PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-8417298-B2
Application Number: US-11390808-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Mounting structures for portable electronic devices

Abstract:
A portable electronic device such as a handheld electronic device is provided. The device may have upper and lower portions. The upper portion may have clips that attach to springs on the lower portion. The device may have a housing with a bezel. A prong on the springs may ground the bezel. A vibrator mounting bracket may hold a vibrator in place within the housing. The vibrator mounting bracket may have an end that engages the housing. A threaded insert may be welded to the spring. A screw that passes through a hole in the vibrator mounting bracket may be screwed into the threaded insert to attach the vibrator to the housing. An elastomeric member may bias the vibrator towards the bracket. An acoustic module may serve as a subassembly for the device. Components such as an antenna, dock connector, microphone, and speaker may be attached to the acoustic module.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A portable electronic device, comprising:
 a housing having a bezel; 
 a member attached to the bezel; 
 a vibrator mounted to the housing the member, wherein the member comprises a metal spring welded to the bezel; 
 a threaded metal insert that is welded to the metal spring; 
 a bracket that has an end that engages a hole in the housing and that has a bracket hole; and 
 a screw that passes through the bracket hole and that screws into the threaded metal insert. 
 
     
     
       2. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 1  further comprising an elastomeric member between the vibrator and the housing that biases the vibrator away from the housing towards the bracket. 
     
     
       3. The portable electronic device defined in  claim 2  further comprising an acoustic module having an attached antenna flex circuit, an attached microphone, and an attached dock connector. 
     
     
       4. A portable electronic device, comprising:
 a housing having a bezel; 
 a member attached to the bezel; 
 a vibrator mounted to the housing the member, wherein the portable electronic device has at least first and second portions, wherein the member aligns the first portion with respect to the second portion, and wherein the member comprises a spring prong that grounds the bezel.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Nos. 61/044,445, filed Apr. 11, 2008, and 61/041,532, filed Apr. 1, 2008, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates to portable electronic devices, and more particularly, to support structures for portable electronic devices such as handheld electronic devices. 
     Handheld electronic devices and other portable electronic devices are becoming increasingly popular. Examples of handheld devices include handheld computers, cellular telephones, media players, and hybrid devices that include the functionality of multiple devices of this type. Popular portable electronic devices that are somewhat larger than traditional handheld electronic devices include laptop computers and tablet computers. 
     To satisfy consumer demand for small form factor devices such as handheld electronic devices, manufacturers are continually striving to reduce the size of components that are used in these devices while providing enhanced functionality and manufacturability. Significant enhancements may be difficult to implement, however, particularly in devices in which numerous components must be mounted within a confined area. 
     It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved support structures for handheld electronic devices. 
     SUMMARY 
     A portable electronic device such as a handheld electronic device is provided. The device may have an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion, which may sometimes be referred to as a tilt assembly, may include components such as a display, touch screen, and housing frame. The lower portion, which may sometimes be referred to as a housing assembly, may include a housing, printed circuit boards, and electrical components that are mounted to the housing and printed circuit boards. The upper portion may have clips that attach to springs on the lower portion. In a finished device, the upper portion may be mounted in the lower portion and spring prongs on the springs may protrude into mating holes in the clips. Spring prongs on the springs may also be used to form a ground connection to a conductive bezel in the housing assembly. 
     The springs on the lower portion may be used in supporting electrical components such as a vibrator. A vibrator may be held in place against an elastomeric member by a bracket. The elastomeric member may rest on the device housing. The bracket may be attached to the device by screws or other fasteners or other suitable techniques. For example, the bracket may have a hook that engages a protruding member in the device housing and may have a screw hole through which the bracket may be screwed in place with a screw. The screw may mate with a treaded metal insert that is welded to one of the springs in the housing assembly. The springs may be welded to a conductive bezel in the housing assembly. 
     An acoustic module in the electronic device may be used as a speaker enclosure and may be used to support components such as an antenna, a microphone, a speaker, and a dock connector. When components such as the antenna, microphone, speaker, and dock connector are mounted to the speaker enclosure, the acoustic module may serve as a finished subassembly for the handheld electronic device. 
     Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is an interior bottom view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a partially assembled portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention showing how an upper portion of the device may be inserted into a lower portion of the device. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional end view of a portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention showing how springs and clips may be used to hold an upper device assembly and lower device assembly together. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a portion of a lower device assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of another portion of a lower device assembly showing a vibrator mounting structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a portion of an upper device assembly showing clip slots in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a portion of a handheld electronic device showing how a spring member on a lower device assembly may be used to form a ground connection to a conductive bezel in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional side view of a conventional vibrator mounting arrangement. 
         FIG. 14  is a top view of another conventional vibrator mounting arrangement. 
         FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional side view of a vibrator mounting structure having a mounting bracket and an elastomeric support member in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of an interior portion of a portable device showing how a vibrator may be mounted using a spring member and bracket in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view similar to the view of  FIG. 16  shown without the vibrator in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 18  is a cross-sectional end view of a portion of a portable electronic device in which a vibrator has been mounted using a bracket screwed into a housing structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 19  is a cross-sectional end view of a portion of a portable electronic device in which a vibrator has been mounted using a bracket attached to a housing structure by a weld joint in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 20  is an exploded perspective view of an illustrative speaker enclosure and associated components in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 21  is a perspective view of an illustrative speaker enclosure and associated components that have been mounted to the speaker enclosure to form a unitary assembly for a portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly, to portable electronic devices such as handheld electronic devices. 
