Patent Publication Number: US-2015064394-A1

Title: Computing device cover

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure relates generally to techniques for forming portions of a computing device. More specifically, the disclosure describes techniques for increasing platform stiffness using a support structure molded to a back cover of the computing device. 
     BACKGROUND 
     With the fast growth of computing devices, lighter, thinner computing devices are increasingly preferred by users. Platform stiffness may affect usability, reliability, and perceived quality while also preventing stress of various components. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a support structure to be coupled to a cover of a computing device. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an exterior side of a bottom cover. 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of an interior side of the bottom cover formed with integration features. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the nanostructure layer. 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of the cover formed with a support structure. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a portion of the support structure defining holes in the support structure. 
         FIG. 7  is a block diagram illustrating a method of forming a cover having a support structure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The subject matter disclosed herein relates to techniques for increasing platform stiffness. A computing device may be configured having portions, such as a bottom cover. A nanostructured layer may be applied to an interior side of the cover. For example, the nanostructured layer may be applied to the interior side of the cover using a thermoset thermoplastic adhesive primer. Method and systems described herein relate to coupling a support structure to the cover by injection molding the support structure to the nanostructure layer. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a support structure to be coupled to a cover of a computing device. The computing device (not shown) may be laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computing device, a mobile computing device, an all-in-one (AIO) computing device, a smart phone computing device, and the like. The cover  102  may be a bottom cover of the computing device configured to receive a support structure  104  as indicated by the arrow  106 . The cover  102  may be a monolithic clad metal component having a nanostructure oxide layer applied to the cover  102 . The nanostructure oxide layer may be configured to receive the support structure  104  by injection molding described in more detail below. 
     The support structure  104  may be configured as a grid structure having stiffening ribs  108 , such as an isotropic grid (isogrid) having stiffening ribs in a triangular pattern as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Although illustrated in  FIG. 1  as having a triangular pattern, other patterns such as ax hex cell patterns, circle patterns, square patterns may be used. In embodiments, the stiffening ribs may be perturbed such that the support structure  104  may accommodate additional components of a computing device as discussed in more detail below. The support structure  104  may be composed of a polymer suitable for injection molding onto the nanostructure layer. Suitable polymers may include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polydioxanone (PDO), nylon, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), and the like. In embodiments, the polymer of the support structure  104  may incorporate strengthening material such as glass, aramid, carbon, polymer fibers of relatively high glass transition temperature (Tg) in relation to the polymer used to form the support structure  104 . 
     An increase in stiffness of the cover  102  may be a function of the thickness of the cover  102 . The support structure  104  being coupled to the cover  102  may increase stiffness of the cover  102 , without necessarily increasing the thickness of the cover  102 . An increase in cover stiffness may result in relatively higher performance of components of the computing device, reliability, and perceived quality. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an exterior side of a bottom cover. The bottom cover  202  may be formed as a monolithic metal clad cover. In embodiments, the cover  202  is composed of a metal, such as aluminum, suitable for receiving a nanostructured oxide. In other embodiments, the cover  202  is composed of a non-aluminum metal such as stainless steel, titanium, or other metal configured to receive the nanostructured oxide layer using a thermoset thermoplastic adhesive primer. 
       FIG. 3  is a top view of an interior side of the bottom cover formed with integration features. The integration features  302  are configured to receive components (not shown) of the computing device such as a processor, memory units, storage units, network interfaces, and the like. In embodiments, the integration features  302  may be coupled to the interior side of the bottom cover  202  by injection molding. For example, the integration features  302  may be composed of a polymer, similar to the polymer of the support structure  104  discussed above in reference to  FIG. 1 . The integration features  302  may be injection molded onto the nanostructure oxide layer discussed in more detail below in reference to  FIG. 4 . In embodiments, the integration features  302  and the support structure  104  may be simultaneously coupled to the bottom cover  202  by injection molding onto the nanostructure oxide layer. 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the nanostructure layer. As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the nanostructure oxide layer  400  defines pores  402 . The pores  402  may be configured to at least partially receive the polymer of the support structure  104  discussed above in reference to  FIG. 1 , the polymer of the integration features  302  discussed above in reference to  FIG. 3 , or any combination of the polymers of the support structure  104  and the integration features  302 . 
