PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9484699-B2
Application Number: US-201414208426-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Elastomeric connectors

Abstract:
In a first embodiment, an elastomeric connector may include conductive and nonconductive portions and a guide that at least partially surrounds the connector and transfers compression in at least two directions. In a second embodiment, an elastomeric connector includes conductive portions at least partially surrounded by a nonconductive portion that is at least partially surrounded by conductive material connectible to ground to shield. In a third embodiment, an elastomeric connector may include multiple conductive portions and a nonconductive portion. One of the conductive portions may be separated from a first other in a cross section of a first connection surface and a second one of the others outside the cross section. At least one of the conductive portions may be connected to at least one of the others within the connector. In a fourth embodiment, a sealing component may include conductive and nonconductive elastomeric material.

Claims:
We claim: 
     
       1. An elastomeric connector system, comprising:
 an elastomeric connector comprising:
 at least one conductive elastomeric material portion extending between at least a first connection surface and a second connection surface; and 
 at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion; and 
 
 at least one guide element that at least partially surrounds the elastomeric connector and transfers compression, in multiple directions along the elastomeric connector, from the first connection surface to the second connection surface; wherein: 
 the at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion isolates the at least one conductive elastomeric material portion from the at least one guide element; 
 the at least one guide element is conductive and is coupled to a ground; and 
 the at least one guide element acts as a shield for the at least one conductive elastomeric material portion. 
 
     
     
       2. The elastomeric connector system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one guide element comprises a hollow tube. 
     
     
       3. The elastomeric connector system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one guide element guides the elastomeric connector around at least one component that is positioned between the first connection surface and the second connection surface. 
     
     
       4. The elastomeric connector system of  claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric connector is compressed between a first contact of a first component that contacts the first connection surface and a second contact of a second component that contacts the second connection surface. 
     
     
       5. The elastomeric connector system of  claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric connector is at least one of formed prior to insertion in the at least one guide element or formed at least partially inside the at least one guide element. 
     
     
       6. The elastomeric connector system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the at least one conductive elastomeric material portion comprises at least a first conductive elastomeric material portion, a second conductive elastomeric material portion; and a third conductive elastomeric material portion; 
 the first conductive elastomeric material portion is separated from the second conductive elastomeric material portion by the at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion in a cross section of the first connection surface; and 
 the first conductive elastomeric material portion is separated from the third conductive elastomeric material portion by the at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion in an area not within the cross section of the first connection surface. 
 
     
     
       7. The elastomeric connector system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
 the first conductive elastomeric material portion is connected to the second conductive elastomeric material portion within the elastomeric connector; or 
 the first conductive elastomeric material portion is connected to the third conductive elastomeric material portion within the elastomeric connector. 
 
     
     
       8. An elastomeric connector comprising:
 a first conductive elastomeric material portion extending between at least a first connection surface and a second connection surface; 
 a second conductive elastomeric material portion extending between the first connection surface and the second connection surface; 
 a third conductive elastomeric material portion extending between the first connection surface and a second connection surface; and 
 at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion; 
 wherein:
 the first conductive elastomeric material portion is separated from the second conductive elastomeric material portion by the at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion in a cross section of the first connection surface; 
 the first conductive elastomeric material portion is separated from the third conductive elastomeric material portion by the at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion in an area not within the cross section of the first connection surface; and 
 the second conductive elastomeric material portion surrounds the first conductive elastomeric portion, the third conductive elastomeric portion, and the at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion in at least one plane. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The elastomeric connector of  claim 8 , wherein at least one of:
 the first conductive elastomeric material portion is connected to the second conductive elastomeric material portion within the elastomeric connector; or 
 the first conductive elastomeric material portion is connected to the third conductive elastomeric material portion within the elastomeric connector. 
 
     
     
       10. The elastomeric connector of  claim 8 , wherein the elastomeric connector is operable as a sealing component to seal at least a first component to a second component. 
     
     
       11. The elastomeric connector of  claim 10 , wherein the first conductive elastomeric material portion, the second conductive elastomeric material portion, and the third conductive elastomeric material portion are separated from an external environment by the at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion when the elastomeric connector seals the first component to the second component. 
     
     
       12. The elastomeric connector of  claim 8 , wherein
 the second conductive elastomeric material portion is operable to shield the first conductive elastomeric portion and the third conductive elastomeric portion when connected to a ground. 
 
     
     
       13. A sealing component system, comprising:
 at least one conductive elastomeric material portion; and 
 at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion; 
 wherein: 
 the sealing component is operable to seal at least a first component to a second component; and 
 the at least one conductive elastomeric material portion is separated from an external environment by the at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion when the sealing component seals the first component to the second component. 
 
