Ejectable component assemblies in electronic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9648744-B2
Application number	US-201213610701-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2012
Priority date	Jul 24, 2012
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

Electronic devices are provided with ejectable component assemblies. Each ejectable component assembly may include a tray that can be loaded with one or more types of removable module, such as a mini-SIM card and a micro-SIM card, and inserted into the device. Each assembly may also include a cover coupled to a circuit board. The tray may be inserted through an opening in the electronic device and into a space between the cover and the circuit board. A portion of the space is contained within the pocket. A portion of the tray may be contained within the pocket when the tray is inserted into the device for holding the module at a functional insertion position within the device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing comprising an opening;
a tray inserted into the opening of the housing and configured to hold a removable electronic card;
a circuit board within the housing and comprising:
a top surface;
a bottom surface;
a pocket recessed into the top surface toward the bottom surface and forming a flat middle surface that is open with respect to the top surface;
a set of electrical signal pins coupled to the middle surface; and
one or more openings in the pocket extending through the circuit board and configured to receive a portion of the set of signal pins;

a cover comprising a flat top portion extending across the pocket;
wherein

the pocket and flat top portion together define a receiving assembly that is sized to receive and hold the tray and the removable electronic card held within the tray; and
the flat top portion is substantially parallel to the flat middle surface.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the cover is directly coupled to the middle surface of the pocket.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the removable electronic card module is one of:
a subscriber identity module card and a memory card.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the removable electronic card is inserted into the tray that is inserted through the opening and into the receiving assembly defined between the pocket and the cover.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a detect mechanism directly coupled to the circuit board, wherein the detect mechanism is configured to detect when the removable electronic card module is inserted into the receiving assembly.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising an electrical pin extending from the pocket and configured to communicate with the removable electronic card module when the removable electronic card module is inserted into the receiving assembly.

7. A circuit board comprising:
a top surface;
a bottom surface; and
a flat middle surface parallel to the top surface and comprising a right edge and a left edge, the middle surface positioned between the top surface and the bottom surface and defining a portion of a receiving volume defined between the top surface and the middle surface and defining a portion of a coupling element recess;
a cover coupled to the circuit board, the cover extending across the middle surface from the right edge to the left edge and comprising:
a flat top portion that is parallel to the top surface and parallel to the middle surface;
a first leg extending from the flat top portion and coupled to a portion of the coupling element recess; and
a second leg extending from the flat top portion and coupled to the top surface; wherein

the circuit board is configured to receive, within the receiving volume, at least a lower portion of a tray configured to hold a subscriber identity module.

8. The circuit board of claim 7 , wherein the middle surface is configured to be directly coupled to a first portion of the cover for holding at least a second portion of the subscriber identity module between a portion of the cover and the middle surface.

9. The circuit board of claim 7 , wherein the top surface is configured to be directly coupled to a second portion of the cover.

10. The circuit board of claim 7 , wherein the top surface is configured to be directly coupled to a detect mechanism for detecting when the tray is received within the receiving volume.

11. The circuit board of claim 7 , wherein the middle surface is configured to be directly coupled to a signal pin for communicating with the subscriber identity module when the tray is received within the receiving volume.

12. A method comprising:
forming an open face recess through a top surface of a circuit board for exposing a planar middle surface of the circuit board positioned between the top surface and a bottom surface of the circuit board, the open face recess defining at least a portion of a tray receiving volume and at least a portion of a coupling element volume;
coupling a set of electrical pins to the planar middle surface;
forming one or more openings in the middle surface extending through the circuit board and configured to receive a portion of the set of signal pins; and
coupling a cover to the circuit board over the open face and substantially parallel to the substantially planar middle surface such that the tray receiving volume has a rectangular cross-section, the tray receiving volume being defined between the planar top surface of the cover and the middle surface of the circuit board, wherein the tray receiving volume is sized to receive a tray configured to hold a removable electronic card module.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the coupling comprises directly coupling a first portion of the cover to the middle surface of the circuit board.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the directly coupling comprises soldering the first portion of the cover to the middle surface of the circuit board.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the coupling comprises directly coupling a second portion of the cover to the top surface of the circuit board.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising coupling a signal pin to the middle surface of the circuit board for communicating with the removable module when the removable module is received by the volume.

17. The circuit board of claim 7 , wherein the cover further comprises a biasing mechanism configured to retain the tray within the coupling element recess.

Assignees

• Wittenberg Michael B
• Christophy Miguel C
• Malek Shayan
• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Wittenberg Michael B
• Christophy Miguel C
• Malek Shayan

Classifications

• H05K1/183

  associated with components mounted in and supported by recessed areas of the PCBs · CPC title

• G06K13/0825 Primary

  the ejection arrangement being of the push-push kind · CPC title

• H05K1/117

  Pads along the edge of rigid circuit boards, e.g. for pluggable connectors · CPC title

• H05K2201/09063

  Holes or slots in insulating substrate not used for electrical connections · CPC title

• Y10T29/4913

  Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc. · CPC title