PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10512176-B2
Application Number: US-201816138933-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Glass device housings

Abstract:
An electronic device may have a glass housing structures. The glass housing structures may be used to cover a display and other internal electronic device components. The glass housing structure may have multiple glass pieces that are joined using a glass fusing process. A peripheral glass member may be fused along the edge of a planar glass member to enhance the thickness of the edge. A rounded edge feature may be formed by machining the thickened edge. Raised fused glass features may surround openings in the planar glass member. Multiple planar glass members may be fused together to form a five-sided box in which electronic components may be mounted. Raised support structure ribs may be formed by fusing glass structures to a planar glass member. Opaque masking material and colored glass may be used to create portions of the glass housing structures that hide internal device components from view.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A portable electronic device comprising:
 a glass housing structure comprising:
 a first housing structure defining:
 a front portion formed from a glass material; and 
 a first portion of a sidewall having a first height and formed from the glass material; and 
 
 a second housing structure defining:
 a rear portion formed from the glass material; and 
 a second portion of the sidewall having a second height that is different than the first height, the second portion of the sidewall attached to the first portion of the sidewall to define an all glass sidewall extending from the front portion to the rear portion; and 
 
 
 a display positioned within an interior volume defined by the first and second housing structures and viewable through the front portion of the first housing structure. 
 
     
     
       2. The portable electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first housing structure includes a speaker port that includes an opening defined within the front portion of the first housing structure; 
 the speaker port includes a raised rib that at least partially surrounds the opening; and 
 the portable electronic device further comprises a speaker positioned below the speaker port. 
 
     
     
       3. The portable electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the second housing structure includes a raised rib that extends into the interior volume; and 
 the raised rib is formed from the glass material. 
 
     
     
       4. The portable electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first housing structure includes a peripheral region that at least partially surrounds the display; 
 the front portion has a thickness; and 
 the peripheral region has a width that is greater than the thickness of the front portion. 
 
     
     
       5. The portable electronic device of  claim 4 , wherein:
 the first housing structure includes a glass sheet member that defines the front portion; and 
 the peripheral region is defined at least in part by a glass housing member that is fused to the glass sheet member. 
 
     
     
       6. The portable electronic device of  claim 5 , wherein:
 the glass sheet member and the glass housing member define a curved contour; and 
 the glass sheet member and the glass housing member are chemically strengthened along the curved contour. 
 
     
     
       7. An electronic device comprising:
 a unitary glass housing structure defining at least four exterior sides of the electronic device, the unitary glass housing structure having a width dimension and a length dimension greater than the width dimension and defining an opening extending along the length dimension; 
 a glass sidewall structure bonded to the unitary glass housing structure along the length dimension of the unitary glass housing structure to cover the opening; and 
 a display positioned within the electronic device and visible through at least one of the at least four exterior sides. 
 
     
     
       8. The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the unitary glass housing structure defines a curved interior surface; and 
 the display is a flexible display and conforms to the curved interior surface. 
 
     
     
       9. The electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the flexible display is viewable through two or more of the at least four exterior sides of the unitary glass housing structure. 
     
     
       10. The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the unitary glass housing structure is formed from a glass material; 
 the glass sidewall structure is formed from the glass material; and 
 the glass sidewall structure defines at least one port for receiving an electrical connection. 
 
     
     
       11. The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the glass sidewall structure is a first glass sidewall structure; and 
 the electronic device further comprises a second glass sidewall structure attached to the unitary glass housing structure along a side that is opposite to the first glass sidewall structure. 
 
     
     
       12. The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein the glass sidewall structure is fused to the unitary glass housing structure. 
     
     
       13. The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein the unitary glass housing structure comprises:
 a first glass sheet defining a front exterior side of the electronic device; 
 a second glass sheet defining a rear exterior side of the electronic device; and 
 a glass member positioned between the first and second glass sheets and defining at least one additional exterior side surface. 
 
     
     
       14. The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the unitary glass housing structure and the glass sidewall structure cooperate to define a curved surface; and 
 the unitary glass housing structure and the glass sidewall structure are chemically strengthened along the curved surface. 
 
