PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-8610029-B2
Application Number: US-201113092719-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Systems and methods for using a portion of a housing in a button assembly

Abstract:
Systems and methods for cutting a cover from a portion of a housing of an electronic device, and positioning the cover within the housing are provided. An electronic device can include an interface having an actuator over which a cover is placed. The cover can by cutting away a portion of a housing of the electronic device. To improve the aesthetic appeal of the device, the orientation of the cover can be maintained while and after it is cut away from the housing by a fixture used for the cutting process. An adhesive sheet can be placed over the housing and the cover to ensure that the cover remains stationary relative to the housing once it is separated from the housing.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for cutting a cover from a housing of an electronic device, comprising:
 retaining the housing in a fixture; 
 cutting a closed loop in the housing, wherein a portion of the housing that is enclosed within the closed loop forms the cover; 
 placing an adhesive sheet over the closed loop, wherein the adhesive sheet is coupled at least partially to the cover and to the housing to keep them in a specific orientation with respect to each other; and 
 removing the housing and cover from the fixture such that the housing and cover remain coupled together via the adhesive sheet. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 placing an extension of the fixture in contact with a portion of the cover; and 
 placing a magnet opposite the extension, wherein the housing is secured between the extension and the magnet. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 cutting the housing around the magnet to define the closed loop. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 removing the magnet to release the cover, wherein the magnet is removed after the adhesive sheet has been placed over the cut closed loop. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 placing a second extension of the fixture in contact with a portion of the housing that does not correspond to the cover; and 
 placing another magnet opposite the other extension. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 cutting further comprises cutting using a laser. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein placing an adhesive sheet further comprises:
 maintaining a position and orientation of the cover relative to the housing after the closed loop is made; and 
 securing the adhesive sheet to a portion of the cover and to a portion of the housing in the maintained position and orientation. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 positioning a magnet of a fixture cover over a fixture base to retain the housing and the cover.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of previously filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/327,087, filed on Apr. 22, 2010, entitled “LASER CUTTING OF BUTTONS IN AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE HOUSING,” the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     An electronic device can include one or more interfaces that allow a user to interact with a device. For example, an electronic device can include one or more buttons that a user can press. Each interface can include an actuator for detecting a user&#39;s interaction with the interface, and a cover coupled to the actuator and with which the user interacts. In some cases, a housing of the device can include an opening through which the actuator can be accessed. The cover can be placed at least partially in the opening to protect the actuator. 
     SUMMARY 
     Systems and methods for cutting a cover from a portion of a housing of an electronic device, and positioning the cover within the housing as part of a button assembly are provided. 
     To improve the aesthetic appeal of an input interface, a cover placed over an actuator can be constructed from a portion of the housing. For example, a closed loop can be cut in the housing to create an opening in the housing. The material removed from the housing (e.g., a cut away portion of the housing) can be retained in the opening to serve as a cover for an actuator placed within or beneath the opening. 
     In some cases, the shape of the housing and cover, or the material used for the housing, can provide an orientation relative to the housing for which the aesthetic appeal of the device is maximized. For example, it may be desirable for a cover to be oriented such that its shape matches a shape of the housing (e.g., a matching curved cross-section). As another example, it may be desirable for a grain of the cover to match a grain of the housing. Different approaches can be used to maintain the position and orientation of the cut away portion of the housing and the housing with respect to each other. In some embodiments, a fixture can be provided to maintain the position and orientation of a cover once it has been cut away. The fixture can include a fixture base and a fixture cover placed on opposite sides of the housing and cover such that the housing and cover are retained by the fixture after a cutting operation is complete. In some cases, an adhesive sheet can be placed over the housing and the cover to secure them together before removing the housing and the cover from the fixture. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other features of the present invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an illustrative electronic device in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the electronic device of  FIG. 1  taken at line  2 - 2  in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are top views of a portion of a cover in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view of a portion of an illustrative electronic device from which a cover is cut using a laser in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view of a portion of an illustrative device housing placed within a fixture for retaining cut away portions of housing material in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view of a portion of an illustrative electronic device placed in a fixture in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a sectional view of a housing having adhesive sheets in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a top view of the housing of  FIG. 7  having adhesive sheets in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a top view of a housing having several adhesive sheets in accordance with some embodiments of the invention; and 
         FIG. 10  is a flowchart of an illustrative process for maintaining a position of a cover cut away from a housing in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An electronic device can include one or more input interfaces by which a user can control the device. Some interfaces can include an actuator with which a user can interact to provide an instruction to the device. The actuator can include, for example, a switch that must be depressed to close an electrical circuit. Because an actuator may have limited aesthetic appeal, a cover can be placed over the actuator to provide an external surface of the device. The cover can be provided within an opening of a device housing. 
