least one opening in the rigid cover layer.

21. The electronic device defined in claim 18 wherein the concave outer surface of the concave display has a curvature and peripheral edges, wherein the curvature has a deepest point, wherein the deepest point and at least some of the peripheral edges define a maximum depth associated with the curvature of the concave display and wherein the maximum depth of the concave display is between 0.5 millimeter and 20 millimeters.

22. The electronic device defined in claim 21 further comprising an internal component, wherein the internal component is mounted at a distance from the peripheral edges of the concave outer surface, and wherein the distance is smaller than the maximum depth.