     The electronic devices may be portable electronic devices such as laptop computers or small portable computers of the type that are sometimes referred to as ultraportables. Portable electronic devices may also be somewhat smaller devices. Examples of smaller portable electronic devices include wrist-watch devices, pendant devices, headphone and earpiece devices, and other wearable and miniature devices. With one suitable arrangement, the portable electronic devices may be wireless electronic devices. 
     The wireless electronic devices may be, for example, handheld wireless devices such as cellular telephones, media players with wireless communications capabilities, handheld computers (also sometimes called personal digital assistants), remote controllers, global positioning system (GPS) devices, and handheld gaming devices. The wireless electronic devices may also be hybrid devices that combine the functionality of multiple conventional devices. Examples of hybrid portable electronic devices may include a cellular telephone that includes media player functionality, a gaming device that includes a wireless communications capability, a cellular telephone that includes game and email functions, and a portable device that receives email, supports mobile telephone calls, has music player functionality and supports web browsing. These are merely illustrative examples. 
     An illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . Device  10  of  FIG. 1  may be, for example, a handheld electronic device that supports 2G and/or 3G cellular telephone and data functions, global positioning system capabilities, and local wireless communications capabilities (e.g., IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth®) and that supports handheld computing device functions such as internet browsing, email and calendar functions, games, music player functionality, etc. 
     Device  10  may have housing  12 . Antennas for handling wireless communications may be housed within housing  12  (as an example). 
     Housing  12 , which is sometimes referred to as a case, may be formed of any suitable materials including, plastic, glass, ceramics, metal, or other suitable materials, or a combination of these materials. In some situations, housing  12  or portions of housing  12  may be formed from a dielectric or other low-conductivity material. Housing  12  or portions of housing  12  may also be formed from conductive materials such as metal. An advantage of forming housing  12  from a dielectric material such as plastic is that this may help to reduce the overall weight of device  10  and may avoid potential interference with wireless operations. 
     In scenarios in which housing  12  is formed from metal elements, one or more of the metal elements may be used as part of the antennas in device  10 . For example, metal portions of housing  12  may be shorted to an internal ground plane in device  10  to create a larger ground plane element for that device  10 . 
     Housing  12  may have a bezel  14 . The bezel  14  may be formed from a conductive material and may serve to hold a display or other device with a planar surface in place on device  10  and to form an esthetically pleasing trim around the edge of device  10 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , for example, bezel  14  may be used to surround the top of display  16 . Bezel  14  and other metal elements associated with device  10  may be used as part of the antennas in device  10 . For example, bezel  14  may be shorted to printed circuit board conductors, metal frame structures, or other internal ground plane structures in device  10  to create a larger ground plane element for device  10 . 
     Display  16  may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, or any other suitable display. The outermost surface of display  16  may be formed from one or more plastic or glass layers. If desired, touch screen functionality may be integrated into display  16  or may be provided using a separate touch pad device. An advantage of integrating a touch screen into display  16  to make display  16  touch sensitive is that this type of arrangement can save space and reduce visual clutter. 
     Display  16  (e.g., a touch screen) is merely one example of an input-output device that may be used with electronic device  10 . If desired, electronic device  10  may have other input-output devices. For example, electronic device  10  may have user input control devices such as button  19 , and input-output components such as port  20  and one or more input-output jacks (e.g., for audio and/or video). Button  19  may be, for example, a menu button. Port  20  may contain a multipin (e.g., a 30-pin) input-output connector (as an example). Openings  22  and  24  may, if desired, form speaker and microphone ports. Speaker port  22  may be used when operating device  10  in speakerphone mode. Opening  23  may also form a speaker port. For example, speaker port  23  may serve as a telephone receiver that is placed adjacent to a user&#39;s ear during operation. In the example of  FIG. 1 , display screen  16  is shown as being mounted on the front face of handheld electronic device  10 , but display screen  16  may, if desired, be mounted on the rear face of handheld electronic device  10 , on a side of device  10 , on a flip-up portion of device  10  that is attached to a main body portion of device  10  by a hinge (for example), or using any other suitable mounting arrangement. 
     A user of electronic device  10  may supply input commands using user input interface devices such as button  19  and touch screen  16 . Suitable user input interface devices for electronic device  10  include buttons (e.g., alphanumeric keys, power on-off, power-on, power-off, and other specialized buttons, etc.), a touch pad, pointing stick, or other cursor control device, a microphone for supplying voice commands, or any other suitable interface for controlling device  10 . Although shown schematically as being formed on the top face of electronic device  10  in the example of  FIG. 1 , buttons such as button  19  and other user input interface devices may generally be formed on any suitable portion of electronic device  10 . For example, a button such as button  19  or other user interface control may be formed on the side of electronic device  10 . Buttons and other user interface controls can also be located on the top face, rear face, or other portion of device  10 . If desired, device  10  can be controlled remotely (e.g., using an infrared remote control, a radio-frequency remote control such as a Bluetooth® remote control, etc.). 
     Electronic device  10  may have ports such as port  20 . Port  20 , which may sometimes be referred to as a dock connector, 30-pin data port connector, multipin input-output connector, input-output port, or bus connector, may be used as an input-output port (e.g., when connecting device  10  to a mating dock connected to a computer or other electronic device). Port  20  may contain pins for receiving data and power signals. Device  10  may also have audio and video jacks that allow device  10  to interface with external components. Typical ports include power pins to recharge a battery within device  10  or to operate device  10  from a direct current (DC) power supply, data pins to exchange data with external components such as a personal computer or peripheral, audio-visual jacks to drive headphones, a monitor, or other external audio-video equipment, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card port to authorize cellular telephone service, a memory card slot, etc. The functions of some or all of these devices and the internal circuitry of electronic device  10  can be controlled using input interface devices such as touch screen display  16 . 
