PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10642316-B2
Application Number: US-201916410066-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Component assembly

Abstract:
A portable computing device is disclosed. The portable computing device can take many forms such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, and so on. The portable computing device can include at least a single piece housing. The single piece housing including a plurality of steps. The plurality of mounting steps are formed by at least removing a preselected amount of housing material at predetermined locations on the interior surface. At least some of the mounting steps are used to mount at least some of the plurality of internal operating components housing.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A portable electronic device comprising:
 a housing comprising:
 a bottom wall that includes a first radio frequency (RF) transparent material, and 
 side walls extending from the bottom wall, the side walls having a front edge that defines a front opening; and 
 
 an RF panel that includes a second RF transparent material and is carried within the front opening by the front edge. 
 
     
     
       2. The portable electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the bottom wall is integrally formed with the side walls so that the housing has a seamless appearance. 
     
     
       3. The portable electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the side walls include the first RF transparent material. 
     
     
       4. The portable electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the side walls include lateral surfaces having a spline-shaped profile. 
     
     
       5. The portable electronic device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 operational components carried by the housing, wherein the operational components include an RF circuit coupled to an RF antenna, wherein RF circuit uses the RF antenna to communicate over a wireless communication channel. 
 
     
     
       6. The portable electronic device of  claim 5 , wherein RF signals to or from the RF antenna pass through the RF panel. 
     
     
       7. The portable electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the side walls includes an opening that is capable of receiving an electrical connector capable of transmitting audio signals. 
     
     
       8. A portable electronic device having a curved geometry, comprising:
 a unibody housing formed of a first RF transmissive material, the unibody housing having a bottom wall that is integrally formed with side walls that extend from the bottom wall, wherein the side walls include lateral surfaces that (i) have a spline-shaped profile, and (ii) terminate at a front edge that defines a front opening; and 
 a front panel that is carried by the unibody housing at the front edge, wherein the front panel comprises a second RF transmissive material and is positioned within the front opening. 
 
     
     
       9. The portable electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the curved geometry includes the spline-shaped profile of the lateral surfaces. 
     
     
       10. The portable electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the unibody housing is characterized as having a seamless appearance. 
     
     
       11. The portable electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the first RF transmissive material includes a plastic material and the second RF transmissive material includes a glass material. 
     
     
       12. The portable electronic device of  claim 11 , wherein the front panel includes an optically-transparent material. 
     
     
       13. The portable electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the front panel is smaller than the bottom wall. 
     
     
       14. The portable electronic device of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a display assembly carried by the housing between the front panel and the bottom wall and that is overlaid by the front panel. 
 
     
     
       15. A portable electronic device, comprising:
 a unibody housing formed of a first RF transparent material and that includes a bottom wall and side walls that include a front edge that defines a front opening; 
 a RF circuit coupled to an RF antenna that is carried by the unibody housing, wherein the RF circuit uses the RF antenna to establish a wireless communication channel; and 
 an RF panel formed of a second RF transparent material that is carried by the front edge within the front opening. 
 
     
     
       16. The portable electronic device of  claim 15 , wherein the bottom wall is opposite of the RF panel. 
     
     
       17. The portable electronic device of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a display assembly carried in the front opening and overlaid by the RF panel. 
 
     
     
       18. The portable electronic device of  claim 15 , wherein the first RF transparent material includes a plastic material and the second RF transparent material includes a glass material. 
     
     
       19. The portable electronic device of  claim 15 , wherein the bottom wall has a spline-shaped profile. 
     
     
       20. The portable electronic device of  claim 15 , wherein the housing is seamless.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/030,651 filed Jul. 9, 2018, set to issue as U.S. Pat. No. 10,289,167 on May 14, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/801,013 filed Nov. 1, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,048,721, issued on Aug. 14, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/447,030 filed Mar. 1, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,829,916, issued on Nov. 28, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/249,287 filed Aug. 26, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,880,590, issued on Jan. 30, 2018, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 13/855,630 filed Apr. 2, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,431,190, issued on Aug. 30, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/694,200 filed Jan. 26, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,432,678, issued on Apr. 30, 2013 which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/292,739 filed Jan. 6, 2010, all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
     This patent application is related to and incorporates by reference in their entirety the following patent applications:
         (i) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/694,162 entitled “ASSEMBLY OF A DISPLAY MODULE” by Ternus et al. filed Jan. 26, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,213,168, issued Jul. 3, 2012;   (ii) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/694,085 entitled “HANDHELD COMPUTING DEVICE” by Ternus et al. filed Jan. 26, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,345,410, issued Jan. 1, 2013;   (iii) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/694,168 entitled “DISPLAY MODULE” by McClure et al. filed Jan. 26, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,238,087, issued Aug. 7, 2012;   (iv) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/694,166 entitled “PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD” by McClure et al. filed Jan. 26, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,995,334, issued Aug. 9, 2011; and   (v) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/694,083; and entitled “EDGE BREAK DETAILS AND PROCESSING” by Sweet et al. filed Jan. 26, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,892,238, issued Nov. 18, 2014, that is, in turn, a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/580,934 entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR POLISHING A CURVED EDGE” by Lancaster et al. filed Oct. 16, 2009 that takes priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/249,200 entitled “COMPLEX GEOGRAPHICAL EDGE POLISHING” by Johannessen filed Oct. 6, 2009.       