     In embodiments, the nanostructured oxide layer  400  may be formed by growing an oxide in an anodic process. Specific geometries of the pores  402  in the nanostructured oxide layer  400  are achieved as desired by variation of an electrolyte pH and an anodic voltage. Variations of these processes are capable of producing a range of ordered nanostructured pores, such as the pores  402 , having a range of pore diameters (such as 5 nm to 10 um). In embodiments, the nanostructured oxide layer  400  may be formed on a relatively thin and pure (99.99% +) aluminum face of the aluminum sheet which is cladded to a base aluminum alloy of the cover  202  discussed above. In other embodiments, the nanostructured oxide layer  400  may be formed directly on lower purity forms of aluminum (99%) using differing techniques and different combinations of pH, acid type, molarity, and anodic voltage to control nucleation sites. Other commercially available techniques beyond the techniques described above of forming a nanostructured oxide to a metal may be used. 
     In embodiments, the pores  402  are configured to have a height to enable for adequate adhesion with the polymer of the support structure  104  discussed above in reference to  FIG. 1 . In embodiments, the height of the pores  402  is proportional to the anodic voltage used in forming the nanostructure oxide layer  400 , wherein increases in anodic voltage is proportional to an increase in the height of the pores  402 . The height of the pores  402  may be configured such that a surface area of the polymer of the support structure  104  may be received within the pores  402 , thereby coupling the support structure  104  to the cover  202  discussed above in reference to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3 . 
       FIG. 5  is a top view of the cover formed with a support structure. As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the support structure  104  may be comprised of stiffening components such as stiffening ribs. The support structure  104 , being composed of a polymer, may be coupled to the nanostructured oxide layer  400  discussed above in reference to  FIG. 4 . Although  FIG. 5  illustrates a support structure  104  having triangular stiffening ribs, the stiffening ribs may be formed in various shapes, including circular, semi-circular, rectangular, hexagonal, honeycomb, and the like. The stiffening provided by the support structure may increase the overall stiffness of the bottom cover  202 , without increasing the amount of metal used to form the bottom cover  202 . 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a portion of the support structure defining holes in the support structure. In embodiments, the support structure  104  may define a hole  602  configured to receive a fastener (not shown). The support structure  104  may be configured to enable components to be coupled to the support structure. For example, the support structure may be configured to receive components such as processing devices, memory devices, network interfaces, and the like. In embodiments, the height of the support structure  104  extending normal to the bottom cover  202  may be uniform across the support structure  104 . In embodiments, the height of the support structure  104  may be varied such that a given component of the computing device may be received into a relatively low portion of the support structure  104  in relation to relatively higher portions of the support structure  104 . For example, the height of the support structure  104  may be relatively low at one portion of the support structure configured to receive a component, such as a processing device. Thus, the support structure  104  may be configured to increase stiffness while enabling relatively thin computing device platforms to be formed by receiving components of the computing device into recesses of the support structure  104  created by varying heights of the support structure  104 . 
       FIG. 7  is a block diagram illustrating a method of forming a cover having a support structure. At block  702 , a first portion of a computing device is formed. The first portion may be a cover composed of clad metal, such as the bottom cover  202  of a computing device as discussed above in reference to  FIG. 2 . A nanostructure layer may be formed at block  704 . The nanostructure layer may be a nanostructure oxide applied to an interior surface of the bottom cover as discussed above. The nanostructure layer is configured to receive a polymer of a second portion of a computing device, such as support structure  104  discussed above in reference to  FIG. 1 . At block  706 , the second is formed by injection molding. The second portion may be a support structure, such as the support structure  104  discussed in reference to  FIGS. 1-6 , and may be composed of a polymer. The polymer may flow into pores of the nanostructured oxide layer during the injection molding process, thereby coupling the polymer, the nanostructured oxide layer, and the bottom cover together. 
     For example, the injection molding at block  706  includes pressure forcing a molding compound including a low viscosity polymer of the support structure  104  into the pores of the nanostructured oxide layer. The first portion, such as the metal bottom cover  202  of the computing device, is placed in the mold with the nanostructured oxide layer applied to the cover at block  704  facing mold gates. When the mold gates release the molding compound composed of the low viscosity polymer the nanostructure oxide layer receives the molding compound into the pores of the nanostructured oxide layer. The injection molding of the polymer of the second portion enables the polymer to flow into pores of the nanostructure oxide, thereby coupling the first portion to the second portion by mechanical lock. 
