Patent Description:
In recent years, portable computing devices such as laptops, PDAs, media players, cellular phones, etc., have become small, light and powerful. One factor contributing to this reduction in size can be attributed to the manufacturer's ability to fabricate various components of these devices in smaller and smaller sizes while in most cases increasing the power and or operating speed of such components. The trend of smaller, lighter and powerful presents a continuing design challenge in the design of some components of the portable computing devices.

One design challenge associated with the portable computing device is the design of the enclosures used to house the various internal components. This design challenge generally arises from a number conflicting design goals that includes the desirability of making the enclosure lighter and thinner, the desirability of making the enclosure stronger and making the enclosure more esthetically pleasing. The lighter enclosures, which typically use thinner plastic structures and fewer fasteners, tend to be more flexible and therefore they have a greater propensity to buckle and bow when used while the stronger and more rigid enclosures, which typically use thicker plastic structures and more fasteners, tend to be thicker and carry more weight. Unfortunately, however, the increased weight consistent with the more rugged enclosure can lead to user dissatisfaction whereas bowing of enclosures formed of lightweight material can result in damaging some of the internal components (such as printed circuit boards) of the portable device.

Furthermore, the enclosures are mechanical assemblies having multiple parts that are screwed, bolted, riveted, or otherwise fastened together at discrete points. These assembly techniques typically complicate the housing design and create aesthetic difficulties because of undesirable cracks, seams, gaps or breaks at the mating surfaces and fasteners located along the surfaces of the housing. For example, a mating line surrounding the entire enclosure is produced when using an upper and lower casing. Moreover, the various components and complicated processes used to manufacture the portable device can make assembly a time consuming and cumbersome process requiring, for example, a highly trained assembly operator working with special tools.

Another challenge is related to techniques for mounting structures within the portable computing devices. Conventionally, the structures have been laid over one of the casings (upper or lower) and attached to one of the casings with fasteners such as screws, bolts, rivets, etc. That is, the structures are positioned in a sandwich like manner in layers over the casing and thereafter fastened to the casing. This methodology suffers from the same drawbacks as mentioned above, i.e., assembly is a time consuming and cumbersome process.

In view of the foregoing, there is a need for improved component density and associated assembly techniques that reduce cost and improve outgoing quality. In addition, there is a need for improvements in the manner in which handheld devices are assembled such as improvements that enable structures to be quickly and easily installed within the enclosure. It is also desirable to minimize the Z stack height of the assembled components in order to reduce the overall thickness of the portable computing device and thereby improve the overall aesthetic look and feel of the product.

<CIT> and <CIT> relate to insert-molded covers for electronic devices and more particularly, to insert-molded covers including a metallic body and a plastic antenna lid used for portable electronic devices and methods for manufacturing the insert-molded covers.

<CIT> relates to generally to antenna diversity systems, and more particularly, to antenna diversity systems for portable electronic devices.

The invention is defined by the independent claims <NUM> and <NUM>.

In particular, the invention relates to a portable electronic device, comprising: a single-piece housing formed of radio-opaque material and having a bottom wall and sidewalls, the bottom wall defining a lower portion of the single-piece housing, the sidewalls defining an upper portion of the single-piece housing, the single-piece housing forming an radio-frequency (RF) antenna window opening, the single-piece housing including a plurality of castellations, a top edge of the sidewalls defining a front opening; and an RF-transparent antenna window formed of a material that allows passage of RF energy, the RF-transparent antenna window being adapted to be placed within the RF antenna window opening in a diving motion and disposed within the RF antenna window opening, the RF-transparent antenna window having a first portion having a curvature substantially similar to a curvature of the lower portion of the single-piece housing, the RF-transparent antenna window having a second portion having a curvature substantially similar to a curvature of the upper portion of the single-piece housing , the RF-transparent antenna window formed to include a plurality of grooves, wherein each castellation of the plurality of castellations is inserted into a corresponding groove of the plurality of grooves.

