Housing for portable electronic device with reduced border region

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9778685-B2
Application number	US-201113246707-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2011
Priority date	May 4, 2011
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

An electronic device having a housing structure that is configured to receive at least one glass cover is disclosed. The glass cover serves to cover a display assembly provided within the electronic device. The glass cover can be secured to the housing structure so as to facilitate providing a narrow border between an active display area and an outer edge of the housing structure. The enclosure for the electronic device can be thin yet be sufficiently strong to be suitable for use in electronic devices, such as portable electronic devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:
an electronic device housing including a bottom surface and side surfaces;
a glass cover for a top surface for the electronic device housing, the glass cover also having a bottom surface;
a display screen assembly having a top surface and a bottom surface, the display screen assembly being provided internal to the electronic device housing, and the top surface of the display screen assembly being secured to a bottom surface of the glass cover; and
at least one peripheral internal support structure secured to a peripheral region of the bottom surface of the glass cover, and secured to the electronic device housing, and wherein the bottom surface of the display screen assembly is not in contact with a support structure.

2. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one peripheral internal support structure is secured to at least one of the side surfaces of the electronic device housing.

3. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 2 , wherein the at least one peripheral internal support structure comprises at least one rail.

4. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the display screen assembly comprises a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) layer.

5. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of a periphery of the glass cover is secured to the at least one peripheral internal support structure with an adhesive.

6. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the portable electronic device comprises:
at least one surface support structure secured within the electronic device housing such that the at least one surface support structure is adjacent the bottom surface of the display screen assembly.

7. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 6 , wherein the at least one surface support structure comprises a frame.

8. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 6 , wherein the at least one surface support structure provides rigidity to the electronic device housing.

9. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 6 , wherein the at least one peripheral internal support structure and the at least one surface support structure are metal.

10. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 6 , wherein a thickness of each of the at least one peripheral internal support structure and the at least one surface support structure is about 0.1-0.6 mm thick.

11. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 10 , wherein the at least one peripheral internal support structure and the at least one surface support structure are formed from stainless steel.

12. A method for assembling an electronic device having a product housing, the method comprising:
obtaining a glass cover having a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface providing an outer surface for substantially all of at least one surface of the electronic device;
attaching a top surface of a display screen assembly to the bottom surface of the glass cover;
attaching at least one peripheral support structure to a peripheral region of a bottom surface of the glass cover, wherein the glass cover, the display screen assembly and the at least one peripheral support structure forms a resulting display assembly; and
thereafter securing the resulting display assembly to the product housing using the at least one peripheral support structure, wherein the bottom surface of the display screen assembly is not in contact with a support structure.

13. The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises:
attaching at least one surface support structure to the at least one peripheral support structure such that the at least one surface support structure is adjacent but not against the bottom surface of the display screen assembly.

14. The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein the at least one peripheral support structure includes or couples to a surface support structure that is adjacent and extends across the bottom surface of the display screen assembly.

15. The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein the at least one peripheral support structure is attached to the peripheral region of the bottom surface of the glass cover such that the at least one peripheral support structure is within a periphery of the glass cover.

16. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the display screen assembly comprises a touch screen assembly, the touch screen assembly having technology layers that include at least a first technology layer and a second technology layer.

17. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 16 , wherein the first technology layer is a display technology layer and the second technology layer is sensing layer.

18. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 17 , wherein the display technology layer is an LCD panel.

19. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 18 , wherein the display screen assembly further comprises a back light component.

20. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 7 , wherein a separation gap is between the frame and the bottom surface of the display screen assembly.

21. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1 , further comprising an additional peripheral internal support structure and wherein the additional peripheral internal support structures comprise a pair of rails secured at opposite sides of the peripheral region of the glass cover.

22. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one peripheral internal support structure is secured to the electronic device housing and is configured to secure the glass cover and the display screen assembly to the electronic device housing.

Assignees

• Sanford Emery A
• Rothkopf Fletcher R
• Lynch Stephen B
• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Sanford Emery A
• Rothkopf Fletcher R
• Lynch Stephen B

Classifications

• H04L25/4902

  Pulse width modulation; Pulse position modulation · CPC title

• G06F1/1626 Primary

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

• Y10T29/49002

  Electrical device making · CPC title

• G06F1/1637

  Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing · CPC title

• H04B3/54

  Systems for transmission via power distribution lines · CPC title