HANDHELD COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20100146766A1
• Filed: 02/25/2010
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lynch, Stephen Brian, Yeates, Kyle, Dabov, Teodor, Lim, Hui Leng
• Granted Patent: US 8,250,724 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/428
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• 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: H04M 1/026 Details of the structure or mounting of specific components
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49771 Quantitative measuring or gauging
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49947 by applying separate fastener
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49995 Shaping one-piece blank by removing material

Abstract

A minimum Z height handheld electronic device and methods of assembly is described. The electronic device includes a single seamless housing having a front opening and a cover disposed within the front opening and attached to the seamless housing without a bezel.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a single seamless housing, the single seamless housing having a front opening,

an integral bottom and side walls, wherein the integral bottom and side walls cooperate to form a cavity in cooperation with the front opening;

placing a cover unit within the front opening, the cover unit having a flat top surface and substantially filling the front opening; and

attaching the cover unit to the seamless housing without a bezel.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the integral bottom wall has a curved bottom surface, the side walls being rounded such that they form a curved side surface and an undercut within the cavity, an inside edge of the side walls surrounding and defining the front opening.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the flat top surface is substantially flush with an upper surface of the inside edge of the side walls.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the cover unit is attached to a frame.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein attaching the cover unit to the seamless housing without a bezel comprises:

attaching the frame to the housing within the cavity.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the cover unit further comprises:

a display unit having at least a display screen;

a cover glass through which the display screen is visible; and

a substantially transparent touch sensing layer disposed between the cover glass and the display screen.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the housing is formed of polished stainless steel.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the cover unit includes an opening suitable for receiving an input mechanism.

9. A method, comprising:

providing a single seamless housing, the single seamless housing having, an outside edge, an inside edge, a front opening, an integral bottom wall and side walls, wherein the integral bottom wall and side walls cooperate to form a cavity in cooperation with the front opening; and

attaching a mounting bracket to the integral bottom wall, the mounting bracket arranged to secure at least an electronic assembly to the integral bottom wall of the housing.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the mounting bracket comprises:

at least one mounting bracket datum bump, the at least one mounting bracket datum bump arranged to reduce Z height tolerance between the electronic assembly secured to the integral bottom wall of the housing and an uppermost flat portion of the housing between the inside edge and the outside edge.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the uppermost flat portion of the housing between the inside edge and the outside edge is a racetrack.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one mounting bracket datum bump and the racetrack are formed in a single machining operation using a single machine setup.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the mounting bracket comprises:

a plurality of sacrificial Z adjustment bumps having a sacrificial portion arranged along the length of the mounting bracket.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

machining off a top most portion of the seamless housing and the sacrificial portion of the sacrificial Z adjustment bumps; and

concurrently with the machining, drilling a plurality of XY alignment holes, wherein the machining off and the drilling are performed in the single machine set up.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

centering the racetrack with respect to outside edge.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the centering the racetrack comprises:

optically determining a plurality of reference points on the outside edge of the seamless and cutting the inside edge using the plurality of optical reference points.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the optically determining a plurality of reference points on the outside edge, comprises:

taking a series of optical measurements using a camera to measure an outside racetrack profile after a rough cut of the outside racetrack profile is complete.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the racetrack is centered by forming an inner profile using the optical measurements to find a center (x₀, y₀) and a rotation angle φ

for cutting the inner profile.