This disclosure further relates to a method for forming a portable electronic device, comprising: providing a single-piece housing formed of radio-opaque material, the single-piece housing having a bottom wall and sidewalls; the bottom wall defining a lower portion of the single-piece housing, the sidewalls defining an upper portion of the single-piece housing, the single piece housing including a plurality of castellations; forming a radio-frequency (RF) antenna window opening within the single-piece housing, a top edge of the sidewalls defining a front opening, the RF antenna window opening being opposite to the front opening; and placing an RF antenna window within the RF antenna window opening in a diving motion, the RF antenna window having a first portion having a curvature substantially similar to a curvature of the lower portion of the single-piece housing, the RF antenna window having a second portion having a curvature substantially similar to a curvature of the upper portion of the single-piece housing, the RF window forming a plurality of grooves, each groove configured to receive a corresponding castellation of the plurality of castellations wherein each castellation of the plurality of castellations is inserted into a corresponding groove of the plurality of grooves.

Other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the appended claims.

The embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:.

In the following paper, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the concepts underlying the described embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the described embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process steps have not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the underlying concepts.

This paper discusses an aesthetically pleasing portable computing device that is easy to carry with one hand and operate with the other. The portable computing device can be formed of a single piece seamless housing and an aesthetically pleasing protective top layer that can be formed of any of a number of durable and strong yet transparent materials such as highly polished glass or plastic. For the remainder of this discussion, however, the protective top layer can take the form of highly polished cover glass without any loss in generality. Furthermore, the uniformity of the appearance of the portable computing device can be enhanced since (unlike conventional portable computing devices) the cover glass can be mounted to the single piece seamless housing without the use of a bezel. This simplicity of design can accrue many advantages to the portable computing device besides those related to aesthetic look and feel. For example, fewer components and less time and effort can be required for assembly of the portable computing device and the absence of seams in the single piece housing can provide good protection against environmental contamination of internal components. Moreover, the ability of the portable computing device to successfully withstand applied loads (such as from day to day use) as well as those from less frequent but potentially more damaging events such as being dropped can be substantially improved over conventional portable computing devices.

In the described embodiments, the single piece seamless housing can be formed from plastic or metal. In the case where the single piece seamless housing is formed of metal, the metal can take the form of a single sheet (such as aluminum). The single sheet of metal can be formed into a shape appropriate for housing various internal components as well as providing various openings into which switches, connectors, displays, and so on can be accommodated. The single piece seamless housing can be forged, molded, or otherwise processed into a desired shape. The shape of the housing can be asymmetric in that an upper portion of the housing can formed to have a substantially different shape than that exhibited by a lower portion of the housing. For example, the upper portion of the housing can have surfaces that meet at distinct angles forming well defined boundary whereas the lower portion can be formed to have a surface with a spline shape. The transition zone between the upper portion having distinct edges and the lower, spline shaped portion can take the form of an edge having a rounded shape providing both a natural change from the upper portion of the housing (i.e., the area of distinct edges) and the smoother surface presented by the lower portion of the housing. It should also be noted that in addition to providing a more aesthetically pleasing transition, the rounded shape of the edge in the transition zone can provide a more comfortable feel when being held in a user's hand either during use or merely being carried about. One of the advantages to using metal for the housing is ability of metal to provide good electrical grounding for any internal components requiring a good ground plane. For example, performance of a built in RF antenna can be substantially improved when a good ground plane is provided. Moreover, a good ground plane can be used to help mitigate the deleterious effects caused by, for example, of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and/or electrostatic discharge (ESD). However, if an RF antenna is present within the housing, then at least a portion of the housing (if metal) is given over to a radio transparent portion.

It should be noted that throughout the following discussion, the term "CNC" is used. The abbreviation CNC stands for computer numerical control and refers specifically to a computer controller that reads computer instructions and drives a machine tool (a powered mechanical device typically used to fabricate components by the selective removal of material). It should be noted however, that any appropriate machining operation can be used to implement the described embodiments and is not strictly limited to those practices associated with CNC.

However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes only and should not be construed as limiting.

<FIG> illustrates a specific embodiment of portable computing device <NUM>. More specifically, <FIG> shows a full top view of fully assembled portable computing device <NUM>. Portable computing device <NUM> can process data and more particularly media data such as audio, video, images, etc. By way of example, portable computing device <NUM> can generally correspond to a device that can perform as a music player, game player, video player, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet computer and/or the like. With regards to being handheld, portable computing device <NUM> can be held in one hand by a user while being operated by the user's other hand (i.e., no reference surface such as a desktop is needed). For example, the user can hold portable computing device <NUM> in one hand and operate portable computing device <NUM> with the other hand by, for example, operating a volume switch, a hold switch, or by providing inputs to a touch sensitive surface such as a display or pad.