     In embodiments, the method  700  may include forming integration features, such as the integration features  302  discussed above in reference to  FIG. 3 . The integration features may be simultaneously injection molded onto the nanostructured oxide layer along with the support structure. The simultaneous injection molding may couple both the support structure and the integration features in one step, reducing overall production time. 
     In embodiments, the integration features include features to assemble other structural parts of a chassis, such as a top cover of the computing device. In embodiments, the integrations features include “cradles” configured to fasten computing device components (for instance a hard drive disk, a fan, a thermal solution, and the like) within a computing device chassis. The integration features may result in reduced component requirements of a computing device such back plane stiffeners of the liquid crystal display modules, and the like. 
     EXAMPLE 1 
     A method of forming covers of a computing device is described herein. The method may include forming a first portion of a computing device, the first portion comprising a metal. The first portion may be a covering means, such as a bottom cover formed of clad metal. In some embodiments, a covering means may include a metal clad aluminum bottom cover of a computing device. A nanostructure layer may be formed on the first portion. The nanostructure layer may be a nanostructure oxide having pores. A second portion of the computing device may be formed by injection molding means. The second portion may be a means for providing support, such as a support structure including an isogrid. The injection molding means may include a mold configured to receive the material of the second portion. The second portion may be composed of a polymer, and the polymer may be received at nanostructure layer and into the pores of the nanostructure layer such that the first portion is coupled to the second portion. 
     EXAMPLE 2 
     An apparatus may include a first portion of a computing device, the first portion composed of a metal. In embodiments, the first portion may be a bottom cover of the computing device, wherein the bottom is composed of a monolithic metal clad material. The bottom cover may have an interior side and a nanostructure layer applied to the first portion at the interior side. The computing device may include a support structure, wherein a second portion of the computing device comprising a polymer is coupled to the first portion by injection molding the second portion onto the nanostructured layer such that the polymer is received at pores of the nanostructure layer. 
     EXAMPLE 3 
     A computing device is described herein. The computing device may include a covering means of a computing device, the covering means may be a bottom cover composed of metal. In some examples, the bottom cover is composed of a monolithic clad metal. The covering means may have an exterior side configured to face outward, and an interior side configured to face inward towards other components of the computing device. The computing device may include a nanostructure layer means applied to the covering means. The nanostructured layer may be a nanostructured oxide layer having pores. The computing device may include a support structure means. The support structure means may be composed of a polymer. The wherein the covering means is coupled to the support structure means by injection molding the polymer of the support structure onto the nanostructure layer means. Specifically, the polymer may be received into the pores of the nanostructured oxide creating a mechanical coupling of the covering means to the support structure means. 
     An embodiment is an implementation or example. Reference in the specification to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “various embodiments,” or “other embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments, of the present techniques. The various appearances of “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” or “some embodiments” are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments. 
     Not all components, features, structures, characteristics, etc. described and illustrated herein need be included in a particular embodiment or embodiments. If the specification states a component, feature, structure, or characteristic “may”, “might”, “can” or “could” be included, for example, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specification or claim refers to “a” or “an” element, that does not mean there is only one of the element. If the specification or claims refer to “an additional” element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element. 
     It is to be noted that, although some embodiments have been described in reference to particular implementations, other implementations are possible according to some embodiments. Additionally, the arrangement and/or order of circuit elements or other features illustrated in the drawings and/or described herein need not be arranged in the particular way illustrated and described. Many other arrangements are possible according to some embodiments. 
     In each system shown in a figure, the elements in some cases may each have a same reference number or a different reference number to suggest that the elements represented could be different and/or similar. However, an element may be flexible enough to have different implementations and work with some or all of the systems shown or described herein. The various elements shown in the figures may be the same or different. Which one is referred to as a first element and which is called a second element is arbitrary. 
     It is to be understood that specifics in the aforementioned examples may be used anywhere in one or more embodiments. For instance, all optional features of the computing device described above may also be implemented with respect to either of the methods or the computer-readable medium described herein. Furthermore, although flow diagrams and/or state diagrams may have been used herein to describe embodiments, the techniques are not limited to those diagrams or to corresponding descriptions herein. For example, flow need not move through each illustrated box or state or in exactly the same order as illustrated and described herein. 
     The present techniques are not restricted to the particular details listed herein. Indeed, those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure will appreciate that many other variations from the foregoing description and drawings may be made within the scope of the present techniques. Accordingly, it is the following claims including any amendments thereto that define the scope of the present techniques.