    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Field of the Described Embodiments 
     The described embodiments relate generally to portable computing devices such as laptop computers, tablet computers, and the like. More particularly, enclosures of portable computing devices and methods of assembling portable computing devices are described. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     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&#39;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. 
     SUMMARY 
     A portable computing device is disclosed. The portable computing device can take many forms such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, and so on. In one embodiment, the portable computing device can include a single piece housing having a front opening. In the described embodiment, the single piece housing can, in turn, include an integral bottom and side walls that cooperate to form a cavity in cooperation with the front opening where an interior surface of the bottom wall is curved and includes a plurality of machined steps suitable for mounting an internal component thereon where at least some of the machined steps form a pattern of steps. In addition to the single piece housing, the portable computing device can include a component mounted directly to the curved bottom wall. The component, in turn, includes a mounting feature having a shape that conforms to the pattern of steps such that the mounting feature is directly mounted to the bottom wall of the single piece housing without conforming to the curvature of the bottom wall. 
     In one aspect, the steps can be machined in one set up using computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine tools and associated techniques. In addition, any sharp edges can be rounded to a more benign shape thereby reducing any possibility of damaging internal components. 
     In another embodiment, a button assembly is described. The button assembly can include at least a button body having an external top surface configured to be pressed by a user, at least one tactile switch unit, mounted on a top surface of a first printed circuit board positioned such that a bottom surface of the button body can contact the tactile switch unit when the top surface of the button body is pressed by the user, and a plurality of conductive posts mounted on a top surface of a second printed circuit board positioned and connected to a bottom surface of the first printed circuit board through a plurality of conductive pads mounted thereon. In the described embodiment, when a current passes through at least two of the plurality of conductive posts when the user presses the external top surface of the button body thereby closing a circuit in the tactile switch unit. 
     In another embodiment, a button assembly is described that includes at least a button body including an exterior surface and at least one post extending from an interior surface opposite the exterior surface, the at least one post having a stem portion proximal to the interior surface and a capture portion distal to the interior surface, the capture portion having a diameter greater than the stem portion, a structural support section having a first opening wider than the capture portion of the post of the button body and configured to provide structural stability to a section of a housing to which the structural support section is mounted, the section of the housing having a second opening larger than the exterior surface of the button body, and a retention bracket having a third opening wider than the diameter of the stem portion and narrower than the diameter of the capture portion of the post. In the described embodiment, the button assembly can be at least partially assembled by extending the post of the button body through the second opening in the housing and the first opening in the structural support section and retained in position by the retention bracket. 
     In still another embodiment, a method is described. The method can be carried out by receiving a housing having a cavity for receiving internal components, the housing having a plurality of mounting steps formed on a curved interior bottom surface of the housing. A component to be mounted to the housing is then received, the component having a conformally shaped mounting feature. The conformally shaped mounting feature is then placed in contact with at least one of the mounting steps and bonded to the bottom surface of the housing. In this way, the mounting feature is directly mounted to the bottom wall of the single piece housing without conforming to the curvature of the bottom wall. 
     In one aspect, an integrated beam system can be formed by removing less than the determined amounts of material from an inner surface of the housing. The integrated beam system can be part of the housing and be used to provide support for the housing by, in part, distributing a force applied to the portable computing device. In this way, by distributing the applied force, the risk of deforming or damaging the housing can be substantially reduced. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       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: 
         FIG. 1A  shows a top view of a portable computing device in accordance with the described embodiments. 
         FIG. 1B  shows a perspective top view of a portable computing device in accordance with the described embodiments. 
         FIG. 2A  shows a full interior view of a housing suitable for enclosing operational components of the portable computing device shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
         FIG. 2B  shows a perspective interior view of a housing suitable for enclosing operational components of the portable computing device shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
         FIGS. 2C and 2D  show representative cross sectional view of section A-A of the housing shown in  FIG. 2A . 
         FIG. 3  presents a top level internal view of portable computing device showing a specific arrangement of various internal components. 
         FIG. 4A  shows an exploded view of battery assembly in accordance with the described embodiments. 
         FIG. 4B  shows a close up view of battery frame shown in  FIG. 4A . 
         FIG. 5  shows cross section along line AA of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6  shows a representative cross section of logo in accordance with the described embodiments. 
         FIG. 7  shows exploded view of integrated audio module  700  in accordance with the described embodiments. 
         FIG. 8A  illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of a button assembly mounted through a cover glass of a portable computing device in accordance with the described embodiments. 
         FIG. 8B  illustrates a second cross-sectional view of the button assembly mounted in the portable computing device shown in  FIG. 8A . 
         FIG. 8C  illustrates a top view of a portion of the button assembly of  FIG. 8A . 
         FIG. 8D  illustrates a simplified cross-sectional view through a portion of the button assembly of  FIG. 8A . 
         FIG. 9A  presents a perspective internal view of a reinforced housing of a portable computing device in the region of a button assembly. 
         FIG. 9B  presents a perspective external view of the reinforced housing of the portable computing device illustrated in  FIG. 9A . 
         FIG. 9C  illustrates an exploded perspective internal view of a button assembly mountable through the reinforced housing  102  of the portable computing device  100  illustrated in  FIGS. 9A-B . 
         FIG. 9D  illustrates an exploded perspective external view of the button assembly illustrated in  FIGS. 9A-C . 
         FIG. 9E  shows a simplified horizontal cross-sectional view of a portion of the button assembly illustrated in  FIGS. 9A-D . 
         FIG. 10  shows a flowchart detailing a process in accordance with the described embodiments. 
         FIG. 11  shows SIM card in accordance with the described embodiments. 
         FIG. 12  shows SIM card of  FIG. 11  incorporated into portable computing device. 
         FIGS. 13-15  show various configurations and methods of assembling a radio transparent antenna window in accordance with the described embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     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&#39;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). 
     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. 
     These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to  FIGS. 1-15 . 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. 1A  illustrates a specific embodiment of portable computing device  100 . More specifically,  FIG. 1  A shows a full top view of fully assembled portable computing device  100 . Portable computing device  100  can process data and more particularly media data such as audio, video, images, etc. By way of example, portable computing device  100  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  100  can be held in one hand by a user while being operated by the user&#39;s other hand (i.e., no reference surface such as a desktop is needed). For example, the user can hold portable computing device  100  in one hand and operate portable computing device  100  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  100  can include single piece seamless housing  102  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  100  has a metal housing and incorporates RF based functionality, it may be advantageous to provide at least a portion of housing  102  in the form of radio (or RF) transparent materials such as ceramic, or plastic. In any case, housing  102  can be configured to at least partially enclose any suitable number of internal components associated with the portable computing device  100 . For example, housing  102  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  100 . 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  102  can include opening  104  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  100  using touch inputs. The display system can be formed of a number of layers including a topmost layer taking the form of transparent protective layer  106  formed of polycarbonate or other appropriate plastic or highly polished glass. Using highly polished glass, protective layer  106  can take the form of cover glass  106  substantially filling opening  104 . Seal  108  can be used to form a gasket between cover glass  106  and housing  102 . Seal  108  can be formed of a resilient material such as a plastic along the lines of thermoplastic urethane or TPU. In this way, seal  108  can provide protection against environmental contaminants from entering the interior of portable computing device  100 . Racetrack  110  can be defined as the uppermost portion of the housing  102  that surrounds cover glass layer  106 . In order to maintain the desired aesthetic look and feel of portable computing device  100 , it is desirable that any offsets between the housing  102  and cover glass  106  be minimized by centering racetrack  110 . 
     Although not shown, the display panel underlying cover glass  106  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  106 . 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  112  used to provide a specific input such as change display mode, for example to portable computing device  100 . The display mask can render home button  112  less obvious by, for example, being closer in tone or color to home button  112 . For example, if home button  112  is formed of a material that is somewhat darker (such as gray or black) than cover glass  106 , then using a similarly colored display mask can reduce the visual impact of home button  112  when compared with the unmasked portion of cover glass  106 . In this way, the visual impact of home button  112  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  100  can include a number of mechanical controls for controlling or otherwise modifying certain functions of portable computing device  100 . For example, power switch  114  can be used to manually power on or power off portable computing device  100 . Mute button  116  can be used to mute any audio output provided by portable computing device  100  whereas volume switch  118  can be used to increase/decrease volume of the audio output by portable computing device  100 . It should be noted that each of the above described input mechanisms are typically disposed through an opening in housing  102  such that they can couple to internal components in some embodiments, portable computing device  100  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  100  can include a mechanism for wireless communications, as either a transceiver type device or receiver only, such as a radio, portable computing device  100  can include an antenna that can be disposed internal to a radio transparent portion of housing  102 . In some embodiments, an antenna can be incorporated into seal  108  or cover glass  106 . In other embodiments, a portion of housing  102  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 3G, 2G, Bluetooth, RF, 802.11, FM, AM, and so on. Any number of antennae 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. 
       FIG. 1B  shows a perspective top view of portable computing device  100  in accordance with the described embodiments. As shown in  FIG. 1B , portable computing device  100  can include one or more speakers  120  used to output audible sound. Portable computing device  100  can also include one or more connectors for transferring data and/or power to and from portable computing device  100 . For example, portable computing device  100  can include multiple data ports, one for each configuration of portrait mode and landscape mode. However, the currently described embodiment includes single data port  122  that can be formed of connector assembly  124  accommodated within an opening formed along a first side of housing  102 . In this way, portable computing device  100  can use data port  122  to communicate with external devices when portable computing device  100  is mounted in docking station. It should be noted that in some cases, portable computing device  100  can include an orientation sensor or an accelerometer that can sense the orientation or movement of portable computing device  100 . The sensor can then provide an appropriate signal which will then cause portable computing device  100  to present visual content in an appropriate orientation. 
     Connector assembly  124  can be any size deemed appropriate such as, for example, a 30 pin connector. In some cases, the connector assembly  124  can serve as both a data and power port thus obviating the need for a separate power connector. Connector assembly  124  can be widely varied. In one embodiment, connector assembly  124  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  100  and the host device when the portable computing device  100  is connected to the host device. In some cases, the host device can provide power to the media portable computing device  100  that can be used to operate the portable computing device  100  and/or charge a battery included therein concurrently with the operating. 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  present a representative interior view of cavity (also referred to as lumen)  200  of single piece seamless housing  102  used to enclose various internal components of the portable computing device  100  shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . In the described embodiment, single piece seamless housing  102  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  102  can include a number of features used to facilitate the installation of internal components used in the assembly of portable computing device  100 . For example, opening  202  can be formed in housing  102  suitably sized and located for an RF antenna. In the case where opening  202  is used for placing an RF antenna, opening  202  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  102  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),  FIG. 2B  shows how openings of various sizes can be created in the housing  102 . For example, opening  204  can be used to support data port  122 , openings  206  can be used to provide support for speakers  120 ; opening  208  can provide support for volume switch  118  and opening  210  for mute button  116 . Furthermore, opening  212  can be used to provide support for power switch  114  and opening  214  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 1.5 mm) of the sheet metal used to create housing  102 . Creating these openings in the housing  102 , however, can result in long and thin webs of metal that can deform from the impact of a drop event or cause housing  102  to exhibit unacceptable flexing under torsion. A particular reinforcing technique is described below. 
     A plurality of steps  216  can be formed in bottom surface  218  of housing  102 . Steps  216  can be used to provide a support platform for mounting various internal components onto bottom surface  218  of housing  102 . In the described embodiment, steps  216  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  FIGS. 2A and 2B , steps  216  can also be formed into various patterns, such as pattern  220 ,  222  and pattern  224 . 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 frame. In some cases, pattern  226  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  102 . Moreover, in addition to providing structural support and aiding in resisting deformation, the housing material removed in the formation of the plurality of steps  216  can help to substantially reduce the overall weight of housing  102 . 
       FIGS. 2C and 2D  show shows a cross sectional view of housing  102  taken along line A-A of  FIGS. 2A and 2B . In particular,  FIG. 2C  shows the nature of the undercut geometry of housing  102  illustrating more clearly how linear dimensions (length L, for example) of opening  104  into which the operational components can be inserted during assembly is smaller than the linear dimensions (length  1 , for example) of the body of the housing  102 . Moreover, the curvature of housing  102  can be asymmetric in that upper portion  228  of housing  102  can be formed to have distinct edges whereas lower portion  230  can be formed to have spline shape. This asymmetry aids in the tactile sensation presented by portable computing device  100  in part because it provides a better fit to the user&#39;s hand. 
     In any case, housing  102  can have a nominal wall thickness tnon, (that can be on the order of about 1.5 mm). Upper portion  228  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  218  of lower portion  230  substantially conforms to the spline shape of exterior surface of housing  102 , mounting internal components onto interior surface  218  can be difficult or at best sub-optimal. For example, in order to securely place an internal component onto interior surface  218 , any mounting structure used to mount the internal component to internal surface  218  would have to be specially machined to fit the curvature of interior surface  218 . 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  102 ), interior surface  218  of housing  102  can be sculpted (using CNC machining techniques, for example) to any appropriate shape. Interior surface  218  can be sculpted to include plurality of mounting steps  216  that can resemble in form a terrace. Firstly, however, a determination can be made of a minimum thickness tmin for housing  102  that is consistent with both good structural integrity and a desired weight reduction. For example, in the case where housing  102  is formed of aluminum having nominal thickness tnom of about 1.5 mm, it has been determined that minimum thickness tmin of about 0.6 mm results in an average step height “h” of about 0.5 mm resulting in an average weight reduction of about 25%. Using these settings, interior surface  218  of housing  102  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  102  but also providing suitable mounting platforms for mounting various internal components. 
     Portions of interior surface  218  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  102  more evenly, integrated beam system (which in  FIG. 2A  pattern  226  that resembles the letter “H”) can be created simply by not machining those portions of housing  102  consistent with the desired location of integrated beam system. In some cases, however, integrated beam system can be created by simply removing less material from housing  102  in those locations corresponding to integrated beam system such that thickness t corresponding to integrated beam system is tnom&gt;t&gt;tmm. In this way, beam structure can more evenly distribute applied loads across a larger region of housing  102  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  102  requires that all components fit within the dimensions (L, W) of opening  104 . Moreover, the assembly of portable electronic device  100  can be carried out in a bottom-up manner. In order to facilitate the bottom-up assembly of portable electronic device  100  and to minimize any offsets between the polished top glass layer and an uppermost portion of the housing (racetrack  110 ), various techniques, apparatus and systems can be used that minimize stack (i.e., z direction) tolerance as well as to increase component density within housing  102 . 
     The following discussion describes specific approaches to both minimizing the Z height of the assembled components and maximizing component density within housing  102 . In other words, the Z stack associated with installed internal components is such that the components can be easily accommodated by cavity  200  without the need to resort to lengthy and time consuming assembly procedures. The reduced Z stack and improved component density can be accomplished in many ways such a configuring the structure of an internal component to perform multiple functions. For example, portable computing device  100  can include a battery assembly. The battery assembly can, in turn, include battery cells that can be suspended from an upper protective layer leaving a gap (referred to as a swell gap) between a lower surface of housing  102  and a lower surface of the battery cells. In conventionally arranged battery assemblies, the battery cells would require space above the battery cells to accommodate swelling anticipated to occur during normal operation. However, by placing the swell gap below the battery cells, space between the battery cells and the housing that would otherwise be wasted can be used in a productive manner. Component density can also be increased. For example, circuits that would otherwise be considered separate can be combined to share a single connector. For example, an audio module can include both a microphone and associated circuitry that can share a flex connector with an audio circuit used to produce audio output. In this way, both the number and overall footprint of the internal components can be substantially reduced without adversely affecting overall functionality. 