     Components such as display  16  and other user input interface devices may cover most of the available surface area on the front face of device  10  (as shown in the example of  FIG. 1 ) or may occupy only a small portion of the front face of device  10 . 
     A schematic diagram of an embodiment of an illustrative portable electronic device such as a handheld electronic device is shown in  FIG. 2 . Portable device  10  may be a mobile telephone, a mobile telephone with media player capabilities, a handheld computer, a remote control, a game player, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, an ultraportable computer, a hybrid device that includes the functionality of some or all of these devices, or any other suitable portable electronic device. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , device  10  may include storage  34 . Storage  34  may include one or more different types of storage such as hard disk drive storage, nonvolatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically-programmable-read-only memory), volatile memory (e.g., battery-based static or dynamic random-access-memory), etc. 
     Processing circuitry  36  may be used to control the operation of device  10 . Processing circuitry  36  may be based on a processor such as a microprocessor and other suitable integrated circuits. With one suitable arrangement, processing circuitry  36  and storage  34  are used to run software on device  10 , such as internet browsing applications, voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) telephone call applications, email applications, media playback applications, operating system functions, etc. Processing circuitry  36  and storage  34  may be used in implementing suitable communications protocols. Communications protocols that may be implemented using processing circuitry  36  and storage  34  include internet protocols, wireless local area network protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.11 protocols—sometimes referred to as Wi-Fi®), protocols for other short-range wireless communications links such as the Bluetooth® protocol, protocols for handling 3 G communications services (e.g., using wide band code division multiple access techniques), 2G cellular telephone communications protocols, etc. 
     Input-output devices  38  may be used to allow data to be supplied to device  10  and to allow data to be provided from device  10  to external devices. Display screen  16 , button  19 , microphone port  24 , speaker port  22 , and dock connector port  20  are examples of input-output devices  38 . 
     Input-output devices  38  can include user input-output devices  40  such as buttons, touch screens, joysticks, click wheels, scrolling wheels, touch pads, key pads, keyboards, microphones, cameras, vibrators, etc. A user can control the operation of device  10  by supplying commands through user input devices  40 . Display and audio devices  42  may include liquid-crystal display (LCD) screens or other screens, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and other components that present visual information and status data. Display and audio devices  42  may also include audio equipment such as speakers and other devices for creating sound. Display and audio devices  42  may contain audio-video interface equipment such as jacks and other connectors for external headphones and monitors. 
     Wireless communications devices  44  may include communications circuitry such as radio-frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry formed from one or more integrated circuits, power amplifier circuitry, passive RF components, antennas, and other circuitry for handling RF wireless signals. Wireless signals can also be sent using light (e.g., using infrared communications). 
     Device  10  can communicate with external devices such as accessories  46 , computing equipment  48 , and wireless network  49  as shown by paths  50  and  51 . Paths  50  may include wired and wireless paths. Path  51  may be a wireless path. Accessories  46  may include headphones (e.g., a wireless cellular headset or audio headphones) and audio-video equipment (e.g., wireless speakers, a game controller, or other equipment that receives and plays audio and video content), a peripheral such as a wireless printer or camera, etc. 
     Computing equipment  48  may be any suitable computer. With one suitable arrangement, computing equipment  48  is a computer that has an associated wireless access point (router) or an internal or external wireless card that establishes a wireless connection with device  10 . The computer may be a server (e.g., an internet server), a local area network computer with or without internet access, a user&#39;s own personal computer, a peer device (e.g., another portable electronic device  10 ), or any other suitable computing equipment. 
     Wireless network  49  may include any suitable network equipment, such as cellular telephone base stations, cellular towers, wireless data networks, computers associated with wireless networks, etc. For example, wireless network  49  may include network management equipment that monitors the wireless signal strength of the wireless handsets (cellular telephones, handheld computing devices, etc.) that are in communication with network  49 . 
     To facilitate manufacturing operations, device  10  may be formed from two intermediate assemblies, representing upper and lower portions of device  10 . The upper or top portion of device  10  is sometimes referred to as a tilt assembly. The lower or bottom portion of device  10  is sometimes referred to as a housing assembly. 
     The tilt and housing assemblies may each be formed from a number of smaller components. For example, the tilt assembly may be formed from components such as display  16  and an associated touch sensor. The housing assembly may include a plastic housing portion and printed circuit boards. Integrated circuits and other components may be mounted on the printed circuit boards. 
     During initial manufacturing operations, the tilt assembly may be formed from its constituent parts and the housing assembly may be formed from its constituent parts (individual components and subassemblies). Because essentially all components in device  10  make up part of these two assemblies with this type of arrangement, the finished assemblies represent a nearly complete version of device  10 . The finished assemblies may, if desired, be tested. If testing reveals a defect, repairs may be made or defective assemblies may be discarded. During a final set of manufacturing operations, the tilt assembly may be inserted into the housing assembly. With one suitable arrangement, one end of the tilt assembly may be inserted into the housing assembly. The tilt assembly may then be rotated (“tilted”) into place so that the upper surface of the tilt assembly lies flush with the upper edges of the housing assembly. 
