Patent ID: 8553907

Claim:
A portable computing device, comprising: an outer housing configured to enclose and support a plurality of internal components, said outer housing being composed of predominantly one or more electrically non-conducting thermoplastic materials; a main logic board located within said outer housing, said main logic board having a primary processing unit coupled thereto; a keyboard assembly including a plurality of keys physically coupled to said outer housing and electrically coupled to said main logic board; an audio source located within the housing and positioned below the keyboard assembly, wherein the audio source is configured to emit sound waves that are propagated primarily via sound transmission paths through said keyboard assembly and between gaps between the keyboard keys and said outer housing; an equalizer adapted to adjust electrical signals sent to said audio source, wherein one or more settings for said equalizer are selected to account for sound absorption and amplification characteristics of the sound waves along the sound transmission paths; and a universal grounding structure electrically coupled to each of said main logic board, keyboard assembly, audio source, and equalizer, wherein said universal grounding structure includes a plurality of separate ground components that are electrically intercoupled, wherein each of said separate ground components is substantially smaller than the overall portable computing device, wherein a first ground component provides an electromagnetic interference shield around said main logic board, wherein a second ground component comprises a metal backplate positioned such that said main logic board is between the metal backplate and the separate first ground component, and wherein the second ground component is electrically and mechanically coupled to the first ground component via a plurality of conductive pins positioned through the main logic board.