     To improve the aesthetic appeal of an interface, a cover can be constructed from a portion of the housing. For example, a closed loop can be cut in the housing to define a removable portion of the housing that can serve as a cover. If the housing is constructed from a material that includes a grain or other feature providing an orientation for the housing, it may be desirable for the cover to maintain an orientation corresponding to the orientation of material in the housing. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an illustrative electronic device having a button assembly in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Electronic device  100  can be constructed from an external housing  110  in which at least one input interface is provided. For example, housing  110  can include an opening in which wheel  120  and cover  122  are placed. Electronic device  100  can include one or more mechanical, resistive, or capacitive actuators positioned adjacent to wheel  120  and cover  122 . For example, a capacitive sensor can be placed adjacent to wheel  120 , and a mechanical switch can be placed adjacent to cover  122  to provide a scroll-wheel input interface (e.g., as in an iPod®, sold by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.). 
       FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the electronic device of  FIG. 1  taken at line  2 - 2  in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Electronic device  200  can include housing  210  defining volume  212  in which electronic device components can be placed. Lid  214  can be coupled to housing  210  to close volume  212  such that components placed within the electronic device  200  may be secured and retained. An input interface of the device can make use openings provided in one or both of housing  210  and lid  214 . For example, a hole can be cut in housing  210  in which cover  222  can be secured. In some cases, the hole may be sized to receive both wheel  220  and cover  222 , which may be placed in the center of wheel  220 . 
     Cover  222  can be constructed from any suitable material. For example, cover  222  can be constructed from a material that is different than the material used for housing  210  or lid  214 . As another example, cover  222  can be constructed from the same material as housing  210  or lid  214 , but from a different stock of material. In such cases, cover  222  can be constructed to substantially match the dimensions of the hole to avoid any gaps between cover  222  and housing  210  or lid  214 . In addition, the particular orientation of cover  222  within housing  210  may not be important, as the grain of the material used for cover  222 , or other features providing an orientation for cover  222 , may not correspond to a grain or feature of the material used for housing  210  or lid  214  (e.g., because cover  222  and housing  210  are constructed from different stocks). 
     In some embodiments, however, cover  222  can be constructed from a portion of housing  210  or of lid  214 . For example, a portion of housing  210  can be cut away to form cover  222 . In such cases, it may be important to minimize the amount of material removed from housing  210  to create cover  222  so that a gap between housing  210  and cover  222  is also minimized. A smaller gap can be more pleasing aesthetically, and prevent debris or other artifacts from entering volume  212  and damaging electronic device components. Cover  222  can have any suitable shape including, for example, a circular, oval, rectangular, polygonal, or curved shape. In some cases, the shape of the cut, or the shape of the resulting cover  222  can be symmetrical, such that the cover can be placed within the opening created by the cut in at least two different orientations. 
     Different approaches can be used to cut cover  222  away from housing  210 . In some embodiments, a machining process can be used. The machining process can make use of a mechanical tool such as, for example, a grinding or cutting tool to remove material from housing  210 . The size of the cut can be determined from the size of the tool used in the machining process. 
