Abstract:
The present invention provides a fabricating method for a cover of a portable electronic device. The fabricating method includes the following steps of: (a) providing a chunk of timber laminate having an exterior circumferential surface, a first surface, and a second surface, and forming a recess on the second surface; (b) attaching a supporting component into the recess; and (c) cutting the first surface and the exterior circumferential surface to a preset thickness; wherein the first surface and a portion of the exterior circumferential surface expose different woodgrain patterns. A portable electronic device utilizing the above mentioned fabricating method for a cover is also provided.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a fabricating method for a cover of a portable electronic device, and more particularly, to a fabricating method for a cover of a portable electronic device and the related portable electronic device utilizing the same. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    In the prior art, woodgrain slices are commonly utilized to cover the outside surfaces of components in a slice-veneering manner for forming the woodgrain patterns on the appearance of the components, thereby generating woodgrain products, such as slice-veneered furniture and slice-veneered sound cases. 
         [0005]    However, it is often hard to apply slice-veneering technology to an uneven surface. Besides, woodgrain slices attached to the components often become warped or deformed after a period of time due to aging of adhesives, thereby causing the problem that the slice-veneered components cannot be tightly stuck onto those components made of materials different from the woodgrain slices. Moreover, genuine craft features of timber with a nice and warm feel quite different from a cold metal feel is not feasible using the slice-veneering technology. 
         [0006]    Although solid wood can also be utilized to make covers for components, it may violate the principles of environmental protection because lots of trees should be cut down for supplying sufficient solid wood in mass production. Additionally, most solid wood needs to be processed for softening its fibers, and its shape needs to be processed to fit that of the components by pressing molding technology. The whole process takes lots of time and efforts. 
         [0007]    A bamboo laminate is a large-sized bamboo plate made by gluing small-sized original bamboo plates together along a woodgrain direction. The bamboo laminate thus made cannot be easily deformed or broken, and it has more elasticity and bending strength than original bamboo does. Therefore, the bamboo laminate is a very appropriate material for most and various processing methods. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The present invention discloses a fabricating method for a cover of a portable electronic device, comprising the following steps of: (a) providing a chunk of timber laminate having an exterior circumferential surface, a first surface, and a second surface, and forming a recess on the second surface; (b) attaching a supporting component into the recess; and (c) cutting the first surface and the exterior circumferential surface to a preset thickness; wherein the first surface and a portion of the exterior circumferential surface expose different woodgrain patterns. 
         [0009]    The present invention also discloses a portable electronic device, comprising: a cover having a supporting component; a display unit; and a body having an input unit; wherein the supporting component is disposed between the cover and the display unit, the display unit is electrically connected to the body, and the cover is fabricated by the following steps of: (a) providing a chunk of timber laminate having an exterior circumferential surface, a first surface, and a second surface, and forming a recess on the second surface; (b) attaching the supporting component into the recess; and (c) cutting the first surface and the exterior circumferential surface to a preset thickness; wherein the first surface and a portion of the exterior circumferential surface expose different woodgrain patterns. 
         [0010]    In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the timber laminate is preferably a bamboo laminate, and the portion of the exterior circumferential surface preferably exposes a transectional woodgrain pattern of the timber laminate. Besides, in the fabricating method of the present invention, the step (b) preferably adhesively attaches the supporting component into the recess, and the step (a) preferably forms the recess by milling. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the milling in the step (a) and the cutting in the step (c) are preferably performed by a computer numerical control (CNC) machine. Moreover, the material of the supporting component is not limited. The supporting component can preferably be made of metals, plastic steels, or plastics. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the preset thickness in the step (c) is not limited and can be varied according to the requirements. To achieve lightness, slimness, and sufficient stress resistance of the electronic device, the timber laminate is preferably cut to a thickness between 0.3 mm and 1.5 mm. 
         [0011]    Furthermore, the portable electronic device disclosed in the present invention is not limited. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the portable electronic device is a notebook computer. The appearance of the portable electronic device in the present invention displays the transectional woodgrain pattern of the timber laminate and exposes dot-shaped vessels. The vessels are natural structures contained in the timber laminate. Contrarily, woodgrain slices utilized by slice-veneering technology in the prior art cannot display any natural vessel as described above. Additionally, timber is utilized as one of the materials for the cover of the electronic device in the present invention. Thus, the electronic device can maintain lightness and slimness while the cover can still achieve the purpose of protecting the electronic device. Additionally, in the electronic device of the present invention, the exterior circumferential surface of the timber laminate used as a part of the cover can be cut to form a right angle or have a preset obliquity according to the requirements. With such obliquity, the edges of the cover can be smoother, and the transection of the natural vessels contained in the timber laminate is much clear, thereby displaying craft features of the electronic device. 
         [0012]    In a preferred embodiment of the portable electronic device in the present invention, the cover made of the timber laminate can cover the supporting component properly and completely. Thus, the supporting component cannot be easily seen from the outside. Additionally, in the timber laminate, the portion that is adhesively attached to the supporting component may contain various shapes with different thicknesses. On the appearance of the electronic device, the timber laminate can have different kinds of shapes in accordance with practical requirements. In the electronic device of the present invention, the supporting component can expose specific patterns or words by milling the timber laminate to form various shapes with different thicknesses, thereby upgrading practicability of the electronic device having the cover made by the fabricating method as disclosed above. 
