High-luminance surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10330832-B2
Application number	US-201514750710-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2015
Priority date	Jun 25, 2015
Publication date	Jun 25, 2019
Grant date	Jun 25, 2019

Abstract

A cover glass assembly comprises a sheet having a first surface and a second surface below the first surface. The second surface comprises a textured portion. The cover glass assembly also includes a pigment layer below the textured portion, and a mirror layer below the pigment layer. The textured portion diffusely reflects a first portion of light that enters the cover glass assembly through the first surface. The pigment layer diffusely reflects a second portion of the light. The mirror layer reflects, onto the pigment layer, a third portion of the light. The cover glass assembly provides a high-luminance surface. A method of forming the cover glass assembly is also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cover glass assembly, comprising a structure consisting of:
a sheet comprising a first surface and a second textured surface opposite to the first surface; and
a pigment layer disposed below the second textured surface, wherein:
the second textured surface diffusely reflects a first portion of light entering the sheet through the first surface; and
the second textured surface diffusely transmits, onto the pigment layer, a second portion of the light; and

a continuous mirror layer comprising a dielectric material disposed below the pigment layer.

2. The cover glass assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second textured surface diffusely transmits the second portion of the light and reduces the average angle of incidence of at least some of the second portion of the light onto the pigment layer.

3. The cover glass assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pigment layer reflects at least some of the second portion of the light that is diffusely transmitted by the second textured surface.

4. The cover glass assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pigment layer comprises a film on the second textured surface of the sheet.

5. The cover glass assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the sheet further comprises a substantially transparent portion that is configured to cover a display of an electronic device; and
the second textured surface is aligned with a frame portion of the cover glass assembly.

6. The cover glass assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second textured surface comprises a plurality of indentations having an average depth of between about 50-500 nanometers and an average diameter of between about 1-10 microns.

7. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing;
a display device at least partially within the housing;
a cover glass assembly according to claim 1 , coupled to the housing; and
the textured portion corresponds to a frame portion of the cover glass assembly.

8. A cover glass, comprising a structure consisting of:
a transparent layer having a textured region adjacent to and framing the transparent layer;
a pigment layer disposed below the textured region; and
a continuous mirror layer comprising a multilayer polymer sheet disposed below the pigment layer.

9. The cover glass of claim 8 , wherein:
the pigment layer comprises a plurality of pigment coatings; and
the continuous mirror layer comprises one or more mirror coatings disposed below the pigment layer.

10. The cover glass of claim 8 , wherein the pigment layer is an ink comprising titanium dioxide.

11. The cover glass of claim 8 , wherein:
the pigment layer reflects light having a first spectral content and transmits light having a second spectral content different from the first spectral content; and
the continuous mirror layer reflects light having the second spectral content.

12. The cover glass of claim 11 , wherein the second spectral content is less than the entire spectrum of visible light.

13. The cover glass of claim 11 , wherein:
the continuous mirror layer comprises a plurality of mirror sub-layers; and
respective mirror sub-layers reflect light of different respective spectral content.

14. A method of forming a cover glass assembly, the cover glass assembly comprising a structure consisting of a sheet, a pigment layer and a continuous mirror layer, the method comprising:
forming a textured portion on a bottom surface of the sheet, the textured portion corresponding to a frame portion of the cover glass assembly;
applying the pigment layer to the textured portion of the sheet; and
applying the continuous mirror layer to the pigment layer;
wherein the textured portion is configured to diffusely reflect a portion of light that enters the cover glass assembly through the sheet, to form the structure consisting of the sheet.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein applying the pigment layer includes applying a plurality of pigment sub-layers.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein applying the pigment layer comprises applying the pigment layer via spraying, brushing, electroplating, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, or ion beam assisted deposition.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein applying the continuous mirror layer comprises applying a multilayer polymer sheet to the pigment layer.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein applying the continuous mirror layer comprises applying the continuous mirror layer via spraying, brushing, electroplating, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, or ion beam assisted deposition.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein forming the textured portion comprises etching a portion of the sheet that corresponds to the frame portion using one or more of abrasive blasting, laser etching, mold etching, or chemical etching.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Wilson James R
• Rogers Matthew S

Classifications

• G02B5/0289 Primary

  used as a transflector · CPC title

• G02B5/0816

  Multilayer mirrors, i.e. having two or more reflecting layers (G02B5/0883, G02B5/0891 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02B5/021

  the diffusion taking place at the element's surface, e.g. by means of surface roughening or microprismatic structures · CPC title

• C03C17/34 Primary

  with at least two coatings having different compositions (C03C17/44 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C23C14/34

  Sputtering · CPC title