     As the tilt assembly is rotated into place within the housing assembly, clips on the tilt assembly can engage springs on the housing assembly. The clips and springs may form a detent that helps to align the tilt assembly properly with the housing assembly. Should rework or repair by necessary, the insertion process can be reversed by rotating the tilt assembly up and away from the housing assembly. During rotation of the tilt assembly relative to the housing assembly, the springs may flex to accommodate movement. When the tilt assembly is located within the housing assembly, the springs may press into holes in the clips to prevent relative movement between the tilt and housing assemblies. Rework and repair operations need not be destructive to the springs, clips, and other components in the device. This helps to prevent waste and complications that might otherwise interfere with the manufacturing of device  10 . 
     If desired, screws or other fasteners may be used to help secure the tilt assembly to the housing assembly. The screws may be inserted into the lower end of device  10 . With one suitable arrangement, the screws may be inserted in an unobtrusive portion of the end of device  10  so that they are not noticeable following final assembly operations. Prior to rework or repair operations, the screws can be removed from device  10 . 
     An exploded perspective view showing illustrative components of device  10  is shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     Tilt assembly  60  (shown in its unassembled state in  FIG. 3 ) may include components such as cover  62 , touch sensitive sensor  64 , display unit  66 , and frame  68 . Cover  62  may be formed of glass or other suitable transparent materials (e.g., plastic, combinations of one or more glasses and one or more plastics, etc.). Display unit  66  may be, for example, a color liquid crystal display. Frame  68  may be formed from one or more pieces. With one suitable arrangement, frame  68  may include metal pieces to which plastic parts are connected using an overmolding process. If desired, frame  68  may be formed entirely from plastic or entirely from metal. 
     Housing assembly  70  (shown in its unassembled state in  FIG. 3 ) may include housing  12 . Housing  12  may be formed of plastic and/or other materials such as metal (metal alloys). For example, housing  12  may be formed of plastic to which metal members are mounted using fasteners, a plastic overmolding process, or other suitable mounting arrangement. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , handheld electronic device  10  may have a bezel such as bezel  14 . Bezel  14  may be formed of plastic or other dielectric materials or may be formed from metal or other conductive materials. An advantage of a metal (metal alloy) bezel is that materials such as metal may provide bezel  14  with an attractive appearance and may be durable. If desired, bezel  14  may be formed from shiny plastic or plastic coated with shiny materials such as metal films. 
     Bezel  14  may be mounted to housing  12 . Following final assembly, bezel  14  may surround the display of device  10  and may, if desired, help secure the display onto device  10 . Bezel  14  may serve as a cosmetic trim member that provides an attractive finished appearance to device  10 . 
     Housing assembly  70  may include battery  74 . Battery  74  may be, for example, a lithium polymer battery having a capacity of about 1300 ma-hours. Battery  74  may have spring contacts that allow battery  74  to be serviced. 
     Housing assembly  70  may also include one or more printed circuit boards such as printed circuit board  72 . Housing assembly  70  may also include components such as microphone  76  for microphone port  24 , speaker  78  for speaker port  22 , and dock connector  20 , integrated circuits, a camera, ear (receiver) speaker, audio jack, buttons, SIM card slot, etc. 
     A top view of an illustrative device  10  is shown in  FIG. 4 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , device  10  may have controller buttons such as volume up and down buttons  80 , a ringer A/B switch  82  (to switch device  10  between ring and vibrate modes), and a hold button  88  (sleep/wake button). A subscriber identity module (SIM) tray  86  (shown in a partially extended state) may be used to receive a SIM card for authorizing cellular telephone services. Audio jack  84  may be used for attaching audio peripherals to device  10  such as headphone, a headset, etc. 
     An interior bottom view of device  10  is shown in  FIG. 5 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , device  10  may have a camera  90 . Camera  90  may be, for example, a two megapixel fixed focus camera. 
     Vibrator  92  may be used to vibrate device  10 . Device  10  may be vibrated at any suitable time. For example, device  10  may be vibrated to alert a user to the presence of an incoming telephone call, an incoming email message, a calendar reminder, a clock alarm, etc. 
     Battery  74  may be a removable battery that is installed in the interior of device  10  adjacent to dock connector  20 , microphone  76 , and speaker  78 . 
     A cross-sectional side view of device  10  is shown in  FIG. 6 .  FIG. 6  shows the relative vertical positions of device components such as housing  12 , battery  74 , printed circuit board  72 , liquid crystal display unit  66 , touch sensor  64 , and cover glass  62  within device  10 .  FIG. 6  also shows how bezel  14  may surround the top edge of device  10  (e.g., around the portion of device  10  that contains the components of display  16  such as cover  62 , touch screen  64 , and display unit  66 ). Bezel  14  may be a separate component or, if desired, one or more bezel-shaped structures may be formed as integral parts of housing  12  or other device structures. 
     An illustrative process for assembling device  10  from tilt assembly  60  and housing assembly  70  is shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the assembly process may begin by inserting upper end  100  of tilt assembly  60  into upper end  104  of housing assembly  70 . This process involves inserting tilt assembly  60  into housing assembly  70  along direction  118  until protrusions on the upper end of tilt assembly  60  engage mating holes on housing assembly  70 . Once the protrusions on tilt assembly  60  have engaged with housing assembly  70 , lower end  102  of tilt assembly  60  may be inserted into lower end  106  of housing assembly  70 . Lower end  102  may be inserted into lower end  106  by pivoting tilt assembly  60  about axis  122 . This causes tilt assembly  60  to rotate into place as indicated by arrow  120 . 
     Tilt assembly  60  may have clips such as clips  112  and housing assembly  70  may have matching springs  114 . When tilt assembly  60  is rotated into place within housing assembly  70 , the springs and clips mate with each other to hold tilt assembly  60  in place within housing assembly  70 . 
     Tilt assembly  60  may have one or more retention clips such as retention clips  116 . Retention clips  116  may have threaded holes that mate with screws  108 . After tilt assembly has been inserted into housing assembly, screws  108  may be screwed into retention clips  116  through holes  110  in housing assembly  70 . This helps to firmly secure tilt assembly  60  to housing assembly  70 . Should rework or repair be desired, screws  108  may be removed from retention clips  116  and tilt assembly  60  may be released from housing assembly  70 . During the removal of tilt assembly  60  from housing assembly  70 , springs  114  may flex relative to clips  112  without permanently deforming. Because no damage is done to tilt assembly  60  or housing assembly  70  in this type of scenario, nondestructive rework and repair operations are possible. 
     A lateral cross-sectional view of an illustrative device  10  is shown in  FIG. 8 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , cover glass  62  may be mounted on top of device  10 . An adhesive layer such as adhesive layer  204  may be formed between cover glass layer  62  and touch sensor  64 . Touch sensor  64  may be, for example, a capacitive multitouch sensor. Touch sensor  64  may be mounted above a display unit such as liquid crystal display unit  66 . Display unit  66  may be mounted above frame member  206 . Frame member  206 , which is sometimes referred to as a “midplate member” may be formed of a strong material such as metal (e.g., stainless steel type  304 ). Frame member  206  may have vertical portions  208 . Vertical portions  208  may be attached to frame struts  168  by screws, other suitable fasteners, welds, adhesive, etc. Frame member  206  helps form a rigid platform for the components (such as display unit  66 , sensor  64 , and cover glass  62 ) that are associated with the tilt assembly. In addition to providing structural support, midplate frame member  206  may also provide electrical grounding (e.g., for integrated circuits, printed circuit board structures, for antennas in wireless devices  44 , etc.). 
     Frame struts  168  may be attached to frame member  166  of frame  68 . For example, frame member  166  may be formed from plastic that is molded over frame struts  168  and that engages frame struts  168  in engagement region  174 . Frame protrusion  148  and gasket  146  may be used to separate glass  62  from bezel  14 . 
     Springs  114  may be welded or otherwise mounted to bezel  14 . When the tilt assembly is mounted in the housing assembly as shown in  FIG. 8 , spring prongs  182  may protrude into the holes such as holes  196  that are formed by bent portions  194  in clips  112 . Springs  114  may also have one or more prongs that form grounding structures (e.g., to ground spring  114  and bezel  14  to midplate structures such as midplate member  206  and vertical portions  208 ). 
     A perspective view of an interior portion of housing assembly  70  is shown in  FIG. 9 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , bezel  14  may be mounted to plastic housing portion  12 . Spring  114  may be mounted to housing assembly  70  by welding spring  114  to bezel  14  or by otherwise attaching spring  114  securely (e.g., using fasteners, adhesive, etc.). An advantage of using springs and a bezel that are formed of metal is that this allows secure attachment mechanisms such as welds to be used to attach the springs and allows electrical paths to be formed. Satisfactory welds may be facilitated by using metals that do not have disparate properties. As an example, springs  114  may be formed from the same material or substantially the same material as bezel  14 . 
     Springs such as spring  114  of  FIG. 9  may be formed from elongated spring members such as spring member  180 . Spring member  180  may be cut and bent to form spring prongs  182  and  201  (also sometimes referred to as spring members or springs). Spring prongs  182  and  201  may have any suitable shape. An advantage of forming spring prongs with relatively narrow widths (as measured along longitudinal housing dimension  184 ) is that this allows the springs to flex during assembly. There may be any suitable number of spring prongs in device  10 . As an example, there may be one, two, three, four, five, or more than five spring prongs on the left and on the right sides of device  10 . Spring prongs  182  may mate with corresponding holes in clips  112 . Spring prongs such as spring prong  201  may be used as part of a grounding path. For example, spring  201  may be used to ground midplate structures  206  and  208  of  FIG. 8  to bezel  14 . 
     Springs may be mounted to the sides of housing  12  or may be mounted on other portions of housing  12  (e.g., on the edge of housing  12  that lies along lower end  106  of  FIG. 7 ). An advantage of using springs and clips along the sides of device  10  is that this helps to ensure that cover glass  62  lies flush with the upper surfaces of bezel  14 , giving device  10  an attractive finished appearance. 
     If desired, springs  114  (i.e., spring members such as spring member  180 ) may be used to form a support structure to which components in device  10  may be mounted. An arrangement of this type is shown in  FIG. 10 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , spring member  180  may have portions that form a bracket  186 . Vibrator  92  (or other suitable components) may be attached to spring member  180  and device  10  using bracket  186 . Bracket  186  may be formed from a bent portion of member  180  or may be formed from a separate structure that is attached to member  180 . Screws such as screws  192  may be used to connect a mounting bracket such as vibrator mounting bracket  190  to bent tip portion  188  of bracket  186  to hold vibrator  92  in place. An advantage of mounting moving components such as vibrator  92  to a metal structure such as spring member  180  is that this type of arrangement may enhance the robustness of device  10  and may make device  10  less prone to failure. Arrangements of the type shown in  FIG. 10  may also consume less space within the handheld device than conventional arrangements. As shown in  FIG. 10 , spring member  180  may have prongs such as prong  201 . Prong  201  may form a grounding spring that makes electrical contact between bezel  14  and the frame of tilt assembly  60  (e.g., midplate  206  and vertical midplate members  208  of  FIG. 8 ). 