         [0013]    These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating a portable electronic device of the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram illustrating a bamboo laminate of the present invention and a processing step on the bamboo laminate. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram illustrating a supporting component of the present invention and a adhering step for connecting the supporting component to the bamboo laminate. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram illustrating a processing step after the supporting component is connected to the bamboo laminate in the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    An embodiment of a fabricating method for a cover of a portable electronic device in the present invention is described in details as follows. In this embodiment, the portable electronic device is a notebook computer. As shown in  FIGS. 1(A)-1(B) , the notebook computer  100  typically comprises a cover  101 , a display unit  102 , and a body  103 . The cover  101  has a supporting component (as described below), and the body  103  has an input unit (e.g. a keyboard shown in  FIG. 1 ). Additionally, the supporting component is disposed between the cover  101  and the display unit  102 , and the display unit  102  is electrically connected to the body  103 . In this embodiment of the fabricating method, a bamboo laminate is utilized as one of the materials for the cover  101  of the notebook computer  100  in the present invention. 
         [0019]    First, a chunk of bamboo laminate is provided. The bamboo laminate is utilized as one of the materials for the cover  101  of the notebook computer  100 . As shown in  FIG. 2(A) , the bamboo laminate  400  comprises a first surface  401 , a second surface  402 , a first circumferential surface  403 , a second circumferential surface  404 , a third circumferential surface  405 , and a fourth circumferential surface  406 . According to the natural features of the bamboo laminate  400 , the first surface  401 , the second surface  402 , the second circumferential surface  404 , and the fourth circumferential surface  406  display a lengthwise woodgrain pattern of the bamboo laminate  400 . Further, the first circumferential surface  403  and the third circumferential surface  405  display a transectional woodgrain pattern of the bamboo laminate  400  and expose dot-shaped bamboo vessels  501 . The vessels  501  are natural structures contained in the bamboo laminate  400 . Contrarily, woodgrain slices utilized by slice-veneering technology in the prior art cannot display any natural vessel as described above. 
         [0020]    Next, as shown in  FIG. 2(B) , a computer numerical control (CNC) machine  601  is utilized to form a recess  502  on the second surface  402  of the bamboo laminate  400  by milling. In this embodiment, the first circumferential surface  403 , the third circumferential surface  405 , and the fourth circumferential surface  406  of the bamboo laminate  400  are reserved for the recess  502 . Additionally, the second circumferential surface  404  of the bamboo laminate  400  is milled away, thereby providing the space for a connecting hinge which connects an upper cover (including the cover  101  and the display unit  102 ) of the notebook computer  100  to the system body  103 . This is not meant to be a limitation of the present invention, however. 
         [0021]    As shown in  FIGS. 3(A)-3(B) , a supporting component  410  is provided. An inner surface of the recess  502  is covered with an adhesive completely. In this embodiment, the adhesive is a twin adhesive film  603 . Then, the supporting component  410  is adhesively attached into the recess  502 . In this embodiment, a surface  411 , of the supporting component  410 , adhesively attached to the recess  502  has a shape corresponding to that of the inner surface of the recess  502 , so the surface  411  can be tightly and seamlessly attached to the inner surface. The supporting component  410  can supply desired strength to the bamboo laminate  400  thinned by milling. Besides, as shown in a partial enlargement in  FIG. 3(C) , some connecting units  413  can be disposed on an exposed surface  412  of the supporting component  410  for connecting the supporting component  410  to the display unit  102  or other components (not shown in drawings) in future assemblage. 
         [0022]    To improve intensity and tightness in adhesion, the supporting component  410  and the recess  502  adhesively attached together can be pressurized for some duration at this point. In this embodiment, a mold can be applied to the exposed surface  412  of the supporting component  410 , and thus some pressure can be applied from above of the mold or from above of the bamboo laminate  400 , thereby effectively eliminating undesired bubbles occurring in the twin adhesive film  603  and further improving intensity and tightness in adhesion. 
         [0023]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , a mold  602  is applied to the exposed surface  412  of the supporting component  410  as a supporter for the whole bamboo laminate  400 . Then, the CNC machine  601  is utilized to mill the bamboo laminate  400  from the first surface  401 . Additionally, the first surface  401 , the first circumferential surface  403 , the third circumferential surface  405 , and the fourth circumferential surface  406  of the bamboo laminate  400  are all mill to a preset thickness, for example, between 0.3 mm and 1.5 mm. In this embodiment, the preset thickness is between 0.6 mm and 1.0 mm specifically. Thus, the electronic device can maintain lightness and slimness while the cover  101  can still achieve the purpose of protecting the electronic device. 
         [0024]    Moreover, thicknesses of the first circumferential surface  403 , the third circumferential surface  405 , and the fourth circumferential surface  406  after cutting can be different from that of the first surface  401 . Additionally, the first circumferential surface  403 , the third circumferential surface  405 , and the fourth circumferential surface  406  can be mill to form a right angle or an oblique angle with a preset obliquity according to the requirements. Specifically, in this embodiment, the first circumferential surface  403 , the third circumferential surface  405 , and the fourth circumferential surface  406  are cut to have a preset obliquity. With such obliquity, the edges of the cover  101  can be smoother, and a transection of the natural vessels  501  contained in the bamboo laminate  400  is much clear, thereby displaying craft features of the electronic device. Finally, as shown in  FIG. 1(B) , the cover  101  made of the bamboo laminate  400  can cover the supporting component  410  properly and completely in this embodiment. Thus, the supporting component  410  cannot be easily seen from the outside. 
         [0025]    In this embodiment, the supporting component  410  is made of metals, plastic steels, or plastics. Additionally, the shapes and dimensions of the bamboo laminate  400  and the supporting component  410  as disclosed in this embodiment are merely one example of the present invention and thus are not meant to be a limitation of the present invention. In other words, the bamboo laminate  400  and the supporting component  410  can have any other feasible shapes and dimensions provided that the principles of the present invention are achieved. Moreover, although the electronic device disclosed in this embodiment is exemplified using a notebook computer, any other electronic devices (e.g. mobile phones or optical disc drives) having covers can become electronic devices having a bamboo appearance using the fabricating method disclosed in the present invention. 
         [0026]    Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention.