Electronic device with seamless fabric assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9894428-B1
Application number	US-201514869917-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 29, 2015
Priority date	May 22, 2015
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

A portable audio input/output device may include an assembly enclosure that contains electrical and mechanical components of the device. A substantially cylindrical frame may encircle the assembly enclosure and may be surrounded by a tube of seamless material. A top end of the tube of seamless material may fold over a top end of the substantially cylindrical frame, and a bottom end of the tube of seamless material may fold over a bottom end of the substantially cylindrical frame. A cover assembly may couple to a top end of the assembly enclosure and secure the top end of the seamless fabric. A charging foot may be coupled to a bottom end of the assembly enclosure and secure the bottom end of the seamless fabric.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable audio input/output device, comprising:
a housing comprising:
an assembly enclosure including electronics of the portable audio input/output device;
a substantially cylindrical frame encircling the assembly enclosure, the substantially cylindrical frame being open at a first end and a second end; and
a seamless tube of fabric encircling the substantially cylindrical frame and having a first open end wrapped over a first rim of the first end of the substantially cylindrical frame and a second open end wrapped over a second rim of the second end of the substantially cylindrical frame;

a cover assembly coupled to a first end of the assembly enclosure such that the first open end of the seamless tube of fabric is compressed between the cover assembly and the first rim of the substantially cylindrical frame; and
a charging foot coupled to a second end of the assembly enclosure such that the second open end of the seamless tube of fabric is compressed between the charging foot and the second end of the assembly enclosure.

2. The portable audio input/output device of claim 1 , wherein the cover assembly comprises:
a cover coupled to the first end of the assembly enclosure such that the first open end of the seamless tube of fabric is compressed between a cap of the cover assembly and the first rim of the substantially cylindrical frame;
the cap coupled to a top of the cover and having one or more user interface controls; and
a PCB navigation component coupled to a bottom of the cover.

3. The portable audio input/output device of claim 1 , wherein the seamless tube of fabric comprises a seamless knitted fabric.

4. The portable audio input/output device of claim 1 , wherein the charging foot comprises:
a substantially circular structure comprising non-conductive material;
a circular electrical contact disposed in a center of the substantially circular structure comprising conductive material; and
an outer contact ring comprising conductive material and substantially surrounding the circular electrical contact, a portion of the substantially circular structure being disposed between and electrically isolating the circular electrical contact and the outer contact ring.

5. A method of assembling an electronic device, the method comprising:
sliding a seamless tube of material over a substantially cylindrical frame, the substantially cylindrical frame having a first end and a second end;
wrapping first open end of the seamless tube of material around a first rim of the first end of the substantially cylindrical frame, and wrapping a second open end of the seamless tube of material around a second rim of the second end of the substantially cylindrical frame, the first rim and the second rim being disposed at opposite ends of the substantially cylindrical frame;
sliding the substantially cylindrical frame over an assembly enclosure that houses one or more electrical components of the electronic device;
attaching a cover assembly to a top of the enclosure assembly to compress the first open end of the seamless tube of material between the cover assembly and the first rim of the substantially cylindrical frame; and
attaching a charging foot to a bottom of the enclosure assembly to compress the second open end of the seamless tube of material between the charging foot and the bottom of the enclosure assembly.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
fixing a first side of a doubled-sided adhesive to the bottom of the assembly enclosure; and
pressing the second open end of the seamless tube of material to a second side of the double-sided adhesive.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
fixing a first side of a double-sided adhesive to the top of the assembly enclosure; and
pressing the first open end of the seamless tube of material to a second side of the double-sided adhesive.

8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
folding a portion of the seamless tube of material into a hole disposed in a sidewall of the substantially cylindrical frame; and
coupling the portion of the seamless tube of material to an interior of the substantially cylindrical frame.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising installing an input/output module in the hole in the substantially cylindrical frame to acoustically seal the electronic device.

10. A system comprising:
a portable audio input/output device, comprising:
an assembly enclosure holding electronics of the portable audio input/output device; and
a substantially cylindrical frame encircling the assembly enclosure, the substantially cylindrical frame being open at a first end and a second end; and
a seamless tube of material encircling at least a portion of the substantially cylindrical frame, the seamless tube of material being open at a first end and a second end and having a first open end wrapped over a first rim of the first end of the substantially cylindrical frame and a second open end wrapped over a second rim of the second end of the substantially cylindrical frame.

11. The system of claim 10 , the portable audio input/output device further comprising a cover assembly coupled to a first end of the assembly enclosure such that the first open end of the seamless tube is compressed between the cover assembly and the first rim of the first end of the substantially cylindrical frame.

12. The system of claim 10 , the portable audio input/output device further comprising a charging foot coupled to a second end of the assembly enclosure such that the second open end of the seamless tube is compressed between the charging foot and the assembly enclosure.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the charging foot comprises:
an inner electrical contact and an outer electrical contact ring, the outer electrical contact ring at least partially encircling the inner electrical contact; and
a substantially circular structure serving as a base of the charging foot, at least a portion of the substantially circular structure being disposed between the inner electrical contact and the outer electrical contact ring, the substantially circular structure comprising a non-electrically-conductive material.

14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising:
a charging station sized to receive the charging foot and having a first electrically conductive contact and a second electrically conductive contact positioned such that, when the charging foot is placed in the charging station, the first electrically conductive contact aligns with the inner electrical contact and the second electrically conduct contact aligns with the outer electrical contact ring.

15. The system of claim 13 , the portable audio input/output device further comprising:
a battery and internal circuitry housed within the assembly enclosure; and
electrically-conductive material that electrically connects the inner electrical contact and the outer electrical contact ring to at least one of the battery or the internal circuitry.

16. The system of claim 10 , the portable audio input/output device further comprising:
a hole in a sidewall of the substantially cylindrical frame;
a hole in the seamless tube of material corresponding to the hole in the sidewall of the substantially cylindrical frame, a portion of the seamless tube of material being folded into the hole in the sidewall of the substantially cylindrical frame and fixed to an interior of the substantially cylindrical frame by an adhesive; and
a module installed in the hole in the sidewall of the substantially cylindrical frame.

17. The system of claim

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Chamberlin Christopher Mann
• Kuo Chia Hung
• Beatty Jacob William
• Whyte Duane Everard
• Santos Adrian Roy Ramiscal
• David Tony
• Chua Albert John Yu Sam

Classifications

• H02J7/70

  characterised by the mechanical construction · CPC title

• H02J7/00

  Circuit arrangements for charging or discharging batteries or for supplying loads from batteries · CPC title

• H05K2201/053

  Tails · CPC title

• H05K1/0272

  Adaptations for fluid transport, e.g. channels, holes · CPC title

• H05K2201/09063

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