       FIGS. 3A and 3B  are top views of a portion of a cover in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Device  300  can include housing  310  having opening  312  from which cover  322  is cut. Due to the manufacturing process, dimensions of cover  322  (e.g., a diameter of cover  322 ) may be smaller than opening  312 , which may result in gap  330  between a periphery of cover  322  and a periphery of opening  312 . The size of gap  330  can be related from the tool used to cut cover  322  from housing  310 . Gap  330  can have any suitable size including, for example, a size in the range of 0.05 mm to 0.9 mm (e.g., approximately 0.5 mm). To provide an aesthetically pleasing interface, it may be desirable for gap  330  to be distributed in a uniform manner around cover  320 . For example, it may be desirable for gaps  332  and  334 , located on opposite sides of cover  320 , to be substantially the same, or to be so small that a user cannot tell that the gaps are different. 
     Some manufacturing processes, however, can create a gap that is large enough for a user to visually distinguish variations in the size of gap  330  around cover  322 . When cover  322  is no longer centered within opening  312 , the aesthetic appeal of electronic device  300  may be reduced. For example, as shown in  FIG. 3B , device  350  can include housing  360  having opening  362  in which cover  372  is placed. Gap  380  can extend between a periphery of cover  372  and a periphery of opening  362 . If cover  372  is not centered relative to opening  362 , gap  380  can vary between large gap  382  and small gap  384  on opposite sides of cover  372 . If the difference in gap size is perceptible, it may be aesthetically displeasing to a user. 
     To minimize the dimensions of the gap, a laser cutting process can be used to cut a cover from a housing. Because a laser can be narrowly focused, the cut provided by a laser may be so small that variations in gap size may be substantially insignificant to a user&#39;s perception.  FIG. 4  is a sectional view of a portion of an illustrative electronic device from which a cover is cut using a laser in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Device  400  can include housing  410 , which may include some or all of the features of the housings described above. One or both of wheel  420  and cover  422  can be separated from housing  400  by cuts  430  and  432 . To limit the size of gaps between housing  410 , wheel  420 , and cover  430 , a laser can be used to make the cuts. The laser can be tuned based on a desired size of a gap between components, the material to be cut, or combinations of these. For example, a laser can be selected to create cuts that are less than 0.1 mm thick. 
     Because the cuts required for separating the wheel and cover from the housing define closed loops, the wheel and cover may fall away from the housing when they are cut. Although a fixture can be used to partially retain the wheel or cover during the cutting process, the wheel or cover may still move relative to the housing once the cutting process is complete (e.g., the wheel or cover may fall away when the fixture is removed). When the wheel or cover is re-positioned within the housing to form part of an input interface, the orientation of the wheel or cover may differ relative to the initial orientation prior to the cutting process. If the material has a grain or other feature providing a specific orientation (e.g., a non-planar shape such as a curved center cover), the re-positioned wheel or cover may not match the housing. The resulting perceived mis-alignment of the wheel and/or cover may detract from the cosmetic appeal of the electronic device. 
     To ensure that the aesthetic appeal of the electronic device is maintained, a fixture and process can be used to retain cut away portions of the housing that serve as covers for input interfaces.  FIG. 5  is a sectional view of an illustrative device housing placed within a fixture for retaining cut away portions of housing material in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Assembly  500  can include housing  510  placed in fixture  540 . Using assembly  500 , a high-powered laser used to remove material can create cuts  530  and  532  in housing  510  to define wheel  520  and cover  522 . 
     Laser  542  can be positioned adjacent to surface  511  or to surface  512  of housing  510  (e.g., an interior or exterior surface of housing  510 ). In some cases, the particular surface that is first cut by the laser can be selected based on attributes of the laser, or on an aesthetic appearance of a surface that has been cut using laser  542 . For example, if a laser cut is cleaner on an entrance surface (e.g., surface  511 ) than on an exit surface (e.g., surface  512 ), housing  510  can be oriented such that an external surface of the housing (e.g., a surface that will be visible to a user) is placed adjacent to laser  542 . 
