Injection mold with multi-axial core inserts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9694526-B2
Application number	US-201314038176-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

Systems and methods of providing a tooling system for forming a unitary housing are disclosed herein. One embodiment may utilize a plurality of injection cavity slides. The slides may form the interior cavity of the housing. Utilizing a plurality of injection cavity slides to form a single cavity insert may allow the slides to be remove from an opening in the housing which is smaller than the cavity of the housing. Removing the slides from housing allows for the formation of housing having a unitary structure.

First claim

We claim:

1. A housing for electronic components, the housing comprising:
a body having a major interior surface that defines an interior cavity and a major exterior surface comprising at least first and second intersecting surfaces;
a major aperture formed in the body and extending from the interior cavity through the major interior surface and major exterior surface, wherein the major aperture passes through a portion of the first surface and the second surface but not the entirety of the first surface and the second surface and wherein the interior cavity is dimensionally larger than the major aperture such that a largest cross-section of the interior cavity is larger than a largest cross-section of the major aperture;
a receiving lip formed around a perimeter of the major aperture;
a retention cap having first and second exterior cap surfaces that intersect at an elbow of the retention cap, wherein the retention cap is coupled to the receiving lip such that the first and second exterior cap surfaces are flush with the first and second surfaces of the body, respectively, and wherein the retention cap includes a protrusion that extends outward from the first exterior cap surface and a minor aperture that extends through the second exterior cap surface to the interior cavity; and
wherein the housing body is of a single, unitary construction formed of a rigid material of substantially uniform thickness that defines the entirety of the major exterior surface such that the major exterior surface does not include any seams.

2. The housing of claim 1 wherein the body includes at least one interior surface feature configured to couple to electronic components.

3. The housing of claim 1 , wherein the major aperture additionally passes through a portion of a third surface and a fourth surface.

4. The housing of claim 3 , wherein the major aperture comprises a substantially L-shaped cross section.

5. The housing of claim 3 , wherein the first surface is orthogonal to the second surface, the third surface and the forth surface; wherein the second surface is orthogonal to the third surface and the forth surface; wherein the third surface and the fourth surface are parallel to one another.

6. The housing of claim 5 , wherein the first surface, the second surface, the third surface and the fourth surface are all contiguous and have no separate surfaces mechanically attached to form any of the first surface, the second surface, the third surface and the forth surface.

7. The electronic device housing set forth in claim 1 wherein major exterior surface of the body includes first and second opposing faces each of which is shaped as a concave hexagon having all right angles with at least some rounded corners.

8. A housing, comprising:
an injection-molded body defining an interior cavity therein, the injection molded body having a major exterior surface comprising at least first surface and second intersecting surfaces; and
a major aperture passing through the injection-molded body and opening to the interior cavity;

a receiving lip formed around a perimeter of the major aperture;
a retention cap having first and second exterior cap surfaces that intersect at an elbow of the retention cap, wherein the retention cap is coupled to the receiving lip such that the first and second exterior cap surfaces are flush with the first and second surfaces of the body, respectively, and wherein the retention cap includes a protrusion that extends outward from the first exterior cap surface and a minor aperture that extends through the second exterior cap surface to the interior cavity;
wherein the interior cavity is dimensionally larger than the major aperture such that a largest cross-section of the interior cavity is larger than a largest cross-section of the aperture; and
the injection-molded body is of a unitary construction that does not include any seams along the major exterior surface.

9. The housing of claim 8 , wherein the injection-molded body lacks a seam.

10. The housing of claim 8 , wherein:
the injection-molded body defines at least a pair of sidewalls adjacent one another; and
the aperture passes through the at least a pair of sidewalls.

11. The electronic device housing set forth in claim 8 wherein major exterior surface of the body includes first and second opposing faces each of which is shaped as a concave hexagon having all right angles with at least some rounded corners.

12. An electronic device housing comprising:
a seamless body having a major exterior surface and a major interior surface that combine to define a plurality of walls which in turn define an interior volume, wherein the plurality of walls includes first and second opposing faces and a sidewall extending between the first and second opposing faces along a perimeter of the seamless body, the sidewall including first, second, third and fourth sidewall faces where the first and second sidewall faces meet at a first corner, the second and third sidewall faces meet at a second corner and the third and fourth sidewall faces meet at a third corner in a catercorner position to the first corner;
a major aperture formed at a corner of the seamless body catercorner to the second corner and opening to the interior volume, the major aperture formed between the first and second opposing faces and between the first and fourth sidewall segments, and the major aperture having a cross-sectional dimension between the first and fourth sidewall segments that is less than a cross-sectional dimension of the interior volume between the first and third corners;
a receiving lip formed around a perimeter of the major aperture; and
a retention cap having first and second exterior cap surfaces that intersect at an elbow of the retention cap, wherein the retention cap is coupled to the receiving lip such that the first and second exterior cap surfaces are flush with the first and fourth sidewall segments of the body, respectively.

13. The electronic device housing set forth in claim 12 further comprising a first electronic module comprising a plurality of electronic components, the first electronic module having a length that is substantially equal to a interior dimension of the internal cavity, a width that is substantially equal to the cross-sectional dimension of the major aperture between the third and fourth sidewall segments, and rounded corners that enable the first electronic module to be inserted through the aperture into the internal cavity and then rotated into a final position.

14. The electronic device housing set forth in claim 13 further comprising a second electronic module coupled to the first electronic component.

15. The electronic device housing set forth in claim 12 wherein the first, second and third corners are each rounded.

16. The electronic device housing set forth in claim 15 wherein each of the first and second opposing faces is shaped as a concave hexagon having all right angles.

17. The electronic device housing set forth in claim 16 wherein the retention cap includes a protrusion that extends outward from the first exterior cap surface and a minor aperture that extends through the second exterior cap surface to the interior volume.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Villarreal Cesar Lozano
• Langlois Richard J
• Kwan Alexander
• Keane Ciaran
• Dolci Dominic E
• Goh Chiew-Siang
• Berg Bruce E

Classifications

• B29C45/2628

  with mould parts forming holes in or through the moulded article, e.g. for bearing cages · CPC title

• H01R31/065

  with built-in electric apparatus · CPC title

• B29C45/4421 Primary

  using expansible or collapsible cores · CPC title

• H05K5/0278 Primary

  of USB type (details relating to connectors H01R27/00) · CPC title

• B29C45/376 Primary

  adjustable (B29C45/374 takes precedence) · CPC title