     Spring prongs  182  (and  201 ) may flex during assembly. Following assembly, spring prongs  182  may engage clips  112  on tilt assembly  60 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , each clip  112  may have a main elongated member  198 . Elongated members such as elongated member  198  may be welded to frame struts  168  and may extend along the edge of tilt assembly  60  parallel to longitudinal dimension  200 . Elongated member  198  may be substantially planar (as an example) and may have a planar surface aligned with longitudinal dimension  200  and vertical dimension  202 . Portions  194  of elongated member  198  may be bent with respect to vertical dimension  202  and with respect to the planar surface defined by dimensions  202  and  200 . Bending portions  194  inwardly away from the plane of elongated member  198  angles portions  194  so that bent portions  194  are angled with respect to vertical dimension  202 . This forms holes  196  that can receive protruding spring prongs  182  ( FIGS. 9 and 10 ) when tilt assembly  60  and housing assembly  70  are connected to each other. Holes may also be formed by removing portions of elongated member  198 , by bending or otherwise manipulating portions of member  198  sideways or in other directions, by bending multiple portions of member  198  within each hole, etc. The arrangement of  FIG. 11  in which holes  196  have been formed by bending portions  194  down and inwards is merely illustrative. 
     With one suitable embodiment of tilt assembly  60 , there is a member such as member  198  that forms a clip on each side of tilt assembly  60 . The perspective view of  FIG. 11  shows an illustrative clip  112  that has been formed on the right side of tilt assembly  60 . 
     As described in connection with  FIG. 10 , because springs  114  are attached to bezel  14  and thereby housing  12 , springs  114  may be used to form a mounting structure for components such as vibrator  92 . In particular, a spring such as spring  114  may be configured to form a mounting bracket  186  having a horizontal planar member  188 . During component mounting operations, fasteners such as screws  192  may be inserted into holes  226  ( FIG. 17 ). 
     A perspective view of an end of device  10  is shown in  FIG. 12 . As shown in  FIG. 12 , a bracket-shaped conductor that is mounted to printed circuit board  72  may have a portion that forms a spring such as spring  203 . Spring-loaded pin  210  may be used as a positive signal terminal that forms an electrical connection between a positive radio-frequency signal path in an antenna transmission line structure on board  72  and a flex circuit antenna resonating element. The transmission line structure may be used to interconnect the antenna resonating element to radio-frequency transceiver circuitry on the printed circuit board. 
     Dock connector  20  may have a conductive frame  205  (e.g., a metal frame), and pins  207 . Pins  207  may be electrically connected to corresponding traces in dock connector flex circuit  199 . 
     Midplate  206  may be formed from metal and may form part of tilt assembly  60 . Structures  208  ( FIG. 8 ) may form vertical portions of midplate  206 . Midplate  206  may be used to provide structural support for components such as display  16  in tilt assembly  60 . With one suitable arrangement, midplate  206  may be formed from a conductive material such as metal. Electrical components in device  10  (e.g., the display, touch screen, etc.) may be grounded to midplate  206 . Spring  201  on spring member  180  of spring  114  may be used to electrically connect (ground) midplate  206  (and the components that are grounded to midplate  206 ) to bezel  14  or other suitable conductive housing structures. 
     As described in connection with  FIG. 10 , a vibrator such as vibrator  92  may be mounted in device  10 . Vibrator  92  may be used, for example, to alert a user of device  10  when an incoming telephone call is received. 
     A conventional vibrator mounting assembly in a handheld device is shown in  FIG. 13 . Conventional vibrator mounting assembly  300  of  FIG. 13  has a vibrator  306  housed within boot  308 . Boot  308  is press fit between two legs  304 . Legs  304  are attached to housing structure  302 . Vibrator  306 , which has electrical connections to device circuitry, vibrates when signaled, such as when a phone call is being received. Boot  308  is made from an elastomeric material. Because boot  308  has elasticity, boot  308  tends to dampen vibrations from vibrator  306  before these vibrations are conveyed to legs  304 . This tends to reduce the efficiency of conventional vibrator mounting structures of the type shown in  FIG. 13 . Legs  304  also consume a relatively large amount of space within the device. 
       FIG. 14  illustrates another conventional vibrator mounting arrangement. In the  FIG. 14  arrangement, vibrator  402  is mounted to a housing bracket  404 . Vibrator assembly  400  has screws  406  and  408  that attach bracket  404  and vibrator  402  to the housing. Welds may also be used in attaching vibrator  402 . Assemblies such as assembly  400  of  FIG. 14  tend to consume large amounts of horizontal space, as indicated by arrow  410 . 
       FIG. 15  is a schematic view of a vibrator mounting assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Arrangements of the type shown i  FIG. 15  may consume less space than conventional arrangements. Assembly  500  may receive structural support from housing  12  and bezel  14 . Vibrator  92  may have a motor that spins a weight around vibrator axis  504 . The weight is typically off the center of axis  504 , so that vibrator  92  vibrates. 
     Vibrator  92  may rest in a cavity such as vibrator cavity  508  on an elastomeric support such as biasing member  506 . Member  506  may help bias vibrator  92  upwards against bracket  190 . Mounting bracket  190  may bias vibrator  92  downwards in the general direction of arrow  503 . Mounting bracket  190  may be attached to housing  12  using any suitable technique. For example, hook  512  of bracket  190  may engage portion  510  of housing  12  through a slot or other hole  520 . Screws such as screw  192  may hold down bracket  190  at its other end  511 . A screw receiving member such as threaded metal insert  516  may receive screw  192  through holes  505  in bracket  190  and portions  188  of spring  114 . Metal insert  516  may be welded to horizontal portions  188  of spring member  180  at weld points such as weld points  513 . Spring member  180  may be connected to bezel  14  by welds (e.g., welds at points such as weld points  515 ). Inserts such as insert  516  may include threaded holes into which screws  192  may be screwed during assembly. 