Portable computing device <NUM> can include single piece seamless housing <NUM> that can be formed of any number of materials such as plastic or metal which can be forged, molded, or otherwise processed into a desired shape. In those cases where portable computing device <NUM> has a metal housing and incorporates RF based functionality, it may be advantageous to provide at least a portion of housing <NUM> in the form of radio (or RF) transparent materials such as ceramic, or plastic. In any case, housing <NUM> can be configured to at least partially enclose any suitable number of internal components associated with the portable computing device <NUM>. For example, housing <NUM> can enclose and support internally various structural and electrical components (including integrated circuit chips and other circuitry) to provide computing operations for portable computing device. The integrated circuits can take the form of chips, chip sets, modules any of which can be surface mounted to a printed circuit board, or PCB, or other support structure. For example, a main logic board (MLB) can have integrated circuits mounted thereon that can include at least a microprocessor, semi-conductor (such as FLASH) memory, various support circuits and so on.

Housing <NUM> can include opening <NUM> for placing internal components and may be sized to accommodate a display assembly or system suitable for providing a user with at least visual content as for example via a display. In some cases, the display system can include touch sensitive capabilities providing the user with the ability to provide tactile inputs to portable computing device <NUM> using touch inputs. The display system can be formed of a number of layers including a topmost layer being a transparent protective layer <NUM> formed of polycarbonate or other appropriate plastic or highly polished glass. Using highly polished glass, protective layer <NUM> can take the form of cover glass <NUM> substantially filling opening <NUM>. Seal <NUM> can be used to form a gasket between cover glass <NUM> and housing <NUM>. Seal <NUM> can be formed of a resilient material such as a plastic along the lines of thermoplastic urethane or TPU. In this way, seal <NUM> can provide protection against environmental contaminants from entering the interior of portable computing device <NUM>. Racetrack <NUM> can be defined as the uppermost portion of the housing <NUM> that surrounds cover glass layer <NUM>. In order to maintain the desired aesthetic look and feel of portable computing device <NUM>, it is desirable that any offsets between the housing <NUM> and cover glass <NUM> be minimized by centering racetrack <NUM>.

Although not shown, the display panel underlying cover glass <NUM> can be used to display images using any suitable display technology, such as LCD, LED, OLED, electronic or e-inks, and so on. Display assembly may be placed and secured within the cavity using a variety of mechanisms. In one embodiment, the display system is snapped into the cavity. It may be placed flush with the adjacent portion of the housing. In this way, the display can present visual content that can include video, still images, as well as icons such as graphical user interface (GUI) that can provide information the user (e.g., text, objects, graphics) as well as receive user provided inputs. In some cases, displayed icons can be moved by a user to a more convenient location on the display. For example, GUI can be moved by the user manually dragging GUI from one location to a more convenient location. The display can also provide a user with tactile feedback provided by a number of haptic actuators usually, but not always, arranged in an array of haptic actuators incorporated into the display. In this way, the haptic actuators can provide the user with tactile feedback.

In some embodiments, a display mask (not shown) can be applied to, or incorporated within or under cover glass <NUM>. The display mask can be used to accent an unmasked portion of the display used to present visual content. The display mask can be used to make less obvious home button <NUM> used to provide a specific input such as change display mode, for example to portable computing device <NUM>. The display mask can render home button <NUM> less obvious by, for example, being closer in tone or color to home button <NUM>. For example, if home button <NUM> is formed of a material that is somewhat darker (such as gray or black) than cover glass <NUM>, then using a similarly colored display mask can reduce the visual impact of home button <NUM> when compared with the unmasked portion of cover glass <NUM>. In this way, the visual impact of home button <NUM> can be reduced by being integrated into the overall look of the display mask. Furthermore, the display mask can provide a natural mechanism for directing the attention of a viewer to the unmasked area of the display used to present visual content.

