Abstract:
An example system for a telephone can include a unibody plate having a front portion and a back portion, a back plate mounted to the back portion of the unibody plate, and a touch sensitive display panel mounted to the front portion of the unibody plate. The unibody plate can be of a single piece of milled material. The back portion of the back plate, when combined with the unibody plate, can forming at least one cavity such as a speaker cavity. The speaker cavity can include a speaker mount, a speaker cradle, and a speaker. The speaker cradle can have an interior portion and be secured to the back plate. The speaker mount can engages the back portion of the unibody plate and the rim of speaker cradle. The speaker can be mounted within the interior portion of the speaker cradle.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Although many people are accustomed to modern “smart phones” that they carry around in their pocket, the small form factor is less ideal for prolonged use. When portability is not a priority, such as in a desk environment, people prefer larger telephones that provide better ergonomics, desk stability, and ready availability. However, these large telephones can seem outdated in comparison to their thinner and lighter consumer counterparts. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and other advantages and features of the disclosure can be obtained, a more particular description of the principles briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only example embodiments of the disclosure and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the principles herein are described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1A  illustrates an example telephone according to various embodiments; 
         FIG. 1B  illustrates an exploded view of example telephone according to various embodiments; 
         FIG. 2A  illustrates an example unibody plate according to various embodiments; 
         FIG. 2B  illustrates a side view of an example unibody plate according to various embodiments; 
         FIG. 2C  illustrates a back view of an example unibody plate according to various embodiments; 
         FIG. 3A  illustrates an example speaker assembly according to various embodiments; 
         FIG. 3B  illustrates an exploded view of an example speaker assembly according to various embodiments; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an exploded view of an example mute button according to various embodiments; 
         FIG. 5A  illustrates an example back plate according to various embodiments; and 
         FIG. 5B  illustrates an example side view of back plate according to various embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS 
     Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or can be learned by practice of the herein disclosed principles. The features and advantages of the disclosure can be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features of the disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or can be learned by the practice of the principles set forth herein. 
     Various example embodiments of the disclosure are discussed in detail below. While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. 
     OVERVIEW 
     The present technology includes a unibody desk telephone. An example system for a telephone including the present technology can include a unibody plate having a front portion and a back portion, a back plate mounted to the back portion of the unibody plate, and a touch sensitive display panel mounted to the front portion of the unibody plate. The unibody plate can be of a single piece of milled material. The back portion of the back plate, when combined with the unibody plate, can form at least one cavity such as a speaker cavity. The speaker cavity can include a speaker mount, a speaker cradle, and a speaker. The speaker cradle can have an interior portion and be secured to the back plate. The speaker mount can engage the back portion of the unibody plate and the rim of speaker cradle. The speaker can be mounted within the interior portion of the speaker cradle. 
     DESCRIPTION 
     As shown in  FIG. 1A , telephone  100  can be a modern and attractive desk or wall-mounted telephone. In some embodiments, telephone  100  has handset  102  and display panel  106 . Phone  100  can have physical buttons such as volume rocker  106  and mute button  108 . Phone  100  can contain unibody plate  104  for aesthetic design and structural support. In some embodiments, telephone  100  can be placed on a desk in various positions provided by stand  112 . In some embodiments, stand  112  can fold with the remainder of telephone  100  allowing telephone  100  to be mounted on a wall. 
       FIG. 1B  depicts an exploded view of some components of telephone  100 . For example, display panel  106  can be placed on the front portion of unibody plate  104  while speaker mount  120 , speaker cradle  122 , and electronics board  126  can be placed on the back portion (e.g., rear) of unibody plate  104 . Backplate  128  can be placed behind unibody plate  104  and can cover internal components such as electronics board  126  while also providing some structural support. Volume rocker  106  and mute button  108  can be placed in front of unibody plate  104  and within openings in display panel  106 . It should be understood that  FIGS. 1A and 1B  are not complete representations of the components that can comprise telephone  100 . In some embodiments, telephone  100  has more or fewer components. For example, in some embodiments, telephone  100  can omit handset  102  and in some embodiments, telephone  100  can have an antenna for wireless communication. 
     Display panel  106  can be a touchscreen display panel. In some such embodiments, display panel  106  can present various interfaces such as a 10-key dialer, a directory, status indicators, etc. In some embodiments, display panel  106  can facilitate video telephony. Display panel  106  can be combined with haptic feedback to enhance touchscreen usability and provide intuitive interaction. Display panel  106  can comprise a hard transparent panel such as glass. Display panel  106  can have an opaque bezel surrounding a display element such as a liquid crystal display. Within the bezel region, there can be translucent or transparent regions through which indicator lights can be seen. In some embodiments, the bezel can have one or more apertures cut out, through which buttons (e.g., mute button  108 ) can pass through. In some embodiments, there is a translucent or transparent region surrounding an aperture where an indicator light can be seen. For example, if the aperture is a circle and mute button  108  passes through the circle, there can be a translucent ring around the aperture that, when illuminated, can indicate that telephone  100  is muted. In some embodiments, display panel  106  can contain processing and battery power so that it can be removed and operate independently from telephone  100 , for example as a tablet computer or mobile telephone. In some embodiments, display panel  106  is attached to telephone  100  along with a cushion element such as rubber to absorb small vibrations that might result from user operation and to provide a seamless fit between display panel  106  and the rest of telephone  100 . 
       FIG. 2A  depicts an example unibody plate  104  in isolation from other components. In some embodiments, unibody plate  104  is a single piece of material. Unibody plate  104  can be made out of aluminum, magnesium, plastic, wood, carbon fiber, etc. and can be machined, die-cast, forged, carved, 3D printed, grown, molded, etc. Unibody plate  104  can be created using a combination of materials and techniques. Unibody plate  104  can be made of denser materials that, because of the increased weight, signal to the user that telephone  100  is a premium product of sturdy construction. Unibody plate  104  can have exposed portions such as speaker vent  202  as well as hidden portions (i.e., hidden when telephone  100  is assembled) such as display cradle  208 . Unibody plate  104  can contain openings such as pass-through  206 , USB aperture  230 , and headset aperture  232  whereby components such as cables can pass through or be accessed through unibody plate  104 . In some embodiments, such openings are in places not required for structural support. In some embodiments, openings can be created to optimize weight, encourage heat dissipation, and minimize material cost. In some embodiments, such an optimal weight is a weight that minimizes slippage of telephone  100  while resting on a desk during normal use. Because telephone  100  utilizes unibody plate  104 , telephone  100  can be thinner as the unibody plate provides strength and rigidity to the assembled device. The materials chosen for the unibody plate must be able to provide the requisite strength and rigidity to support all of the phone components, and especially the display panel. Components can be glued or fastened to unibody plate  104 . 
     Unibody plate  104  can have a front portion and a back portion. In  FIG. 2A , the front portion is the visible portion while the back portion is the opposite side (shown in  FIG. 2C ). In some embodiments, back plate  128  is mounted to the back portion of unibody plate  104 . In some embodiments, the perimeter of unibody plate has a ridge designed to receive clips on back plate  128 . 
     Front panel  104  can snap in, rest upon, or otherwise be supported by unibody plate  104 . In some embodiments, display cradle  208  can be a recessed portion of unibody plate  104  wherein display panel  106 , when installed, lies flush with an exposed surface of unibody plate  104 . 
     Speaker vent  202  can be a grating, mesh, collection of apertures, etc. to mitigate the passage of dust and debris while allowing sound to pass through. 
       FIG. 2B  shows a side view of unibody plate  104 . Thickness  250  can be the maximum width of unibody plate  104  (excluding mount  240   a  and mount  240   b  which can be located towards the center of unibody plate  104 ). In some embodiments, thickness  250  also represents the perimeter thickness of telephone  100  (excluding a fillet) while telephone  100  can have a greater thickness towards the center of telephone  100 . Therefore, an exposed perimeter of unibody plate  104  can appear to substantially define the overall thickness of telephone  100 , with the thicker elements being relatively hidden. Thickness  250  can be greater than 4.5 millimeters (“mm”) to accommodate USB aperture  230  and less than 20 mm. Other effective ranges of thickness  250  can include 5 mm-9 mm and 7.5 mm-8.5 mm. 
       FIG. 3A  shows speaker assembly  300 . Speaker assembly  300  can be integral to unibody plate  104  or be made of separate components. Speaker assembly  300  can house a speaker (not depicted) that can be used for “speakerphone” capabilities of telephone  100 . In some embodiments, speaker assembly  300  is set behind speaker vent  202  formed in the unibody plate. As depicted in  FIG. 1B , speaker assembly can comprise speaker mount  120  and speaker cradle  122 . In some embodiments, speaker mount  120  and speaker cradle  122  are one integrated unit. In some embodiments, speaker mount  120  can have ridge  302  as a feature. Ridge  302  can provide an acoustic seal by interfacing with the unibody plate to provide enhanced sound quality from speaker assembly  300  and prevent rattling between speaker assembly  300  and unibody plate  104 . In some embodiments, ridge  302  is rubber, silicone, glue, adhesive, wood, plastic, etc. In some embodiments, ridge  302  is a feature that is contiguous with speaker mount  300 . In some embodiments, speaker cradle  122  does not hold a speaker but is a speaker (i.e., a transducer). 
       FIG. 3B  shows an exploded view of speaker assembly  300  including speaker mount  120  and speaker cradle  120 . Speaker cradle  120  can have an interior portion  306  formed inside of speaker cradle  120  and mounting holes  304  for mounting speaker cradle  120  to back plate  128 . 
       FIG. 4  depicts an exploded view of mute button  108 . As mentioned previously, in some embodiments, mute button  108  is positioned alongside a touchscreen and within an aperture in display panel  106 . In some embodiments, other buttons (e.g., volume rocker  106 ) can be made using the principles disclosed for mute button  108  but for other tasks such as “pick up”, “hang up”, “speakerphone”, “volume”, etc. Mute button  108  can provide a tactile response to help a user recognize that mute button  108  has been pressed. In some embodiments, mute button  108  or a region near or surrounding mute button  108  can be illuminated to indicate mute button&#39;s  108  status, for example, when telephone  100  is muted. 
     Cap  402  can be affixed to translucent dome  406   a  which can rest on or be integral to translucent dome  406   b  which can be held by button holder  408 . Translucent dome  406   a  and translucent dome  406   b  can collectively be referred to as translucent dome  406 . Mute button  108  can comprise illumination element  410  that can provide a status indicator for mute button  108 . Cap  402  can be opaque, translucent, or a combination of the two. For example, cap  402  can be generally opaque except for a translucent icon or design on top. Cap  402  can have a contact portion where a user can push to activate mute button  108 . Cap  402  can be fixed to translucent dome  406  using adhesive, friction, etc. In some embodiments, cap  402  is a material that is painted on or combined with translucent dome  406 . 
     Translucent dome  406  can comprise two components that are jointly molded using a double shot injection mold. In some embodiments, translucent dome  406   a  can be a stiff material while translucent dome  406   b  can be a more flexible material such as silicone. In some embodiments, translucent dome  406   a  has central portion  412  for receiving cap  402  and outer portion  414 . Outer portion  414  can diffuse light coming from illumination element  410  so that it appears uniform from above. For example translucent dome  406  can be located directly under display panel  106 . This can permit a ring of uniform light to be seen through display panel  106  in a region surrounding the cap which resides within an opening in display panel  106 . Tab  416  can protrude horizontally from translucent dome  406   a  and activate a switch in telephone  100  that detects that mute button  108  has been depressed. 
     Button seat  408  can be attached to a PCB and can hold translucent dome  406  in place to prevent slipping. Button seat  408  can have a raised lip for this effect. 
       FIG. 5A  shows the inside of back plate  128  in isolation. Back plate  128 , when combined with other components of telephone  100 , can form one or more cavities. For example, speaker cavity  504  to house speaker assembly  300  and electronics cavity  502 . Electronics cavity  502  can be a central location within back plate that provides space for more bulky components of telephone  100  to be hidden. For example, electronics cavity can accommodate at least one telecommunications port (e.g., an RJ45 port, RJ11 port, etc.) as well as a power receptacle. Back plate  128  can be attached to a back portion of unibody plate  104 . In some embodiments, back plate  128  has tabs  416  for connecting to unibody plate  104 . This can make it so that back plate  128  does not require screws to mount it onto unibody plate  104  and thus back plate  128  can have no visible screws or screw holes (though internal, hidden, screws and holes may be used). 
       FIG. 5B  shows a side view of back plate  128 . As discussed above, electronics cavity  502  can be located centrally within back plate  128  to keep thickness  250  around the perimeter of telephone  100  to a minimum and creating the impression that thickness  250  is the defining width of telephone  100 . The shape of back portion of back plate  128  can be triangular, curved, trapezoidal etc. Thickness  504  can represent the width of back plate  128  at electronics cavity  502  (e.g., defining the “thickest dimension” of the “thickest portion”). Thickness  504  can be 15 mm-50 mm, including ranges of 20 mm-25 mm, and 22 mm-23 mm. Thickness  504  can be 22.5 mm. Various thicknesses  504  can be appropriate based on the size and type of components in electronics cavity  502 . Backplate can have openings through which cables and pass. 
     For clarity of explanation, in some instances the present technology may be presented as including individual functional blocks including functional blocks comprising devices, device components, steps or routines in a method embodied in software, or combinations of hardware and software. 
     In some embodiments the computer-readable storage devices, mediums, and memories can include a cable or wireless signal containing a bit stream and the like. However, when mentioned, non-transitory computer-readable storage media expressly exclude media such as energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and signals per se. 
     Methods according to the above-described examples can be implemented using computer-executable instructions that are stored or otherwise available from computer readable media. Such instructions can comprise, for example, instructions and data which cause or otherwise configure a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing device to perform a certain function or group of functions. Portions of computer resources used can be accessible over a network. The computer executable instructions may be, for example, binaries, intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, or source code. Examples of computer-readable media that may be used to store instructions, information used, and/or information created during methods according to described examples include magnetic or optical disks, flash memory, USB devices provided with non-volatile memory, networked storage devices, and so on. 
     Devices implementing methods according to these disclosures can comprise hardware, firmware and/or software, and can take any of a variety of form factors. Typical examples of such form factors include laptops, smart phones, small form factor personal computers, personal digital assistants, rackmount devices, standalone devices, and so on. Functionality described herein also can be embodied in peripherals or add-in cards. Such functionality can also be implemented on a circuit board among different chips or different processes executing in a single device, by way of further example. 
     The instructions, media for conveying such instructions, computing resources for executing them, and other structures for supporting such computing resources are means for providing the functions described in these disclosures. 
     Although a variety of examples and other information was used to explain aspects within the scope of the appended claims, no limitation of the claims should be implied based on particular features or arrangements in such examples, as one of ordinary skill would be able to use these examples to derive a wide variety of implementations. Further and although some subject matter may have been described in language specific to examples of structural features and/or method steps, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to these described features or acts. For example, such functionality can be distributed differently or performed in components other than those identified herein. Rather, the described features and steps are disclosed as examples of components of systems and methods within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, claim language reciting “at least one of” a set indicates that one member of the set or multiple members of the set satisfy the claim.