PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-8144474-B2
Application Number: US-34062108-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Portable computer structures

Abstract:
Portable computer structures are provided. The portable computer structures may include connector structures. The portable computer may have a case. A portion of the connector structure may be formed by the case of the portable computer. The portable computer may have a circuit board with grounding spring-loaded pins which electrically ground the circuit board to the case of the portable computer. The portable computer may have an optical disk drive that is form fitted to mount to the portable computer case.

Claims:
1. A connector port in a portable computer that has a portable computer housing, wherein the connector port receives a cable connector having a bendable portion, the connector port comprising:
 an upper inner surface portion formed from part of the portable computer housing that bears against the bendable portion of the cable connector when the cable connector is inserted within the connector port; and 
 retaining structures adjacent to the upper inner surface portion that form walls that retain and bear against the bendable portion of the cable connector when the cable connector is within the connector port. 
 
     
     
       2. The connector port defined in  claim 1  wherein the upper inner surface portion comprises metal that forms part of the portable computer housing. 
     
     
       3. The connector port defined in  claim 1  wherein the portable computer housing comprises an aluminum portable computer housing and wherein the upper inner surface portion comprises part of the aluminum portable computer housing. 
     
     
       4. The connector port defined in  claim 3  wherein the cable connector comprises an RJ45 plug and wherein the upper inner surface portion and retaining structures are configured to receive and retain the RJ45 plug. 
     
     
       5. The connector port defined in  claim 1  wherein the cable connector comprises an RJ45 plug and wherein the upper inner surface portion and retaining structures are configured to receive and retain the RJ45 plug. 
     
     
       6. The connector port defined in  claim 1  further comprising a grounding pin. 
     
     
       7. The connector port defined in  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of electrical contacts that mate with corresponding electrical contacts in the cable connector. 
     
     
       8. A portable computer comprising:
 a conductive housing; 
 a printed circuit board; and 
 at least one spring-loaded pin directly connected to the printed circuit board, wherein the printed circuit board is mounted within the conductive housing so that the spring -loaded pin is compressed and grounds the printed circuit board to the conductive housing. 
 
     
     
       9. The portable computer defined in  claim 8  wherein the portable computer comprises an upper housing portion and a lower housing portion and wherein the lower housing portion includes the conductive housing. 
     
     
       10. The portable computer defined in  claim 8  wherein the printed circuit board comprises a motherboard. 
     
     
       11. The portable computer defined in  claim 10  further comprising an integrated circuit that mounted on the motherboard, wherein the spring-loaded pin is connected to the printed circuit board within a lateral distance along a surface of the motherboard of less than one centimeter. 
     
     
       12. A portable computer comprising:
 a conductive housing; 
 a printed circuit board; and 
 at least one spring-loaded pin connected to the printed circuit board, wherein the printed circuit board is mounted within the conductive housing so that the spring-loaded pin is compressed and grounds the printed circuit board to the conductive housing, wherein the at least one spring-loaded pin comprises a plurality of spring-loaded pins. 
 
     
     
       13. A portable computer comprising:
 a conductive housing; 
 a printed circuit board; and 
 at least one spring-loaded pin connected to the printed circuit board, wherein the printed circuit board is mounted within the conductive housing so that the spring-loaded pin is compressed and grounds the printed circuit board to the conductive housing, wherein the conductive housing comprises an insulating surface, wherein a portion of the insulating surface is removed to expose a conductive surface of the conductive housing, and wherein the spring-loaded pin contacts the exposed conductive surface. 
 
     
     
       14. The portable computer defined in  claim 8  wherein the conductive housing comprises aluminum with an oxidized surface, wherein a portion of the oxidized surface is removed to expose a conductive surface of the aluminum, and wherein the spring-loaded pin contacts the exposed conductive surface. 
     
     
       15. A portable computer comprising:
 a conductive housing; 
 a printed circuit board; 
 at least one spring-loaded pin connected to the printed circuit board, wherein the printed circuit board is mounted within the conductive housing so that the spring-loaded pin is compressed and grounds the printed circuit board to the conductive housing; and 
 a connector port that receives a cable connector having a bendable portion, the connector port comprising:
 an upper inner surface portion formed from part of the conductive housing, wherein the upper inner surface portion of the conductive housing bears against the bendable portion of the cable connector when the cable connector is inserted within the connector port; and 
 retaining structures adjacent to the upper inner surface portion that form walls that retain the bendable portion of cable connector when the cable connector is within the connector port. 
 
 
     
     
       16. An electronic device, comprising:
 an electronic device housing; 
 a storage component having a storage component housing, wherein portions of the storage component housing are screwed directly to the electronic device housing; 
 a connector port that receives a cable connector having a bendable portion, the connector port comprising:
 an upper inner surface portion formed from part of the electronic device housing, wherein the upper inner surface portion of the electronic device housing bears against the bendable portion of the cable connector when the cable connector is inserted within the connector port; and 
 retaining structures adjacent to the upper inner surface portion that form walls that retain the bendable portion of cable connector when the cable connector is within the connector port. 
 
 
     
     
       17. The electronic device defined in  claim 16  wherein the electronic device housing comprises threaded portions and wherein the portions of the storage component housing comprise screw holes, the electronic device further comprising screws that pass through the screw holes into the threaded portions to screw the storage component to the electronic device housing. 
     
     
       18. The electronic device defined in  claim 17  wherein the electronic device comprises a portable computer and wherein the electronic device housing comprises a lower portable computer housing portion. 
     
     
       19. The electronic device defined in  claim 18  wherein the storage component comprises an optical disk drive. 
     
     
       20. The electronic device defined in  claim 16  further comprising:
 a printed circuit board; and 
 at least one spring-loaded pin connected to the printed circuit board, wherein the printed circuit board is mounted within the electronic device housing so that the spring-loaded pin is compressed and grounds the printed circuit board to the electronic device housing.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 61/105,033, filed Oct. 13, 2008, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates to electronic devices such as portable computers, and more particularly, to electronic device structures such as port connectors, grounding structures, and storage component mounting structures. 
     Designers of portable computers are faced with competing demands. It is generally desirable to reduce the weight of a portable computer, so that a user is not burdened by an overly heavy device. At the same time, durability and aesthetics should not suffer. Often, weight can be saved, but only at the expense of reducing the size or strength of device components. For example, communications ports, computer housing grounding arrangements, and storage device mounting arrangements in conventional portable computers may be more complex and may occupy more volume than is desired. 
     It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved electronic devices having improved structures for communications ports, circuit board grounding, and storage drive mounting. 
     SUMMARY 
     Portable computers and other electronic device may be provided that have improved communications port connectors, improved grounding arrangements, and improved drive mounting structures. 
     A portable computer may have a housing (case). A connector structure such as a connector for an Ethernet port may be formed in an opening in the housing. The portable computer housing may form a portion of the connector structure. For example, a metal wall portion of the portable computer housing may form a portion of an Ethernet jack that bears down upon a moveable portion of an Ethernet plug when the Ethernet cable plug (i.e., an RJ45 plug) is inserted into the Ethernet jack. 
     The portable computer may have an integrated circuit such as a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board may serve as a motherboard (mainboard) onto which integrated circuits and other components are mounted. The motherboard may have multiple spring-loaded grounding pins. The pins may extend vertically from the surface of the motherboard. When the motherboard is mounted in the portable computer, the pins may be compressed by the inner surface of the portable computer housing. This type of arrangement may be used to electrically ground the motherboard to the case of the portable computer. 
     The portable computer may have a component such as an optical disk drive or other storage component. The storage component may be configured to mate with a portion the portable computer case. The optical disk drive or other component may have integral mounting structures formed from the drive housing with which the component is mounted directly to the case of the portable computer. This obviates the need to use separate mounting brackets to mount the component in the case. 
     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 computer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of illustrative connector structures that may be provided in a portable computer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional perspective view of one of the illustrative connector structures of  FIG. 2  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a side perspective view of an illustrative printed circuit board with spring-loaded pins that make connections to a portable computer case in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional perspective view of the illustrative printed circuit board with spring-loaded pins mounted to the portable computer case of  FIG. 4  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional perspective view of an illustrative optical disk drive in a portable computer which may be form fitted to mount directly to the portable computer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional perspective view of an illustrative optical disk drive in a portable computer which may be form fitted to mount to the portable computer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective view of an illustrative optical disk drive in a portable computer which may be form fitted to mount to the portable computer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an illustrative communications cable connector such as an Ethernet plug that may be inserted into a communications port connector structure in a portable computer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention relates to electronic device structures such as communications port connectors, grounding structures, and storage component mounting structures. The electronic device structures may be provided (individually or in any suitable combination) in electronic devices such as handheld computers, mobile phones, or other suitable computing equipment. As an example, the electronic device structures may be provided in a portable computer. 
     An illustrative electronic device such as a portable computer in which the electronic device structures may be provided is shown in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , portable computer  10  may have a housing  12 . Housing  12 , which is sometimes referred to as a case, may be formed from one or more individual structures. For example, housing  12  may have a main structural support member that is formed from a solid block of machined aluminum or other suitable metal. One or more additional structures may be connected to the housing  12 . These structures may include, for example, internal frame members, external coverings such as sheets of metal, etc. Housing  12  and its associated components may, in general, be formed from any suitable materials such as such as plastic, ceramics, metal, glass, etc. An advantage of forming housing  12  at least partly from metal is that metal is durable and attractive in appearance. Metals such as aluminum may be anodized to form an insulating oxide coating. 
     Case  12  may have an upper portion  26  and a lower portion  28 . Lower portion  28  may be referred to as the base or main unit of computer  10  and may contain components such as a hard disk drive, battery, and main logic board. Upper portion  26 , which is sometimes referred to as a cover or lid, may rotate relative to lower portion  28  about rotational axis  16 . Portions  26  and  28  may be formed from metal or other materials. For example, housing portions such as these may be milled from blocks of aluminum or constructed from other metals or conductive materials. Portion  18  of computer  10  may contain a hinge and associated clutch structures and is sometimes referred to as a clutch barrel. 
     Lower housing portion  28  may have a slot such as slot  22  through which optical disks may be loaded into an optical disk drive. Lower housing portion may also have a touchpad such as touchpad  24  and may have keys  20 . Buttons and other controls may also be mounted to housing  12 . If desired, additional components may be mounted to upper and lower housing portions  26  and  28 . For example, upper and lower housing portions  26  and  28  may have ports to which cables can be connected (e.g., universal serial bus ports, an Ethernet port, a Firewire port, audio jacks, card slots, etc.). With one suitable arrangement, device  10  may have a connector such as port  32  to which a cable can be connected. In the  FIG. 1  example, port  32  is located on the right side of lower housing portion  28 . This is merely an example and, in general, port  32  may be located at any suitable location (e.g., on the left side of computer  10 ). 
     If desired, upper and lower housing portions  26  and  28  may have transparent windows through which light may be emitted (e.g., from light-emitting diodes). This type of arrangement may be used, for example, to display status information to a user. 
     Openings may be formed in the surface of upper and lower housing portions to allow sound to pass through the walls of housing  12 . For example, openings such as openings  30  may be formed for microphone and speaker ports. 
     A display such as display  14  may be mounted within upper housing portion  26 . Display  14  may be, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, or plasma display (as examples). A glass panel may be mounted in front of display  14 . The glass panel may help add structural integrity to computer  10 . For example, the glass panel may make upper housing portion  26  more rigid and may protect display  14  from damage due to contact with keys or other structures. 
     Computer  10  may have input-output components such as touch pad  24 . Touch pad  24  may include a touch sensitive surface that allows a user of computer  10  to control computer  10  using touch-based commands (gestures). A portion of touchpad  24  may be depressed by the user when the user desires to “click” on a displayed item on screen  14 . 
     A perspective view of a connector structure that may be in a portable computer is shown in  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , connector  32  may be formed in a side of lower housing portion  28  (e.g., the left hand side). Connector  34  may also be formed in the side of lower housing portion  28 . Additional connectors may be formed in hole  44  of lower housing portion  28 . 
     If desired, connectors such as connectors  32  and  34  may have grounding pins such as grounding pins  35  and  38 . Grounding pins  35  and  38  may be used to electrically ground cables that are connected to connectors  32  and  34 . As an example, a conductive outer portion of a cable that connects to connector  32  may bear against grounding pin  38  and electrically ground connector  32  to lower housing portion  28  and device  10 . 
     Connector  32  may be any suitable type of connector. For example, connector  32  may be an Ethernet port connector, a telephone port connector, or any other suitable type of connector. Connector  32  may be referred to herein as an Ethernet port, but this is merely an example. 
     Ethernet port  32  may have electrical pin connectors  36  or other suitable electrical contacts that mate with corresponding electrical contacts on a cable connector. Electrical pin connectors  36  may be flexible metal strips which electrically connect to associated contacts on a cable when the plug portion of the cable (e.g., an RJ45 plug) is inserted into port  32 . As an example, Ethernet port  32  may have eight metal strips  36  which connect to eight respective contacts on an Ethernet cable connector (RJ45 plug). Each metal strip  36  may be associated with one of eight conductive lines in the Ethernet cable. 
     A portion of port  32  such as an upper inner planar surface of port  32  may be formed from a planar sidewall portion of housing of device  10 . For example, portion  40  of port  32  may be formed from lower housing portion  28  of device  10 . Portion  40  of port  32  may bear against a moveable portion of a cable when the cable is inserted into port  32 . With one suitable arrangement, the housing of device  10  is formed from a metal such as aluminum. Portions of the aluminum may form planar housing walls of about  1  mm in thickness. Portion  40  may be formed from this type of planar housing wall, other suitable sheets of housing material, or any other suitable housing structure. 
     Retaining clip structures associated with the Ethernet connector on the cable that connects to port  32  may engage portions  42  (retaining structures) of port  32  when the cable is connected to port  32 . The retaining clip portions of the cable may be a part of the moveable portion of the cable (portions of which bear against portion  40  of port  32 ). 
     A cutaway view of port  32  is shown in  FIG. 3 . As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , housing wall portion  40  of lower housing portion  28  may form a portion of port  32  (i.e., an upper inner wall surface portion). As a connector for a cable is inserted into port  32 , a moveable portion of the connector which extends outwards from the connector may bear against portion  40  and bend inwards. 
     After the connector has been fully inserted into port  32 , retaining clip structures that are formed as part of the moveable portion of the connector may reside behind retaining structures  42  of port  32  (e.g., in the void of port  32  corresponding to portion  40  of lower housing port  28 ). If a force were to attempt to pull the connector out of port  32 , the retaining clips on the cable connector will bear against the inner vertical walls of port retaining structures  42  and will resist the force attempting to remove the connector from port  32 . 
     A user may remove the cable from port  32  by bearing down on the moveable portion of the cable such that the retaining clips of the cable are no longer engaged with portions  42  of port  32 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , device  10  may have a printed circuit board such as printed circuit board  48 . Printed circuit boards such as printed circuit board  48  of  FIG. 4  are sometimes referred to as motherboards. As shown in  FIG. 4 , board  48  may be provided with spring-loaded pins  50  such as Pogo® pins used to electrically connect board  48  to housing  28  of device  10 . Connectors such as Ethernet port  32  and connectors  46  (e.g., universal serial bus ports  46 ) may be mounted on motherboard  48 . 
     Pins  50  may be used to electrically connect motherboard  48  to lower housing portion  28  of device  10 , as an example. With one suitable arrangement, pins  50  may be electrically conductive regardless of whether pins  50  are compressed. Motherboard  48  may have any suitable number of pins  50  at any suitable locations. As one example, pins  50  may be concentrated in particular locations to enhance the grounding of motherboard  48  to the housing of device  10  at those locations. For example, pins  50  may be concentrated near a central processing unit on motherboard  48  (e.g., within a lateral distance of a centimeter or less or other suitable lateral spacing along the planar motherboard surface) to ensure that the central processing unit has access to a strong ground connection through pins  50 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , when motherboard  48  is mounted to lower housing portion  28  of device  10 , pins  50  may be somewhat compressed and pins  50  may form an electrical path between lower housing portion  28  and motherboard  48 . Pins  50  may form a path between grounding paths on motherboard  48  and lower housing portion  28 . When housing portions such as housing portion  28  are formed from material such as anodized aluminum, laser machining or other suitable techniques may be used to selectively remove a portion the oxidized surface of housing  28  in the vicinity of pins  50 . With this type of arrangement, the pins make electrical contact with exposed conductive surfaces of the conductive housing at the portions of the housing from which the oxidized surface (or other insulating coating) has been removed, thereby ensuring good electrical contact. 