     Moreover, efficient assembly techniques can be provided that substantially reduce the time and effort required for assembly. One such technique can include coordinating the installation of a number of internal components in such that securing one component can have the effect of securing all of the components. For example, portable computing device  100  can include a main printed circuit board (referred to as a highway board) that can extend substantially across the length of portable computing device  100 . In this way, the main printed circuit board can connect internal components that are disparately located within housing  102  without the need for long connectors. Moreover, by judiciously selecting those components to attach to the main printed circuit board and in what order can greatly simplify the assembly process. For example, connector assembly  124  and a main logic board, or MLB, can be mounted but not yet secured to the main printed circuit board in such as a way that securing connector assembly  124  to the main printed circuit board has the effect of simultaneously securing the MLB. In this way, a single act of securing the connector assembly secures both the MLB and the main printed circuit board thereby eliminating a number of separate securing operations. 
       FIGS. 3-9  illustrate the operational components of portable computing device  100 . The operational components are organized in layers. The relationship and organization of the operational components within each layer and the relationship between layers can be used to facilitate both the assembly and optimization of the Z stack of the internal components of portable computing device  100 . In this way, minimizing the Z stack, portable computing device  100  can be extremely compact, sturdy, aesthetically pleasing and ergonomic at relatively low cost. 
       FIG. 3  presents a top level internal view  300  of portable computing device  100  showing a specific arrangement of various internal components. In one embodiment, the internal components can include at least battery assembly  302 . Battery assembly  302  can include at least two battery cells  304 ,  306  supported by battery frame  308 . In the described embodiment, first protective layer  310  can wrapped around and attached to battery frame  308 . First protective layer  310  can provide protection to battery cells  304  and  306 . In some cases, first protective layer  310  can be formed of resilient yet durable material such as Mylar™ having an adhesive layer. Battery cells  304  and  306  can be attached to first protective layer  310  using the adhesive. In this way, battery cells  304  and  306  can be suspended from first protective layer  310  leaving a space between a lower surface of the battery cells  304  and  306  and interior surface  218  of housing  102 . This space (which can be referred to as a swell gap) can be sized to accommodate any swelling of battery cells  304  and  306  that typically occurs during battery powered operation of portable computing device  100 . It should be noted that in addition to first protective layer  310 , a second protective layer can be applied to the lower surface of battery cells  304  and  306  using an adhesive, for example. The second protective layer can provide protection to battery cells  304  and  306  especially in those cases where steps  216  (or at least the steps in the vicinity of the lower surface of battery cells  304  and  306 ) are not rounded or otherwise shaped to avoid sharp edges. In the described embodiments, the second protective layer can be formed of any number of suitable materials that can include, for example, polyetheretherketone otherwise known as PEEK. Battery frame  308  can be shaped to conform to step patterns formed in housing  102 . In this way, battery frame  308  can be mounted directly to housing  102  using selected mounting steps. In this way, battery frame  308  does not require special machining or other extraneous processing to be mounted to curved interior surface  218  of housing  102 . 
     The internal components can include main logic board  312  that can include a number of operational circuits such as a processor, graphics circuits, (optional) RF circuitry, semiconductor memory, such as FLASH, and so on. MLB  312  can receive power from battery assembly  302  by way of electrical connectors. In one embodiment, MLB  312  can be supported, in part, by battery frame  308 . The internal components can also include main printed circuit board (mPCB)  314  connected to MLB  312  by way of board to board connector  316 . In the described embodiment, board to board connector  316  can include a suitable number (such as 70) of pins to provide an adequate number of communication channels between MLB  312  and other circuits in portable computing device  100 . In order to facilitate communication between MLB  312  and other circuits in portable computing device  100 , mPCB  314  can provide appropriate interconnection resources for MLB  312 . The interconnection resources provided by mPCB  314  can include a number of electrical traces formed of conductive material incorporated into a substrate of rigid material. In order to reduce the impact on the Z stack height of the internal components, mPCB  314  can be supported in part by battery frame  308  in such a way that at least some of the vertical extent of mPCB  314  is below a top surface of protective layer  310 . Furthermore, in order to protect other circuits, such as a display panel that can flex (which can be as much as 0.5 mm) in response to an external applied force (such as a user&#39;s finger pressing on cover glass  106 ), protective layer  318  can be adhered to a top surface of mPCB  314 . 
     The internal components can include speaker module  320  that can include audio circuits arranged to provide an audio signal to audio drivers  322  and  324 . Audio drivers  322  and  324 , in turn, can provide audible output to speakers  120 . Wireless circuit  326  can be mounted directly to an underside of mPCB  314  thereby using space that would otherwise go unused in a more efficient manner. In this way, the overall component density can be enhanced while at the same time reducing the number of interconnects used (since wireless circuit  316  is connected directly to mPCB  314 ). Portable computing device  100  can also include a number of antennae used for both transmission and reception of RF energy. For example, first (logo) antenna  328  (shown in dotted line form) can be incorporated into opening  202  and, in some embodiment, be embedded in a logo, the logo being incorporated into housing  102 . Second antenna  330  can be placed in a position such that a portion can be incorporated into seal  108  for better overall reception/transmission. Integrated audio module  332  can include audio circuit  334  and microphone module  336  in a compact and integrated assembly. In the described embodiment, integrated audio module  332  can provide both audio output by way of audio jack  338  and receive audio input by way of microphone  340 . 
     In some embodiments, portable computing device  100  can support a number of different wireless standards. For example, in those cases where portable computing device  100  supports a particular wireless standard (such as the 3G standard), portable computing device  100  can include wireless circuitry appropriate for the particular wireless standard. For example, if portable computing device  100  is 3G compliant, the MLB  312  can include 3G wireless circuitry coupled to an appropriately placed and sized RF antenna (It should be noted that as discussed in co-pending U.S. Patent Application “HANDHELD COMPUTING DEVICE” by Ternus et al. a portion of housing  102  is typically replaced with a radio transparent window in co-operation with the RF antenna). Flex connector  342  can connect integrated audio module  332  to MLB  312  whereas display bus  344  can connect display driver circuitry to MLB  312  by way of display connector  346 . In the described embodiment, display bus  344  can take the form of a low voltage differential signaling, or LVDS, bus. Bus  348  can include signal lines for coupling MLB  312  to power switch  114 , mute button  116  and volume switch  118  and connector  350  can carry audio signals to speakers  120 . 
