Logo features of a portable computer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9989992-B2
Application number	US-201514832976-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2015
Priority date	Jan 16, 2015
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

An enclosure for a portable computing device is disclosed. The enclosure includes an indicium (e.g., logo) positioned in an opening extending partially through the enclosure. The enclosure includes multiple material removal processes. First, a tool (e.g., laser ablation tool) can be used to ablate the opening defining an ablation having a shape or profile similar to that of the indicium. A second material removal process can remove a region within the ablation to define an indicium support. The second material removal process may be performed by a CNC cutting tool capable of forming the indicium support to a desired precision. As a result, when the indicium is secured with the indicium support, the indicium includes a desired flatness that prevents an undesired reflectivity. In order to ensure the indicium properly fits in the opening, a third material removal process may be performed to define an indention region around the opening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An enclosure of a portable computing device, comprising:
a substrate including an exterior region and an opening extending partially through the substrate to define a blind hole;
an indicium support disposed in the blind hole at a first depth measured from the exterior region to a top surface of the indicium support;
a relief section in the blind hole, the relief section extending around the indicium support and disposed at a second depth measured from the exterior region to a surface of the relief section, the second depth greater than the first depth; and
an indicium received within the blind hole and overlapping the relief section to define an air gap below the indicium.

2. The enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the indicium is adhesively secured with the indicium support.

3. The enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the indicium support includes a size and a shape such that the indicium is co-planar with respect to the exterior region of the substrate.

4. The enclosure of claim 1 , wherein:
the blind hole is at least partially defined by a sidewall extending from the exterior region to the surface of the relief section and having an indention region formed therein.

5. The enclosure of claim 4 , wherein the relief section includes a darkened region on the surface of the relief section, wherein the darkened region extends partially into the indention region.

6. The enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a tapered region.

7. A method for incorporating an indicium within a substrate used for an enclosure of a portable computing device, the method comprising:
forming a blind hole that extends partially through the substrate and having a size and shape in accordance with the indicium, the blind hole formed by removing a first amount of the substrate to a first depth and by removing a second amount of the substrate to form a relief section to a second depth greater than the first depth, wherein:
the relief section defines an indicium support configured to support the indicium; and
a portion of the indicium overlaps the relief section to define an air filled space between the portion of the indicium and the relief section.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising means for forming a darkened region in the relief section such that the relief section includes an appearance darker than an appearance of the substrate.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising adhesively securing the indicium to the indicium support.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the means for forming the darkened region is selected from a group consisting of burning a surface of the relief section, applying an ink to the surface of the relief section, and applying a paint to the surface of the relief section.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein when the indicium is adhesively secured with the indicium support, the first depth allows the indicium received by the indicium support to be co-planar with respect to an exterior region of the substrate.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising forming an indention region in the blind hole proximate to the relief section.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein forming the blind hole comprises cutting the substrate along the indicium support in a circular path from an outer region of the indicium support to a central region of the indicium support.

14. A housing for carrying an operational component of a portable computing device, the housing comprising:
an exterior region having a surface;
a recessed portion that extends partially through the housing, the recessed portion comprising a terminus surface and a wall extending from the terminus surface and into a cavity defined by the recessed portion, the wall defining a size and shape of a support structure, the wall further comprising an edge that defines a size and shape of a support surface of the support structure such that the support surface is approximately parallel to the surface of the exterior region; and
a generally flat object positioned in the recessed portion and supported by the support structure such that a portion of the object extends beyond the edge to define an air clap between a bottom surface of the object and the recessed portion.

15. The housing of claim 14 , wherein the wall and the terminus surface define a relief section that assures that a viewable surface of the object secured to the support structure at the support surface is generally co-planar with the exterior region.

16. The housing of claim 15 , wherein when a lateral dimension of the object is greater than that of the support structure, the relief section allows the portion of the object to extend past the support structure without interference thereby (i) maintaining co-planarity of the object with respect to the support surface and (ii) maintaining the viewable surface of the object parallel with the exterior region.

17. The housing of claim 14 , wherein the support surface is formed using an additive manufacturing process by depositing material at the terminus surface or formed by attaching a pre-formed support structure at the terminus surface.

18. The housing of claim 14 , further comprising a second wall extending from the terminus surface having a corresponding edge that defines a boundary between the exterior region and the recessed portion.

19. The housing of claim 18 , wherein a contour of the object defines a size and shape of the corresponding edge.

20. The housing of claim 14 , wherein an exterior surface of the generally flat object is substantially coplanar with the surface of the exterior region.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Farahani Houtan R
• Wu Hsinhan
• Corbet Lindsay D
• Kwan Hilbert T
• Spriggs Katherine
• Tan You Fu

Classifications

• G09F7/16 Primary

  Letters, numerals, or other symbols adapted for permanent fixing to a support · CPC title

• G06F1/1613 Primary

  for portable computers (cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202) · CPC title

• G06F1/1616

  with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position · CPC title