     
     
       15. The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the unitary glass housing structure defines an audio port along a front exterior side of the at least four exterior sides; and 
 the electronic device further comprises an audio component positioned within the electronic device and aligned with the audio port. 
 
     
     
       16. A portable electronic device comprising:
 a glass housing structure comprising:
 a front glass sheet defining a front exterior surface of the portable electronic device; 
 a rear glass sheet defining a rear exterior surface of the portable electronic device; and 
 a glass sidewall structure positioned between the front and rear glass sheets and defining at least a portion of a side exterior surface of the portable electronic device, the front glass sheet, the rear glass sheet and the glass sidewall structure defining an all glass side exterior surface having a curved profile; and 
 
 a display positioned within the glass housing structure. 
 
     
     
       17. The portable electronic device of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the glass housing structure defines a curved interior surface; and 
 the display conforms to the curved interior surface of the glass housing structure. 
 
     
     
       18. The portable electronic device of  claim 16 , wherein the front glass sheet, the rear glass sheet, and the glass sidewall structure are chemically strengthened along the curved profile. 
     
     
       19. The portable electronic device of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the front glass sheet has a first thickness; and 
 the glass sidewall structure has a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness. 
 
     
     
       20. The portable electronic device of  claim 16 , wherein the glass sidewall structure defines one or more electrical ports for receiving an electrical connector.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/653,171, Jul. 18, 2017 and titled “Glass Device Housing,” which is a continuation patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/819,110, filed Aug. 5, 2015 and titled “Glass Device Housing,” now U.S. Pat. No. 9,756,739, which is a continuation patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/295,110, filed Jun. 3, 2014 and titled “Fused Glass Device Housings,” now U.S. Pat. No. 9,125,298, which is a continuation patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/358,389, filed Jan. 25, 2012 and titled “Fused Glass Device Housings,” now U.S. Pat. No. 8,773,848, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This relates to electronic devices and, more particularly, to glass structures for electronic devices. 
     Electronic devices such as cellular telephones, handheld computers, and portable music players often include housings with glass members. For example, a device with a display may have a glass cover that serves as a protective layer. In some devices, a rear housing surface may be formed from a layer of glass. 
     To ensure satisfactory robustness, it is generally desirable to form device housing structures such as cover glass layers and housing surfaces from structures that are sufficiently strong to prevent damage during accidental impact events. For example, it is generally desirable to form portable devices that are subject to drop events from structures that are able to withstand the forces involved in a typical drop event without incurring excessive damage. 
     Glass strength and device aesthetics can sometimes be enhanced by using sufficiently thick glass layers. However, the size and weight of a device should not be excessive. If care is not taken, modifications that are made to ensure that a device has glass structures that are sufficiently strong, will make the device heavy and bulky. 
     It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved glass structures for electronic devices. 
     SUMMARY 
     An electronic device may have a glass housing structures. The glass housing structures may be used to cover a display and other internal electronic device components. The glass housing structures may cover a front face of an electronic device and, if desired, may cover additional device surfaces. 
     The glass housing structure may have multiple glass pieces that are joined using a glass fusing process. A peripheral glass member may be fused along the edge of a planar glass member to enhance the thickness of the edge. A rounded edge feature may be formed by machining the thickened edge. Raised fused glass features may surround openings in the planar glass member. Raised support structure ribs may be formed by fusing glass structures to the planar glass member. 
     Multiple planar glass members may be fused together to form a five-sided box in which electronic components may be mounted. Display structures and other internal components may be slid into place between opposing glass sides of the box. 
     Opaque masking material and colored glass may be used to create portions of the glass housing structures that hide internal device components from view. 
     Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an illustrative electronic device with a display and a supporting stand in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an illustrative electronic device such as a tablet computer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an illustrative electronic device such as a media player in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an illustrative portable electronic device such as a cellular telephone or other handheld device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device having a display formed from display structures that are received within a recess in covering glass structures in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device having glass structures with thickened peripheral edges and a central recess that have been mounted to a curved rear housing in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device having glass structures with thickened peripheral edges and a central recess that have been mounted to mating rear glass housing structures in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device having glass structures with thickened peripheral edges and a central recess that have been mounted mating rear glass housing structures using an interposed housing member in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  shows equipment and operations involved in forming glass electronic device housing structures in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of an illustrative corner portion of a glass device housing structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective interior view of an illustrative planar glass housing member with support structures that have been implemented by fusing ribs of glass to the planar glass housing member in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective interior view of an illustrative planar glass housing member with raised fused glass structures that surround a speaker port opening and a button opening in the planar glass housing member in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative device showing how glass housing structures in the device may be provided with raised fused glass portions on an exterior surface surrounding an opening for a button in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional side view of glass structures formed from by fusing a colored peripheral glass member to an edge portion of a planar glass member in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional side view of glass structures formed from by fusing a peripheral glass member to an edge portion of a planar glass member and covering the bottom and inner surfaces of the peripheral glass member with an opaque masking material in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional side view of glass structures formed from by fusing a peripheral glass member to an edge portion of a planar glass member and covering the inner surface of the peripheral glass member with an opaque masking material in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional side view of glass structures formed from by fusing a colored peripheral glass member to an edge portion of a colored planar glass member in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 18  is a cross-sectional side view of glass structures formed from by fusing a peripheral glass member to an edge portion of a planar glass member and coating the interior surface of the glass structures with an opaque masking material in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 19  is a diagram showing how glass electronic device housing structures may be provided with a rounded edge and a laminated flexible display structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 20  is a cross-sectional side view of glass structures formed from by fusing a peripheral glass member with an angled edge to a planar glass member in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 21  is a cross-sectional side view of glass structures formed from by fusing a peripheral glass member with a curved edge to a planar glass member in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 22  is a diagram showing how an extruded glass structures for an electronic device housing may be provided with a fused end cap in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 23  is a diagram showing how glass housing structures formed from a five-sided box of fused glass members may be provided with internal components in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 24  is a diagram showing how internal components may be slid into a cavity within glass housing structures formed from a five-sided box of fused glass members in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 25  is a cross-sectional side view of illustrative five-sided box glass fused glass structures that have been provided with internal components and a rounded edge in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 26  is a cross-sectional side view of glass structures formed by fusing a peripheral glass member to a planar glass member and configured to be illuminated along an edge using a light source in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 27  is a flow chart of illustrative steps involved in forming glass housing structures in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Electronic devices such as computers, handheld devices, computer monitors, televisions, cellular telephones, media players, and other equipment may have displays and other components that are covered with glass structures. The glass structures, which may sometimes be referred to as glass housing structures, may be used to provide a protective transparent covering for a display or other optical component, may be used to form a housing sidewall, may be used to form other housing structures such as a rear housing wall or other housing structures, may be used to form raised features such as raised ribs that serve as support structures for a sheet of glass or other glass structures, or may otherwise be used in forming structures in an electronic device. 