       FIG. 4A  shows an exploded view of battery assembly  400  in accordance with the described embodiments. Battery assembly  400  can include battery frame  402  onto which can be mounted circuit  404 . Circuit  404  can include battery regulation and safety circuits arranged to protect battery assembly  302  from any number of operating excursions that could cause damage to battery assembly  400 . Circuit  404  can also include connectors used to provide power from battery assembly  302  to MLB  312 . As a safety circuit, circuit  404  can provide a fuse type circuit that prevents battery assembly  302  from overheating. Circuit  404  can be placed onto battery frame  402  within cavity  406 . Battery cells  408  and  410  can be surrounded by first protective layer  412  on a top portion and second protective layer  414  adhered to a bottom portion of each of battery cells  408  and  410 . In the described embodiment, second protective layer can take the form of PEEK whereas first protective layer  412  can take the form of Mylar. Platform  416  can be used to support mPCB  314 . 
       FIG. 4B  shows a close up view of battery frame  402 . Battery frame  402  can be placed directly onto housing  102  using attachment features  420  and  422  that can be shaped to conform to a nearby step pattern formed in housing  102 . In this way, battery frame  402  can be attached directly to housing  102  using adhesive, such as epoxy, without requiring special machining. Once securely mounted to housing  102 , battery frame  402  can be used to mount other components within portable computing device  100 . For example, MLB  312  can be supported by MLB support  424  whereas mPCB  314  can be placed on platform  426  and secured using attachment features  428 . Bosses  430  can be used to attach other components (such as speaker module  320 ) to housing  102 . 
       FIG. 5  shows cross section  500  along line AA of  FIG. 3  bisecting battery assembly  302 , logo  502  and mPCB  314 . In particular, cross section  500  illustrates compact nature of the assembled internal components. For example, logo  502  can encompass an RF antenna (referred to as a logo antenna) supported by antenna carrier  504 . In order to avoid unnecessary interference with RF transmissions from the logo antenna, logo  502  can be formed of radio transparent material such as plastic, glass, ceramic and so on. However, in order to prevent the logo antenna from interfering with the operation of RF sensitive circuits within portable computing device  100  (and vice versa) and to therefore limit electronic noise, antenna carrier  504  can formed of a radio-opaque material (such as a grounded metal sheet) that can be placed over and completely surround the logo antenna. In so doing, a substantial portion of any RF energy that backscatters from the logo antenna can be prevented from interfering with RF sensitive circuits. Display module circuit  506  can be connected to LVDS bus  344  by way of connector  346  and be used to drive display panel  508 . 
       FIG. 6  shows a representative cross section of logo  600  in accordance with the described embodiments. As shown, logo  600  can be formed of glass, or similar material, mounted by way of adhesive  602  (such as PSA) to substrate  604 . In this way, the esthetic look of logo  600  can be enhanced due to transparent or near transparent nature of the glass used to fabricate logo  600 . In some cases, the glass can facilitate the transmission of light emanating from portable computing device  100 . It should also be noted, that due at least to the presence of adhesive  602 , any impact to logo  600  will likely only result in the cracking of glass of logo  600  with little or no shattering. 
       FIG. 7  shows exploded view of integrated audio module  700  in accordance with the described embodiments. Integrated audio module  700  includes audio circuit  702  and microphone module  704  enclosed within sealing boot  706 . Both audio circuit  702  and microphone module  704 /sealing boot  706  are incorporated onto audio module flex  708  connected to MLB  312  by way of board to board connector  710 . By incorporating audio circuit  702  and microphone module  704  onto audio module flex  708 , microphone port  712  (part of sealing boot  706 ) and audio jack  714  can be placed in close proximity to one another in housing  102 . In the described embodiment, microphone port  712  can be approximately 1 mm in diameter. 
     The portable computing device  100  can include one or more button assemblies by which the user of the portable computing device  100  can activate various functions. Button assemblies can be mounted through the surface of the cover glass  106  of the display in the portable computing device  100  or through a front, side or back portion of the single piece housing  102  of the portable computing device  100 . The button assemblies can be designed to provide a desired tactile feedback to the user when activating the button assembly&#39;s function. In addition, the button assemblies can be designed, in conjunction with designs of both outer surfaces of and inner connection points within the portable computing device  100 , to be positioned approximately flush with the outer surfaces in neutral, “non-depressed” state, even with internal circuit boards located at a distance from a top portion of the button assembly. 
       FIG. 8A  illustrates a first cross-sectional perspective view  800  and  FIG. 8B  a second cross-sectional view  850  of a home button assembly  802  mounted through cover glass  106  of a portable computing device  100  in accordance with the described embodiments. The home button assembly  802  can include an external flat or curved button body  112  that rests approximately flush with an exterior surface of cover glass  106 . Side flanges  804  can be mounted on the underside of (or integrally formed with) the external button  112  and extend beneath the underside of cover glass  106 . A central post  806  can also be mounted to the underside of (or be integrally formed with) the external button body  112  positioned above a tactile switch unit  808 . In a neutral, “non-depressed” state the central post  806  can be at a distance from the tactile switch unit  808 . Upon depressing the external button body  112 , the central post  806  can contact the tactile switch unit  808  in a manner that results in closing a contact circuit within the tactile switch unit  808 . The use of the tactile switch unit  808  can allow a user of the portable computing device  100  to experience a different “feel” when pressing at different locations on the surface of the external button body  112 , as the external button body  112  can pivot about the top of the tactile switch unit  808 . 