Portable computing device <NUM> can include a number of mechanical controls for controlling or otherwise modifying certain functions of portable computing device <NUM>. For example, power switch <NUM> can be used to manually power on or power off portable computing device <NUM>. Mute button <NUM> can be used to mute any audio output provided by portable computing device <NUM> whereas volume switch <NUM> can be used to increase/decrease volume of the audio output by portable computing device <NUM>. It should be noted that each of the above described input mechanisms are typically disposed through an opening in housing <NUM> such that they can couple to internal components. In some embodiments, portable computing device <NUM> can include a camera module configured to provide still or video images. The placement may be widely varied and may include one or more locations including for example front and back of the device, i.e., one through the back housing, the other through the display window.

Portable computing device <NUM> can include a mechanism for wireless communications, as either a transceiver type device or receiver only, such as a radio, portable computing device <NUM> can include an antenna that can be disposed internal to a radio transparent portion of housing <NUM>. In some embodiments, an antenna can be incorporated into seal <NUM> or cover glass <NUM>. In other embodiments, a portion of housing <NUM> can be replaced with radio transparent material in the form of an antenna window described in more detail below. The radio transparent material can include, for example, plastic, ceramic, and so on. The wireless communications can be based on many different wireless protocols including for example <NUM>, <NUM>, Bluetooth, RF, <NUM>, FM, AM, and so on. Any number of antennas may be used, which can use a single window or multiple windows depending on the needs of the system. In one embodiment, the system can include at least first and second antenna windows built into the housing (upper and logo).

<FIG> shows a perspective top view of portable computing device <NUM> in accordance with the described embodiments. As shown in <FIG>, portable computing device <NUM> can include one or more speakers <NUM> used to output audible sound. Portable computing device <NUM> can also include one or more connectors for transferring data and/or power to and from portable computing device <NUM>. For example, portable computing device <NUM> can include multiple data ports, one for each configuration of portrait mode and landscape mode. However, the currently described embodiment includes single data port <NUM> that can be formed of connector assembly <NUM> accommodated within an opening formed along a first side of housing <NUM>. In this way, portable computing device <NUM> can use data port <NUM> to communicate with external devices when portable computing device <NUM> is mounted in docking station. It should be noted that in some cases, portable computing device <NUM> can include an orientation sensor or an accelerometer that can sense the orientation or movement of portable computing device <NUM>. The sensor can then provide an appropriate signal which will then cause portable computing device <NUM> to present visual content in an appropriate orientation.

Connector assembly <NUM> can be any size deemed appropriate such as, for example, a <NUM> pin connector. In some cases, the connector assembly <NUM> can serve as both a data and power port thus obviating the need for a separate power connector. Connector assembly <NUM> can be widely varied. In one embodiment, connector assembly <NUM> can take the form of a peripheral bus connector, such as a USB or FIREWIRE connector. These types of connectors include both power and data functionality, thereby allowing both power delivery and data communications to occur between the portable computing device <NUM> and the host device when the portable computing device <NUM> is connected to the host device. In some cases, the host device can provide power to the media portable computing device <NUM> that can be used to operate the portable computing device <NUM> and/or charge a battery included therein concurrently with the operating.

<FIG> and <FIG> present a representative interior view of cavity (also referred to as lumen) <NUM> of single piece seamless housing <NUM> used to enclose various internal components of the portable computing device <NUM> shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. In the described embodiment, single piece seamless housing <NUM> can be formed from a single sheet of metal (such as aluminum) and formed into an appropriate shape using, for example, using conventional collapsible core metal forming techniques well known to those skilled in the art. Housing <NUM> can include a number of features used to facilitate the installation of internal components used in the assembly of portable computing device <NUM>. For example, opening <NUM> can be formed in housing <NUM> suitably sized and located for an RF antenna. In the case where opening <NUM> is used for placing an RF antenna, opening <NUM> can support an RF antenna support assembly formed of at least some radio transparent material. In this way, the RF antenna support assembly can facilitate unimpeded transmission and reception of RF energy in support of any number of wireless protocols such as WiFi, Blue Tooth, and so on. It should be noted the ability to provide unfettered RF functionality is especially important when housing <NUM> is formed of radio opaque materials such as most metals.