     A perspective view of a portion of device  10  in the vicinity of vibrator  92  is shown in  FIG. 16 . As shown in  FIG. 16 , vibrator  92  may be mounted beneath mounting bracket  190 . One end of bracket  190  may have hooks  512  that pass through holes  520  in housing  12  and engage the undersides of housing portions  510 . Bracket portions  511  at the other end of bracket  190  may be secured by screws  192 . Vibrator  92  may have a motor such a motor  522  that spins a weight such as weight  526  about axis  523 . Weight  526  may be mounted off center, so that vibrations are crated as weight  526  spins about axis  504 . 
     Spring  114  may have spring prongs  182  that mate with the clips on tilt assembly  60 . Spring member  180  of spring  114  may have a bend such as bend  530  that forms horizontal support bracket portions  188  of spring  114 . Support bracket portions  188  may support vibrator mounting bracket  190 . Electrical contacts such as springs  524  may be used to make electrical contact between the power leads of vibrator  92  and control circuitry (e.g., pads on an overlapping circuit board). 
     Springs such as spring  114  of  FIG. 16  may be attached to bezel  14  (e.g., by welds). Bezel  14  may, in turn, be attached to housing  12  (e.g., using a plastic overmolding process, using screws or other fasteners, using adhesive, using a combination of these attachment techniques, etc.). Portion  188  of spring  114  may therefore form a horizontal mounting structure that helps attach vibrator  92  to housing structure  12 . If desired, other electrical components (e.g., a camera, speaker, microphone, etc.) may be attached using one or more brackets such as bracket  190  and bracket portion  188 . The use of bracket  190  and portion  188  of spring  114  to attach vibrator  92  to housing  12  is merely illustrative. 
       FIG. 17  is a perspective view of device  10  in the vicinity of spring member portion  188 . The  FIG. 17  view is similar to the view of  FIG. 16 , but vibrator  92  is not present so that threaded holes  226  of metal inserts  516  and holes  505  in portions  188  are not obscured by vibrator  92 . During component mounting operations, fasteners such as screws  192  of  FIG. 15  may be screwed into holes  226 . 
     If desired, vibrator  92  may be mounted using a bracket that is not directly connected to springs  114 . This type of arrangement is shown in the cross-sectional view of  FIG. 18 . As shown in  FIG. 18 , in vibrator mounting assembly  800 , vibrator  92  may be mounted to housing  804  (e.g., housing  12  of  FIG. 1 ) using bracket  802 . Bracket  802  may bias vibrator  92  downwards towards elastomeric support  810 . Elastomeric support  810  may bias vibrator  92  upwards towards bracket  802 . Bracket  802  may have one end  812  that engages hole  814  in housing  804  and another end  803  that is held in place by screws such as screw  806 . Screws such as screw  806  may be screwed into threaded metal inserts such as threaded metal insert  808 . Metal insert  808  may be connected to housing  804  (e.g., using fasteners, a press fit, adhesive, an overmolding process, etc.). 
     Screws such as screw  806  and  192  may, if desired, be omitted. An illustrative vibrator mounting arrangement in which the bracket mounting screws have been omitted is shown in  FIG. 19 . As shown in  FIG. 19 , bracket  904  of mounting structures  900  may have a portion  908  that biases vibrator  92  downwards towards elastomeric support  907  on device housing  903 . Elastomeric support  907  may bias vibrator  92  upwards towards portion  908  of bracket  904 . Bracket  904  may have an end portion such as end  909  that engages a hole such as hole  911  in housing  903 . Housing  903  may be connected to bezel  902  (e.g., a conductive bezel formed from metal or other suitable materials). Bracket  904  may be connected to bezel  902  without using screws (as an example). With one suitable arrangement, portion  910  of bracket  904  may be welded or otherwise attached to bezel  902 . 
     If desired, welds may be formed between vibrator  92  and mounting brackets in device  10 . For example, portion  908  of bracket  904  may be welded to vibrator  92  at weld location  906 . Elastomeric biasing members such as biasing member  907  ( FIG. 19 ),  810  ( FIG. 18 ), and  506  ( FIG. 15 ) may be omitted or biasing members for vibrator  92  may be formed using other device structures. For example, biasing members for vibrator  92  may be formed from coil springs, leaf springs, bent metal structures (e.g., bent brackets), etc. 
     The process of assembly device  10  from numerous components may be complex. Accordingly, it may be desirable to form device  10  from multiple subassemblies. As an example, device  10  may be formed from tilt assembly  60  and housing assembly  70 . In turn, these assemblies may each be formed from one or more subassemblies. 
     As an example, a subassembly may be formed using a speaker enclosure or other internal support structure. Components that may be mounted to this type of assembly include a speaker (e.g., a speaker such as speaker  78  of  FIG. 3  for port  22  that is housed within the speaker enclosure), a microphone such as microphone  76 , a dock connector such as dock connector  20 , and an antenna (e.g., a flex circuit antenna containing one or more conductive antenna resonating element traces). An assembly of this type, which may sometimes be referred to as an acoustic module, may be manufactured as a separate stand-alone portion of device  10 , thereby facilitating testing and enhancing manufacturability. 
     An exploded perspective view of an illustrative acoustic module is shown in  FIG. 20 . As shown in  FIG. 20 , acoustic module  119  may include a speaker enclosure such as speaker enclosure  118 . Speaker enclosure  118  may be formed from one or more molded plastic parts (as an example). Speaker enclosure  118  may be substantially sealed except for an opening for port  22 . Speaker  78  ( FIG. 3 ) may be mounted within speaker enclosure  118  (in the region under dashed lines  117 ), so that one side of the speaker faces port  22  and the other side of the speaker faces the sealed hollow interior of enclosure  118 . In this type of configuration, speaker enclosure  118  may serve as a closed speaker box that improves speaker performance. 
     As shown in  FIG. 20 , components such as microphone  76 , antenna flex circuit  147 , and dock connector  20  (and associated dock connector flex circuit  199  and circuit components on flex circuit  199 ) may be mounted on speaker enclosure  118 . In this capacity, speaker enclosure  118  may serve as a unifying assembly for multiple parts of device  10 . 
     If desired, a mesh cover  148  (e.g., metal mesh) may be placed over opening  22 . If desired, a layer of acoustic mesh may be placed behind mesh  148 . Mesh  146  (e.g., a metal mesh) may be used to cover microphone  76 . If desired, a layer of acoustic mesh may be placed behind mesh  146 . The acoustic mesh may be formed from a plastic mesh material that has smaller mesh openings than the metal mesh (as an example). 
     Microphone  76  may have an associated support structure  152  (sometimes referred to as a “boot”). Structure  152  may be formed of any suitable material. With one suitable arrangement, structure  152  is formed from an elastomeric material such as silicone. This allows structure  152  to form good environmental seals with enclosure  118  and other portions of device  10 . 
     During assembly, microphone boot  152  may be mounted in a mating hole such as hole  144  within speaker enclosure  118 . Hole  144  may have features that engage boot  152  and that help to form seals between boot  152  and enclosure  118 . These seals and associated seals formed between boot  152  and the walls of housing  12  may help prevent intrusion of moisture or particles into the interior of device  10 . Region  158  of boot  152  may have one or more sealing features such as raised ribs. These sealing features may help to enhance the quality of the seal formed between boot  152  and housing  12 . One or more holes such as hole  156  may be used to allow sound to enter microphone  76 . Flex circuit  154  may be used to interconnect microphone  76  with circuitry in device  10 . 
     Antenna structure  147  may be formed from a layer of flex circuit (e.g., a flexible circuit substrate formed from polyimide or other suitable flexible dielectric). The flex circuit layer may include one or more conductive antenna resonating element traces (e.g., traces of copper or other suitable conductor suitable for forming an antenna). The underside of enclosure  118  may have a planar surface or a surface with one or more non-planar features. As an example, the underside of enclosure  118  may have a generally planar surface with slightly curved edges to conform to a comparably shaped housing  12 . Antenna resonating element flex circuit  147  may be connected to the underside of enclosure  118  using adhesive (e.g., double-sided adhesive film), or other suitable attachment mechanisms. In this type of arrangement, enclosure  118  forms a support structure for antenna resonating element flex circuit  147  that helps to define the shape of the antenna for device  10  and that helps to locate the antenna structure within device  10 . If desired, antenna flex circuit  147  may have alignment features such as hole  149  that mate with corresponding pegs or other alignment features on the underside of enclosure  118 . 
     Dock connector  20  may be mounted to enclosure  118  on ledge portion  121  of enclosure  118 . Ledge portion  121  may be formed from a recess of any suitable shape. In the example of  FIG. 20 , recess  121  has a shape with vertical and horizontal sides. This is, however, merely illustrative. 
     Any suitable attachment mechanism may be used to secure dock connector  20  to enclosure  118  (e.g., adhesive, fasteners, alignment features, etc.). Dock connector flex circuit  199  may be rigidly attached to dock connector  20 . For example, adhesive on the underside of dock connector flex circuit  199  may be used to connect dock connector flex circuit  199  to enclosure  118 . This may help to attach dock connector  20  to enclosure  118 . If desired, dock connector  20  may have alignment posts such a posts  127  that mate with matching alignment holes  129  on speaker enclosure  118 . Inserting posts  127  into holes  129  may also help to attach dock connector  20  to enclosure  118 . During assembly, acoustic module  119  may be attached to other portions of device  10  (e.g., housing assembly  70 ) using screws that pass through dock connector holes such as holes  123  in dock connector frame member  205 . Enclosure  118  may also have features such as slot  125  that may be used when mounting acoustic module  119  within device  10 . 
       FIG. 21  shows a finished acoustic module  119  to which dock connector  20 , microphone  76 , and antenna resonating element  147  have been mounted. A speaker for speaker port  22  may be mounted to the inside of closed box speaker enclosure  118  (e.g., under the region defined by dashed lines  117 ). Solder terminals  131  may be used to make electrical connection to the speaker within speaker enclosure  118 . Antenna flex circuit  147  may have a ground clip such as ground spring  145  that is used in grounding the antenna resonating element traces within flex circuit  147 . 
     If desired, additional components may be mounted to speaker enclosure  118  to form a subassembly for device  10  that contains more parts or fewer components may be mounted to speaker enclosure  118  to form a subassembly for device  10  that contains fewer parts. Different components may also be attached to speaker enclosure  118  (in additional to or instead of the illustrative components of  FIGS. 20 and 21 ). 
     The foregoing is merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20080501
Publication Date: 20130409
Grant Date: 20130409
Priority Date: 20080401
Inventors: MITTLEMAN ADAM D.
JENKS KENNETH A.
CHENG KAREN Y.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04M1/0202", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/026", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/026", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0202", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 41118036