Handheld computing device

• US 7,869,206 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2008
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Yeates, Kyle, Dabov, Teodor, Lim, Hui Leng, Lynch, Stephen Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): LEA EDMONDS, LISA S
• Application Number:
  US12/205,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20100061055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.55, 361/679.56
• US Class Current: 361/679.55
• 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: H04R 1/2811 for loudspeaker transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/00 Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers piezoelectric or electrostrictive elements in general H10N30/00; details of piezoelectric or electrostrictive motors, generators or positioners H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

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 small form factor electronic device, comprising:

a seamless housing having an integral bottom and side walls that cooperate to form a cavity in cooperation with a front opening having a flat top surface, the bottom wall having a curved bottom surface, the side walls being rounded such that they form a curved side surface and an undercut within the cavity, an edge of the side walls surrounding and defining the front opening; and

a plurality of electronic assemblies inserted into the seamless housing through the front opening and secured to the bottom surface of the housing, wherein a Z height tolerance of the plurality of electronic assemblies is minimized such that an upper surface of a topmost electronic assembly is substantially coplanar with the flat top surface of the housing wherein the plurality of electronic assemblies includes a first electronic assembly comprising;

a first electronic sub assembly,

a second electronic subassembly, and

a substantially planar flex circuit that operatively and physically connects the first and second electronic subassemblies, the flex circuit including cut outs which allow the flex circuit to twist so that the flex circuit can conform to a curved shape in multiple dimensions.

2. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 1 wherein the flex circuit has a serpentine shape.

3. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 1 wherein the flex circuit includes an S shape portion and a pair of tab portions disposed at the ends of the S shape portion.

4. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein an insulating portion of the flex circuit is removed to expose a conducting layer of the flex circuit.

5. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 4, wherein an RF ground is formed by electrically connecting the conducting layer to the housing.

6. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first electronic subassembly includes a minimum Z height integrated speaker assembly, wherein sound produced by the integrated speaker assembly is ported through selected openings in the sidewalls in the housing.

7. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 6, wherein the minimum Z height integrated speaker assembly includes a piezoelectric speaker arranged to produce at least audible sounds, an acoustic seal having a plurality of acoustic seal gaps that work in cooperation with the piezoelectric speaker to direct the sound produced by the piezoelectric speaker to the selected openings, and an acoustic barrier arranged to prevent sounds leaking to unselected openings.

8. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of electronic assemblies includes a second electronic assembly comprising:

a metal frame;

a power supply attached to a bottom side of the metal frame, wherein the power supply includes at least a power supply circuit; and

a display unit attached to a top side of the metal, wherein the display unit includes at least a display unit circuit.

9. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 8, wherein the power supply circuit and the display unit circuit are arranged to coexist on the same Y dimension.

10. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 8, wherein the metal frame includes a plurality of half shears that reduce Z height tolerance.

11. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein a third assembly is the topmost assembly is a glass unit comprising:

a plastic frame having a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA);

an environmental seal forming a double shot arrangement with the plastic frame, the environmental seal having a tapered portion; and

a polished glass layer, the glass layer secured to the plastic frame by way of the PSA.

12. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 11, wherein at least some of the tapered portion of the environmental seal extends beyond the inner edge of the front opening.

13. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 11, wherein the plastic frames includes a plurality of fasteners and wherein the third assembly includes a plurality of glass unit lead ins that cooperate with the fasteners to secure the glass unit to the third assembly.

14. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 13, wherein during the insertion of the glass unit into the front opening, the glass unit self centers to the front opening by the tapered portion of the environmental seal cooperating with the inner edge to self center the glass unit concurrently with the plastic frame fasteners cooperating with the third assembly lead ins.

15. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 11, wherein the glass layer is secured to the plastic frame by pressing the glass layer onto the PSA.

16. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

a trapped gas relief structure arranged to release any gases trapped between the glass layer and the plastic frame as a result of the pressing of the glass layer onto the PSA.

17. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 2, wherein the first electronic subassembly includes an audio circuit and an associated a substantially circular audio jack.

18. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 17, wherein housing includes an asymmetric audio jack opening arranged to concurrently conform comply with a steep spine of the sidewall of the housing into which the audio jack opening is formed and the circular audio jack without substantially affecting audio jack trim.

19. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the second subassembly includes an RF antenna.

20. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 19, wherein a corner portion of the housing in close proximity to the RF antenna is removed in order to substantially eliminate EMI caused by the housing and replaced with an antenna cap formed of a non-RF interfering material.

21. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 20, further comprising:

a corner portion stiffener arranged to reinforce the corner portion of the housing having the antenna cap.

22. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 21, wherein the stiffener acts as a ground plane for the RF antenna.

23. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 22, wherein the stiffener includes a contact arranged to electrically connect the RF antenna with the ground plane formed by the stiffener.

24. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 11, wherein the topmost glass unit includes glass unit fasteners that cooperate with a lead in device to self center and self align the topmost glass unit to the front opening when the topmost glass unit is inserted into the front opening.

25. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 24, wherein the lead in device is part of an electronic assembly attached to the housing.

26. A small form factor electronic device as recited claim 25, wherein the glass unit is secured to the housing by way of the electronic assembly.

27. A small form factor electronic device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an integrated speaker assembly comprising;

a piezoelectric speaker arranged to produce at least audible sounds;

an acoustic seal having a plurality of acoustic seal gaps that work in cooperation with the piezoelectric speaker to direct the sound produced by the piezoelectric speaker to a desired location in the small form factor electronic device; and

an acoustic barrier arranged to prevent audible sounds leaking to undesired locations in the small form factor electronic device.