In order to accommodate various interfaces (dock, audio jack, volume, power, mute, and so on), openings of various sizes can be created in the housing <NUM>. For example, opening <NUM> can be used to support data port <NUM>, openings <NUM> can be used to provide support for speakers <NUM>; opening <NUM> can provide support for volume switch <NUM> and opening <NUM> for mute button <NUM>. Furthermore, opening <NUM> can be used to provide support for power switch <NUM> and opening <NUM> for an audio jack. It should be noted that any number of approaches can be used to create these openings and make the opening trim appear to be thicker than the thickness (about <NUM>) of the sheet metal used to create housing <NUM>. Creating these openings in the housing <NUM>, however, can result in long and thin webs of metal that can deform from the impact of a drop event or cause housing <NUM> to exhibit unacceptable flexing under torsion. A particular reinforcing technique is described below.

A plurality of steps <NUM> can be formed in bottom surface <NUM> of housing <NUM>. Steps <NUM> can be used to provide a support platform for mounting various internal components onto bottom surface <NUM> of housing <NUM>. In the described embodiment, steps <NUM> can be formed by removing a pre-determined amount of housing material (such as aluminum) using conventional machining techniques. Typically, each of the steps can have rounded edges in order to protect internal components that may come in contact. As is apparent in <FIG> and <FIG>, steps <NUM> can also be formed into various patterns, such as pattern <NUM>, <NUM> and pattern <NUM>. Far from being merely aesthetic in nature, the various patterns can be very useful. For example, the various patterns can be used to accommodate mounting structures used to support internal components, such as for example a battery mount. In some cases, pattern <NUM> can take the form of an integrated beam structure described in more detail below that provides for a more even distribution of loads applied to housing <NUM>. Moreover, in addition to providing structural support and aiding in resisting deformation, the housing material removed in the formation of the plurality of steps <NUM> can help to substantially reduce the overall weight of housing <NUM>.

<FIG> show shows a cross sectional view of housing <NUM> taken along line A-A of <FIG> and <FIG>. In particular, <FIG> shows the nature of the undercut geometry of housing <NUM> illustrating more clearly how linear dimensions (length L, for example) of opening <NUM> into which the operational components can be inserted during assembly is smaller than the linear dimensions (length l, for example) of the body of the housing <NUM>. Moreover, the curvature of housing <NUM> can be asymmetric in that upper portion <NUM> of housing <NUM> can be formed to have distinct edges whereas lower portion <NUM> can be formed to have spline shape. This asymmetry aids in the tactile sensation presented by portable computing device <NUM> in part because it provides a better fit to the user's hand.

In any case, housing <NUM> can have a nominal wall thickness tnom (that can be on the order of about <NUM>). Upper portion <NUM> can be formed in such a way as to have a substantially uniform average wall thickness close to nominal wall thickness tnom. Since interior surface <NUM> of lower portion <NUM> substantially conforms to the spline shape of exterior surface of housing <NUM>, mounting internal components onto interior surface <NUM> can be difficult or at best sub-optimal. For example, in order to securely place an internal component onto interior surface <NUM>, any mounting structure used to mount the internal component to internal surface <NUM> would have to be specially machined to fit the curvature of interior surface <NUM>. This special machining would require special tooling and add extra costs to manufacture as well as adding complexity and time required for assembly.

Therefore, in order provide a more suitably shaped interior surface upon which to mount internal components (as well as to reduce the weight of housing <NUM>), interior surface <NUM> of housing <NUM> can be sculpted (using CNC machining techniques, for example) to any appropriate shape. Interior surface <NUM> can be sculpted to include plurality of mounting steps <NUM> that can resemble in form a terrace. Firstly, however, a determination can be made of a minimum thickness tmin for housing <NUM> that is consistent with both good structural integrity and a desired weight reduction. For example, in the case where housing <NUM> is formed of aluminum having nominal thickness tnom of about <NUM>, it has been determined that minimum thickness tmin of about <NUM> results in an average step height "h" of about <NUM> resulting in an average weight reduction of about <NUM>%. Using these settings, interior surface <NUM> of housing <NUM> can be machined in one machine set up to include a suitable number of steps each having step height h creating various terracing patterns well suited for both reducing the overall weight of housing <NUM> but also providing suitable mounting platforms for mounting various internal components.

