Electronic device with contacts flush with housing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10579097-B2
Application number	US-201615256432-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2016
Priority date	Sep 4, 2015
Publication date	Mar 3, 2020
Grant date	Mar 3, 2020

Abstract

An electronic device comprising a device enclosure having an exterior surface; a contact area positioned at the exterior surface and having first and second ends, the contact area having a plurality of contacts arranged between the first and second ends and substantially flush with the exterior surface; and an alignment feature within the enclosure comprising first and second magnets positioned on opposing sides of the contact area, the first magnet positioned adjacent to the first end of the contact area and the second magnet positioned adjacent to the second end of the contact area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a device enclosure having an exterior surface;
a contact area positioned at the exterior surface and having first and second ends, the contact area having a plurality of contacts arranged between the first and second ends and substantially flush with the exterior surface;
an alignment feature within the enclosure comprising first and second magnets positioned on opposing sides of the contact area, the first magnet positioned adjacent to the first end of the contact area and the second magnet positioned adjacent to the second end of the contact area;
wherein the device enclosure comprises an electrically conductive material in the contact area and includes an opening formed through the electrically conductive material; and wherein the electronic device further comprises an insulator positioned in the opening that surrounds, and is substantially flush with, a contact in the plurality of contacts electrically isolating the contact from the device enclosure.

2. The electronic device set forth in claim 1 wherein:
the device enclosure comprises an electrically conductive material in the contact area and includes a plurality of openings formed through the electrically conductive material corresponding in number to the plurality of contacts;
each contact in the plurality of contacts is positioned within one of the openings in the plurality of openings; and
the electronic device further comprises an insulator positioned in each of the plurality of openings that forms a ring surrounding the contact in the opening electrically isolating the contact from the device enclosure.

3. The electronic device set forth in claim 2 wherein the exterior surface of the housing and exterior surfaces of each of the plurality of contacts and each of the insulating rings combine to form a continuous smooth surface.

4. The electronic device set forth in claim 2 wherein there are no gaps between the exterior surface of the housing each of the plurality of insulating rings and there are no gaps between each contact and its surrounding insulating rings.

5. The electronic device set forth in claim 2 wherein the insulators positioned in each of the plurality of openings are formed of plastic.

6. The electronic device set forth in claim 2 wherein each of the plurality of contacts is recessed 0.5 mm or less from the exterior surface of the contact area surrounding each contact.

7. The electronic device set forth in claim 1 wherein the device enclosure has a curved exterior surface within the contact area and each contact in the plurality of contacts has a curvature at an outer contact surface that corresponds to a curvature of the curved exterior surface.

8. The electronic device set forth in claim 1 wherein the plurality of contacts comprises a plurality of circular contacts spaced apart from each other in a single row.

9. The electronic device set forth in claim 1 wherein the device enclosure forms a cavity and the electronic device further comprises a battery, a processor, and a computer-readable memory positioned within the cavity.

10. The electronic device set forth in claim 9 wherein the electronic device further comprises a display and a transparent cover glass coupled to the enclosure and a display positioned within the cavity adjacent to the cover glass.

11. The electronic device set forth in claim 10 wherein the display comprises a touch screen.

12. The electronic device set forth in claim 11 wherein the electronic device comprises a tablet computer.

13. The electronic device set forth in claim 1 wherein the alignment feature comprises first and second arrays of magnets positioned on opposing sides of the contact area, the first array of magnets positioned adjacent to the first end of the contact area and the second array of magnets positioned adjacent to the second end of the contact area.

14. An electronic device comprising:
a device enclosure that forms a cavity, the device enclosure having an exterior surface;
a processor and a computer-readable memory positioned within the cavity;
a transparent cover glass coupled to the enclosure;
a display positioned within the cavity adjacent to the cover glass;
a battery positioned within the enclosure and operatively coupled to the processor and the display;
a contact area positioned at the exterior surface and having first and second ends, the contact area having: (i) a plurality of circular contacts spaced apart from each other in a single row between the first and second ends, each of the plurality of circular contacts being positioned within an opening formed through device enclosure and having an exterior surface that is flush with, or recessed less than one millimeter from, an exterior surface of the device enclosure in the contact area; (ii) an insulator positioned in each of the plurality of openings that forms a ring surrounding the contact in the opening isolating the contact from the device enclosure; wherein the exterior surface of the housing and exterior surfaces of the plurality of circular contacts and the exterior surface of the plurality of insulator rings combine to form a continuous smooth surface;
an alignment feature within the enclosure comprising first and second arrays of magnets positioned on opposing sides of the contact area, the first array of magnets positioned adjacent to the first end of the contact area and the second array of magnets positioned adjacent to the second end of the contact area.

15. The electronic device set forth in claim 14 wherein:
the device enclosure is generally rectangular in shape and includes four side surfaces that surround the transparent cover glass and extend from an upper surface of the electronic device defined at least in part by the transparent cover glass to a back surface, each of the four side surfaces having a curved exterior surface; and
the contact area is positioned within a curved portion of one of the side surfaces.

16. An electronic device comprising: a device enclosure having an exterior surface extending across a back wall and one or more sidewalls, wherein the back wall and one or more sidewalls at least partially define an interior cavity; a processor positioned within the cavity; a display spaced a part from the back wall and coupled to the device enclosure; a contact area positioned at the exterior surface and having first and second ends, the contact area having at least one contact positioned between the first and second ends and substantially flush with the exterior surface; and an alignment feature within the enclosure comprising at least one magnet positioned within the device enclosure within or adjacent to the contact area, the device enclosure comprising first and second magnets positioned on opposing sides of the contact area, the first magnet positioned adjacent to the first end of the contact area and the second magnet positioned adjacent to the second end of the contact area, wherein the device enclosure comprises an electrically conductive material in the contact area and includes an opening formed through the electrically conductive material; and wherein the electronic device further comprises an insulator positioned in the opening that surrounds, and is substantially flush with, a contact in a plurality of contacts electrically isolating the contact from the device enclosure.

17. The electronic device set forth in claim 16 wherein the exterior surface of a housing and exterior surfaces of the at least one contact and an insulator combine to form a continuous smooth surface.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Wagman Daniel
• Ross Oliver
• Jol Eric S
• Esmaeili Hani
• Degner Brett
• Kamei Ibuki

Classifications

• G06F1/1681

  Details related solely to hinges (hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683) · CPC title

• H01R13/2442

  with a single cantilevered beam · CPC title

• G06F1/1656 Primary

  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 title

• H01R13/6205

  Two-part coupling devices held in engagement by a magnet · CPC title

• G06F1/1679

  for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA (G06F1/1681 takes precedence) · CPC title