     An example of an electronic device that may have glass housing structures is shown in  FIG. 1 . In the example of  FIG. 1 , electronic device  10  has a stand such as stand  12  on which main unit  14  has been mounted. Main unit  14  may include a display such as display  16  and a rear housing such as rear housing  18  (as an example). Device  10  may be a monitor, a monitor with an integrated computer, a television, or other electronic equipment. 
     Housing  18  may be formed from metal, plastic, glass, ceramic, carbon-fiber composite material or other fiber-based composite materials, other materials, or combinations of these materials. Display  16  may be covered with glass structures  20 . Glass structures  20  may serve as a glass front housing structure for device  10 . Glass structures  20  may be transparent so that display  16  may be viewed by a user of device  10  through glass structures  20 . Display  16  may include display structures with image pixels formed from light-emitting diodes (LEDs), organic LEDs (OLEDs), plasma cells, electrowetting pixels, electrophoretic pixels, liquid crystal display (LCD) components, or other suitable image pixel structures. Touch sensor electrodes may be included in display  16  to provide display  16  with touch sensing capabilities (e.g., display  16  may be a touch screen) or display  16  may be touch insensitive. 
     In the illustrative example of  FIG. 2 , device  10  is a portable device such as a tablet computer, gaming device, navigation device, etc. Display  16  may be mounted in housing  18 . Display  16  may be covered with a display cover layer formed from glass structures  20 . Openings may be formed in glass structures  20  to accommodate components such as button  22 . 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of electronic device  10  in a configuration in which the electronic device housing has been formed from glass structures  20  that surround internal device components. End face  20 ′ of device  10  may also be formed from glass (as an example) and may include openings for audio jack  28 , switch  30 , and digital connector port  32  (as examples). Display  16  may be used to display images on one or more sides of device  10 . The portion of glass structures  20  of  FIG. 3  that overlap display  16  may be transparent, so that the images displayed by display  16  may be visible by a user of device  10  through glass structures  20 . The rear surface of glass structures  20  may be transparent or may be colored (as examples). 
     In the illustrative example of  FIG. 4 , device  10  has been provided with upper and lower glass layers  20 . Housing structure  38  (e.g., a layer of glass, ceramic, plastic, fiber-based composite, other material, or combination of these materials) may optionally be interposed between upper and lower glass structures  20 . Structures  20  and optional structure  38  may form a housing for device  10 . Display  16  may be mounted behind upper glass layer  20  (e.g., on the front face of device  10 ). Openings in glass structures  20  may be used to accommodate buttons such as button  34  and other components (e.g., a speaker aligned with speaker port  36 ). 
     The illustrative device configurations of  FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4  are merely illustrative. Any suitable electronic equipment may be provided with glass housing structures, if desired. 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional side view of electronic device  10  in a configuration in which glass housing structure  20  has been used to form a cover glass layer over display structures  40 . Display structures  40  may be used to form display  16 . 
     Display structures  40  may include a number of layers of material. These layers may include, for example, layers of glass, layers of plastic, and layers of adhesive. A liquid crystal display may have layers of polarizer, light diffusing elements, light guides for backlight structures, and a liquid crystal layer. An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display may have organic materials that are used in producing light. An array of circuit components such as a thin-film transistor (TFT) array may be used to drive the image pixels in a display. This array of circuitry may be formed on a substrate material such as glass or polymer. The substrate layer on which the thin-film transistors and/or other circuitry for the display are formed may sometimes referred to as a TFT substrate or transistor substrate. 
     Glass housing structures  20  may be mounted to housing structures  18  (e.g., housing structures formed from metal, glass, plastic, fiber-based composites, etc.). Internal components may be mounted within the housing of electronic device  10 . For example, device  10  may include a printed circuit such as printed circuit  42 . Printed circuit  42  may be a rigid printed circuit board (e.g., a fiberglass-filled epoxy board), a flexible printed circuit (“flex circuit”) formed from a flexible sheet of polyimide or other polymer layer, or may formed using other dielectric substrate materials. Components  44  such as switches, connectors, discrete circuit elements such as capacitors, resistors, and inductors, integrated circuits, and other electronic devices may be mounted to substrate  42 . Display structures  40  may be coupled to circuitry on substrates such as substrate  42  using communications path  46  (e.g., a flex circuit cable or other suitable path). 
     To help maximize the interior volume in device  10  and reduce the size and weight of glass structures  20 , center portion  48  of glass structures  20  may have a thickness T 1  that is smaller than edge thickness T 2 . The smaller size of thickness T 1  may create a recessed portion  50 . Recess  50  in center portion  48  may have a rectangular shape or other suitable shape and may be configured to receive internal components in device  10  such as display structures  40 . The larger size of edge thickness T 2  relative to center thickness T 1  may help strengthen glass structure  20  along its periphery to prevent damage in the event of an impact event. The larger size of the edges of glass structures  20  may also improve device aesthetics. 
     Glass structures  20  may have a rectangular periphery (e.g., glass structures  20  may be formed from structures such as a planar sheet having a rectangular outline when viewed from above) and center portion  48  may form a rectangular recess within center of glass structures  20 . In this type of configuration, thickened edge portions  49  may form a rectangular ring that runs around the periphery of glass structure  20 . If desired, glass structure  20  may have other shapes (e.g., oval, circular, square, shapes with curved edges and/or straight edges, etc.). The thickened edge portions of glass structures  20  may also be provided along only part of the edges of glass structures  20 , rather than the entire periphery of glass structures  20 . 
     Housing structures such as structures  20  and  18  may be joined using interposed layers of adhesive, using fasteners, using interlocking engagement features such as snaps, or using other suitable attachment mechanisms. 
     In the illustrative example of  FIG. 6 , glass structures  20  (e.g., the upper portion of the device housing) may have a planar exterior surface  52  and lower housing  18  (e.g., metal, glass, plastic, ceramic, fiber-based composites, etc.) may be have a curved exterior surface  54 . A display or other structures may be mounted under the recessed portion of glass structures  20 . Internal components  44  may be mounted in the interior of the device. 
       FIG. 7  is an example in which device  10  has been provide with two substantially similar glass housing structures  20 . Structures  20  may, as an example, have rectangular shapes with thinner (recessed) center regions  48  and thickened edges  49 . One or more displays and other internal components may be provided in device  10  of  FIG. 7 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , device  10  may have a housing member such as housing sidewall structure  18  that is interposed between upper and lower glass housing structures  20 . Structure  18  may be formed from metal, glass, ceramic, plastic, fiber-based composite material, other materials, or a combination of these materials. Upper and lower glass housing structures  20  in  FIGS. 7 and 8  may have recessed portions (e.g., rectangular recesses), as described in connection with  FIG. 5 . Display structures and other internal device components may be received within the recesses of structures  20  of  FIGS. 7 and 8 . 
     Device structures such as glass structures  20  may be formed from multiple pieces of glass that are fused together. Glass structures may, for example, be heated to an elevated temperature (e.g., about 800° C.) that is above the glass fusion temperature and that is below the glass working temperature. Using a metal die or other glass fusing tool, the heated glass pieces may be pressed together. Glass structures that are fused together using this type of approach may have invisible or barely visible joint lines (i.e., the fused glass joints that are formed when fusing a first glass member to a second glass member may be invisible or barely visible to the naked eye). 
     Illustrative operations and equipment involved in forming glass structures  20  with recessed portion are shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     Initially, a portion of glass structures  20  such as planar glass member  20 A may be formed and polished using polishing tool  56 . For example, both upper surface  58  and lower surface  60  of glass structures  20 A may be polished using tool  56 . Polishing tool  56  may be used to perform mechanical and/or chemical polishing processes. Glass structures  20 A may be formed from a glass sheet with a rectangular shape, a shape with curved edges, a shape with straight edges, or a shape with a combination of curved and straight edges. 
     Following polishing operations with tool  56 , additional glass structures may be fused to glass structures  20 A using heated press (fusing tool)  62 . In particular, upper press member  64  may be moved downwards in direction  66  while lower press member  68  is moved upwards in direction  70  to press glass structures  20 A and glass structures  20 B together. During pressing, the temperature of glass structures  20 A and  20 B may be maintained at an elevated temperature of about 800° C. (e.g., a temperature above the fusion temperature of the glass and below the working temperature of the glass). This forms glass fusion bond  72  between structures  20 A and  20 B and fuses structures  20 A and  20 B together to form glass structures  20 . 
     Glass structures  20 B may, for example, be a peripheral glass member having the shape of a rectangular ring that runs around the periphery of a rectangular version of glass structure  20 A or may be a glass member that runs around part of the periphery of glass structure  20 A (as examples). The glass structures that are formed by fusing structures  20 B to structures  20 A may have an edge thickness T 2  and a thinner central region of thickness T 1 , as described in connection with  FIG. 5  (as an example). If desired, glass structures  20 A and/or  20 B may have other shapes (e.g., to form additional glass thickness around an opening in glass structure  20 A, to form ribs or other supporting structures on glass structures  20 A, to form a peripheral thickened edge portion around a non-rectangular piece of glass, etc.). 
     Because lower surface  60  of glass structures  20 A was polished by tool  56 , this surface may remain polished following fusion of glass structures  20 B to glass structures  20 A. 
     Following formation of glass structures  20  using glass fusing tool  62 , glass structures  20  may be strengthened. For example, glass structures  20  may be strengthened using chemical strengthening tool  74 . Chemical strengthening tool  74  may be used to immerse glass structures  20  in a bath containing potassium nitrate (as an example). Glass structures  20  may be free of glass frit at fusion joints  72 , which may promote compatibility with chemical strengthening treatments. Heat-based tempering operations may also be performed to strengthen glass structures  20 , if desired. 
     Following strengthening of glass structures  20  with chemical strengthening tool  74 , glass structures  20  may have polished upper surface  58 , polished lower surface  60 , recessed central region  48  of thickness T 1 , and thickened edge regions  49  of thickness T 2  (T 2 &gt;T 1 ). Glass structures  20  may then be assembled into device  10 . For example, glass structures  20  may be attached to additional glass structures (using glass fusing, using adhesive, using fasteners, using mating engagement structures, etc.) and/or non-glass housing structures. 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , for example, glass structures  20  may be mounted to housing structures  18 . Because of the use of the glass fusing process of  FIG. 9  to join glass structures  20 B to glass structures  20 A, fusion joint  72  between structures  20 A and  20 B may be invisible or nearly invisible to the naked eye of the user of device  10 , thereby enhancing device aesthetics. The enhanced thickness T 2  of the edge portion of glass structures  20  (in the example of  FIG. 10 ) may help improve the resistance of glass structures  20  to damage due to an impact event. 
     If desired, glass structures  20 B may be fused to glass structures  20 A in other patterns. For example, glass structures  20 B that have the shape of strengthening support ribs may be fused across the center of the surface of glass structures  20 A, as shown in  FIG. 11 . Strengthening features formed from structures  20 B may have the shape of a cross (as shown in the example of  FIG. 11 ), may have a T shape, may have a central arm with multiple branches, or may have any other suitable pattern. The strengthening structure pattern formed by glass structures  20 B on structures  20 A of  FIG. 11  is merely illustrative. 
       FIG. 12  is an interior perspective view of illustrative glass structures  20  that have been provided with openings such as button opening  78  (e.g., for button  34  of  FIG. 4 ) and speaker port opening  76  (e.g., for speaker port  36  of  FIG. 4 ). As shown in  FIG. 12 , glass structures  20 B may be used to locally thicken glass structures  20 A in the vicinity of one or more openings in glass structures  20 A. Glass structures  20 B may, for example, form raised rings or other raised structures that surround openings  36  and  34  to provided additional structural support for glass structures  20 A in the vicinity of openings  36  and  34 . 
       FIG. 13  is an illustrative cross-sectional side view of device  10  in a configuration in which glass structures  20  have been provided with external features by fusing glass structures  20 B to exterior surface  58  of glass structures  20 A. In the example of  FIG. 13 , glass structures  20 B have been used to create a raised feature such as a circular ring on the surface of glass structures  20 A that surrounds button  34 . Light source  80  may optionally be used to provide illumination for the raised ring formed by structures  20 B. If desired, raised features may be formed elsewhere on surface  58  of glass structures  20 A (e.g., surrounding speaker port  36 , in a particular location on a touch screen, around the rectangular peripheral edge of display  16  and device  10 , etc.). 
     Glass structures  20  may be formed from clear glass, glass with a colored tint (e.g., a blue tint, red tint, green tint, etc.), black glass, gray glass, or glass of other colors. As shown in  FIG. 14 , glass structures  20 A and  20 B may be formed from glass of different colors. For example, glass structures  20 A may be formed from clear glass and glass structures  20 B may be formed from black glass or non-clear glass of another color. The amount of color in structures  20 B may be sufficient to render structures  20 B dark or opaque in appearance or may allow structures  20 B to remain transparent. The use of a color for structures  20 B that is not clear may help hide interior device components from view through the edge of structures  20 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 15 , internal device structures may also be hidden from view by providing structures  20 B with a layer of opaque masking material  82 . Material  82  may be black ink, white ink, colored ink, or other opaque substances (as an example). 
       FIG. 16  shows how opaque masking material  82  may be formed on the inner edges of glass structures  20 B. This may allow surfaces  84  of structures  20 B to remain uncovered so that surfaces  84  may be attached to device structures using adhesive (as an example). 
       FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional side view of glass structures  20  in a configuration in which glass structures  20 A and glass structures  20 B have both been formed from non-clear glass (e.g., black glass, gray glass, blue glass, green glass, other colored glass, etc.). 
     In the  FIG. 18  example, glass structures  20  have been provided with a layer of opaque masking material  82  (e.g., black ink, white ink, colored ink, or other opaque substance) that covers lower surface  60  of glass structures  20 A and lower surfaces  84  of glass structures  20 B. 
     Illustrative operations involved in forming glass structures  20  with a recessed portion and curved features such as rounded edges are shown in  FIG. 19 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 19 , a portion of glass structures  20  such as polished planar glass member  20 A may be fused with glass structures  20 B by moving structures  20 A in direction  66  while moving structures  20 B in direction  70  while applying heat in fusing tool (heated press)  62 . 
     After fusing structures  20 A and  20 B together using tool  62 , tool  92  (e.g., a machining tool, grinding tool, polishing tool and/or other equipment for machining and polishing structures  20 ) may be used in removing excess glass along curved surfaces  86  and  88 , thereby rounding the edges of glass structures  20 . 
     Glass strengthening equipment such as chemical strengthening tool  74  may be used to strengthen glass structures  20  following formation of curved surfaces  86  and  88 . 
     If desired, display structures  40  ( FIG. 5 ) may be laminated to glass structures  20  using lamination tool  90 . For example, display  16  may be laminated to lower planar polished surface  60  and curved interior surface  88  of glass structures  20  using adhesive. Display structures  40  may be formed using a substrate that is sufficiently flexible to allow display structures  40  to conform to the curved shape of surface  88 . Display structures  40  may be for example, flexible structures for a flexible liquid crystal display, flexible electrowetting display structures, flexible electrophoretic display structures, or flexible organic light-emitting diode display structures (as examples). 
     As shown in  FIG. 20 , glass structures  20 B may be provided with angled (beveled) inner edge surface  94 . Surface  94  may be coated with an optional opaque masking material such as layer  82 . The non-zero angle that is made by surface  94  with respect to surface normal  96  of planar lower surface  60  of planar glass member  20 A may help improve the strength of glass structures  20 . 
     In the  FIG. 20  configuration, the inner edge of glass structures  20 B has been provided with a planar surface (i.e., surface  94  is flat). An illustrative arrangement in which the inner edge of glass structures  20 B has been provided with a curved surface (curved surface  94 ) is shown in  FIG. 21 . 
       FIG. 22  shows how glass structures  20  may be formed from extruded glass structures such as extruded hollow-rod-shaped glass structure  20 C and associated cap structures such as end cap glass structure  20 D. Glass structures  20 C and  20 D may be formed using glass extruding and machining tools such as tools  100 . Fusing tool  62  may be used to fuse structures  20 C and  20 D together. If desired, electronic component may be housed within the interior of extruded glass structures  20 D. Fused caps  20 C may be used to enclose these internal components within the interior of device  10 . 
       FIG. 23  shows how internal electronic device components  102  may be inserted into glass structures  20 E and, if desired, may be covered with fused end cap  20 F. Structures  20 E may be formed by fusing together five glass members to form a five-sided box with a lower face that is open to receive components  102 . The five-sided box may be formed from a first pair of opposing planar structures (e.g., front and rear sheets of glass), a second pair of opposing planar structures (e.g., opposing left and right sheets or strips of glass), and a fifth planar sheet (or strip) of glass such as end cap layer  20 F that have been fused together using fused joints. An air gap may be formed between opposing glass walls in box-shaped glass structures  20 E. Ribs or other strengthening structures such as structures  20 B of  FIG. 11  may be formed on one, two, three, four, or more than four of the surfaces of the five-sided box-shaped glass structures  20 E of  FIG. 23 . 
     Components  102  may be inserted into the interior of structures  20 E (e.g., in the gap formed between the opposing front and rear sheets and between the opposing right and left sheets of glass). Components  102  may include, for example, display structures  40  for forming display  16  and other components (see, e.g., components  44  of  FIG. 5 ). Glass structures  20 E may be formed from sheets of glass that are fused together using fusing equipment such as fusing tool  62  ( FIGS. 9 and 22 ). Glass structures  20 F may be attached to glass structures  20 E using glass fusing techniques, using adhesive, or using other attachment mechanisms. 
       FIG. 24  is a side view of glass structures  20 E showing how internal components  102  may be slid into the interior of glass structure  20 E in direction  106  through end face opening  104  in glass structures  20 E. If desired, machining techniques such as the curved edge machining techniques described in connection with  FIG. 19  may be used in creating curved surfaces on glass structures  20 E (see, e.g., rounded edge surfaces  108  of glass structures  20  of device  10  in  FIG. 25 ). 
     As shown in  FIG. 26 , edge  116  of glass structures  20  may be provided with a roughened surface that helps to scatter and diffuse light. Device  10  may be provided with a light-emitting diode or other internal light source  112 . Light source  112  may produce light  114  that strikes roughened edge surface  116  of glass structures  20 . Light  114  may illuminate the exposed exterior edge of glass structures  20 . Some or all of the peripheral edge portions of glass structures  20  may be illuminated in this way. 
       FIG. 27  is a flow chart of illustrative steps that may be used in forming glass structures  20 . 
     At step  118 , glass structures such as glass structures  20 A and  20 B may be polished using polishing equipment  56 . 
     At step  120 , fusing equipment  62  may be used to fuse two or more glass structures together. For example, glass structures  20 A and  20 B may be fused together to form glass structures  20  or the five sides of the five-sided-box glass structures of  FIGS. 23 and 24  may be fused together. 
     If desired, additional machining and polishing operations may be formed at step  122 . For example, a thickened edge portion (of thickness T 2 ) of glass structures  20  may be machined and polished to form a rounded edge for glass structures  20 , as shown in  FIG. 19 . If desired, machining operations to form a rounded edge structure on glass structures  20  may be performed during the operations of step  118  (e.g., using machining and polishing equipment). 
     At step  124 , glass structures  20  may be strengthened using heat and/or chemical treatment. For example, glass structures  20  may be strengthened by applying a chemical bath to glass structures  20  using chemical strengthening tool  74 . 
     At step  126 , glass structures  20  may be assembled with other housing structures to form electronic device  10 . Glass structures  20  may, for example, be attached to glass or non-glass housing structures  18  or other structures to form device  10 . Internal components such as a display, integrated circuits, and other components may be mounted within the glass structures and other structures for the housing of device  10 . 
     The foregoing is merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20180921
Publication Date: 20191217
Grant Date: 20191217
Priority Date: 20120125
Inventors: RUSSELL-CLARKE, Peter N.
IVE, JONATHAN P.
PILLIOD, MICHAEL K.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "B24B7/242", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/0017", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0266", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0412", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/0234", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/045", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "C03B23/245", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0266", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B24B7/242", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "C03B23/245", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "C03B23/245", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B24B7/241", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0266", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B24B7/242", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/0017", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0268", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/0234", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/0004", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "C03B23/245", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0266", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B24B7/242", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/045", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/044", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B24B7/241", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0412", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/10", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/10", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0269", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0269", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0268", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/044", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B24B7/241", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0269", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B24B7/241", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B24B7/241", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B24B7/242", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "C03B23/245", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/0234", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/0018", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0412", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0269", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/045", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/0204", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/044", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 47679035