     The internal components of the portable computing device  100  can include a printed circuit board  818  through which signals can be conducted as a result of depressing the external button  802 . As illustrated in  FIG. 8A , the printed circuit board  818  can be located at a distance from contact points of the tactile switch unit  808 . The distance can be such that the tactile switch unit  808  cannot be mounted directly on the printed circuit board  818 , as the travel distance of the center post  806  of the external button body  112  can be too short to reach the tactile switch unit  808  when depressed to activate a function. The printed circuit board  818  can also include components in a region directly beneath the external button body  112  that preclude mounting the tactile switch unit  808  directly to the printed circuit board  818 . Instead a connection can be made between the printed circuit board  818  and the tactile switch unit  808 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 8A-B , the tactile switch unit  808  can be mounted to an intermediate printed circuit board  810 . In some implementations, the intermediate printed circuit board  810  can be connected to the printed circuit board  818  through a flexible cable; however, such a connection can complicate the assembly process. In some embodiments, the flexible cable connection can preclude a simple machine automated assembly and require manual assembly by a technician. The representative embodiment shown in  FIGS. 8A-B  avoids manual assembly by enabling a connection from the intermediate printed circuit board  810  to the printed circuit board  818  through a pair of conductive posts  814 / 816  and a pair of conductive pads  812 / 813 . A first conductive post  814 , for example, can be connected to a DC power level supplied through the printed circuit board  818 , while the second conductive post  816  can be connected to a GND level in the printed circuit board  818 . Conductive posts  814  and  816  can be connected to separate conductive pads  812  and  813  respectively mounted on the underside of the intermediate printed circuit board  810 . Depressing the external button body  112  can close a circuit within the tactile switch unit  808  connecting the first conductive post  814  to the second conductive post  816  and thereby permitting current to flow, which can activate directly or indirectly a function of the portable computing device  100 . In addition to providing a conductive path, the conductive posts  814 / 816  can be sized and positioned between the intermediate printed circuit board  810  and the printed circuit board  818  to “tune” the tactile feel of the button assembly  802  for the user of the portable computing device  100 . For example, the conductive posts  814 / 816  can be positioned closer together or further apart, and the thickness of the intermediate printed circuit board  810  can be varied to increase or decrease flexing that can occur when depressing the external button  802  to contact the tactile switch unit  808 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 8A-B  the intermediate circuit board  810  to which the tactile switch unit  808  mounts can be covered in certain regions by a stiffener section  820 . The stiffener section  820  can be shaped to include vertical walls that prevent the flanges  804  underneath the external button body  112  from moving laterally in one or more directions and also from rotating clockwise or counterclockwise, thereby stabilizing the external button body  112  when pressed by the user.  FIG. 8C  illustrates a simplified top view of the home button assembly with the flanges  804  extending from underneath the external button body  112 . The top of the external button body  112  can include directional markers  822  that can assist a user in locating the external button body  112  as well as guide the user into applying pressure at appropriate locations on the external button body. The directional markers  822  can take different forms including tactile raised dots and compass point (for example north (N) and south (S)) markers. During operation of the portable computing device  100 , the user can apply pressure off center on the surface of the home button body  112 . In some embodiments, the home button body  112  can incur an unacceptably high probability of “sticking” when a top portion of button body  112  or flanges  804  can “dive under” a portion of a stiffener section  826 . For example, by pressing at the “S” end of the external button body, an edge of the external button body  112  can catch beneath an adjacent stiffener section. To prevent such “diving”, a flexure  824  can be attached (such as by a pressure sensitive adhesive) at a first end  828  to the bottom surface of the button body  112  or flanges  804  and at a second end  830  to a surface of a nearby portion of the stiffener section  820 . The flexure can allow vertical movement of the external home button  112  but resist lateral horizontal movement of the external button body  112  and also prevent rotation along any axis, thereby preventing the external button body  112  from diving under the adjacent portion of stiffener section  826  and moving essentially in a z-direction perpendicular to the surface of the portable media device  100 . 
     Button assemblies can also be mounted through a portion of the single piece housing  102  that encloses the portable computing device  100 . As the single piece housing  102  can be relatively thin to reduce weight of the portable computing device  100 , openings in the housing  102  can impact the structural integrity of portions of the housing  102  near the opening. For relatively large openings, a structural support section can be included inside the housing  102  to improve rigidity; however, a button assembly can still require access through the structural support section. It can be desirable to minimize the size of openings through the structural support section, thereby retaining a desired strength of structural support, when using a relatively larger exterior button that can use a relatively larger opening in the housing  102 . 
       FIG. 9A  illustrates an interior perspective view  900  of a housing  102  of a portable computing device  100  that includes openings for button assemblies and a structural support section  904 . As shown in  FIG. 9B  a relatively large external opening  922  through the housing  102  can be substantially larger than the openings  906  through the structural support section  904 . Some openings through the housing  102 , such as opening  910 , can be sized sufficiently small that a structural support section is not required, while larger openings such as opening  922  can require additional structural support. The structural support section  904  can include mounting holes  908  to which a retention bracket can be secured and retain an external button mounted through the housing  102  and structural support section  904 . The structural support section  904  can be attached to housing  102  using an epoxy adhesive or by welding or by other appropriate means.  FIGS. 9C and 9D  illustrate exploded internal and external views respectively of a button assembly with the relatively large opening  922  in the housing  102  augmented by the structural support section  904 . An external volume button  118  can include two posts  934 , each post  934  having a stem portion  936  connected to the back side of the external volume button  118  and a capture portion  938 , wider than the stem portion  936 , which can contact a tactile switch mounted inside the housing  102 . In a representative embodiment, the external button  932  can be a “volume” button that can be depressed in two directions to activate two different functions such as “louder” and “softer” by contacting two separate tactile switches. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9C , a smaller button, for example the mute button  116 , can be mounted from the inside of the housing  102  as the opening  910  through which the mute button  116  extends is sufficiently large to accommodate the external sections of the mute button  116  while not affecting the structural integrity of the housing  102 . The volume button  118 , however, cannot be mounted from the inside of the housing  102 , as the structural support section  904  partially blocks the opening  922  for the external section of the volume button  118 . Instead volume button  118  can be mounted from outside of the housing  102 . Two openings  906  in the structural support section  904  can be sized appropriately to pass the capture portion  938  of the posts  934  on the button  932  through. After inserting volume button  118  through the housing  102 , a retention bracket  940 , which includes relatively narrow slots  946  sized according to the diameter of the stem portion  936  of the posts  934 , can be inserted to capture and retain volume button  118  securely in the housing  102 . The capture portion  938  of the posts  934  on volume button  118  can contact tactile switches mounted on a printed circuit board  942  placed behind the retention bracket. The printed circuit board  942  and the retention bracket  940  can include mounting holes through which they can be secured by fasteners to holes  908  in the structural support section  904 . 
