Exposed glass article with enhanced stiffness for portable electronic device housing
First Claim
1. A portable consumer electronic product, comprising:
- a glass user interfacing part, the glass user interfacing part including at least;
an outer layer of glass having a thickness of less than or equal to 0.4 mm, andat least two inner ribs that provide structural support for the outer layer, the at least two inner ribs extending linearly, horizontally and vertically across an image display portion and a non-image display portion of an inner surface of the glass user interfacing part, and the at least two inner ribs being substantially transparent;
a display provided internal to the portable consumer electronic device and behind the glass user interfacing part; and
a processor operable to control information display on the display.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A transparent article, such as a transparent cover, for use as a cover glass for an electronic device, as well as methods for producing transparent articles, are disclosed. The transparent article can form a part of a housing of the portable electronic device and can provide an outer surface for a portion of the housing. The transparent article can be provided over a display of portable electronic device to provide a protective outer cover over the display. In one embodiment, the transparent article can be formed with a laminate structure. In another embodiment, the transparent article can be formed with a ribbed structure. In still another embodiment, a sapphire coating can be deposited on the transparent article to improve it strength. Advantageously, the transparent article is able to be not only thin and lightweight but also provide sufficient stiffness for use as a cover glass.
253 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A portable consumer electronic product, comprising:
-
a glass user interfacing part, the glass user interfacing part including at least; an outer layer of glass having a thickness of less than or equal to 0.4 mm, and at least two inner ribs that provide structural support for the outer layer, the at least two inner ribs extending linearly, horizontally and vertically across an image display portion and a non-image display portion of an inner surface of the glass user interfacing part, and the at least two inner ribs being substantially transparent; a display provided internal to the portable consumer electronic device and behind the glass user interfacing part; and a processor operable to control information display on the display. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12)
-
-
6. A portable consumer electronic product, comprising:
-
a display; a housing, comprising; a glass user interfacing part forming at least part of an exterior surface of the housing, comprising; a glass layer having a thickness of less than or equal to 0.4 mm; and an array of substantially transparent ribs attached to the glass layer, wherein; the glass user interfacing part is positioned over the display; the array of substantially transparent ribs extend across an image display portion of the glass layer located over the display; and the array of substantially transparent ribs extend across a non-image display portion of the glass layer located outside of a peripheral portion of the display. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 13)
-
-
14. A portable consumer electronic product, comprising:
-
a glass user interfacing part, the glass user interfacing part including at least; a top layer of glass having a thickness of less than or equal to 0.4 mm; an intermediate layer of adhesive; and a bottom layer of substantially clear material adhered to a bottom surface of the top layer via the intermediate layer of adhesive; a display provided internal to the portable consumer electronic device and below the glass user interfacing part; and a processor operable to control information display on the display, wherein the bottom layer includes at least two inner ribs providing structural support for the top layer extending linearly, horizontally and vertically across an image display portion over the display and a non-image display portion of the glass user interfacing part, and the at least two inner ribs being substantially transparent. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification