PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10944443-B2
Application Number: US-201916718627-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Portable electronic device with two-piece housing

Abstract:
Portable electronic devices are provided. Each device may be formed from two parts. A first part may be provided with components such as a display, a touch screen, a cover glass, and a frame. A second part may be provided with a plastic housing, circuit boards containing electrical components, and a bezel. Engagement members may be connected to the first and second parts. The engagement members may be formed from metal clips with holes and springs with flexible spring prongs that mate with the holes in the clips. The metal clips may be welded to frame struts on the frame and the springs may be welded to the bezel. During assembly, the first part may be rotated into place within the second part. Retention clips attached to the frame may be used to secure the two parts together. Assembly instructions and associated connector numbers may be provided within the devices.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A wireless communications device having opposing front and rear faces, comprising:
 an antenna configured for cellular telephone communications; 
 a housing having a dielectric portion and a metal portion, wherein the metal portion forms part of the antenna and wherein the dielectric portion comprises glass and forms at least part of the rear face of the wireless communications device; 
 a display having and a cover glass and a capacitive touch sensor that detects touch input on the cover glass, wherein the cover glass has an opening and wherein the metal portion of the housing surrounds the display and couples the display to the dielectric portion of the housing; and 
 a speaker port in the housing between the front and rear faces. 
 
     
     
       2. The wireless communications device defined in  claim 1  wherein the capacitive touch sensor comprises a multitouch capacitive touch sensor. 
     
     
       3. The wireless communications device defined in  claim 2  wherein the opening forms a speaker port. 
     
     
       4. The wireless communications device defined in  claim 1  further comprising a microphone port in the housing between the front and rear faces. 
     
     
       5. The wireless communications device defined in  claim 4  further comprising a data port in the housing between the front and rear faces. 
     
     
       6. The wireless communications device defined in  claim 1  wherein the display forms part of a first assembly having a clip and the housing forms part of a second assembly having a spring that engages the clip. 
     
     
       7. The wireless communications device defined in  claim 6  further comprising screws that screw into the first assembly through the second assembly. 
     
     
       8. The wireless communications device defined in  claim 1  further comprising a button disposed within the opening. 
     
     
       9. The wireless communications device defined in  claim 1  wherein the capacitive touch sensor is adhered to the cover glass. 
     
     
       10. The wireless communications device defined in  claim 1  further comprising a gasket interposed between the display and the housing. 
     
     
       11. The wireless communications device defined in  claim 10  further comprising:
 a frame that supports the cover glass, wherein the frame has a plastic portion and a metal portion. 
 
     
     
       12. The wireless communications device defined in  claim 10  wherein the plastic portion is molded onto the metal portion, wherein the plastic portion forms a shelf that supports the cover glass, and wherein the metal portion forms a frame strut. 
     
     
       13. The wireless communications device defined in  claim 12  further comprising a clip attached to the frame strut. 
     
     
       14. The wireless communications device defined in  claim 12  wherein the plastic portion has a protrusion and wherein the gasket is located between the protrusion and the cover glass. 
     
     
       15. An electronic device, comprising;
 a display having a capacitive touch sensor; 
 a glass cover layer overlapping the display; 
 a glass rear housing member; and 
 a metal peripheral member coupled between the cover glass layer and the glass rear housing member. 
 
     
     
       16. The electronic device defined in  claim 15  wherein the metal peripheral member has at least one opening. 
     
     
       17. The electronic device defined in  claim 15  wherein the display comprises an organic light-emitting diode display. 
     
     
       18. The electronic device defined in  claim 15  wherein the metal peripheral member forms part of an antenna. 
     
     
       19. An electronic device having front and rear faces, comprising:
 first and second glass members that respectively form at least a portion of the front and rear faces; 
 an organic light-emitting diode display having a capacitive touch sensor, wherein the organic light-emitting diode display emits light through the first glass layer; 
 an antenna configured for cellular communications; and 
 a conductive member that at least partially surrounds the organic light-emitting diode display, wherein the conductive member is coupled between the first and second glass members and forms part of the antenna. 
 
     
     
       20. The electronic device defined in  claim 19  wherein the conductive member has a speaker port opening and a data port opening.

Description:
This application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 15/098,742, filed Apr. 14, 2016, which is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 13/525,725, filed Jun. 18, 2012, which is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 13/084,490, filed Apr. 11, 2011, which is a division of patent application Ser. No. 12/119,986, filed May 13, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,933,123, which claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 61/044,445, filed Apr. 11, 2008, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates generally to portable electronic devices, and more particularly, to portable electronic devices such as handheld electronic devices. 
     Handheld electronic devices and other portable electronic devices are becoming increasingly popular. Examples of handheld devices include handheld computers, cellular telephones, media players, and hybrid devices that include the functionality of multiple devices of this type. Popular portable electronic devices that are somewhat larger than traditional handheld electronic devices include laptop computers and tablet computers. 
     To satisfy consumer demand for small form factor devices such as handheld electronic devices, manufacturers are continually striving to reduce the size of components that are used in these devices while providing enhanced functionality. Significant enhancements may be difficult to implement, however, particularly in devices in which numerous components are used. 
     It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved handheld electronic devices. 
     SUMMARY 
     A portable electronic device such as a handheld electronic device is provided. The device may be formed from a tilt assembly and a housing assembly. During manufacturing, the tilt assembly may be inserted into the housing assembly. 
     The tilt assembly may include a frame. The frame may have a plastic frame member that is overmolded on top of metal frame struts. A planar mid-plate member may be connected to the frame to provide additional rigidity. Retention clips may be connected to one end of the frame. Threads in the retention clips may receive screws that may be used in securing the tilt assembly to the housing assembly. 
     Components such as a display unit, touch sensor, and cover glass may be mounted within the frame. 
     The housing assembly may include a plastic housing member, a bezel connected to the plastic housing member, and electrical components mounted within the plastic housing such as printed circuit boards, integrated circuits, etc. 
     Engagement members may be connected to the tilt assembly and housing assembly. During assembly, the engagement members may nondestructively engage one another to hold the tilt assembly within the housing assembly. In this configuration, the top surface of the cover glass may lie flush with the bezel on the housing assembly. The bezel may surround the cover glass. The frame may have a protrusion that surrounds the cover glass. The protrusion and other portions of the frame may form a shelf that supports the cover glass. To protect the cover glass from scratches due to contact with the bezel, an elastomeric gasket may be interposed between the bezel and the cover glass. The gasket may be formed over the protrusion. 
     One or both of the engagement members may be flexible enough to allow the tilt assembly and the housing assembly to be taken apart without damaging the engagement members. This allows the portable electronic device to be disassembled for rework or repair operations. 
     The engagement members may include metal clips and metal springs. The metal clips may be welded to the frame struts. The metal springs may be welded to the bezel. The metal clips may have elongated planar members with cut-out portions. The cut-out portions may define holes and may be formed by bending planar portions of the elongated planar members so that they are angled inwardly. The bent planar portions of the clips form shelf-like members adjacent to the holes. The springs may have spring prongs that flex during assembly. Following assembly operations, the prongs protrude into the holes and hold the tilt assembly to the housing assembly. The prongs may have curved portions that bear against the planar shelf portions of the clips that are formed by the bent planar portions of the elongated members. The use of curves and the bent planar portions in the spring prongs and clip structures may help reduce harshness when inserting and removing the tilt assembly into the housing assembly and can improve mechanical tolerances. 
     Assembly instructions may be included within the housing. For example, laser etching techniques may be used to imprint instructions onto a metal can within the housing. Numbers or other assembly order indicators may be formed next to parts of the device. For example, a number may be placed next to each electrical connection that is to be formed. The electrical connections that are formed may include, zero-insertion-force connections, board-to-board connections, and coaxial cable connections. The instructions may refer to the assembly order indicators. 
     Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is an interior bottom view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a partially assembled portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention showing how an upper portion of the device may be inserted into a lower portion of the device. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a partially assembled portable electronic device of the type shown in  FIG. 7  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention showing how the upper portion of the device may be tilted downwards into the lower portion of the device during assembly. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a fully assembled portable electronic device of the type shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of an upper device assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a frame that may be used in forming an upper device assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a frame showing how a gasket may be mounted to the frame to separate a bezel from a display in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of a portion of a lower device housing assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of another portion of a lower device housing assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of a portion of an upper device housing assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view of another portion of an upper device housing assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 18  is a cross-sectional end view of a portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention showing how springs may be used to hold an upper device assembly and lower device assembly together. 
         FIG. 19  is a cross-sectional view of an illustrative spring and matching clip that may be used to attach upper and lower housing portions together in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 20  is a cross-sectional view of another illustrative spring and matching clip that may be used to attach upper and lower housing portions together in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 21  is a cross-sectional view of an illustrative spring and matching clip arrangement for securing housing portions together in a portable electronic device arrangement in which the springs are attached to an upper housing assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 22  is a perspective view of an interior portion of a portable device housing showing how springs may be used to form a mounting region for an electronic component in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 23  is a top view of an illustrative coaxial cable connector in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 24  is a side view of an illustrative coaxial cable connector in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 25  is a side view of an illustrative board-to-board connector in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 26  is a top view of an illustrative board-to-board connector in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 27  is a top view of an illustrative zero-insertion-force connector for forming a connection with a flex circuit communications path in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 28  is a side view of an illustrative zero-insertion-force connector for forming a connection with a flex circuit communications path in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 29  is a top view of an interior portion of illustrative portable electronic device having numbered connector regions and laser-etched assembly instructions in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly, to portable electronic devices such as handheld electronic devices. 
     The electronic devices may be portable electronic devices such as laptop computers or small portable computers of the type that are sometimes referred to as ultraportables. Portable electronic devices may also be somewhat smaller devices. Examples of smaller portable electronic devices include wrist-watch devices, pendant devices, headphone and earpiece devices, and other wearable and miniature devices. With one suitable arrangement, the portable electronic devices may be wireless electronic devices. 
     The wireless electronic devices may be, for example, handheld wireless devices such as cellular telephones, media players with wireless communications capabilities, handheld computers (also sometimes called personal digital assistants), remote controllers, global positioning system (GPS) devices, and handheld gaming devices. The wireless electronic devices may also be hybrid devices that combine the functionality of multiple conventional devices. Examples of hybrid portable electronic devices include a cellular telephone that includes media player functionality, a gaming device that includes a wireless communications capability, a cellular telephone that includes game and email functions, and a portable device that receives email, supports mobile telephone calls, has music player functionality and supports web browsing. These are merely illustrative examples. 
     An illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . Device  10  of  FIG. 1  may be, for example, a handheld electronic device that supports 2G and/or 3G cellular telephone and data functions, global positioning system capabilities, and local wireless communications capabilities (e.g., IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth®) and that supports handheld computing device functions such as internet browsing, email and calendar functions, games, music player functionality, etc. 
     Device  10  may have housing  12 . Antennas for handling wireless communications may be housed within housing  12  (as an example). 
     Housing  12 , which is sometimes referred to as a case, may be formed of any suitable materials including, plastic, glass, ceramics, metal, or other suitable materials, or a combination of these materials. In some situations, housing  12  or portions of housing  12  may be formed from a dielectric or other low-conductivity material, so that the operation of conductive antenna elements that are located in proximity to housing  12  is not disrupted. Housing  12  or portions of housing  12  may also be formed from conductive materials such as metal. An advantage of forming housing  12  from a dielectric material such as plastic is that this may help to reduce the overall weight of device  10  and may avoid potential interference with wireless operations. 
     In scenarios in which housing  12  is formed from metal elements, one or more of the metal elements may be used as part of the antennas in device  10 . For example, metal portions of housing  12  may be shorted to an internal ground plane in device  10  to create a larger ground plane element for that device  10 . 
     Housing  12  may have a bezel  14 . The bezel  14  may be formed from a conductive material or other suitable material. Bezel  14  may serve to hold a display or other device with a planar surface in place on device  10  and/or may serve to form an esthetically pleasing trim around the edge of device  10 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , for example, bezel  14  may be used to surround the top of display  16 . Bezel  14  and/or other metal elements associated with device  10  may be used as part of the antennas in device  10 . For example, bezel  14  may be shorted to printed circuit board conductors or other internal ground plane structures in device  10  to create a larger ground plane element for device  10 . 
     Display  16  may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, or any other suitable display. The outermost surface of display  16  may be formed from one or more plastic or glass layers. If desired, touch screen functionality may be integrated into display  16  or may be provided using a separate touch pad device. An advantage of integrating a touch screen into display  16  to make display  16  touch sensitive is that this type of arrangement can save space and reduce visual clutter. 
     Display screen  16  (e.g., a touch screen) is merely one example of an input-output device that may be used with electronic device  10 . If desired, electronic device  10  may have other input-output devices. For example, electronic device  10  may have user input control devices such as button  19 , and input-output components such as port  20  and one or more input-output jacks (e.g., for audio and/or video). Button  19  may be, for example, a menu button. Port  20  may contain a 30-pin data connector (as an example). Openings  22  and  24  may, if desired, form speaker and microphone ports. Speaker port  22  may be used when operating device  10  in speakerphone mode. Opening  23  may also form a speaker port. For example, speaker port  23  may serve as a telephone receiver that is placed adjacent to a user&#39;s ear during operation. In the example of  FIG. 1 , display screen  16  is shown as being mounted on the front face of handheld electronic device  10 , but display screen  16  may, if desired, be mounted on the rear face of handheld electronic device  10 , on a side of device  10 , on a flip-up portion of device  10  that is attached to a main body portion of device  10  by a hinge (for example), or using any other suitable mounting arrangement. 
     A user of electronic device  10  may supply input commands using user input interface devices such as button  19  and touch screen  16 . Suitable user input interface devices for electronic device  10  include buttons (e.g., alphanumeric keys, power on-off, power-on, power-off, and other specialized buttons, etc.), a touch pad, pointing stick, or other cursor control device, a microphone for supplying voice commands, or any other suitable interface for controlling device  10 . Although shown schematically as being formed on the top face of electronic device  10  in the example of  FIG. 1 , buttons such as button  19  and other user input interface devices may generally be formed on any suitable portion of electronic device  10 . For example, a button such as button  19  or other user interface control may be formed on the side of electronic device  10 . Buttons and other user interface controls can also be located on the top face, rear face, or other portion of device  10 . If desired, device  10  can be controlled remotely (e.g., using an infrared remote control, a radio-frequency remote control such as a Bluetooth® remote control, etc.). 
     Electronic device  10  may have ports such as port  20 . Port  20 , which may sometimes be referred to as a dock connector, 30-pin data port connector, input-output port, or bus connector, may be used as an input-output port (e.g., when connecting device  10  to a mating dock connected to a computer or other electronic device). Port  20  may contain pins for receiving data and power signals. Device  10  may also have audio and video jacks that allow device  10  to interface with external components. Typical ports include power jacks to recharge a battery within device  10  or to operate device  10  from a direct current (DC) power supply, data ports to exchange data with external components such as a personal computer or peripheral, audio-visual jacks to drive headphones, a monitor, or other external audio-video equipment, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card port to authorize cellular telephone service, a memory card slot, etc. The functions of some or all of these devices and the internal circuitry of electronic device  10  can be controlled using input interface devices such as touch screen display  16 . 
     Components such as display  16  and other user input interface devices may cover most of the available surface area on the front face of device  10  (as shown in the example of  FIG. 1 ) or may occupy only a small portion of the front face of device  10 . Because electronic components such as display  16  often contain large amounts of metal (e.g., as radio-frequency shielding), the location of these components relative to the antenna elements in device  10  should generally be taken into consideration. Suitably chosen locations for the antenna elements and electronic components of the device will allow the antennas of electronic device  10  to function properly without being disrupted by the electronic components. 
     Examples of locations in which antenna structures may be located in device  10  include region  18  and region  21 . These are merely illustrative examples. Any suitable portion of device  10  may be used to house antenna structures for device  10  if desired. 
     A schematic diagram of an embodiment of an illustrative portable electronic device such as a handheld electronic device is shown in  FIG. 2 . Portable device  10  may be a mobile telephone, a mobile telephone with media player capabilities, a handheld computer, a remote control, a game player, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, an ultraportable computer, a hybrid device that includes the functionality of some or all of these devices, or any other suitable portable electronic device. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , device  10  may include storage  34 . Storage  34  may include one or more different types of storage such as hard disk drive storage, nonvolatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically-programmable-read-only memory), volatile memory (e.g., battery-based static or dynamic random-access-memory), etc. 
     Processing circuitry  36  may be used to control the operation of device  10 . Processing circuitry  36  may be based on a processor such as a microprocessor and other suitable integrated circuits. With one suitable arrangement, processing circuitry  36  and storage  34  are used to run software on device  10 , such as internet browsing applications, voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) telephone call applications, email applications, media playback applications, operating system functions, etc. Processing circuitry  36  and storage  34  may be used in implementing suitable communications protocols. Communications protocols that may be implemented using processing circuitry  36  and storage  34  include internet protocols, wireless local area network protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.11 protocols—sometimes referred to as Wi-Fi®), protocols for other short-range wireless communications links such as the Bluetooth® protocol, protocols for handling 3G communications services (e.g., using wide band code division multiple access techniques), 2G cellular telephone communications protocols, etc. 
     To minimize power consumption, processing circuitry  36  may include power management circuitry to implement power management functions. During operation, the power management circuitry or other processing circuitry  36  may be used to adjust power supply voltages that are provided to portions of the circuitry on device  10 . For example, higher direct-current (DC) power supply voltages may be supplied to active circuits and lower DC power supply voltages may be supplied to circuits that are less active or that are inactive. 
     Input-output devices  38  may be used to allow data to be supplied to device  10  and to allow data to be provided from device  10  to external devices. Display screen  16 , button  19 , microphone port  24 , speaker port  22 , and dock connector port  20  are examples of input-output devices  38 . 
     Input-output devices  38  can include user input-output devices  40  such as buttons, touch screens, joysticks, click wheels, scrolling wheels, touch pads, key pads, keyboards, microphones, cameras, etc. A user can control the operation of device  10  by supplying commands through user input devices  40 . Display and audio devices  42  may include liquid-crystal display (LCD) screens or other screens, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and other components that present visual information and status data. Display and audio devices  42  may also include audio equipment such as speakers and other devices for creating sound. Display and audio devices  42  may contain audio-video interface equipment such as jacks and other connectors for external headphones and monitors. 
     Wireless communications devices  44  may include communications circuitry such as radio-frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry formed from one or more integrated circuits, power amplifier circuitry, passive RF components, antennas, and other circuitry for handling RF wireless signals. Wireless signals can also be sent using light (e.g., using infrared communications). 
     Device  10  can communicate with external devices such as accessories  46 , computing equipment  48 , and wireless network  49  as shown by paths  50  and  51 . Paths  50  may include wired and wireless paths. Path  51  may be a wireless path. Accessories  46  may include headphones (e.g., a wireless cellular headset or audio headphones) and audio-video equipment (e.g., wireless speakers, a game controller, or other equipment that receives and plays audio and video content), a peripheral such as a wireless printer or camera, etc. 
     Computing equipment  48  may be any suitable computer. With one suitable arrangement, computing equipment  48  is a computer that has an associated wireless access point (router) or an internal or external wireless card that establishes a wireless connection with device  10 . The computer may be a server (e.g., an internet server), a local area network computer with or without internet access, a user&#39;s own personal computer, a peer device (e.g., another portable electronic device  10 ), or any other suitable computing equipment. 
     Wireless network  49  may include any suitable network equipment, such as cellular telephone base stations, cellular towers, wireless data networks, computers associated with wireless networks, etc. For example, wireless network  49  may include network management equipment that monitors the wireless signal strength of the wireless handsets (cellular telephones, handheld computing devices, etc.) that are in communication with network  49 . 
     The antenna structures and wireless communications devices of device  10  may support communications over any suitable wireless communications bands. For example, wireless communications devices  44  may be used to cover communications frequency bands such as cellular telephone voice and data bands at 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, and 2100 MHz (as examples). Devices  44  may also be used to handle the Wi-Fi® (IEEE 802.11) bands at 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz (also sometimes referred to as wireless local area network or WLAN bands), the Bluetooth® band at 2.4 GHz, and the global positioning system (GPS) band at 1575 MHz. 
     Device  10  can cover these communications bands and/or other suitable communications bands with proper configuration of the antenna structures in wireless communications circuitry  44 . Any suitable antenna structures may be used in device  10 . For example, device  10  may have one antenna or may have multiple antennas. The antennas in device  10  may each be used to cover a single communications band or each antenna may cover multiple communications bands. If desired, one or more antennas may cover a single band while one or more additional antennas are each used to cover multiple bands. As an example, a pentaband cellular telephone antenna may be provided at one end of device  10  (e.g., in region  18 ) to handle 2G and 3G voice and data signals and a dual band antenna may be provided at another end of device  10  (e.g., in region  21 ) to handle GPS and 2.4 GHz signals. The pentaband antenna may be used to cover wireless bands at 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, and 2100 MHz (as an example). The dual band antenna  63  may be used to handle 1575 MHz signals for GPS operations and 2.4 GHz signals (for Bluetooth® and IEEE 802.11 operations). These are merely illustrative arrangements. Any suitable antenna structures may be used in device  10  if desired. 
     To facilitate manufacturing operations, device  10  may be formed from two intermediate assemblies, representing upper and lower portions of device  10 . The upper or top portion of device  10  is sometimes referred to as a tilt assembly. The lower or bottom portion of device  10  is sometimes referred to as a housing assembly. 
     The tilt and housing assemblies are each formed from a number of smaller components. For example, the tilt assembly may be formed from components such as display  16  and an associated touch sensor. The housing assembly may include a plastic housing portion  12  and printed circuit boards. Integrated circuits and other components may be mounted on the printed circuit boards. 
     During initial manufacturing operations, the tilt assembly is formed from its constituent parts and the housing assembly is formed from its constituent parts. Because essentially all components in device  10  make up part of these two assemblies, the finished assemblies represent a nearly complete version of device  10 . The finished assemblies may, if desired, be tested. If testing reveals a defect, repairs may be made or defective assemblies may be discarded. During a final set of manufacturing operations, the tilt assembly is inserted into the housing assembly. With one suitable arrangement, one end of the tilt assembly is inserted into the housing assembly. The tilt assembly is then rotated (“tilted”) into place so that the upper surface of the tilt assembly lies flush with the upper edges of the housing assembly. 
     As the tilt assembly is rotated into place within the housing assembly, clips on the tilt assembly engage springs on the housing assembly. The clips and springs form a detent that helps to align the tilt assembly properly with the housing assembly. Should rework or repair be necessary, the insertion process can be reversed by rotating the tilt assembly up and away from the housing assembly. During rotation of the tilt assembly relative to the housing assembly, the springs flex to accommodate movement. When the tilt assembly is located within the housing assembly, the springs press into holes in the clips to prevent relative movement between the tilt and housing assemblies. Rework and repair operations need not be destructive to the springs, clips, and other components in the device. This helps to prevent waste and complications that might otherwise interfere with the manufacturing of device  10 . 
     If desired, screws or other fasteners may be used to help secure the tilt assembly to the housing assembly. The screws may be inserted into the lower end of device  10 . With one suitable arrangement, the screws are inserted in an unobtrusive portion of the end of device  10  so that they are not noticeable following final assembly operations. Prior to rework or repair operations, the screws can be removed from device  10 . 
     An exploded perspective view showing illustrative components of device  10  is shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     Tilt assembly  60  (shown in its unassembled state in  FIG. 3 ) may include components such as cover  62 , touch sensitive sensor  64 , display unit  66 , and frame  68 . Cover  62  may be formed of glass or other suitable transparent materials (e.g., plastic, combinations of one or more glasses and one or more plastics, etc.). Display unit  66  may be, for example, a color liquid crystal display. Frame  68  may be formed from one or more pieces. With one suitable arrangement, frame  68  may include metal pieces to which plastic parts are connected using an overmolding process. If desired, frame  68  may be formed entirely from plastic or entirely from metal. 
     Housing assembly  70  (shown in its unassembled state in  FIG. 3 ) may include housing  12 . Housing  12  may be formed of plastic and/or other materials such as metal (metal alloys). For example, housing  12  may be formed of plastic to which metal members are mounted using fasteners, a plastic overmolding process, or other suitable mounting arrangement. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , handheld electronic device  10  may have a bezel such as bezel  14 . Bezel  14  may be formed of plastic or other dielectric materials or may be formed from metal or other conductive materials. An advantage of a metal (metal alloy) bezel is that materials such as metal may provide bezel  14  with an attractive appearance and may be durable. If desired, bezel  14  may be formed from shiny plastic or plastic coated with shiny materials such as metal films. 
     Bezel  14  may be mounted to housing  12 . Following final assembly, bezel  14  may surround the display of device  10  and may, if desired, help secure the display onto device  10 . Bezel  14  may also serve as a cosmetic trim member that provides an attractive finished appearance to device  10 . 
     Housing assembly  70  may include battery  74 . Battery  74  may be, for example, a lithium polymer battery having a capacity of about 1300 mA-hours. Battery  74  may have spring contacts that allow battery  74  to be serviced. 
     Housing assembly  70  may also include one or more printed circuit boards such as printed circuit board  72 . Components may be mounted to printed circuit boards such as microphone  76  for microphone port  24 , speaker  78  for speaker port  22 , and dock connector  20 , integrated circuits, a camera, ear speaker, audio jack, buttons, SIM card slot, etc. 
     A top view of an illustrative device  10  is shown in  FIG. 4 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , device  10  may have controller buttons such as volume up and down buttons  80 , a ringer A/B switch  82  (to switch device  10  between ring and vibrate modes), and a hold button  88  (sleep/wake button). A subscriber identity module (SIM) tray  86  (shown in a partially extended state) may be used to receive a SIM card for authorizing cellular telephone services. Audio jack  84  may be used for attaching audio peripherals to device  10  such as headphone, a headset, etc. 
     An interior bottom view of device  10  is shown in  FIG. 5 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , device  10  may have a camera  90 . Camera  90  may be, for example, a two megapixel fixed focus camera. 
     Vibrator  92  may be used to vibrate device  10 . Device  10  may be vibrated at any suitable time. For example, device  10  may be vibrated to alert a user to the presence of an incoming telephone call, an incoming email message, a calendar reminder, a clock alarm, etc. 
     Battery  74  may be a removable battery that is installed in the interior of device  10  adjacent to dock connector  20 , microphone  76 , and speaker  78 . 
     A cross-sectional side view of device  10  is shown in  FIG. 6 .  FIG. 6  shows the relative vertical positions of device components such as housing  12 , battery  74 , printed circuit board  72 , liquid crystal display unit  66 , touch sensor  64 , and cover glass  62  within device  10 .  FIG. 6  also shows how bezel  14  may surround the top edge of device  10  (e.g., around the portion of device  10  that contains the components of display  16  such as cover  62 , touch screen  64 , and display unit  66 ). Bezel  14  may be a separate component or, if desired, one or more bezel-shaped structures may be formed as integral parts of housing  12  or other device structures. 
     An illustrative process for assembling device  10  from tilt assembly  60  and housing assembly  70  is shown in  FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the assembly process may begin by inserting upper end  100  of tilt assembly  60  into upper end  104  of housing assembly  70 . This process involves inserting tilt assembly  60  into housing assembly  70  along direction  118  until protrusions (not shown in  FIG. 7 ) on the upper end of tilt assembly  60  engage mating holes on housing assembly  70 . Once the protrusions on tilt assembly  60  have engaged with housing assembly  70 , lower end  102  of tilt assembly  60  may be inserted into lower end  106  of housing assembly  70 . Lower end  102  may be inserted into lower end  106  by pivoting tilt assembly  60  about axis  122 . This causes tilt assembly  60  to rotate into place as indicated by arrow  120 . 
     Tilt assembly  60  may have clips such as clips  112  and housing assembly  70  may have matching springs  114 . When tilt assembly  60  is rotated into place within housing assembly  70 , the springs and clips mate with each other to hold tilt assembly  60  in place within housing assembly  70 . 
     Tilt assembly  60  may have one or more retention clips such as retention clips  116 . Retention clips  116  may have threaded holes that mate with screws  108 . After tilt assembly has been inserted into housing assembly, screws  108  may be screwed into retention clips  116  through holes  110  in housing assembly  70 . This helps to firmly secure tilt assembly  60  to housing assembly  70 . Should rework or repair be desired, screws  108  may be removed from retention clips  116  and tilt assembly  60  may be released from housing assembly  70 . During the removal of tilt assembly  60  from housing assembly  70 , springs  114  may flex relative to clips  112  without permanently deforming. Because no damage is done to tilt assembly  60  or housing assembly  70  in this type of scenario, nondestructive rework and repair operations are possible. 
       FIG. 8  shows device  10  in a partially assembled state, in which tilt assembly  60  of  FIG. 7  has been rotated further in direction  120  relative to housing assembly  70  than in the state of  FIG. 7 . 
       FIG. 9  shows device  10  in a fully assembled state in which tilt assembly  60  has been mounted within housing assembly  70  and in which screws  108  have been screwed into the retention clips on tilt assembly  60 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , holes  110  may provide a recessed region so that the ends of screws  108  do not protrude beyond the outer surface of housing  12 . 
     A cross-sectional side view of device  10  that shows how screws  108  may pass through bezel  14  is shown in  FIG. 10 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , screw  108  may have head  124  and tip  126 . During assembly, a screwdriver or other tool engages a groove or other features on head  124  to rotate screw  108  into place. Hole  110  in housing  12  may be a through hole that provides radial clearance between the outer edges of head  124  and inner walls  140  of hole  110 . Hole  138  in bezel  14  may be sized so that the underside of head  124  presses against bezel  14 . In particular, hole  138  may have a diameter that is small enough to allow head surfaces  144  to bear against bezel surfaces  142 . This pulls bezel  14  in direction  154 . Retention clip  116  may have a threaded hole  128  into which tip  126  of screw  108  may be screwed. This pulls retention clip  116  in direction  160 . 
     When screw  108  is tightened, bezel  14  and retention clip  116  are pulled towards each other. Bezel  14  is pulled in direction  154  and retention clip  116  is pulled in direction  160 , so that inner bezel surface  156  of bezel  14  and outer retention clip surface  158  bear against each other. This helps to hold device  10  together and prevents unintentional removal of the tilt assembly from the housing assembly. 
     Retention clip  116  may be attached to frame  68  using any suitable technique (e.g., fasteners, adhesive, etc.). With one particularly suitable arrangement, which is illustrated in  FIG. 10 , retention clip  116  may have an upper end with enlarged portion  132  and constricted portion  130 . Retention clip  116  may be formed from a durable material such as metal. (All metal parts in device  10  may be formed from elemental metals or metal alloys.) Frame  68  may be formed at least partly from a moldable material such as plastic. At end  102 , the plastic of frame  68  in region  134  may be molded over enlarged portion  132  of retention clip  116 , thereby holding retention clip to frame  68 . 
     Frame  68  may have lip-shaped protrusions such as protrusions  148 . Protrusions  148  may help form a shelf for cover glass  62 . In particular, protrusions  148  may form a shelf with inner surfaces  150  that hold outer edges  152  of cover  62 . 
     A gasket such as gasket  146  may be interposed between bezel  14  and the display of device  10 . In particular, gasket  146  may be used to prevent cover glass  62  from directly bearing against bezel  14 . This may help to prevent rubbing between bezel  14  and cover glass  62 , thereby preventing chips or scratches from forming in cover glass  62 . Gasket  146  may be formed of thermoplastic urethane (TPU), silicone, polyester film, or other soft plastic (as an example). Gasket  146  may have any suitable cross-sectional shape. For example, gasket  146  may have a circular cross section, gasket  146  may have a rectangular cross-section, etc. Gasket  146  may help to seal the surface of the display portion of device  10  to prevent debris from entering device  10 . Gasket  146  may also help to center the display within bezel  14  and may help to hide potentially unsightly portions of the display from view. The cover glass portion of display  16  may have one or more holes or cut-away portions. For example, glass  62  may have a hole that accommodates button  19  ( FIG. 1 ). Glass  62  may also have a hole that forms receiver port  23  ( FIG. 1 ) to accommodate sound from a speaker. 
     At tilt assembly end  100 , frame  68  may have one or more protrusions such as protrusion  136 . These protrusions, which are sometimes referred to as teeth, tabs, or fingers, are used to hold end  100  of the tilt assembly into place within the housing assembly. As shown in  FIG. 10 , bezel  14  may have recesses such as hole  162  that receive teeth such as tooth  136 . Holes such as hole  162  are preferably shallow enough to allow tilt assembly  60  to rotate in direction  120  as shown in  FIGS. 7, 8, and 9  without damaging the teeth. Nondestructive rotation may also be facilitated by use of a curved underside portion in the teeth. 
     A perspective view of tilt assembly  60  is shown in  FIG. 11 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , tilt assembly  60  may include frame  68 . Metal clips such as clip  112  may be mounted onto the frame (e.g., along length  164 , as shown in  FIG. 11 ). 
     Frame  68  may be formed of a single material (e.g., plastic or metal) or, more preferably, multiple materials. In embodiments in which frame  68  is formed from multiple materials, the weight of frame  68  may be minimized while providing sufficient structural strength where most beneficial. As shown in  FIG. 12 , for example, frame  68  may have a main portion formed from a molded plastic frame member  166 . One or more metal members may be attached to member  166 . For example, metal frame struts  168  may be attached to member  166 . Any suitable attachment mechanism may be used to connect frame struts  168  to frame member  166 . With one particularly suitable arrangement, plastic frame member  166  molded onto metal frame struts  168  during manufacturing. This forms an integral frame  68  having both metal and plastic parts. Additional metal parts such as clips  112  may be attached to frame struts  168 . For example, clips  112  may be welded to frame struts  168  or may be attached to frame struts  168  using fasteners or adhesive. Clips  112  may be attached to struts  168  in regions such as region  164  (as an example). 
       FIG. 13  shows a cross-sectional side view of frame  68  taken along dotted line  170  and viewed in direction  172  of  FIG. 12 . As shown in  FIG. 13 , frame struts  168  may be connected to plastic frame member  166  to form frame  68 . Frame struts  168  may have holes or other interlocking features at periodic locations along their lengths that help the plastic of frame member  166  to securely engage frame struts  168  (e.g., in engagement region  174 ). 
     Plastic frame member  166  may form a shelf that supports cover glass  62 . The shelf may be formed by inner surface  150  of frame member protrusion  148  and upper peripheral frame member surface  176 . An advantage of using a shelf that is formed of relatively soft materials is that this helps prevent the shelf from damaging cover glass  62 . If desired, portions of gasket  146  such as gasket portion  178  of  FIG. 13  may be interposed between edge  152  of cover glass  62  and shelf edge  150 . This type of arrangement may provide additional cushioning and may therefore further help to prevent damage to cover glass  62 . Gasket  146  may bear against bezel  14  along surface  178 , which helps to prevent cover glass  62  from directly touching bezel  14 . 
     A perspective view of an interior portion of housing assembly  70  is shown in  FIG. 14 . As shown in  FIG. 14 , bezel  14  may be mounted to plastic housing portion  12 . Spring  114  may be mounted to housing assembly  70  by welding spring  114  to bezel  14  or by otherwise attaching spring  114  securely (e.g., using fasteners, adhesive, etc.). An advantage of using springs and a bezel that are formed of metal is that this allows secure attachment mechanisms such as welds to be used to attach the springs. Satisfactory welds may be facilitated by using metals that do not have disparate properties. As an example, springs  114  may be formed from the same material or substantially the same material as bezel  14 . 
     If, for example, bezel  14  is formed from stainless steel, springs  114  may also be formed from stainless steel. The same principle applies to clips  112  and frame struts  168 . The use of the same material for clips  112  and struts  168  (e.g., stainless steel) may allow clips  112  to be satisfactorily welded to struts  168 . An example of a stainless steel that may provide suitable strength for use in components such as frame struts  168  and bezel  14  is 304 stainless (e.g., ¾ hard 304 stainless). In this type of situation, it may be desirable to form clips  112  and springs  114  from 304 stainless, so that clips  112  may be readily welded to frame struts  168  and so that springs  114  may be readily welded to bezel  14 . The use of ¾ hard heat-treated stainless steel allows these parts to be relatively strong while being bendable when sufficiently thin. In an illustrative configuration, frame struts  168  may be about 0.4 mm thick and clips  112  and springs  114  may be about 0.2 mm thick (as an example). 
     Springs such as spring  114  of  FIG. 14  may be formed from elongated spring members such as spring member  180 . Spring member  180  may be cut and bent to form spring prongs  182  (also sometimes referred to as spring members or springs). Spring prongs  182  may have any suitable shape. An advantage of forming spring prongs with relatively narrow widths (as measured along longitudinal housing dimension  184 ) is that this allows the springs to flex during assembly. There may be any suitable number of spring prongs in device  10 . As an example, there may be one, two, three, four, five, or more than five spring prongs on the left and on the right sides of device  10 . If desired, springs may be mounted on other portions of housing  12  (e.g., on the edge of housing  12  that lies along end  106  ( FIG. 7 ). An advantage of using springs and clips along the sides of device  10  is that this helps to ensure that cover glass  62  lies flush with the upper surfaces of bezel  14 , giving device  10  an attractive finished appearance. 
     If desired, springs  114  (i.e., spring members such as spring member  180 ) may be used to form a support structure to which components in device  10  may be mounted. An arrangement of this type is shown in  FIG. 15 . As shown in  FIG. 15 , spring member  180  may have portions that form a bracket  186 . Vibrator  92  (or other suitable components) may be attached to spring member  180  using bracket  186 . In particular, screws  192  may be used to connect vibrator mounting bracket  190  to bent tip portion  188  of bracket  186  to hold vibrator  92  in place. An advantage of mounting moving components such as vibrator  92  to a metal structure such as spring member  180  is that this enhances the robustness of device  10  and makes device  10  less prone to failure. 
     Spring prongs  182  may flex during assembly. Following assembly, some or all of spring prongs  182  may engage clips  112  on tilt assembly  60 . As shown in  FIG. 16 , each clip  112  may have a main elongated member  198 . Elongated members such as elongated member  198  may be welded to frame struts  168  and may extend along the edge of tilt assembly  60  parallel to longitudinal dimension  200 . Elongated member  198  may be substantially planar (as an example) and may have a planar surface aligned with longitudinal dimension  200  and vertical dimension  202 . Portions  194  of elongated member  198  may be bent with respect to vertical dimension  202  and with respect to the planar surface defined by dimensions  202  and  200 . Bending portions  194  inwardly away from the plane of elongated member  198  angles portions  194  inwardly so that bent portions  194  are angled with respect to vertical dimension  202 . This forms holes  196  that can receive protruding spring prongs  182  ( FIGS. 14 and 15 ) when tilt assembly  60  and housing assembly  70  are connected to each other. Holes may also be formed by removing portions of elongated member  198 , by bending or otherwise manipulating portions of member  198  sideways or in other directions, by bending multiple portions of member  198  within each hole, etc. The arrangement of  FIG. 16  in which holes  196  have been formed by bending portions  194  down and inwards is merely illustrative. 
     With one suitable embodiment of tilt assembly  60 , there is a member such as member  198  that forms a clip on each side of tilt assembly  60 . The perspective view of  FIG. 16  shows an illustrative clip  112  that has been formed on the right side of tilt assembly  60 . The perspective view of  FIG. 17  shows an illustrative clip  112  that has been formed on the left side of tilt assembly  60 . 