     With one suitable arrangement, the use of pins  50  to ground motherboard  48  to the housing of device  10  may help to ensure that the motherboard is properly grounded. For example, even when motherboard  48  is not properly mounted (e.g., when less than the typical number of mounting screws have been used to mount motherboard  48  to housing portion  28 ) and motherboard  48  is not precisely in its nominal position relative to lower housing portion  28 , pins  50  may help to ensure that motherboard  48  is still properly grounded to lower housing portion  28 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , device  10  may have an electrical component such as optical disk drive ODD  52  or other storage component. Drive  52  may have a housing or other suitable structures that are adapted to conform to the shape of the housing or other structures within device  10 . For example, drive  52  may have portions  55  which are formed to mate with the contours of the inner surface of lower housing portion  28 . This may allow direct mounting of drive  52  to corresponding mounting structures in lower housing portion  28 . With one particularly suitable arrangement, which is shown in the example of  FIG. 6 , drive  52  may be mounted to lower housing portion  28  without the use of additional hardware (e.g., without the use of mounting brackets). Screws  54  may be passed through holes in portions  55  and screwed into corresponding threaded portions of housing  28 . Portions  55  of drive  52  may be structures that are an integral part of the housing of drive  52 . This drive housing may be formed from metal, plastic, or other suitable materials. Drive  52  may be an optical drive, a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, or any other suitable storage component or electrical device. 
       FIG. 7  shows a close-up view of drive  52  and one of the integral drive housing structures (e.g., one of portions  55 ) which can be form fitted to allow mounting to device  10  using screws  54 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , portion  55  may be formed into a shape that has a screw hole that allows screw  54  to pass through portion  55  and fit into corresponding threaded recess  56  of lower housing portion  28 . 
       FIG. 8  shows an exploded perspective view of drive  52 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , drive  52  may have portions  55  which are form fitted to mount to lower housing portion  28 . With one suitable arrangement, drive  52  may be mounted to lower housing portion  28  by inserting screws  54  through portions  55  of drive  52  into screw holes  56  (e.g., threaded recesses  56 ) of lower housing portion  28 . 
     Drive  52  may have optical disk slot  62 . Optical disk slot  62  may accept disks into and eject disks out of drive  52 . When drive  52  is mounted to lower housing portion  28 , disks which are inserted into or ejected from slot  62  and drive  52  may pass through disk opening  60  in lower housing portion  28 . 
     If desired, drive  52  may be chamfered (narrowed) along an edge (e.g., an edge such as the edge associated with optical disk slot  62 ). By chamfering drive  52  along the edge of slot  62 , it may be possible to mount drive  52  against the edge of housing portion  28  (e.g., directly against the edge of housing  28  associated with opening  60 ) even when the interior depth of housing  28  is narrowed (tapered) near the edge of housing  28 . 
     An illustrative Ethernet plug (RJ45 plug) is shown in  FIG. 9 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , plug  100  may have a main body formed from plastic or other suitable materials. A cable such as an Ethernet cable  104  may be connected to body  102 . Wires in cable  104  may be respectively connected to electrical contacts  106 . Movable portion (bendable portion)  110  of plug  100  may be used to retain plug  100  in a connector port in device  10  such a port  32 . When plug  100  is inserted into port  32 , the upper planar inner surface of housing  28  (portion  40  in  FIG. 3 ) bears against movable portion  110  (e.g., along surface  107  and surface  108 ). This bends portion  110  downwards in direction  114 . Once inserted within port  32 , the vertical inner walls of retaining structures  42  in port  32  bear against vertical wall portions  112  of movable portion  110 , retaining plug  100  in port. 
     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: 20081219
Publication Date: 20120327
Grant Date: 20120327
Priority Date: 20081013
Inventors: RAFF JOHN
FIELDS STEWART SHANNON
HOPKINSON RON
ANDRE BARTLEY K.
LIGTENBERG CHRIS
ZHOU MI
WEHRENBERG PAUL J.
DEGNER BRETT W.
BROCK JOHN
GOLDBERG MICHELLE RAE
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H01R2201/06", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1616", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1656", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6272", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6272", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1656", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R2201/06", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1616", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 42098655