Handheld portable device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11480998-B2
Application number	US-201916680424-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2019
Priority date	Jan 31, 2011
Publication date	Oct 25, 2022
Grant date	Oct 25, 2022

Abstract

A portable computing device is disclosed. The portable computing device can take many forms such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, and so on. The portable computing device can include at least a single piece housing. The single piece housing can be machined from a single billet of material, such as a billet of aluminum. The single piece housing can include ledges with a surface receiving a trim bead and a cover. Corner brackets can be attached to the single piece housing to improve the damage resistance of the housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a display;
a cover positioned over the display;
a switch
a housing at least partially enclosing the display and coupled to the cover, the housing comprising:
a metal component defining at least three sidewalls, a first portion of a bottom of the housing, and a ledge that extends around an opening in the housing, the ledge defining a thinned portion having a width that is reduced with respect to an adjacent portion of the ledge, the cover being coupled to the ledge; and
a polymer antenna window defining at least a portion of a sidewall and a second portion of the bottom of the housing; and

an antenna positioned within the housing and below the polymer antenna window; wherein:
the thinned portion at least partially defines a cavity within the housing;
the switch is positioned within the cavity; and
the switch extends at least partially through a switch opening defined in one of the at least three sidewalls.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna is configured to receive wireless data signals from a cellular data network.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the bottom of the housing defines a substantially flat portion;
the sidewall defines a curved portion that extends from the substantially flat portion of the bottom of the housing; and
the polymer antenna window extends at least partially along the curved portion and ends proximate to the substantially flat portion.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the polymer antenna window and the metal component cooperate to define a smooth continuous surface.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the metal component is a machined billet of aluminum material; and
the metal component defines a speaker grill formed along one of the at least three sidewalls.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein:
the sidewall defines a curved exterior surface of the electronic device; and
the speaker grill is defined along the curved exterior surface.

7. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein:
the metal component defines the opening; and
the display is positioned at least partially within the opening.

8. An electronic device comprising:
a housing comprising:
a metal component defining:
a first portion of an external surface of the housing; and
a ledge that extends around an opening in the housing, the ledge having a thinned portion having a width that is reduced with respect to an adjacent portion of the ledge; and

a dielectric component defining a second portion of the external surface of the housing;

a cover attached to the ledge of the housing;
a display positioned below the cover;
a mute button; and
an antenna positioned below the dielectric component and configured to transmit wireless communication signals through the dielectric component wherein:
the thinned portion at least partially defines a cavity within the housing; and
the mute button is positioned within the cavity.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein:
the metal component defines a flat region along a bottom of the housing;
the metal component defines a set of sidewalls that extends from the bottom of the housing; and
the dielectric component is positioned within an opening defined in a sidewall of the set of sidewalls.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the dielectric component defines at least a portion of a curved portion of the sidewall and extends to the bottom of the housing.

11. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein
the electronic device further comprises an electronic component positioned along the thinned portion.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the electronic component is part of a switch that extends at least partially through a switch opening defined in a sidewall of the housing.

13. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein:
the cover is formed from a glass sheet;
a trim bead is positioned between an outer edge of the glass sheet and the housing; and
the trim bead is formed from a polymer material.

14. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein:
the metal component defines a set of sidewalls, each sidewall defining a curved surface that extends from a flat region along a back of the housing;
the metal component defines an audio port that extends through a sidewall of the set of sidewalls; and
the audio port is positioned along the curved surface of the sidewall.

15. An electronic device comprising:
a housing comprising a metal component comprising:
a set of sidewalls defining an opening; and
a ledge surrounding the opening and defining a thinned region and a non-thinned region, the thinned region having a width that is narrower than the non-thinned region, the thinned region defining a recess;

a cover attached to the ledge of the housing;
a display positioned below the cover;
a polymer antenna window;
an antenna positioned below the polymer antenna window; and
a speaker positioned within the housing, at least partially within the recess, and proximate to the thinned region of the ledge.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , further comprising a speaker port extending through the housing to the speaker.

17. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein:
the metal component defines a first portion of an exterior surface of the housing; and
the polymer antenna window defines a second portion of the exterior surface of the housing.

18. The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein:
the polymer antenna window defines at least a portion of a sidewall of the housing; and
the metal component and the polymer antenna window cooperate to define a smooth continuous surface.

19. An electronic device comprising:
a housing comprising a metal component comprising:
a set of sidewalls defining an opening; and
a ledge surrounding the opening and defining a thinned region and a non-thinned region, the thinned region having a width that is narrower than the non-thinned region;

a cover attached to the ledge of the housing;
a display positioned below the cover;
a polymer antenna window;
an antenna positioned below the polymer antenna window; and
an electronic component positioned within the housing and proximate to the thinned region of the ledge; wherein:
the thinned region at least partially defines a cavity within the housing;
the electronic component is a switch that is positioned within the cavity; and
the switch extends at least partially through a switch opening defined in a sidewall of the set of sidewalls.

20. An electronic device comprising:
a housing comprising a metal component comprising:
a set of sidewalls defining an opening; and
a ledge surrounding the opening and defining a thinned region and a non-thinned region, the thinned region having a width that is narrower than the non-thinned region;

a cover attached to the ledge of the housing;
a display positioned below the cover;
a polymer antenna window;
an antenna positioned below the polymer antenna window; and
an electronic component positioned within the housing and proximate to the thinned region of the ledge; wherein:
the thinned region at least partially defines a cavity within the housing; and
the electronic component is a mute button that is positioned within the cavity.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Mcclure Stephen R
• Corbin Sean S
• Ternus John P
• Gibbs Kevin D
• Franklin Jeremy C
• Kibiti Elvis M
• Raff John
• Henry Jules B
• Rappoport Benjamin
• Wright Derek W
• Uttermann Erik A
• Yu Ming
• Peterson Carl R

Classifications

• G06F1/1633 Primary

  Constructional details or arrangements of portable computers not specific to the type of enclosures covered by groups G06F1/1615 - G06F1/1626 · CPC title

• Y10T29/49002

  Electrical device making · CPC title

• G06F1/1626 Primary

  with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs] · CPC title

• H01Q1/243

  with built-in antennas · CPC title

• G06F1/1628

  Enclosures for carrying portable computers with peripheral devices, e.g. cases for a laptop and a printer · CPC title