     Laser  542  can remove material from housing  510  by melting, burning, vaporizing, or blowing away material from the housing. The removed material may be directed away from surface  511  at which the laser first contacts the housing, and towards surface  512  opposite surface  511 . The removed material may be expelled from housing  510  along the direction of laser  542  (e.g., out of surface  512 ). To retain housing  510  during the laser cutting process, while allowing the laser to remove the material required for each of the cuts, fixture  540  can include arms extending towards housing  510  and coming into contact with different portions of housing  510 . For example, fixture  540  can include extensions or arms  544  for retaining housing  510 , arms  546  for retaining wheel  520 , and arm  548  for retaining cover  522 . Fixture  540  can include any suitable number of arms for each portion of housing  510  including, for example, a single continuous structure extending around a gap. In some cases, several arms can be used to retain a particular cut-away portion of housing  510  (e.g., use two arms for cover  522 , not shown). 
     Fixture  540  can include pockets corresponding to each of the cuts for receiving material removed by each cut to be expelled from housing  510 . For example, fixture  540  can include pocket  550  corresponding to cut  530  and pocket  552  corresponding to cut  532 . In some cases, several pockets can be connected, for example as a part of a loop. 
     The pockets can have any suitable size within fixture  540 . In some cases, the depth, width, or volume of a pocket can be determined from an amount of material to be cut, a type of material used for the housing, a type of laser, a laser power, a laser size (e.g., corresponding to a cut size), a material used for the fixture, or combinations of those. In some cases, the pockets of a particular fixture can be sized to accommodate cuts corresponding to covers or other external elements having different dimensions. The particular material used for fixture  540  can be selected such that laser  542  may not cut into fixture  540 . 
     As discussed above, it may be desirable to maintain a position or orientation of a cover, wheel, or other external component that is cut away from the housing for aesthetic reasons. To retain a cut-away portion of the housing, the fixture can include a fixture cover positioned such that the housing is secured between the fixture and the fixture cover.  FIG. 6  is a sectional view of a portion of an illustrative electronic device placed in a fixture in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Assembly  600  can include housing  610  from which wheel  620  and cover  622  are cut. Housing  610  can be retained by fixture  640 , which can include some or all of the features of fixture  540  ( FIG. 5 ) described above. 
     Fixture  640  can include several magnets used to secure housing  610 , wheel  620 , and cover  622  to fixture  640 , thus maintaining the orientation and position of wheel  620  and cover  622  relative to housing  610  once cuts  630  and  632  have been made. The array of magnets can be part of a fixture cover placed opposite a fixture base. In particular, assembly  600  can include magnet  660  placed over housing  610 , magnet  662  placed over wheel  620 , and magnet  664  placed over cover  622 . The magnets can be positioned and sized such that regions of housing  610  in which cuts  630  and  632  are to be made remain exposed for access by the cutting tool (e.g., a laser). Fixture  640  can be constructed at least partially from a material that responds to magnetic forces such that portions of housing  610 , wheel  620 , and cover  630  can be secured between a magnet and fixture  640 . 
     Once the cuts have been made, one or more adhesive sheets can be placed over the portions of the housing that are not covered by magnets  660 ,  662 , and  664 . For example, adhesive sheet  670  can be placed over cut  630  between housing  610  and wheel  620  and adhesive sheet  672  can be placed over cut  632  between wheel  620  and cover  622 . The adhesive sheets can serve to maintain the position and orientation of wheel  620  and cover  622  relative to housing  610 , which can allow the magnets to be removed to release housing  610  and its cut away portions. 