As shown in <FIG>, portions of interior surface <NUM> can be maintained at a thickness that is substantially the same as nominal thickness tnom. For example, in order to distribute any stresses applied to housing <NUM> more evenly, integrated beam system <NUM> (which in <FIG> resembles the letter "H") can be created simply by not machining those portions of housing <NUM> consistent with the desired location of integrated beam system <NUM>. In some cases, however, integrated beam system <NUM> can be created by simply removing less material from housing <NUM> in those locations corresponding to integrated beam system <NUM> such that thickness t corresponding to integrated beam system <NUM> is tnom> t> tmin. In this way, beam structure <NUM> can more evenly distribute applied loads across a larger region of housing <NUM> thereby minimizing the likelihood of buckling or deformation.

Unlike the assembly of conventional portable electronic devices where components are assembled in a top-down manner (i.e., the components are inserted into the housing before the bezel is snapped on), the undercut geometry of housing <NUM> requires that all components fit within the dimensions (L, W) of opening <NUM>. Moreover, the assembly of portable electronic device <NUM> can be carried out in a bottom-up manner. In order to facilitate the bottom-up assembly of portable electronic device <NUM> and to minimize any offsets between the polished top glass layer and an uppermost portion of the housing (racetrack <NUM>), various techniques, apparatus and systems can be used that minimize stack (i.e., z direction) tolerance.

In order to accommodate connector assembly <NUM>, an opening must be formed in housing <NUM>. In the case where connector assembly <NUM> has a sizeable number of pins (such as <NUM>), the size of the opening required to accommodate connector <NUM> can be quite large relative to housing <NUM> thereby adversely affecting the integrity of housing <NUM>. For example, <FIG> shows representative opening <NUM> formed in housing <NUM> used to accommodate connector assembly <NUM>. In this example, connector assembly <NUM> can include a number of connectors arranged longitudinally such that opening <NUM> must have length L1 substantially greater the width W1 creating region <NUM> in housing <NUM>. In the described embodiment, region <NUM> can have height h that is substantially less than the nominal height H of the first wall of housing <NUM> resulting in region <NUM> having potentially unsatisfactory resistance to buckling especially in a drop event.

In order to improve buckling resistance of region <NUM>, support bracket <NUM> can be used to reinforce region <NUM> as well as provide a mounting feature for connector assembly <NUM>. In the described embodiment, support bracket <NUM> can be formed of strong resilient material such as steel. Support bracket <NUM> can include bosses <NUM> used to accept fasteners suitable for attaching connector assembly <NUM> to support bracket <NUM>. Portion <NUM> of support bracket <NUM> can be folded, bent, or otherwise formed along folding line <NUM> that can correspond to ledge <NUM> formed in a bottom portion of housing <NUM>. In this way, portion <NUM> can be attached directly to ledge <NUM> using, for example, adhesives along the lines of epoxy, or by being welded into place. In addition to attaching portion <NUM> to ledge <NUM>, support bracket <NUM> can be attached to the first wall of housing <NUM> using portion <NUM>. In the described embodiment, portion <NUM> can be shaped (such as an L shape) in order to provide additional support for region <NUM> shown in more detail below.

<FIG> shows representative cross sectional view <NUM> of connector assembly <NUM> and support bracket <NUM> (in particular regions <NUM> and <NUM>) in accordance with the described embodiments. In order to attach (L shaped) region <NUM> of support bracket <NUM> to housing <NUM> (in particular region <NUM>) amount <NUM> of housing material commensurate with the size of and shape of region <NUM> can be removed from an interior surface of housing <NUM> in the area of region <NUM>. Epoxy (or other suitable bonding agent) can then be used to attach region <NUM> to the newly exposed interior surface of housing <NUM>. Therefore, even though an amount of housing material is removed, the replacement by region <NUM> of support bracket <NUM> substantially increases the strength of region <NUM>.

Since it is contemplated that portable computing device <NUM> can be configured to access wireless networks using any number of wireless protocols, those embodiments of housing <NUM> formed of radio opaque material can be adapted for use with RF compliant portable computing devices. In an embodiment of the invention, housing <NUM> has portions removed in order to reduce the likelihood that the radio opacity of housing <NUM> will interfere with wireless operations. Accordingly, <FIG> shows housing <NUM> formed of radio opaque material such as metal configured for use with portable computing device <NUM> having wireless (RF) based functionality. In particular, housing <NUM> is formed in much the same way as housing <NUM> with the exception that radio opaque portion <NUM> is removed and replaced with radio transparent portion <NUM> (also referred to as an antenna window). In the described embodiment, antenna window <NUM> can be formed of plastic, ceramic materials, or any material of suitable strength having the appropriate level of radio transparency. Therefore, it is contemplated that antenna window <NUM> can be placed in proximity to an internal RF antenna in order to minimize the interference of housing <NUM> and to help to maximize the efficiency of the RF antenna. For both aesthetic reasons and the maintenance of structural integrity of housing <NUM>, antenna window <NUM> is made to substantially conform to the shape of housing <NUM>. Therefore, antenna window <NUM> has a shape that conforms to the shape of housing <NUM>. In this way, antenna window <NUM> has an upper portion that has a similar shape as upper portion <NUM> and a lower portion similarly shaped to lower portion <NUM> of housing <NUM>.

