PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-8717748-B2
Application Number: US-201213492694-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Audio jack for portable computing device

Abstract:
The present application describes various embodiments regarding an apparatus and method for providing an audio jack for a portable computing device. More specifically a method and apparatus are disclosed for mounting the audio jack to machined audio jack mounts extending from an interior sidewall of the portable computing device housing. The machined mounts allow the audio jack to be suspended above an inner surface of the portable computing device so that the audio jack does not interfere with audio output or aesthetics of a speaker grill drilled into the portable computing device housing.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An audio jack assembly comprising:
 an audio jack housing, comprising:
 a plurality of angled flanges extending laterally from the audio jack housing, each of the angled flanges being configured to receive at least one fastener operable to secure the angled flange to one of a plurality of audio jack mounts disposed on an interior sidewall of a portable computing device housing, and 
 a cantilevered support beam extending from a lower surface of the audio jack housing and establishing a minimum stand off distance between the audio jack housing and an inner surface of the portable computing device housing, 
 wherein a contact surface of each of the angled flanges interacts with a lip portion of each of the audio jack mounts to set a vertical position of the audio jack housing inside the portable computing device housing. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The audio jack assembly as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an angled connector portion for self aligning the audio jack assembly with an opening in the interior sidewall of the portable computing device housing. 
 
     
     
       3. The audio jack assembly as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the at least one fastener is a shoulder screw, the shoulder screw having an unthreaded shoulder portion for precise alignment of the shoulder screw within a corresponding one of the angled flanges. 
     
     
       4. The audio jack assembly as recited in  claim 3 , wherein the audio jack mounts are machined out of the portable computing device housing. 
     
     
       5. The audio jack assembly as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the audio jack mounts are undercut to prevent them from showing through a perforated speaker grill in the portable computing device housing located proximate to the audio jack mounts. 
     
     
       6. The audio jack assembly as recited in  claim 5 , wherein an inner cavity is hollowed out of the audio jack mounts to reduce overall weight of the portable computing device housing without compromising structural integrity of the audio jack mounts. 
     
     
       7. The audio jack assembly as recited in  claim 4 , wherein each of the audio jack mounts comprises an attachment feature for receiving the at least one fastener. 
     
     
       8. The audio jack assembly as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the angled connector portion is arranged within and stabilized by the opening in the interior sidewall of the portable computing device housing. 
     
     
       9. The audio jack assembly as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the cantilevered support beam grounds the audio jack assembly to the portable computing device housing. 
     
     
       10. The audio jack assembly as recited in  claim 1 , wherein when the audio jack assembly is coupled with the audio jack mounts, the angled flanges are configured at an angle of between 30 and 70 degrees with respect to the interior sidewall of the portable computing device housing. 
     
     
       11. A method for mounting an audio jack assembly to a top case of a portable computing device, the method comprising:
 machining two protruding features from an interior sidewall of the top case; 
 undercutting the two protruding features creating a small gap between an inner surface of the top case and the two protruding features; and 
 machining a plurality of speaker perforations into the top case, 
 wherein at least one of the plurality of speaker perforation opens into the small gap created during the undercutting step. 
 
     
     
       12. The method as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising:
 machining an angled surface with an accompanying lip portion from a front portion of each of the protruding features; and 
 machining an inner cavity into each of the two protruding features. 
 
     
     
       13. The method as recited in  claim 12 , further comprising
 mounting an audio jack housing to the angled surface of each of the protruding features, 
 wherein the protruding features position the audio jack housing proximate to but not in contact with the inner surface of the top case through which the speaker perforations are machined. 
 
     
     
       14. The method as recited in  claim 13 , wherein one surface of the audio jack housing is positioned within 1 millimeter of the inner surface of the top case. 
     
     
       15. The method as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the audio jack mounting step includes attaching a plurality of fasteners through angled flanges extending laterally from the audio jack housing and into attachment features located on the angled surface of each of the protruding features. 
     