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view of a housing having adhesive sheets in accordance with some embodiments of the invention.  FIG. 8  is a top view of the housing of  FIG. 7  having adhesive sheets in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Housing  710 , wheel  720  and cover  722  can include some or all of the features described above. Adhesive sheets  770  and  772  can be placed over cuts  730  and  732  respectively, provided in housing  710 . In some cases, adhesive sheets  770  and  772  can form a single adhesive sheet in the shape of a ring. In some cases, if the disposition of the magnets of the fixture allows it, adhesive sheets  770  and  772  can all be partially connected to form a unified adhesive sheet. 
     In some cases, several adhesive sheets can combine to form part or all of a ring. For example, two or more distinct adhesive sheets can be placed over each cut. Housing  910 , wheel  920  and cover  922 , shown in  FIG. 9 , can include some or all of the features described above. Adhesive sheets  970  and  976  can be placed over cut  930  between housing  910  and wheel  920 . Adhesive sheets  972  and  974  can be placed over cut  932  between wheel  920  and cover  922 . Each of the adhesive sheets can have the same or different size, and cover a same or different amount of a cut. The adhesive sheets may or may not overlap, based on how securely wheel  920  and cover  922  need to be coupled to housing  910 . 
     The adhesive sheets used for the housing can be provided using any suitable approach. In some cases, a sheet of material having an integrated adhesive (e.g., tape) can be used. In other cases, an adhesive can first be placed over the housing, wheel, and cover, and a sheet of material can subsequently be placed over the adhesive for form an adhesive sheet. The adhesive sheet can extend over any suitable portion of the housing. For example, the adhesive sheet can be limited to regions adjacent to the cut (e.g., to reduce the size of the adhesive sheet). As another example, the adhesive sheet can extend over large portions of the housing to ensure that the cut away portions of the housing material are securely retained. 
     In some cases, other approaches can be used to ensure that the cut away wheel and cover remain in position while and after the cuts are made. For example, one or more suction-cups, vacuum-assisted elements, or other components can be used to retain a cut away cover. As another example, the fixture can include opposing arms that apply a force to the housing, the wheel and the cover such that the wheel and the cover are constrained on upper and lower surfaces by the fixture (e.g., sandwiched by the fixture). 
     The following flowchart illustrates a process used to create a housing having cut out external elements or covers.  FIG. 10  is a flowchart of an illustrative process for maintaining a position of a cover cut away from a housing in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Process  1000  can begin at step  1002 . At step  1004 , a housing can be secured in a fixture. In some cases, the fixture can be configured to maintain a position and orientation of portions of the housing that are cut away with respect to the housing. For example, the fixture can include one or more magnets operative to be placed over the housing to interact with portions of the fixture on an opposite side of the housing. At step  1006 , a cover can be cut in the housing. For example, a laser can be used to cut a cover used as part of an input interface (e.g., a part of a button assembly). At step  1008 , an adhesive sheet can be placed over the cut portions of the housing such that the adhesive sheet is secured to opposite sides of the cut. For example, the adhesive sheet can be secured to both the housing and the cover. At step  1010 , the housing and the cut cover can be removed from the fixture. For example, the housing and the cover, held together using the adhesive sheet, can be removed from the fixture and provided to a subsequent process. In particular, the housing and the cover can be provided to a process for connecting the cover to an actuator of an input interface. Process  1010  can then end at step  1012 . 
     The previously described embodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation. It is understood that one or more features of an embodiment can be combined with one or more features of another embodiment to provide systems and/or methods without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20110422
Publication Date: 20131217
Grant Date: 20131217
Priority Date: 20100422
Inventors: YEATES KYLE
LYNCH BRIAN
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "B23K26/38", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B26F1/3846", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B26D7/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B26D7/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B23K26/38", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T156/1077", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T83/566", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B26F1/3846", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T156/1062", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T83/566", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B25B11/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B26D7/34", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T83/04", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T156/1077", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T156/1062", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T83/04", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B26D7/34", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 45021225