     
     
       14. The sealing component system of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one conductive elastomeric material portion electrically connects a first contact of the first component to a second contact of the second component when the sealing component seals the first component to the second component. 
     
     
       15. The sealing component system of  claim 13 , wherein the sealing component comprises an o-ring. 
     
     
       16. The sealing component of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one conductive elastomeric material portion extends between at least a first connection portion and a second connection portion. 
     
     
       17. The sealing component system of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the at least one conductive elastomeric material portion comprises at least a first conductive elastomeric material portion, a second conductive elastomeric material portion; and a third conductive elastomeric material portion; 
 the first conductive elastomeric material portion is separated from the second conductive elastomeric material portion by the at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion in a cross section of the first connection portion; and 
 the first conductive elastomeric material portion is separated from the third conductive elastomeric material portion by the at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion in an area not within the cross section of the first connection portion. 
 
     
     
       18. The sealing component system of  claim 17 , wherein at least one of:
 the first conductive elastomeric material portion is connected to the second conductive elastomeric material portion within the elastomeric connector; or 
 the first conductive elastomeric material portion is connected to the third conductive elastomeric material portion within the elastomeric connector. 
 
     
     
       19. The sealing component system of  claim 13 , further comprising the first component and the second component. 
     
     
       20. A method of electrically coupling two components, the method comprising:
 placing an elastomeric connector at least partially within at least one guide element that is conductive, the at elastomeric connector comprising:
 at least one conductive elastomeric material portion extending between at least a first connection surface and a second connection surface; and 
 at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion that isolates the at least one conductive elastomeric material portion from the at least one guide element; 
 
 coupling the at least one guide element to a ground such that the at least one guide element acts as a shield for the at least one conductive elastomeric material portion; 
 electrically connecting a first component to a second component by contacting the first component to the first connection surface and the second component to the second connection surface; and 
 transferring compression of the elastomeric connector associated with contact of the first component to the first connection surface from the first connection surface through the elastomeric connector in at least two directions to the second connection surface utilizing the at least one guide element. 
 
     
     
       21. A method for electrically coupling and sealing two components, the method comprising:
 sealing a first component to a second component utilizing a sealing component that includes at least one elastomeric conductive portion and at least one elastomeric nonconductive portion such that the at least one elastomeric conductive portion is separated from an external environment by the at least one elastomeric nonconductive portion; and 
 compressing the sealing component between the first component and the second component to form an electrical connection between the first component and the second component utilizing the at least one elastomeric conductive portion.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure relates generally to connectors, and more specifically to elastomeric connectors. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Elastomeric connectors, such as those sold as ZEBRA™ connectors, may include rubberized layers of alternating elastomeric conductive and elastomeric nonconductive (i.e., insulating) materials. Such elastomeric connectors are often flexible and may be used as electrical conductors in applications that experience vibration, mechanical shock, and other forces acting on a system or device. 
     Typically, the elastomeric conductive layers may extend between two ends of such an elastomeric connector. In such cases, the elastomeric connector may be utilized to form an electrical connection by placing contacts on the two ends and compressing the elastomeric connector. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure discloses elastomeric connectors and systems and methods for forming and utilizing elastomeric connectors. 
     In a first embodiment, an elastomeric connector system may include an elastomeric connector and at least one guide element that at least partially surrounds the elastomeric connector. The elastomeric connector may include at least one conductive elastomeric material portion extending between a first connection surface and a second connection surface and at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion. The guide element may transfer compression of the elastomeric connector from the first connection surface through at least two directions to the second connection surface. 
     In a second embodiment, an elastomeric connector includes one or more conductive elastomeric material portions at least partially surrounded by at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion that is in turn at least partially surrounded by at least one additional conductive material elastomeric portion. The additional conductive material elastomeric portion may be connected to a ground in order to shield the conductive elastomeric material portion that is at least partially surrounded by the nonconductive elastomeric material portion. 
     In a third embodiment, an elastomeric connector may include at least three conductive elastomeric material portions extending from a first connection surface to a second connection surface and at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion. One of the conductive elastomeric material portions may be separated from a first one of the other conductive elastomeric material portions by the nonconductive elastomeric material portion in a cross section of the first connection surface and a second one of the other conductive elastomeric material portions by the nonconductive elastomeric material portion outside the cross section of the first connection surface. In various implementations of this embodiment, one or more of the conductive elastomeric material portions may be connected to one or more of the other conductive elastomeric material portions within the elastomeric connector. 
     In a fourth embodiment, a sealing component may include at least one conductive elastomeric material and at least one nonconductive elastomeric material. The sealing component may be operable to seal at least a first component to a second component. Such a sealing component may be an o-ring. In various implementations of this embodiment, sealing the first component to the second component may result in the conductive elastomeric material being isolated from an external environment. In other implementations of this embodiment, sealing the first component to the second component may result in at least a portion of the conductive elastomeric material being exposed to an external environment. Regardless, in some implementations of this embodiment, sealing the first component to the second component may result in contact between contacts of the first and second components that compresses the sealing component and forms at least one electrical connection between the first and second components. 
     In various implementations, an elastomeric connector system includes an elastomeric connector with at least one conductive elastomeric material portion extending between at least a first connection surface and a second connection surface and at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion and at least one guide element that at least partially surrounds the elastomeric connector. The guide element may transfer compression of the elastomeric connector from the first connection surface through at least two directions to the second connection surface. 
     In some implementations, an elastomeric connector includes a first conductive elastomeric material portion extending between at least a first connection surface and a second connection surface; a second conductive elastomeric material portion extending between the first connection surface and the second connection surface; a third elastomeric material portion extending between the first connection surface and a second connection surface; and at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion. The first conductive elastomeric material portion may be separated from the second conductive elastomeric material portion by the at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion in a cross section of the first connection surface. The first conductive elastomeric material portion may be separated from the third conductive elastomeric material portion by the at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion outside the cross section of the first connection surface. 
     In one or more implementations, a sealing component system includes at least one conductive elastomeric material portion and at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion. The sealing component may be operable to seal at least a first component to a second component. 
     In various implementations, a method of electrically coupling two components includes: placing an elastomeric connector at least partially within at least one guide element, the at elastomeric connector including at least one conductive elastomeric material portion extending between at least a first connection surface and a second connection surface and at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion; electrically connecting a first component to a second component by contacting the first component to the first connection surface and the second component to the second connection surface; and transferring compression of the elastomeric connector associated with contact of the first component to the first connection surface from the first connection surface through at least two directions to the second connection surface utilizing the at least one guide element. 
     In some implementations, a method for electrically coupling and sealing two components includes: sealing a first component to a second component utilizing a sealing component that includes at least one elastomeric conductive portion and at least one elastomeric nonconductive portion; and compressing the sealing component between the first component and the second component to form an electrical connection between the first component and the second component utilizing the at least one elastomeric conductive portion. 
     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are for purposes of example and explanation and do not necessarily limit the present disclosure. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate subject matter of the disclosure. Together, the descriptions and the drawings serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is an isometric front view of a first example of an elastomeric connector. 
         FIG. 1B  is a top isometric view of the first example of an elastomeric connector of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 1C  is an isometric front view of the first example of an elastomeric connector of  FIG. 1A  being compressed between contact pads of two components. 
         FIG. 2A  is an isometric front view of an elastomeric connector system. 
         FIG. 2B  is a cross-sectional view of the elastomeric connector system of  FIG. 2A  taken along line  2 A of  FIG. 2A . 
         FIG. 3  is a method diagram illustrating an example method for utilizing an elastomeric connector system. This method may be performed by the system of  FIGS. 2A-2B . 
         FIG. 4  is a top isometric view of a second example of an elastomeric connector. 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric front view of a third example of an elastomeric connector. 
         FIG. 6A  is an isometric front view of a fourth example of an elastomeric connector. 
         FIG. 6B  is a cross-sectional view of the fourth example of an elastomeric connector of  FIG. 6A  taken along line  6 B of  FIG. 6A . 
         FIG. 6C  is a cross-sectional view of the fourth example of an elastomeric connector of  FIG. 6A  taken along line  6 C of  FIG. 6A . 
         FIG. 7A  is an isometric top view of an electronic device that includes a circular touch display connected to the electronic device via a sealing component. 
         FIG. 7B  is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device of  FIG. 7A  taken along line  7 B of  FIG. 7A . 
         FIG. 7C  is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the electronic device of  FIG. 7B . 
         FIG. 8  is a method diagram illustrating an example method for sealing and forming an electrical connection between two components. This method may be performed by the electronic device, the circular display, and/or the sealing component of  FIG. 7A-7B or 7C . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The description that follows includes sample systems, methods, and computer program products that embody various elements of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that the described embodiments may be practiced in a variety of forms in addition to those described herein. 
     The present disclosure discloses elastomeric connectors and systems and methods for forming and utilizing elastomeric connectors. A sample elastomeric connector may have multiple electrically conductive paths formed by conductive elastomeric material extending therethrough. Nonconductive elastomeric material may separate the electrically conductive paths. 
     In one embodiment, an elastomeric connector system may include an elastomeric connector and at least one guide element that at least partially surrounds the elastomeric connector. Such a guide element may be, but is not limited to, a hollow tube. The tube may have any cross-section, and is not limited to a round cross-section. 
     The elastomeric connector may include at least one conductive elastomeric material portion extending between a first connection surface and a second connection surface and at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion. The guide element may permit the elastomeric connector to flex without compressing, or may be substantially rigid in order to resist flexing of the elastomeric connector when force is applied thereto. In this manner, an elastomeric connector may electrically connect electrical connections, pads, components, contacts and the like that are offset by a distance. 
     In certain embodiments, the elastomeric connector may have one or more segments that are angled with respect to an adjacent segment. The angle between segments may be any desired or suitable angle. An angled elastomeric connector may permit connections between electrical connections, pads, components, contacts and the like that are misaligned with respect to at least one axis. Further, such elastomeric connectors may pass around, over or otherwise avoid components that are positioned between electrical contacts. 
     In another embodiment, an elastomeric connector includes one or more conductive elastomeric material portions at least partially surrounded by at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion that is, in turn, at least partially surrounded by at least one additional conductive material elastomeric portion. The additional conductive material elastomeric portion may be connected to a ground in order to shield the inner conductive elastomeric material portion. 
     In yet another embodiment, an elastomeric connector may include at least three conductive elastomeric material portions extending from a first connection surface to a second connection surface and at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion. One of the conductive elastomeric material portions may be separated from a first one of the other conductive elastomeric material portions by the nonconductive elastomeric material portion in a cross section of the first connection surface and a second one of the other conductive elastomeric material portions may be separated by the nonconductive elastomeric material portion outside the cross section of the first connection surface. 
     In various implementations of this embodiment, one or more of the conductive elastomeric material portions may be connected to one or more of the other conductive elastomeric material portions within the elastomeric connector. 
     In still another embodiment, a sealing component may include at least one conductive elastomeric material and at least one nonconductive elastomeric material. The sealing component may be operable to seal at least a first component to a second component. Such a sealing component may be an o-ring. 
     In various implementations of this embodiment, sealing the first component to the second component may result in the conductive elastomeric material being isolated from an external environment. In other implementations of this embodiment, sealing the first component to the second component may result in at least a portion of the conductive elastomeric material being exposed to an external environment. 
     Regardless, in some implementations of this embodiment, sealing the first component to the second component may result in contact between contacts of the first and second components that compresses the sealing component and form at least one electrical connection between the first and second components. 
       FIG. 1A  is an isometric front view of a first example of an elastomeric connector  100 . As illustrated, the elastomeric connector  100  includes a number of parallel rows of nonconductive elastomeric material  101  and conductive elastomeric material  102  that extend from a top end to a bottom end. 
       FIG. 1B  is a top isometric view of the first example of an elastomeric connector  100  of  FIG. 1A . As illustrated, each of the rows  101  and  102  extends fully across a cross sectional thickness  104  of the elastomeric connector  100  and are arranged to alternate in parallel across a cross sectional width  103  of the elastomeric connector  100 . 
       FIG. 1C  is an isometric front view of the first example of an elastomeric connector  100  of  FIG. 1A  being compressed in a single direction  115  between contact pads  112  and  114  of two components  111  and  113 . As illustrated the top of the elastomeric connector  100  forms a first connection surface  103  that contacts the contact pad  112  and the bottom of the elastomeric connector  100  forms a first connection surface  104  that contacts the contact pad  113 . Compression of the elastomeric connector  100  between the contact pads  112  and  114  may ensure that electrical connection is formed between the first and second components  111  and  113 . 
     The first and second components  111  and  113  may be any kind of components that may be connected electrically. For example, the first component may be a touch display and the second component may be a smart phone, cellular telephone, computing device, tablet computing device, mobile computing device, laptop computing device, desktop computing device, wearable device, digital media player, and/or any other electronic device that may utilize a touch display. Further, it is understood that this is an example and is not intended to be limiting. 
     In various cases, either the first component  111  and/or the second component  113  may include various other components that are not shown. Such other components may include, but are not limited to, one or more processing units, one or more communication components, one or more non-transitory storage media (which may take the form of, but is not limited to, a magnetic storage medium; optical storage medium; magneto-optical storage medium; read only memory; random access memory; erasable programmable memory; flash memory; and so on), one or more input/output components, and/or any other components. 
     Additionally, with reference again to  FIG. 1A , though the elastomeric connector  100  is illustrated and described as only having parallel rows of nonconductive elastomeric material  101  and conductive elastomeric material  102 , it is understood that this is an example. In some cases, additional nonconductive elastomeric material may be positioned over the front and back surfaces of the elastomeric connector  100  such that the conductive elastomeric material  102  is only exposed at the top and bottom ends of the elastomeric connector  100 . 
       FIG. 2A  is an isometric front view of an elastomeric connector system  200 . A guide element  201  contains an elastomeric connector  208  (shown in  FIG. 2B ) and guides the elastomeric connector  208  in at least two directions  206  and  207  around a component  290  in order to electrically connect contact pads  203  and  205  of first and second components  202  and  204 . As shown, the guide element may be a hollow tube, though this is an example and the guide element may be otherwise configured in other implementations. In this way, the contact pads  203  and  205  of first and second components  202  and  204  may be electrically connected even though component  209  is within the direct path between the two. 
     In some embodiments, portions of the elastomeric connector  208  may extend beyond the openings of the guide element  201 . The extended portions of the connector  208  may be compressed by the contact pads  203 ,  205 , thereby ensuring a tight and precise fit between the connector ends and pads. In other embodiments, the guide element  201  may completely enclose the elastomeric connector  208 , and portions of the guide element  201  overlaying the conductive elastomeric material  102  may also be conductive, thereby electrically bridging the elastomeric connector  208  and the contact pads  203 ,  205 . 
       FIG. 2B  is a cross-sectional view of the elastomeric connector system  200  of  FIG. 2A  taken along line  2 A of  FIG. 2A . As illustrated, the elastomeric connector  208  may include nonconductive elastomeric material portions  211  and conductive elastomeric material portions  212  and may have a first connection surface  209  and a second connection surface  210 . 
     When the contact pad  203  is contacted to the first connection surface  209  to compress the elastomeric connector  208 , the guide element  201  may transfer the compression along the elastomeric connector in the direction  206  and then the direction  207  to the second connection surface  210 . As such, the second connection surface may contact the contact pad  205  and the first and second components  202  and  204  may be electrically connected. 
     Similarly, when the contact pad  205  is contacted to the second connection surface  210  to compress the elastomeric connector  208 , the guide element  201  may transfer the compression along the elastomeric connector in the direction  207  and then the direction  206  to the first connection surface  209 . As such, the first connection surface may contact the contact pad  203  and the first and second components  202  and  204  may be electrically connected. 
     In some implementations, the guide element  201  may be made of a nonconductive material such as plastic. However, in other implementations the guide element may be made of a conductive material such as metal, while in yet other embodiments certain portions may be conductive and other portions nonconductive. In such a case, the guide element may be connected to a ground and may operate to shield the conductive portions  212 . 
     Although the elastomeric connector  208  is illustrated as a particular number of rows of nonconductive elastomeric material portions  211  and conductive elastomeric material portions  212 , it is understood that this is an example. In various implementations, other arrangements are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. More or fewer rows may be present, structures other than rows may be used, the elastomeric connector may have multiple angles to form various shapes (such as a C-shape with hard transition angles) may have radiused or bent transitions between adjacent portions rather than hard transition angles, and so on. 
     By way of a first example, in various implementations the elastomeric connector  208  may include one or more conductive elastomeric material portions that are isolated from at least one additional conductive elastomeric material portion by one or more nonconductive elastomeric material portions. In such an example, the additional conductive elastomeric material portion may at least partially surround the nonconductive elastomeric material portions and be connected to a ground such that the additional conductive elastomeric material portion operates to shield the conductive elastomeric material portions. 
     By way of a second example, the elastomeric connector  208  may include at least three conductive elastomeric material portions extending from a first connection surface to a second connection surface and at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion. One of the conductive elastomeric material portions may be separated from a first one of the other conductive elastomeric material portions by the nonconductive elastomeric material portion in a cross section taken in a plane along the first connection surface, and may be separated from a second one of the other conductive elastomeric material portions by the nonconductive elastomeric material portion in an area outside the cross-section. In some embodiments, one or more of the conductive elastomeric material portions may be connected within the elastomeric connector  208 . 
     Additionally, although the guide element  201  is illustrated and described above as guiding compression of the elastomeric connector  208  in two particular directions  206  and  207 , it is understood that this is an example. In various implementations, the guide element may be variously shaped in order to guide compression of the elastomeric connector  208  in any number of a variety of different directions without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     In some cases, the elastomeric connector  208  may be formed separate from and/or outside of the guide element  201 . In such cases, the elastomeric connector  208  may be inserted at least partially in the guide element once formed. In other cases, the elastomeric connector  208  may be formed inside the guide element, such as by injection molding, insertion molding, or other similar process. 
     In various implementations, the elastomeric connector  208  may be operable to perform as a sealing component to seal various components together. 
       FIG. 3  is a method diagram illustrating an example method  300  for utilizing an elastomeric connector system. This method may be performed by the system of  FIGS. 2A-2B . 
     The flow begins at block  301  and proceeds to block  302  where an elastomeric connector is placed in a guide element. The flow then proceeds to block  303  where at least two surfaces of the elastomeric connector are compressed to electrically connect at least two components. Next, the flow proceeds to block  304  where the guide element is utilized to transfer compression between the two surfaces through at least two different directions. 
     Although the method  300  is illustrated and described as including particular operations performed in a particular order, it is understood that this is an example. In various implementations, other configurations of the same, similar, and/or different operations may be performed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     For example, operations  303  and  304  are shown as separate operations performed in a linear order. However, in various implementations, compression of the two surfaces and utilization of the guide to transfer the compression between the two surfaces may be performed simultaneously. 
       FIG. 4  is a top isometric view of another example of an elastomeric connector  400 . As illustrated, the elastomeric connector  400  includes a plurality of conductive elastomeric material portions  401  and at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion  402 . A number of the conductive elastomeric material portions  401  are isolated from an outer one of the conductive elastomeric material portions  401  by the nonconductive elastomeric material portion  402  and the outer one of the conductive elastomeric material portions  401  at least partially surrounds the nonconductive elastomeric material portion  402 . 
     In some cases, the outer one of the conductive elastomeric material portions  401  may be grounded and may operate as a shield from the inner number of the conductive elastomeric material portions  401 . 
     Although the elastomeric connector  400  is illustrated and described above as including a single nonconductive elastomeric material portion  402  and a particular number of inner conductive elastomeric material portions  401 , it is understood that this is an example. In various implementations, any number of inner conductive elastomeric material portions  401  and nonconductive elastomeric material portions  402  may be utilized without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     In various implementations, the elastomeric connector  400  may be operable to perform as a sealing component to seal at least two components together. When performing as a sealing component to seal at least two components, the conductive elastomeric material portions  401  may be isolated from an external environment in some implementations and exposed to the external environment in other embodiments. 
       FIG. 5  is an isometric front view of a third example of an elastomeric connector  500 . As illustrated, the elastomeric connector  500  may include a number of conductive elastomeric material portions  502  extending from a bottom surface to a top surface and at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion  501 . As illustrated, conductive elastomeric material portions  502  are arranged in rows across a cross sectional width  503  of the top surface and a cross sectional thickness  504  of the top surface. As such, each of the conductive elastomeric material portions  502  are separated from the other conductive elastomeric material portions  502 , along a width  503  of the connector, by the nonconductive elastomeric material portion  501 . Likewise, each conductive elastomeric material portion  502  is separated from an adjacent conductive portion  502  by the nonconductive elastomeric material portion  501 , as viewed along a length  504  of the connector. In this way, the number of possible connections that can be made via the top and bottom surfaces of the elastomeric connector  500  may be increased as compared to a connector utilizing a single, parallel set of conductive elastomeric conductive portions. 
     Although the elastomeric connector  500  is illustrated and described above as including a single nonconductive elastomeric material portion  501  and a particular number of conductive elastomeric material portions  502 , it is understood that this is an example. In various implementations, any number of conductive elastomeric material portions  502  and nonconductive elastomeric material portions  501  may be utilized without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     Further, although the elastomeric connector  500  is illustrated and described above as including four rows of conductive elastomeric material portions  502  in the cross sectional width  503  and two rows of conductive elastomeric material portions  502  in the cross sectional thickness  504 , it is understood that this is an example. In various implementations, any number of rows in either the cross sectional width  503 , the cross sectional thickness  504 , and/or other cross sectional dimensions of the top or bottom surfaces of the elastomeric connector  500  may be utilized without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     Moreover, though the rows of conductive elastomeric material portions  502  are shown as aligned, it is understood that this is an example. In various implementations one or more rows may be misaligned with one or more other rows without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     In various implementations, the elastomeric connector  500  may be operable to perform as a sealing component to seal at least two components together. When performing as a sealing component to seal at least two components, the conductive elastomeric material portions  502  may be isolated from an external environment in some implementations and exposed to the external environment in other embodiments. 
     Further, in one or more implementations, the conductive elastomeric material portions  502  may be isolated from additional conductive portions (such as additional conductive elastomeric material, metal, and so on) by additional nonconductive portions (such as additional nonconductive elastomeric material, plastic, and so on) that at least partially surround the conductive elastomeric material portions  502  and nonconductive elastomeric material portion  501  and function as a shield for the conductive elastomeric material portions  502  when connected to a ground. 
       FIG. 6A  is an isometric front view of a fourth example of an elastomeric connector. As illustrated, the elastomeric connector  600  may include a number of conductive elastomeric material portions  602 - 605  extending from a bottom surface to a top surface and at least one nonconductive elastomeric material portion  601 . As illustrated, conductive elastomeric material portions  602 - 605  are arranged in rows across a cross sectional width  606  of the top surface and a cross sectional thickness  607  of the top surface. As such, each of the conductive elastomeric material portions  602 - 605  are separated from the other conductive elastomeric material portions  602 - 605  of the cross sectional width  606  by the nonconductive elastomeric material portion  601  and the other conductive elastomeric material portion  602 - 605  of the cross sectional thickness  607  by the nonconductive elastomeric material portion  601 . 
       FIG. 6B  is a cross-sectional view of the fourth example of an elastomeric connector of  FIG. 6A  taken along line  6 B of  FIG. 6A . As illustrated, the conductive elastomeric material portion  603  is connected to the conductive elastomeric material portion  605  by electrical connection mechanism  610 . The electrical connection mechanism  610  may be any electrical conduction mechanism such as electrically conductive elastomeric materials, vias, metal, traces, and so on. Similarly,  FIG. 6C  is a cross-sectional view of the fourth example of an elastomeric connector of  FIG. 6A  taken along line  6 C of  FIG. 6A . As illustrated, the conductive elastomeric material portion  602  is connected to the conductive elastomeric material portion  604  by electrical connection mechanism  611 . The electrical connection mechanism  611  may be any electrical conduction mechanism such as electrically conductive elastomeric materials, vias, metal, traces, and so on. 
     In this way, one or more conductive elastomeric portions  602 - 605  may be electrically connected without exposing that electrical connection on the outside of the elastomeric connector  600 . 
     Although the elastomeric connector  600  is illustrated and described above as including a single nonconductive elastomeric material portion  601  and a particular number of conductive elastomeric material portions  602 - 605 , it is understood that this is an example. In various implementations, any number of conductive elastomeric material portions  602 - 605  and nonconductive elastomeric material portions  601  may be utilized without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     Further, although the elastomeric connector  600  is illustrated and described above as including two rows of conductive elastomeric material portions  602  and  603  or  605  and  604  in the cross sectional width  606  and two rows of conductive elastomeric material portions  602  and  605  or  603  and  604  in the cross sectional thickness  607 , it is understood that this is an example. In various implementations, any number of rows in either the cross sectional width  606 , the cross sectional thickness  607 , and/or other cross sectional dimensions of the top or bottom surfaces of the elastomeric connector  600  may be utilized without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     Moreover, though the rows of conductive elastomeric material portions  602 - 605  are shown as aligned, it is understood that this is an example. In various implementations one or more rows may be misaligned with one or more other rows without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     In various implementations, the elastomeric connector  600  may be operable to perform as a sealing component to seal at least two components together. When performing as a sealing component to seal at least two components, the conductive elastomeric material portions  602 - 605  may be isolated from an external environment in some implementations and exposed to the external environment in other embodiments. 
     Further, in one or more implementations, the conductive elastomeric material portions  602 - 605  may be isolated from additional conductive portions (such as additional conductive elastomeric material, metal, and so on) by additional nonconductive portions (such as additional nonconductive elastomeric material, plastic, and so on) that at least partially surround the conductive elastomeric material portions  602 - 605  and nonconductive elastomeric material portion  601  and function as a shield for the conductive elastomeric material portions  602 - 605  when connected to a ground. 
       FIG. 7A  is an isometric top view of an electronic device  702  that includes a circular touch display  703  connected to the electronic device via a sealing component  702 . The electronic device may be any kind of electronic device such as a smart phone, cellular telephone, computing device, tablet computing device, mobile computing device, laptop computing device, desktop computing device, wearable device, digital media player, and/or any other electronic device. 
     In various cases, the electronic device  701  may include various other components that are not shown. Such other components may include, but are not limited to, one or more processing units, one or more communication components, one or more non-transitory storage media (which may take the form of, but is not limited to, a magnetic storage medium; optical storage medium; magneto-optical storage medium; read only memory; random access memory; erasable programmable memory; flash memory; and so on), one or more input/output components, and/or any other components. 
     Further, although this example illustrates and describes a circular touch display  703  connected to an electronic device  701 , it is understood that this is an example. In various implementations, any two components or devices may be sealed by the sealing component  702 . 
     As illustrated, the sealing component  702  is an o-ring. However, it is understood that this is an example. In various cases, the sealing component may be configured in other ways other than as an o-ring without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
       FIG. 7B  is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device  701  of  FIG. 7A  taken along line  7 B of  FIG. 7A . As illustrated, the sealing component  702  includes nonconductive elastomeric portions  706   a  and  706   b  and one conductive elastomeric portions  707   a  and  707   b . Also as illustrated, the circular touch display  703  includes contacts  705   a  and  705   b  and the electronic device includes contacts  704   a  and  704   b.    
     The sealing component  702  may operate to seal the circular touch display  703  to the electronic device  701 . Such sealing may compress the conductive elastomeric portions  707   a  and  707   b  and electrically connect the contacts  706   a  and  706   b  to the contacts  704   a  and  704   b , respectively. 
     As illustrated, sealing of the circular touch display  703  to the electronic device  701  may isolate the conductive elastomeric portions  707   a  and  707   b  of the sealing component  702  from an environment external to the circular touch display and the electronic device. This may be accomplished by facing the nonconductive elastomeric portions  706   a  and  706   b  toward such external environment in order to isolate the conductive elastomeric portions. 
     However, conductive elastomeric portion  707   a  and  707   b  of such a sealing component  702  may not be isolated from an external environment when sealed in various implementations. For example,  FIG. 7C  is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the electronic device of  FIG. 7B  where conductive elastomeric portions  707   a  and  707   b  of a sealing component  702  are not be isolated from an external environment when sealing a circular display  703  to an electronic device  701 . 
     Although the sealing component  702  is illustrated and described as including a particular number and configurations of nonconductive elastomeric portions  706   a  and  706   b  and/or conductive elastomeric portions  707   a  and  707   b , it is understood that this is an example. Other numbers and/or configurations of nonconductive elastomeric portions  706   a  and  706   b  and/or conductive elastomeric portions  707   a  and  707   b  are possible and contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     For example, the embodiments in  FIGS. 7B and 7C  illustrate sealing components  702  that are o-rings which have half a diameter composed of nonconductive elastomeric portions  706   a  and  706   b  and half a diameter composed of conductive elastomeric portions  707   a  and  707   b . However, in some implementations such an o-ring may have conductive elastomeric inner portions and nonconductive material outer portions of various shapes (such as a tapered column of conductive elastomeric material in the middle surrounded by nonconductive elastomeric material, a column of conductive elastomeric material in the middle that narrows from a wider portion on the top to a middle point and widens from the middle point to a bottom point that is surrounded by conductive elastomeric material, and so on). 
     Further in various implementations such an o-ring may be composed of alternating segments of conductive and nonconductive elastomeric material running around the circumference of the o-ring. In still other implementations, the sealing component  702  may be a component that is operable to seal other than an o-ring such as a gasket or other member. 
     In one or more implementations, the conductive elastomeric portions  707   a  and  707   b  may be surrounded and isolated from additional conductive material that is connectible to a ground to shield the conductive elastomeric portions  707   a  and  707   b . In yet other embodiments, the conductive material (and/or the nonconductive material) may extend outwardly from a circumference of the elastomeric connector to form protrusions. These protrusions may be compressed when the connector is seated, thereby providing a snug electrical connection or snug insulating connection. 
       FIG. 8  is a method diagram illustrating an example method for sealing and forming an electrical connection between two components. This method may be performed by the electronic device  701 , the circular display  703 , and/or the sealing component  702  of  FIG. 7A-7B or 7C . 
     The flow begins at block  801  and proceeds to block  802  where a sealing component including at least an elastomeric conductive portion and an elastomeric nonconductive portion is formed. The flow then proceeds to block  803  where the sealing component is utilized to seal a first component to a second component. Next, the flow proceeds to block  804  where the sealing component is compressed between the first and second components to form at least one electrical connection between the first and second components. 
     Although the method  800  is illustrated and described as including particular operations performed in a particular order, it is understood that this is an example. In various implementations, other configurations of the same, similar, and/or different operations may be performed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     For example, operations  803  and  804  are shown as separate operations performed in a linear order. However, in various implementations, sealing of the two components and compression of the sealing components to form electrical connection between the first and second components may be performed simultaneously. 
     In the present disclosure, the methods disclosed may be implemented as sets of instructions or software readable by a device. Further, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed are examples of sample approaches. In other embodiments, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the method can be rearranged while remaining within the disclosed subject matter. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not necessarily meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented. 
     The described disclosure may be provided as a computer program product, or software, that may include a non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which may be used to program a computer system (or other electronic devices) to perform a process according to the present disclosure. A non-transitory machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing information in a form (e.g., software, processing application) readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). The non-transitory machine-readable medium may take the form of, but is not limited to, a magnetic storage medium (e.g., floppy diskette, video cassette, and so on); optical storage medium (e.g., CD-ROM); magneto-optical storage medium; read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); erasable programmable memory (e.g., EPROM and EEPROM); flash memory; and so on. 
     It is believed that the present disclosure and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the components without departing from the disclosed subject matter or without sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form described is merely explanatory, and it is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include such changes. 
     While the present disclosure has been described with reference to various embodiments, it will be understood that these embodiments are illustrative and that the scope of the disclosure is not limited to them. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvements are possible. More generally, embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure have been described in the context or particular embodiments. Functionality may be separated or combined in blocks differently in various embodiments of the disclosure or described with different terminology. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope of the disclosure as defined in the claims that follow.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20140313
Publication Date: 20161101
Grant Date: 20161101
Priority Date: 20140313
Inventors: SHEDLETSKY ANNA-KATRINA
DE JONG ERIK G.
ROTHKOPF FLETCHER R.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H01R43/007", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/2414", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49169", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R43/007", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49169", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/2414", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 54069986