     
       16. A portable computing device, comprising:
 a portable computing device housing, comprising:
 a perforated speaker grill, comprising a plurality of speaker perforations configured to port audio from an audio module disposed within the portable computing device housing, and 
 a plurality of audio jack mounts disposed on an interior sidewall of the portable computing device housing, wherein the audio jack mounts are undercut to prevent the audio jack mounts from showing through the perforated speaker grill; and 
 
 an audio jack module, comprising:
 an audio jack housing, 
 a plurality of angled flanges extending laterally from the audio jack housing, and 
 a cantilevered support beam extending from a lower surface of the audio jack housing and establishing a minimum stand off distance between the audio jack housing and an inner surface of the portable computing device housing. 
 
 
     
     
       17. The portable computing device as recited in  claim 16 , the audio jack mounts comprising: two protruding features configured to be mechanically coupled to the plurality of angled flanges. 
     
     
       18. The portable computing device as recited in  claim 17 , wherein a lip portion of each of the protruding features interacts with a contact surface of a corresponding one of the angled flanges to establish a vertical position for the audio jack housing within the portable computing device housing. 
     
     
       19. The portable computing device as recited in  claim 18 , wherein the cantilevered support beam electrically grounds the audio jack housing to the portable computing device housing. 
     
     
       20. The portable computing device as recited in  claim 19 , wherein the audio jack mounts suspend the audio jack housing above an inside surface of the perforated speaker grill to prevent the audio jack housing from showing through any of the plurality of speaker perforations.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The embodiments described herein relate generally to portable computing devices. More particularly, the present embodiments relate to mounting an audio jack assembly to an inside surface of a portable computing device. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The outward appearance of a portable computing device, including its design and its heft, is important to a user of the portable computing device, as the outward appearance contributes to the overall impression that the user has of the portable computing device. At the same time, the assembly of the portable computing device is also important to the user, as a durable assembly will help extend the overall life of the portable computing device and will increase its value to the user. 
     One design challenge associated with the manufacture of portable computing devices is the design of the outer enclosures used to house the various internal components. This design challenge generally arises from a number of conflicting design goals that include the desirability of making the outer enclosure or housing lighter and thinner, and of including as many electrical components inside the outer enclosure as possible, among other possible goals. Conventionally designed portable computing devices generally include at least one audio jack directly attached to the portable computing device&#39;s main logic board. The audio jack generally enables low voltage connections between audio components. Unfortunately, such a configuration has a number of disadvantages. First, placement on the main logic board requires the main logic board be positioned proximate to one side of the portable computing device to allow the audio jack to line up with an opening in the portable computing device&#39;s housing. This positioning restriction can make arrangement of internal components more difficult for computing device designers and may result in a reduction in layout efficiency. Second, repeated insertion and removal of headphone or microphone connectors can put stress on the main logic board, in some cases causing damage to the main logic board and in other cases loosening of electrical connections between the audio jack and main logic board eventually resulting in audio jack failure. Finally, repair and replacement of an audio jack component is more difficult when attached directly to the main logic board. Removal can results in short circuits or damage to nearby electronic components, sometimes resulting in a costly and time consuming replacement of the entire main logic board. 
     Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide an improved audio jack assembly. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present application describes various embodiments regarding a system, method and apparatus for providing an attachment for an audio jack directly to an interior sidewall of a housing for a portable computing device. 
     In a first embodiment, an audio jack is disclosed which includes an audio jack housing. The audio jack housing includes: (1) a plurality of angled flanges extending laterally from the audio jack housing; (2) a cantilevered support beam extending from a lower surface of the audio jack housing which establishes a minimum stand off distance between the audio jack housing and an inner surface of a portable computing device housing; and (3) an angled connector portion for self aligning the audio jack assembly with an opening in an interior sidewall of the portable computing device housing. 
     In another embodiment a method for mounting an audio jack to a top case of a portable computing device is disclosed. The method includes the following steps: (1) machining two protruding features from an interior sidewall of the top case; (2) undercutting the two protruding features creating a small gap between an inner surface of the top case and the two protruding features; and (3) machining a number of speaker perforations into the top case. It should be noted that at least one of the speaker perforations opens into the small gap created during the undercutting step. 
     In yet another embodiment a portable computing device is disclosed. The portable computing device includes a portable computing device housing which includes the following: a perforated speaker grill having a number of speaker perforations configured to port audio from an audio module disposed within the portable computing device housing; and an audio jack module. The audio jack module includes the following: an audio jack housing; a number of angled flanges extending laterally from the audio jack housing; and a cantilevered support beam extending from a lower surface of the audio jack housing and establishing a minimum stand off distance between the audio jack housing and an inner surface of a portable computing device housing; and a number of audio jack mounts disposed on an interior sidewall of the portable computing device housing. It should be noted that the audio jack mount is undercut to prevent it from showing through the perforated speaker grill in the portable computing device housing. 
     Other apparatuses, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The included drawings are for illustrative purposes and serve only to provide examples of possible structures and arrangements for the disclosed inventive apparatuses and methods for providing portable computing devices. These drawings in no way limit any changes in form and detail that may be made to the invention by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 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. 1  shows a front facing perspective view of an embodiment of the portable computing device in the form of portable computing device in an open (lid) state; 
         FIG. 2  shows portable computing device in a closed (lid) configuration that shows rear cover and logo; 
         FIG. 3  shows another embodiment of the portable computing device in an open state; 
         FIG. 4  shows an external perspective view of an audio jack opening machined into a side portion of a unibody portable computing device enclosure in accordance with the described embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of the top case, identifying the location of audio jack mounts in accordance with one embodiment of the described embodiment; 
         FIG. 6  shows an exterior side view of an audio jack assembly; 
         FIG. 7  shows an interior cross-section of an audio jack assembly illustrating how its geometry can self align with an audio jack opening located on a portable computing device; 
         FIG. 8  shows a cross-sectional side view of one of two securing fastener for mounting an audio jack assembly to a portable computing device in accordance with the described embodiment; 
         FIGS. 9A-9C  show a method for machining a set of audio jack mounts into an interior sidewall of a portable computing device housing; and 
         FIG. 10  shows a flow chart detailing a method for mounting an audio jack assembly inside a portable computing device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Representative applications of apparatuses and methods according to the presently described embodiments are provided in this section. These examples are being provided solely to add context and aid in the understanding of the described embodiments. It will thus be apparent to one skilled in the art that the presently described embodiments can 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 presently described embodiments. Other applications are possible, such that the following examples should not be taken as limiting. 
     The following relates to a portable computing device such as a laptop computer, net book computer, tablet computer, etc. The portable computing device can include a multi-part housing having a top case and a bottom case joining at a reveal to form a base portion. The portable computing device can have an upper portion (or lid) that can house a display screen and other related components whereas the base portion can house various processors, drives, ports, battery, keyboard, touchpad and the like. The top case and the bottom case can each be joined in a particular manner at an interface region such that the gap and offset between top and bottom cases are not only reduced, but are also more consistent from device to device during the mass production of devices. These general subjects are set forth in greater detail below. 
     In a particular embodiment, the lid and base portion can be pivotally connected with each other by way of what can be referred to as a clutch assembly. The clutch assembly can be arranged to pivotally couple the base portion to the lid. The clutch assembly can include at least a cylindrical portion that in turn includes an annular outer region, and a central bore region surrounded by the annular outer region, the central bore suitably arranged to provide support for electrical conductors between the base portion and electrical components in the lid. The clutch assembly can also include a plurality of fastening regions that couple the clutch to the base portion and the lid of the portable computing device with at least one of the fastening regions being integrally formed with the cylindrical portion such that space, size and part count are minimized. 
     The multipart housing can be formed of a strong and durable yet lightweight material. Such materials can include composite materials and or metals such as aluminum. Aluminum has a number of characteristics that make it a good choice for the multipart housing. For example, aluminum is a good electrical conductor that can provide good electrical ground and it can be easily machined and has well known metallurgical characteristics. The superior conductivity of aluminum provides a good chassis ground for internal electrical components arranged to fit and operate within the housing. The aluminum housing also provides a good electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield protecting sensitive electronic components from external electromagnetic radiation as well as reducing electromagnetic radiation emanating from the portable computing device. 
     The top case can be provided and shaped to accommodate an audio jack module. Conventional mounting configurations for audio jack modules generally affix the audio jack module to one side of a main logic board. By aligning that one side of the main logic board (MLB) with an audio jack opening, the main logic board can provide support for the audio jack as audio jack plugs are inserted and removed from the portable computing device. This conventional mounting configuration can be undesirable for a number of reasons. For example, using the MLB as support for the audio jack module can require that the MLB has a particular position with respect to the top case. This can be a problem in those situations where the MLB must be positioned elsewhere. Moreover, with conventional MLB designs, edge portions of the MLB can be populated with a number of components that can leave little or no room for placement of the audio jack assembly. In addition to design considerations, reliability may suffer since multiple insertion and removal events at the audio jack module can eventually cause fatigue on the MLB eventually resulting in a failure of the connection between the audio jack assembly and the MLB. 
     Accordingly, these problems can be essentially eliminated by mounting the audio jack assembly directly to the top case. In this way, the audio jack assembly can be supported directly by the top case greatly reducing the risk of damage to the MLB. Furthermore, since the audio jack assembly can be electrically connected to the main logic board via a flex connector, the relative positioning of the MLB and audio jack assembly can be greatly varied. 
     These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to  FIGS. 1-10 . However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond these limited embodiments. 
       FIGS. 1-10  show various views of a portable computing device in accordance with various embodiments.  FIG. 1  shows a front facing perspective view of an embodiment of the portable computing device in the form of portable computing device  100  in an open (lid) state. Portable computing device  100  can include base portion  102  formed of bottom case  104  fastened to top case  106 . Base portion  102  can be pivotally connected to lid portion  108  by way of clutch assembly  110  hidden from view by a cosmetic wall. Base portion  102  can have an overall uniform shape sized to accommodate clutch assembly  110  and inset portion  112  suitable for assisting a user in lifting lid portion  108  by, for example, a finger. Top case  106  can be configured to accommodate various user input devices such as keyboard  114  and touchpad  116 . Keyboard  114  can include a plurality of low profile keycap assemblies each having an associated key pad  118 . In one embodiment, an audio transducer (not shown) can use selected portions of keyboard  114  to output audio signals such as music. In the described embodiment, a microphone can be located at a side portion of top case  106  that can be spaced apart to improve frequency response of an associated audio circuit. 
     Each of the plurality of key pads  118  can have a symbol imprinted thereon for identifying the key input associated with the particular key pad. Keyboard  114  can be arranged to receive a discrete input at each keypad using a finger motion referred to as a keystroke. In the described embodiment, the symbols on each key pad  118  can be laser etched thereby creating an extremely clean and durable imprint that will not fade under the constant application of keystrokes over the life of portable computing device  100 . In order to reduce component count, a keycap assembly can be re-provisioned as a power button. For example, key pad  118 - 1  can be used as power button  118 - 1 . In this way, the overall number of components in portable computing device  100  can be commensurably reduced. 
     Touch pad  116  can be configured to receive finger gesturing. A finger gesture can include touch events from more than one finger applied in unison. The gesture can also include a single finger touch event such as a swipe or a tap. The gesture can be sensed by a sensing circuit in touch pad  116  and converted to electrical signals that are passed to a processing unit for evaluation. In this way, portable computing device  100  can be at least partially controlled by touch. 
     Lid portion  108  can be moved with the aid of clutch assembly  110  from the closed position to remain in the open position and back again. Lid portion  108  can include display  120  and rear cover  122  (shown more clearly in  FIG. 2 ) that can add a cosmetic finish to lid portion  108  and also provide structural support to at least display  120 . In the described embodiment, lid portion  108  can include mask (also referred to as display trim)  124  that surrounds display  120 . Display trim  124  can be formed of an opaque material such as ink deposited on top of or within a protective layer of display  120 . Display trim  124  can enhance the overall appearance of display  120  by hiding operational and structural components as well as focusing attention onto the active area of display  120 . 
     Display  120  can display visual content such as a graphical user interface, still images such as photos as well as video media items such as movies. Display  120  can display images using any appropriate technology such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), OLED, etc. Portable computing device  100  can also include image capture device  126  located on a transparent portion of display trim  124 . Image capture device  126  can be configured to capture both still and video images. Lid portion  108  can be formed to have uni-body construction that can provide additional strength and resiliency to lid portion  108  which is particularly important due to the stresses caused by repeated opening and closing. In addition to the increase in strength and resiliency, the uni-body construction of lid portion  108  can reduce overall part count by eliminating separate support features. 
     Data ports  128 - 132  can be used to transfer data and/or power between an external circuit(s) and portable computing device  100 . Data ports  128 - 132  can include, for example, input slot  128  that can be used to accept a memory card (such as a FLASH memory card), data ports  130  and  132  can be used to accommodate data connections such as USB, FIREWIRE (IEEE 1394 Interface), THUNDERBOLT (port combining PCIe and DisplayPort into a serial signal), and so on. In some embodiments, speaker grid  134  can be used to port audio from an associated audio component enclosed within base portion  102 . 
       FIG. 2  shows portable computing device  100  in a closed (lid) configuration that shows rear cover  122  and logo  202 . In one embodiment, logo  202  can be illuminated by light from display  120 . It should be noted that in the closed configuration, lid portion  108  and base portion  102  form what appears to be a uniform structure having a continuously varying and coherent shape that enhances both the look and feel of portable computing device  100 . 
       FIG. 3  shows another embodiment in the form of portable computing device  300  that is smaller than portable computing device  100 . Since portable computing device  300  is smaller in size than portable computing device  100 , certain features shown in  FIG. 1  are modified, or in some cases lacking, in portable computing device  300 . For example, base portion  302  can be reduced in size such that separate speakers (such as speaker grid  134 ) are replaced with an audio port embodied as part of keyboard  114 . However, bottom case  304  and top case  306  can retain many of the features described with regards to portable computing device  100  (such as display  120  though reduced to an appropriate size). 
       FIG. 4  shows an embodiment of top case  106  having microphone openings  402  suitable for receiving audio signals and audio jack opening  404 . In this embodiment, microphone openings  402  are spaced apart distance “d” in order to facilitate error correction in speech recognition algorithms. Distance d can vary depending upon a desired frequency response. For example, distance d can be on the order of about 15 mm. Also shown in  FIG. 4  is audio jack opening  404 . Audio jack opening  404  provides an opening to allow users access to an audio jack assembly located within top case  106  at audio jack opening  404 . In one embodiment audio jack opening  404  can be sized to accept a 3.5 mm audio jack plug while in other embodiments it can be sized to accept a 2.5 mm audio jack plug. The audio jack assembly can be configured to determine what type of audio device is connected to it. In this way the audio jack assembly can take the role of both a headphone jack and a microphone jack, thereby saving space for other components inside the portable computing device. This switchable jack can be useful in situations where a user desires privacy, or improved sound isolation while listening to audio content. Alternatively the switchable jack can be useful when that user wants to use a higher fidelity microphone than what is provided by the microphone positioned behind microphone openings  402 . 
       FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of top case  106  highlighting the position of two audio jack mounts also referred to as flying bosses  502 . Flying bosses  502  are disposed on a sidewall of top case  106  and can be CNC machined out of top case  106  while other features are being machined into top case  106 . Flying bosses  502  can be arranged on either side of audio jack opening  404 . Flying bosses  502  are spaced apart a distance sufficient to leave space for an audio jack assembly to fit between flying bosses  502 . Inner cavity  504 , defined in part by flying bosses  502 , can be hollowed out to reduce the weight of top case  106 , while still leaving sufficient structural capacity in flying bosses  502  to withstand insertion and removal events due to use of the audio jack assembly. Flying bosses  502  also include attachment features  506  for securely fastening an audio jack assembly to flying bosses  502 . Attachment features  506  can be threaded to accept threaded audio jack assembly fasteners. 
       FIG. 6  shows a side view of audio jack assembly  600 . Audio jack assembly  600  includes a flex connector  602  which electrically connects audio jack assembly  600  to the main logic board of the portable computing device through electrical connector  603 . Audio jack assembly  600  also includes audio jack assembly housing  604  which encloses audio jack assembly circuitry. Audio jack assembly housing  604  also includes angled flanges  606  which extend laterally out from either side of audio jack assembly housing  604 . In one embodiment angled flanges  606  can be made from plastic. Angled flanges  606  support threaded fasteners  608  which facilitate secure fastening of audio jack assembly  600  to flying bosses  502 . Audio jack assembly  600  can also include metal washer  610  to grip the head portion of threaded fastener  608  as it is tightened against angled flange  606 . Cantilevered support beam  612  extends from a bottom surface of audio jack assembly housing  604 . Cantilevered support beam  612  can accomplish the following two functions: (1) when made of conductive material it can create a grounding path between audio jack assembly  600  and top case  106 ; and (2) it can help to set a fixed minimum stand off distance between a bottom surface of audio jack assembly housing  604  and an inner surface of top case  106 . Also shown is angled connector portion  614  of audio jack assembly  600  which helps audio jack assembly  600  self align with audio jack opening  404  of top case  106 . Cantilevered support beam  612  and angled connector portion  614  can ease insertion of audio jack assembly  600  into top case  106  during a manufacturing operation. 
       FIG. 7  shows a cross-sectional side view of audio jack assembly  600  inserted into top case  106  and aligned with audio jack opening  404 . The cross-sectional side view runs down the center of audio jack assembly  600 . As illustrated, cantilevered support beam  612  can be slightly compressed once angled connector portion  614  of audio jack assembly  600  is properly positioned against audio jack opening  404 . In some embodiments cantilevered support beam  612  is compressed to set a proper distance between a lower surface of audio jack assembly housing  604  and top case  106 . It should be noted that excessive pressure on cantilevered support beam  612  should be avoided as it can result in bowing of top case  106  in some embodiments.  FIG. 7  also illustrates a view of audio jack assembly cavity  702 . Audio jack assembly cavity  702  contains a number of contacts  704  designed to exchange information between portable computing device  100  and an audio plug attached to an accessory device inserted into audio jack assembly cavity  702 . While angled connector portion  614  and cantilevered support beam  612  do help properly position audio jack assembly  600  correctly with respect to top case  106 , audio jack assembly  600  must still be mechanically coupled to top case  106 . 
       FIG. 8  shows a cross-sectional side view of cross section A-A as defined in the close up view shown in  FIG. 5 . The cross-sectional side view shows a view of one of flying bosses  502 . Lower surfaces of flying bosses  502  are machined away so that they are not in contact with speaker perforations  802 . If flying boss  502  were in contact with speaker perforations  802  it would show through speaker perforations  802  thereby marring the overall look and finish of portable computing device  100 . To remove this aesthetic problem a bottom portion of flying boss  502  can be machined away, creating a standoff distance “s”, sufficient to prevent flying boss  502  from showing through speaker perforations  802 . This machining step also prevents speaker perforations  802  from being acoustically affected. In this way the overall aesthetic look and acoustic performance of portable computing device  100  can be improved. In addition to creating stand off distance between flying bosses  502  and speaker perforations  802 , audio jack assembly  600  must also have stand off from speaker perforations  802 , as illustrated in previous figures. This stand off distance can be as small as a fraction of a millimeter in some embodiments, making proper positioning in the z-axis extremely important. 
     Inner cavity  504 , also illustrated in  FIG. 5 , can be enlarged by machining away portions of flying bosses  502  to reduce the overall weight of top case  106  without substantially effecting the structural stability of flying bosses  502 . Flying boss  502  can be designed to have a short distance “t” between itself and angled flange  606 . Distance t allows subsequent inspection of engagement between threaded fastener  608  and flying boss  502 . In this embodiment angle “u” can be about 37 degrees. By setting angle u to  37  degrees sheering force on threaded fastener  608  can be reduced when compared with a fastener arranged perpendicular with the direction of insertion and removal forces. At an angle of 37 degrees threaded fastener  608  can be oriented to efficiently oppose forces in both the Z and Y axes. It should be noted that other angled orientations of flying bosses  502  are within the scope of the described embodiment generally covering a range of between 30 and 70 degrees with respect to the Z-axis 
     Threaded fastener  608  as illustrated, mechanically couples audio jack assembly  600  to top case  106  through flying boss  502 . Threaded fastener  608  can be a shoulder screw having a non-threaded shoulder portion  804 . Non-threaded shoulder portion  804  keeps threaded fastener  608  precisely positioned within angled flange  606  as it is screwed into flying boss  502 . Because threaded fastener  608  is precisely positioned inside of angled flange  606 , contact surface  806  of angled flange  606  comes into contact with lip portion  808  of flying boss  502  at a repeatable position. Interaction between contact surface  806  and lip portion  808  stops the forward travel of threaded fastener  608  into flying boss  502 . Furthermore, the interaction between  806  and  808  also keeps audio jack assembly  600  aligned horizontally with respect to top case  106  once  806  and  808  are fully engaged. Another advantage of the described embodiment is that vertical position of audio jack assembly  600  can be adjusted higher or lower by changing the vertical position of lip portion  808 , thereby adjusting the final vertical position of audio jack assembly  600 . Vertical positioning of lip portion  808  can be adjusted during a CNC machining process by removing more or less metal from flying boss  502 . Proper vertical positioning of audio jack assembly  600  is important as positioning the assembly too low can result in excessive pressure and bowing of top case  106  occurring in addition to undesired visibility of a bottom surface of audio jack assembly  600 . When audio jack assembly  600  has too much stand off, alignment problems with audio jack opening  404  are the most typical problems faced. Consequently, precise positioning of audio jack assembly  600  in the z-axis is quite important. 
       FIGS. 9A-9C  illustrate a process by which flying bosses  502  can be machined from top case  106  of a portable computing device. Top case  106  can be made of any metal sufficiently rigid to house computer hardware necessary to drive the portable computing device. In one embodiment top case  106  can be made from aluminum. Advantageously, aluminum is conductive in nature and also operates as an EMI shield to insulate electrical components housed within top case  106 .  FIG. 9A  shows a cross sectional view of a first manufacturing step in which protruding feature  902  is undercut by a thin saw, creating a standoff distance “s” between protruding block  902  and inner surface  904  of top case  106 . This first step utilizing a thin saw to undercut protruding feature  902  can take place as part of a larger CNC machining process in which the rest of top case  106  is formed. It should be noted that there can be two protruding features  902  extending perpendicularly from a sidewall of top case  106  and separated by an interval large enough to allow audio jack assembly  600  to be inserted between them.  FIG. 9B  shows two additional steps in which protruding block  902  is machined into flying boss  502 . An upper left portion of protruding block  902  is machined away creating angled surface  906  giving shape to flying boss  502 . Angled surface,  906  can be formed at an angle u, oriented at between 30 and 70 degrees with respect to surface  901 , which as previously explained allows fasteners to oppose insertion and removal events affecting audio jack assembly  600  without experience excessive shearing forces on the fasteners. Lip portion  808  can also be formed in this machining step having a surface substantially parallel to inner surface  904  of top case  106 . Subsequently, inner cavity  504  can be machined from inside flying bosses  502 . Inner cavity  504  extends only partially through flying bosses  502  in the x-axis, as was previously illustrated in  FIG. 5 . By machining inner cavity  504  into flying boss  502  weight reduction of top case  106  can be achieved without excessively reducing structural integrity of flying boss  502 .  FIG. 9C  shows speaker perforations  908  and attachment feature  506  can be machined into flying boss  502  and top case  106  respectively. Because material has been undercut from flying boss  502 , speaker perforations  908  can be punched or drilled through inner surface  904 , thereby allowing audio to be easily transmitted through speaker perforations  908  without blockage from flying boss  502 . In this way a light weight, integrated mount for an audio jack assembly can be machined into an interior side of a portable computing device enclosure without adversely affecting audio performance or overall aesthetics of speaker perforations  908 . 
       FIG. 10  shows a flow chart detailing a method  1000  for installing an audio jack assembly directly to an interior sidewall of a portable computing device housing. In one embodiment the machining operations described can be carried out using a CNC machining process. In a first step  1002  a portable computing device housing is received and put through a series of machining operations, carving a number of features into interior portions of the portable computing device housing. In particular a set of two protruding features are machined out of an interior sidewall of the portable computing device. The protruding features can be machined at a distance leaving just enough space to insert an audio jack assembly between the two. In a second step  1004  the two protruding features are undercut creating a gap between the protruding features from a interior surface of the portable computing device housing. In a final step  1006  a number of speaker perforations are machined into the portable computing device housing, creating a speaker grill in the portable computing device housing. At least a portion of the resulting speaker grill has speaker perforations extending into the gap portion created by the undercutting operation. Consequently, the undercutting operation prevents the protruding features from covering or blocking speaker perforations in the speaker grill. 
     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. 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: 20120608
Publication Date: 20140506
Grant Date: 20140506
Priority Date: 20120608
Inventors: SCHWALBACH CHARLES A.
SMITH BRANDON S.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H01R24/68", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/22", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/629", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1684", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49996", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/629", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49947", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/58", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/22", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1688", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1684", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K7/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/58", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/68", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49826", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 49715644