Components of an electronic device and methods for their assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9578769-B2
Application number	US-201213610782-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2012
Priority date	May 29, 2012
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

Various components of an electronic device housing and methods for their assembly are disclosed. The housing can be formed by assembling and connecting two or more different sections together. The sections of the housing may be coupled together using one or more coupling members. The coupling members may be formed using a two-shot molding process in which the first shot forms a structural portion of the coupling members, and the second shot forms cosmetic portions of the coupling members.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing that carries a first antenna assembly at a first end of the housing and a second antenna assembly at a second end of the housing, the second end being opposite the first end,
wherein each of the first antenna assembly and the second antenna assembly includes:
an antenna, and
a cover plate coupled to the housing and proximate to the antenna, the cover plate being transparent at frequencies used by the antenna for wireless communication and being opaque to light at visible frequencies, and wherein an area defined by a backside of the housing is greater than a total area defined by each cover plate, and
wherein an outer surface of each cover plate is coplanar with the backside of the housing.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein each cover plate comprises one of pigmented glass, ceramic glass, and sapphire.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a cover glass on a front side of the electronic device, wherein the cover glass comprises 50% to 100% of a surface area of the front side.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion the housing is made from a metallic material.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the frequencies used by each antenna for wireless communication are from about 500-6500 MHz.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein each cover plate is coupled to the housing such that a planar outer surface of the cover plate is flush with a planar outer surface region of the housing, and wherein the planar outer surfaces of both cover plates and the planar outer surface region of the housing combine to form a smooth and continuous outer surface of the electronic device.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein each cover plate is coupled to the housing by way of a cured adhesive.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises multiple separate sections, and wherein each cover plate is coupled to a plurality of the multiple separate sections.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the housing defines a first side, a second side, and four sidewalls therebetween, and wherein each cover plate contacts at least three of the four sidewalls.

10. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the housing being suitable for carrying a first antenna and a second antenna, the housing comprising:
a first cover plate coupled to the first end of the housing and proximate to the first antenna, wherein the first cover plate defines a plane, and wherein the first cover plate is transparent at frequencies used by the first antenna for wireless communication, and is opaque to light at visible frequencies, and
a second cover plate coupled to the second end of the housing, wherein an exterior surface of the second cover plate is coplanar with an exterior surface of the plane defined by the first cover plate, and wherein the second cover plate is transparent at frequencies used by the second antenna for wireless communication, and opaque to light at visible frequencies, and wherein an area defined by a backside of the housing is greater than a total area defined by the first cover plate and the second cover plate.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the first cover plate is located at a first end of the electronic device and the second cover plate is located at a second end of the electronic device opposite the first end.

Assignees

• Woodhull Charles B
• Pakula David A
• Tan Tang Y
• Weber Douglas Joseph
• Prest Christopher D
• Memering Dale N
• Kiple Bryan P
• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Woodhull Charles B
• Pakula David A
• Tan Tang Y
• Weber Douglas Joseph
• Prest Christopher D
• Memering Dale N
• Kiple Bryan P

Classifications

• H05K5/04 Primary

  Metal casings · CPC title

• H04B1/3827

  Portable transceivers · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title

• Y10T156/1064

  Partial cutting [e.g., grooving or incising] · CPC title

• C25D11/34

  of metals or alloys not provided for in groups C25D11/04 - C25D11/32 · CPC title