In order to assure easy assembly and a good structural bond, antenna window is formed to include plurality of grooves <NUM> arranged to accept a corresponding one of a plurality of castellations <NUM> formed on housing <NUM>. For example, as shown in <FIG>, antenna window <NUM> is placed within opening <NUM> and in a diving motion, placed in proximity to housing <NUM> such that castellation <NUM> is inserted within corresponding groove <NUM>. Once each of the castellations are inserted into an appropriate one of the grooves, epoxy (or other appropriate adhesive) placed within or inserted into each groove as shown in <FIG> to permanently attach antenna window <NUM> to housing <NUM>. It should be noted that gap <NUM> can remain to account for the differences in coefficients of thermal expansion of housing <NUM> and antenna window <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a flow diagram describing process <NUM> for forming a plurality of steps in an interior surface of a housing in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Process <NUM> begins at <NUM> by providing a housing having a nominal wall thickness suitable for enclosing and supporting internal operational components for a portable computing device. At <NUM>, a determination is made of a minimum wall thickness, the minimum wall thickness being at least wall thickness value consistent with maintaining overall housing integrity. At <NUM>, a determination is made of a step height. At <NUM>, a step pattern is determined. In one embodiment, the step pattern can be that pattern of steps suitable for mounting a plurality of internal components to a bottom surface of the housing. In another embodiment, the step pattern consistent with an integrated beam structure can be determined. At <NUM>, a predetermined amount of housing material consistent with the determined step pattern is removed from the bottom surface of the housing. In the described embodiment, the predetermined amount of housing material removed results in each of the steps having approximately equal step heights. In some cases, the resulting steps can have edges that are smoothed out in order to reduce the likelihood of damaging internal components. In the embodiment where an integrated beam structure is formed, then an amount of material that is less than the predetermined amount of housing material is removed from portions of the bottom surface of the housing that correspond to the internal beam structure. In some cases, essentially no housing material is removed from the bottom surface of the housing that corresponds to the integrated beam structure, whereas in other cases, the amount removed is less than the predetermined amount.

The various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of the described embodiments can be used separately or in any combination. Various aspects of the described embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware or a combination of hardware and software. The described embodiments can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable medium for controlling manufacturing operations or as computer readable code on a computer readable medium for controlling a manufacturing line. The computer readable medium is any data storage device that can store data which can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of the computer readable medium include read-only memory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic tape, optical data storage devices, and carrier waves. The computer readable medium can also be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the invention. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims.

Claim 1:
A portable electronic device (<NUM>), comprising:
a single-piece housing (<NUM>, <NUM>),
formed of radio-opaque material and having a bottom wall and sidewalls, the bottom wall defining a lower portion of the single-piece housing, the sidewalls defining an upper portion of the single-piece housing, the single-piece housing having a radio-frequency (RF) antenna window opening (<NUM>), the single-piece housing including a plurality of castellations (<NUM>), a top edge of the sidewalls defining a front opening; and
an RF-transparent antenna window (<NUM>) formed of a material that allows passage of RF energy, the RF-transparent antenna window being adapted to be placed within the RF antenna window opening in a diving motion and disposed within the RF antenna window opening, the RF-transparent antenna window having a first portion having a curvature substantially similar to a curvature of the lower portion of the single-piece housing, the RF-transparent antenna window having a second portion having a curvature substantially similar to a curvature of the upper portion of the single-piece housing , the RF-transparent antenna window formed to include a plurality of grooves (<NUM>) ,
wherein each castellation of the plurality of castellations is inserted into a corresponding groove of the plurality of grooves.