     A lateral cross-sectional view of an illustrative device  10  is shown in  FIG. 18 . As shown in  FIG. 18 , cover glass  62  may be mounted on top of device  10 . An adhesive layer such as adhesive layer  204  may be formed between cover glass layer  62  and touch sensor  64 . Touch sensor  64  may be, for example, a capacitive multitouch sensor (as an example). Touch sensor  64  may be mounted above a display unit such as liquid crystal display unit  66 . Display unit  66  may be mounted above frame member  206 . Frame member  206 , which is sometimes referred to as a “mid-plate member” may be formed of a strong material such as metal (e.g., 304 stainless steel). Frame member  206  may have vertical portions  208 . Vertical portions  208  may be attached to frame struts  168  by screws, other suitable fasteners, welds, adhesive, etc. Frame member  206  helps form a rigid platform for the components (such as display unit  66 , sensor  64 , and cover glass  62 ) that are associated with the tilt assembly. In addition to providing structural support, mid-plate frame member  206  may also provide electrical grounding (e.g., for integrated circuits, printed circuit board structures, for antennas in wireless devices  44 , etc.). 
     As described in connection with  FIG. 13 , frame struts  168  may be attached to frame member  166  of frame  68 . For example, frame member  166  may be formed from plastic that is molded over frame struts  168  and that engages frame struts  168  in engagement region  174 . Frame protrusion  148  and gasket  146  may be used to separate glass  62  from bezel  14 . 
     Springs  114  may be welded or otherwise mounted to bezel  14 . When the tilt assembly is mounted in the housing assembly as shown in  FIG. 18 , spring prongs  182  protrude into the holes such as holes  196  that are formed by bent portions  194  in clips  112 . 
     A cross-sectional view of spring  114  and clip  112  is shown in  FIG. 19 . As shown in the cross-sectional view of  FIG. 19 , angled portion  194  of clip  112  forms a rigid substantially planar shelf-like member that biases the tip of spring prong  182  upwards at lower biasing point  210 . Spring prong  182  is also engaged by member  198  of clip  112  at upper biasing point  216 . Biasing point  210  retards movement of spring  114  and housing assembly  70  in downward direction  220  relative to tilt assembly  60 . Biasing point  216  retards movement of spring  114  and housing assembly  70  in upward direction  218  relative to tilt assembly  60 . Planar member  194  is oriented along axis  222  and is angled with respect to vertical dimension  202 . If desired, member  194  may flex somewhat along its length and may pivot somewhat about point  224 . 
     The flexibility of spring prongs  182 , the optional flexibility of planar member  194 , and the angled orientation of planar member  194  makes the engagement arrangement formed by springs  114  and clips  112  tolerant to manufacturing deviations. For example, consider the situation in which manufacturing deviations cause spring prong  182  to be positioned where indicated by dashed outline  214  in  FIG. 19 . This type of position might result, for example, from a weld location misalignment in spring  114  or in clip  112  (or both) or a deviation in the desired bend angle for member  194  or prong  182 . As a result of such misalignment, spring prong  182  presses against biasing member  194  at biasing point  212  instead of at biasing point  210 . Despite this deviation in the biasing point location from its nominal position, there will still be good engagement between spring prong  182  and clip member  198 . For example, although the lower biasing point is altered (from point  210  to point  212 ), upper biasing point  216  will still generally bias clip  114  in downwards direction  220  toward its desired location. The angled orientation of member  194  and the curved shape of spring prong  182  therefore helps to accommodate manufacturing variations. The smoothly curved shape of spring prongs  182  may also help to prevent the insertion and removal process from being too harsh when engaging and disengaging the tilt and housing assemblies from each other. 
     If desired, alternative spring and clip arrangements may be used. An example of an alternative spring and clip configuration is shown in  FIG. 20 . As shown in  FIG. 20 , it is not necessary to form a bent member in clip  112 . Rather, spring prongs such as spring prong  182  of  FIG. 20  may be accommodated in a hole  196  that has been formed by removing a region of metal (or other suitable material) from within elongated member  198  of clip  112 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 21 , it is not necessary to form holes  196  in metal clips such as clips  112 . In the  FIG. 21  example, holes  196  have been formed from recesses in housing  12 . 
     Moreover, as the example of  FIG. 21  demonstrates, it is not necessary to form clips  112  on tilt assembly  60  and springs  114  on housing assembly  70 . If desired, springs  114  and spring prongs  182  may be attached to tilt assembly  60  and holes  196  (whether integral to housing  12  or whether formed from clips  112 ) may be formed as part of housing assembly  70 . An advantage of forming springs  114  on housing assembly  70  (e.g., as shown in  FIG. 14 ) is that this reduces the likelihood that springs  114  might scratch bezel  14  during insertion of tilt assembly  60  into housing assembly  70 . 
     As described in connection with  FIG. 15 , because springs  114  are attached to bezel  14  and thereby housing  12 , springs  114  may be used to form a mounting structure for components such as vibrator  92 . In particular, a spring such as spring  114  of  FIG. 22  may be configured to form a mounting bracket  186  having a horizontal planar member  188 . During component mounting operations, fasteners such as screws  192  of  FIG. 15  may be inserted into holes  226  ( FIG. 22 ). 
     When assembling device  10 , it is generally necessary to make electrical connections between components such as the components on tilt assembly  60  and housing assembly  70 . For example, electrical connections may be made between the circuitry associated with the printed circuit board structures of housing assembly  70  and the display unit and sensor in display  16 . Electrical connections may also be made between the printed circuit board circuitry and components such as the receiver speaker of port  23 , microphone  76 , speaker  78 , and a proximity sensor (e.g., a sensor that detects the presence of a human body in close proximity to device  10 ). Such electrical connections may be made using a flexible circuit structure formed from a pattern of conductive traces on a flexible printed circuit substrate such as a polyimide-based substrate (sometimes referred to as a “flex circuit”). Electrical connections should generally also be made for buttons such as volume up and down buttons, ringer on/off buttons, hold buttons, etc. Antennas in regions  18  and  21  may also be electrically connected to circuitry on the printed circuit board structures of housing assembly  70 . 
     Different electrical connections use different types of electrical connectors. For example, radio-frequency signals that are conveyed to and from the antennas in device  10  may be carried over transmission lines such as coaxial cable transmission lines (i.e., micro-coax). Connections in this type of radio-frequency transmission line path may therefore involve micro-coax connectors. As another example, when two printed circuit boards are joined, it may be desirable to use so-called board-to-board connectors. Flex circuits can be connected using connectors such as zero-insertion-force (ZIF) connectors. Still other connectors may be used in other contexts. 
     The need to make numerous electrical connections of one or more types may make assembly challenging for unskilled workers. Device  10  may therefore use a numbering system in which the connections that are to be made are numbered. The numbering system that is used may, for example, number the connections that are to be made in a preferred or required order of assembly. Instructions may be included in the interior of the device. For example, instructions may be laser-etched into a metal surface such as an electromagnetic shielding “can” that covers one or more integrated circuits on the printed circuit board structures of housing assembly  70 . 
     A top view of an illustrative coaxial cable connector is shown in  FIG. 23 . As shown in  FIG. 23 , coaxial cable  228  may be attached to coaxial cable connector  230 . Coaxial cable connector  230  may be connected to another coaxial cable, a printed circuit board, a flex circuit, an antenna, combinations of such structures, or any other suitable electrical structure. 
       FIG. 24  is a side view of an illustrative coaxial cable connector of the type shown in  FIG. 23 . In the example of  FIG. 24 , coaxial connector  230  is shown in a disconnected state. Upper portion  232  of connector  230  is connected to coaxial cable  228 . Lower portion  234  of connector  230  is mounted to electrical structures  236  such as a flex circuit, printed circuit board, etc. Traces within structure  236  such as traces  238  may be used to electrically connect lower connector half  234  of coaxial cable connector  230  to circuitry within device  10  (e.g., an antenna, a transceiver, etc.). Connector portions  232  and  234  may be interconnected during assembly as indicated schematically by dotted line  240 . 
     An example of a board-to-board connector is presented in connection with  FIGS. 25 and 26 . As shown in  FIG. 25 , board-to-board connector  242  may include an upper-half connector portion  244  and a lower-half connector portion  250 . Both the upper and lower portions of connector  242  may have numerous pins such as pins  246  on connector portion  244  and pin  248  on connector portion  250 . In the  FIG. 25  example, connector  242  is disassembled, because male connector part  244  has not yet been connected to female connector part  250 . During assembly, this connection is made to interconnect electrical structures to which connector parts  244  and  250  are mounted. As shown in the  FIG. 25  example, connector part  244  may be electrically connected to traces  258  in electrical structure  260  and connector part  250  may be electrically connected to traces  250  in electrical structure  254 . Structures  260  and  254  may be printed circuit boards. 
     A top view of board-to-board connector  242 , which presents an illustrative layout for pins such as pints  246  and  248  is shown in  FIG. 26 . 
     Board-to-board connectors such as connector  242  of  FIGS. 25 and 26  may be used whenever it is desired to electrically interconnect structures such as printed circuit boards (e.g., when they are mounted on top of each other). Because there are typically numerous pins in a board-to-board connector such as a printed circuit board, the use of a board-to-board connector may be preferable to using wires or cables to make a connection. Moreover, unlike hardwired solder connectors, board-to-board connectors may be readily disconnected when desired for rework or repair. 
     Flex circuits may be used to form connections between different parts of device  10 . Flex circuits have advantages over conventional parallel bus wires such as reduced size and weight. Flex circuits may also be less expensive to manufacture in large quantities than other types of interconnects and provide geometric flexibility when designing and assembly complex structures. In a typical arrangement, a flex circuit might be attached at one end to a series of components (e.g., dock connector  20 , acoustic components, sensors, etc.). At the other end, the flex circuit may need to be connected to circuitry on a printed circuit board. This type of connection may be formed using a socket-type connector that is configured to receive a flex circuit (sometimes referred to as a zero-insertion-force or ZIF connector). 
     A top view of an illustrative flex circuit  262  and zero-insertion force flex circuit connector  264  is shown in  FIG. 27 . During assembly, flex circuit  262  is inserted into connector  264  in direction  266 . This causes exposed traces  268  in region  274  to electrically connect with mating conductors  270  in region  272  of connector  264 . As shown in the side view of  FIG. 28 , connector  264  may have a lever  276  that may be actuated by pressing downwards in direction  278 . When lever  276  is pressed downwards in this way, the pins of connector  264  engage the flex circuit traces of flex circuit  262  and form a solid set of electrical connections. 
     The connector types shown in  FIGS. 23-28  are merely illustrative. Device  10  may use one, two, three, or more than three different types of connectors in interconnecting its electrical components. Some or all of these connectors may, if desired, be non-destructive connectors having mating parts that can be disconnected if desired for rework or repair operations. An advantage to using connectors that can be repeatedly connected and disconnected is that this may reduce waste in the event of a rework or repair. 
     Particularly in assembly environments in which there are numerous connections that need to be made, assembly operations may be challenging for unskilled workers who are unfamiliar with the assembly process. Device  10  may therefore include a set of numbers to help guide workers during the assembly process. An example of this type of arrangement is shown in  FIG. 29 . 
       FIG. 29  shows an illustrative interior view of device  10 . As shown in  FIG. 29 , device  10  may include components such as integrated circuits encased in electromagnetic shielding (“cans”) such as housings  280  and  282 . Device  10  may also include one or more modules such as module  284 . Module  284  may be, for example, a module that includes acoustic components such as a microphone, speaker, etc. Dock connector  20  may be connected to a module such as module  284 . 
     Regions such as regions  286  and  288  may include exposed circuit boards, one or more discrete components, flex circuits, or other suitable electrical components. 
     The components of device  10  may be interconnected by communications paths. The communications paths may be, for example, transmission line paths such as coaxial cable paths, flex circuits, board-to-board paths supported by printed circuit board traces, etc., as described in connection with  FIGS. 23-28 . An illustrative communications path is shown as path  292  in  FIG. 29 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 29 , assembly order indicators such as numbers  290  may be formed on device  10 . The assembly order indicators may be provided in the form of any suitable markings that indicate a preferred or required order of assembly for the connectors that are used in interconnecting the electrical components of device  10 . Examples of suitable indicators include Arabic numerals (e.g., 1, 2, 3, . . . ), Roman numerals, Chinese numerals, letters (e.g., A, B, C . . . or comparable letters in other alphabets), combinations of numerals and letters (e.g., A1, A2, B1, B2, B3, C1, . . . ), or symbols (e.g., *, **, ***, etc.). The indicators preferably denote a desired assembly order or orders and may, if desired, be followed in reverse order by a worker who wishes to partly or fully disassembly a device for rework or repair. 
     To assist workers in deciphering the assembly/disassembly order indicators and/or to provide other suitable guidance for the workers, device  10  may include instructions such as instructions  294 . Instructions  294  may be laser-etched on the metal surface of cans such as can  280 , may be printed on can  280  or other suitable surface of the components of device  10 , may be printed on a label that is affixed within device  10 , may be inscribed on an interior portion of case  12 , or may be otherwise formed on device  10 . Assembly and disassembly instructions (e.g., instructions referring to the assembly order) may also be included in software and displayed using display  16 , although this type of arrangement will generally only be practical if device  10  is at least partly operational). 
     Instructions  294  may be written instructions that include, for example, explanatory text (e.g., in English, Chinese, or other suitable language). Instructions  294  may also be partly or completely formed from symbolic instructions (e.g., a diagram showing how parts should be connected, a list of corresponding assembly order indicators, etc.). Instructions  294  may, if desired, include information on the proper use of device  10 , legal notices, etc. 
     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: 20191218
Publication Date: 20210309
Grant Date: 20210309
Priority Date: 20080411
Inventors: WANG, ERIK L.
HOBSON, PHILLIP MICHAEL
JENKS, KENNETH A.
MITTLEMAN, ADAM D.
ANDRE, BARTLEY K.
COSTER, DANIEL J.
DE IULIIS, DANIELE
HOWARTH, RICHARD P.
IVE, JONATHAN P.
JOBS, STEVEN P.
KERR, DUNCAN ROBERT
NISHIBORI, SHIN
ROHRBACH, MATTHEW DEAN
SATZGER, DOUGLAS B.
SEID, CALVIN Q.
STRINGER, CHRISTOPHER J.
WHANG, EUGENE ANTHONY
ZORKENDORFER, RICO
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0252", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/026", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M2250/22", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0266", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1658", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0252", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B1/3888", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0277", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1637", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0277", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0266", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1658", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1656", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1637", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0274", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M2250/22", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1656", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0274", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/026", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0274", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M2250/22", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0266", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1637", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/026", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0252", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B1/3888", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1656", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0277", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1658", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 40626906