Treatment of substrate sub-surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9710023-B2
Application number	US-201514834315-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2015
Priority date	Jan 9, 2015
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

Perforated structures and methods for forming perforated structures are disclosed. The perforated structures include partial holes or blind-holes that pass partially through the substrate. The partial holes can be positioned proximate to through-holes that pass entirely through the substrate. The partial holes add mechanical strength to the perforated substrate. Described are methods for modifying the optical appearance of the partial holes such that the partial holes appear indistinguishable from the through-holes, which allows for flexibility in designing cosmetically appealing patterns within the perforated structures.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A housing for an electronic device, the housing comprising:
a wall defining an internal cavity and having a perforated region at an exterior surface of the wall, the perforated region comprising:
a through-hole having a through-hole opening at the exterior surface, the through-hole connecting the through-hole opening to the internal cavity, and a blind-hole having a blind-hole opening at the exterior surface, the blind-hole formed partially through the wall and terminating at a terminal surface opposite the blind-hole opening, the terminal surface having a coating that absorbs light passing through the blind-hole opening and incident upon the coating.

2. The housing of claim 1 , wherein light incident upon the through-hole opening passes through the through-hole and into the internal cavity such that substantially no light reflects back through the through-hole resulting in the through-hole opening having a darkened appearance with respect to the exterior surface, wherein substantially no light incident upon the coating reflects back through the blind-hole such that the blind-hole opening is perceived as having the darkened appearance of the through-hole opening.

3. The housing of claim 1 , wherein the housing is comprised of a metal material having a metallic color, wherein the blind-hole opening is perceived as having a darker color than the metallic color.

4. The housing of claim 1 , wherein the through-hole provides access to a speaker housed within the internal cavity, the through-hole allowing sound from the speaker to pass therethrough.

5. The housing of claim 1 , wherein the coating comprises black ink.

6. The housing of claim 1 , wherein the coating comprises multiple ink layers, wherein one of the multiple ink layers is a protective layer deposited on at least one layer of black ink.

7. The housing of claim 6 , wherein the protective layer prevents loss of the black ink from the blind-hole.

8. The housing of claim 1 , wherein the through-hole opening has the same diameter as the blind-hole opening.

9. The housing of claim 8 , wherein the diameter is about 0.5 mm or less.

10. The housing of claim 1 , wherein the perforated region includes a number of blind-holes and a number of through-holes, the blind-holes and through-holes arranged approximately equidistantly with respect to each other.

11. The housing of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is a portable computing device, tablet computer, desktop computer or mobile phone.

12. A method of forming a perforated structure, the method comprising:
forming through-holes within a substrate having a first surface and an opposing second surface, the through-holes formed through the first surface and the second surface;
forming blind-holes within the substrate, the blind-holes formed through the first surface and not through the second surface such that the blind-holes have terminal surfaces; and
camouflaging the blind-holes to appear as through-holes by darkening the terminal surfaces of the blind-holes.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein camouflaging the blind-holes includes depositing an ink coating on the terminal surfaces.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein depositing the ink coating includes depositing multiple layers of ink.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
depositing a protective layer on the ink coating, the protective layer preventing loss of the ink coating from the blind-holes.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein depositing the ink coating comprises:
selectively depositing the ink coating within the blind-holes without substantially depositing the ink coating on the first surface.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein depositing the ink coating comprises:
depositing the ink within the blind-holes and on the first surface; and
after the depositing, cleaning the first surface.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein darkening the terminal surfaces of the blind-holes comprises:
masking the first surface of the substrate, and
depositing an ink coating on at least the terminal surfaces of the blind-holes.

19. A perforated structure, comprising:
a substrate having a first surface and opposing second surface, the substrate comprising:
a number of through-holes formed through the first surface and the second surface, and a number of partial holes formed through the first surface and not through the second surface such that inner walls define the partial holes,

wherein the inner walls have an ink coating that imparts a dark appearance to the partial holes.

20. The perforated structure of claim 19 , wherein the partial holes further include a protective layer formed on the ink coating that prevents loss of the ink coating from the partial holes.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Shi Ming Kun
• Mettler Jason O
• Kwan Hilbert T
• Bruni Christopher
• Tian Qi
• Zhang Jing
• Bujtor Howard E
• Jayanathan Stephen V
• Farahani Houtan R

Classifications

• 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

• G06F1/1688

  the I/O peripheral being integrated loudspeakers · CPC title