     The button assembly shown in  FIGS. 9A-D  enables the relatively large volume button  118  to be mounted securely through relatively large hole  922  in housing  102  and to contact a pair of tactile switches mounted inside, while also including structural support of the housing  102  around the opening  922 . Structural support integrity of the combination of the housing  102  and the structural support section  904  can be retained by using this “outside to inside” button assembly.  FIG. 9E  illustrates a simplified horizontal cross-sectional view of a portion of the button assembly of  FIGS. 9A-D  when assembled together. A post  934  of the volume button  118  extends through opening  922  in housing  102  and also through the narrowing opening  906  in structural support section  904 , sized to allow passage of the capture portion  938  of the post  934 . The retention bracket  940  surrounds the stem portion  936  of the post  934  and holding the post  934  of the volume button within the button assembly as the opening in the retention bracket  940  can be narrower than the diameter of the capture portion  938 . The capture portion  938  of the post  934  can contact a tactile switch  962  mounted on printed circuit board  942  when the user presses on the exterior of volume button  118 . Printed circuit board  942  and retention bracket  940  can be secured to structural support section  904  by fasteners  964  through holes (as shown in  FIGS. 9C-D ) therein. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a flow diagram describing process  1000  for assembling internal components for a portable computing device in accordance with the described embodiments. Process  1000  begins at  1002  by receiving housing suitable for enclosing and supporting internal components of the portable computing device. The components can include, for example, a battery assembly, a main printed circuit board, a main logic board, and so on. In the described embodiment, the housing includes a plurality of mounting steps formed on interior bottom surface of the housing. The mounting steps can be formed in the housing using any well-known machining operation. The steps can have a step height suitable for providing a good mounting surface for the internal components. In addition to providing a good mounting surface, the housing material removed to form the plurality of steps substantially reduces the weight of the housing with adversely affecting the structural integrity of the housing. Once the housing has been received at  1004 , the component can be inserted into the cavity at  1006  and placed in direct contact with the interior surface of the housing at  1008  using the mounting steps. In this way, the mounting feature can be mounted directly to the interior surface of the housing. Once placed directly onto the interior surface of the housing, the component can be attached to the housing at  1010  using any well-known attaching process such as epoxy, welding, and so on. 
       FIG. 11  shows an embodiment of SIM card release mechanism  1100  in accordance with the described embodiments. SIM card release mechanism  1100  can include tray  1102  suitable for securing a SIM card when placed thereon. Push rod  1104  can be connected to ejection mechanism  1106  connected to a back portion of tray  1102 . In order to eject a SIM card (or to make tray  1102  available for placing of a SIM card) a user can apply a force to push rod  1104 . The applied force can be transferred by push rod  1104  to ejection mechanism  1106  that can pivot about pivot point  1108 . By pivoting about pivot point  1108 , ejection mechanism  1106  causes tray  1102  to move in a direction that exposes  1102  making it suitable for the user to either remove/replace or add a SIM card to tray  1102 .  FIG. 12  shows SIM card release mechanism  1100  included in portable computing device  100  in a particular embodiment. 
     Since it is contemplated that portable computing device  100  can be configured to access wireless networks using any number of wireless protocols, those embodiments of housing  102  formed of radio opaque material can be adapted for use with RF compliant portable computing devices. For example, in one embodiment, housing  102  can have portions removed in order to reduce the likelihood that the radio opacity of housing  102  will interfere with wireless operations. Accordingly,  FIG. 13  shows housing  1300  formed of radio opaque material such as metal configured for use with portable computing device  100  having wireless (RF) based functionality. In particular, housing  1300  can be formed in much the same way as housing  102  with the exception that radio opaque portion  1302  can be removed and replaced with radio transparent portion  1304  (also referred to as an antenna window). In the described embodiment, antenna window  1304  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  1304  can be placed in proximity to an internal RF antenna in order to minimize the interference of housing  1300  and to help to maximize the efficiency of the RF antenna. For both aesthetic reasons and the maintenance of structural integrity of housing  1300 , antenna window  1304  can be made to substantially conform to the shape of housing  1300 . Therefore, antenna window  1304  can have a shape that conforms to the shape of housing  1300 . In this way, antenna window  1304  can have a first portion that has a similar shape as upper portion  228  and a second portion that transitions to lower portion  230  of housing  102 . 
     In order to assure easy assembly and a good structural bond, antenna window  1304  can be formed to include plurality of grooves  1306  arranged to accept a corresponding one of a plurality of castellation  1308  formed on housing  1300 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 14 , antenna window  1304  can placed within opening  1310  and in a diving motion, placed in proximity to housing  1300  such that castellation  1308  can be inserted within corresponding groove  1306 . Once each of the castellation 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. 15  to permanently attach antenna window  1304  to housing  1300 . It should be noted that gap  1312  can remain to account for the differences in coefficients of thermal expansion of housing  1300  and antenna window  1304 . 
     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 and their equivalents. 
     While the embodiments have been described in terms of several particular embodiments, there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents, which fall within the scope of these general concepts. It should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and apparatuses of the present embodiments. For example, although an extrusion process is preferred method of manufacturing the integral tube, it should be noted that this is not a limitation and that other manufacturing methods can be used (e.g., injection molding). It is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations, permutations, and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the described embodiments.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20190513
Publication Date: 20200505
Grant Date: 20200505
Priority Date: 20100106
Inventors: MCCLURE, STEPHEN R.
BANKO, JOSHUA D.
GIBBS, KEVIN D.
RAPPOPORT, BENJAMIN M.
TERNUS, JOHN P.
Assignee: APPLE INC
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Family ID: 43085851