PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9680249-B2
Application Number: US-201615282768-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Molded enclosures having a seamless appearance

Abstract:
An enclosure for an AC to DC adapter has a continuous and seamless exterior surface. The enclosure includes a housing and a front wall that are joined by a bonded interface. The front wall is formed from a metallic interface plate and an exterior layer of plastic that is formed over the metallic interface plate and bonded to the housing.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An enclosure for an electronic assembly, the enclosure having a seamless exterior appearance and comprising:
 a housing having a rear wall and at least one side wall extending from the rear wall to a distal end; 
 a front wall including a front wall support and an exterior layer formed over the front wall support, wherein the front wall, the rear wall, and the at least one side wall define a cavity in which the electronic assembly is disposed; 
 at least two electrical prongs disposed through the rear wall and electrically coupled to, separate from and abutting the electronic assembly positioned within the cavity; and 
 a receiving opening extending through the front wall and in communication with the cavity. 
 
     
     
       2. The enclosure of  claim 1  wherein the front wall support is planar. 
     
     
       3. The enclosure of  claim 1  wherein the front wall support has a convex shape. 
     
     
       4. The enclosure of  claim 1  wherein the front wall support is formed from a metal and the exterior layer is formed from a plastic. 
     
     
       5. The enclosure of  claim 1  wherein a ledge is formed in the at least one side wall. 
     
     
       6. The enclosure of  claim 5  wherein the front wall support has a first side disposed against the ledge and a second side disposed against the exterior layer. 
     
     
       7. The enclosure of  claim 1  wherein the electrical assembly has a connector aligned with the receiving opening. 
     
     
       8. The enclosure of  claim 7  wherein the electronic assembly is an AC to DC adapter that receives AC power through the at least two electrical prongs and supplies DC power out of the connector. 
     
     
       9. The enclosure e of  claim 1  further comprising a trim ring fit within the receiving opening. 
     
     
       10. The enclosure of  claim 1  wherein an interface between the exterior layer of the front wall and the at least one side wall is curved. 
     
     
       11. A method of forming an enclosure having a seamless exterior appearance, the method comprising:
 forming a housing having a rear wall opposite an opening and at least one sidewall extending between the rear wall and the opening forming a cavity, wherein the rear wall is formed around at least two electrical prongs extending through the rear wall; 
 placing an electronic assembly within the cavity such that it is electrically coupled to the at least two electrical prongs; 
 placing a front wall support having an aperture within the opening; and 
 forming an exterior layer on an outside surface of the front wall support such that an exterior surface of the enclosure has a seamless appearance and has a receiving opening aligned with the aperture. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11  further comprising forming a ledge in a distal end of the at least on sidewall and placing the front wall support on the ledge. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 11  wherein the exterior layer is formed with an injection molding process. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13  wherein the exterior layer bonds to the at least one sidewall at an interface. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 11  wherein the front wall support is held in place during the forming of the exterior layer with tooling having a pair of fingers that extend through the aperture. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15  wherein the pair of fingers form a receiving opening in the exterior layer. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16  wherein the receiving opening is aligned with the aperture and a trim ring is placed within the receiving opening. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 11  wherein injection mold tooling applies a force against the front wall support towards the rear wall such that plastic is prevented from flowing into the cavity during formation of the exterior layer. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 11  wherein the housing has first sidewall opposite a second sidewall and a third sidewall opposite a fourth sidewall. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 11  wherein the housing has one sidewall forming a cylinder.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO OTHER APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/235,409, for “SEAMLESS ELECTRONIC ENCLOSURE” filed on Sep. 30, 2015 which is hereby incorporated by reference in entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The described embodiments relate generally to enclosures that have the appearance of being seamless. More particularly, the present embodiments relate to plastic enclosures that appear seamless and house one or more electronics assemblies. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Currently there are a wide variety of electronic devices that have enclosures to facilitate the use of the electronic device and provide an aesthetic appearance. However, often such enclosures have one or more seams where plastic components of the enclosure meet. The seams can disrupt the exterior surface of the enclosure impairing its aesthetics and sometimes creating a relatively weak region of the enclosure that is prone to damage and breakage. This can be particularly problematic for enclosures that contain high-voltage electronic components that would be exposed if such a seam were to be broken. New enclosures are needed for electronic assemblies that are seamless, or at least have the appearance of being seamless, and/or that have improved structural integrity. 
     SUMMARY 
     Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to enclosures having a seamless look and feel that are used to encase an electronic assembly. Some embodiments relate to an enclosure that can be used for any electronic device while other embodiments relate to an enclosure for an AC to DC adapter. 
     In some embodiments an enclosure for an electronic assembly has a seamless exterior appearance and comprises a housing having a rear wall and at least one side wall extending from the rear wall to a distal end. A front wall includes a front wall support and an exterior layer formed over the front wall support, wherein the front wall, the rear wall, and the at least one side wall define a cavity in which the electronic assembly is disposed. At least two electrical prongs are disposed through the rear wall and are electrically coupled to the electronic assembly positioned within the cavity. A receiving opening extends through the front wall and is in communication with the cavity. 
     In various embodiments the front wall support is planar. In some embodiments the front wall support has a convex shape. In various embodiments the front wall support is formed from a metal and the exterior layer is formed from a plastic. In some embodiments a ledge is formed in the at least one side wall. 
     In some embodiments the front wall support has a first side disposed against the ledge and a second side disposed against the exterior layer. In various embodiments the electrical assembly has a connector aligned with the receiving opening. In some embodiments the electronic assembly is an AC to DC adapter that receives AC power through the at least two electrical prongs and supplies DC power out of the connector. In various embodiments a trim ring is fit within the receiving opening. In some embodiments an interface between the exterior layer of the front wall and the at least one side wall is curved. 
     In some embodiments a method of forming an enclosure having a seamless exterior comprises forming a housing having a rear wall opposite an opening and at least one sidewall extending between the rear wall and the opening forming a cavity, wherein the rear wall is formed around at least two electrical prongs extending through the rear wall. An electronic assembly is placed within the cavity such that it is electrically coupled to the at least two electrical prongs. A front wall support having an aperture is placed within the opening. An exterior layer is formed on an outside surface of the front wall support such that an exterior surface of the enclosure has a seamless appearance and has a receiving opening aligned with the aperture. 
     In various embodiments a ledge is formed in a distal end of the at least on sidewall and the front wall support is placed on the ledge. In some embodiments the exterior layer is formed with an injection molding process. In various embodiments the exterior layer bonds to the at least one sidewall at an interface. In some embodiments the front wall support is held in place during the forming of the exterior layer with tooling having a pair of fingers that extend through the aperture. 
     In some embodiments the pair of fingers form a receiving opening in the exterior layer. In various embodiments the receiving opening is aligned with the aperture and a trim ring is placed within the receiving opening. In some embodiments injection mold tooling applies a force against the front wall support towards the rear wall such that plastic is prevented from flowing into the cavity during formation of the exterior layer. In various embodiments the housing has first sidewall opposite a second sidewall and a third sidewall opposite a fourth sidewall. In some embodiments the housing has one sidewall forming a cylinder. 
     To better understand the nature and advantages of the present disclosure, reference should be made to the following description and the accompanying figures. It is to be understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the scope of the present disclosure. Also, as a general rule, and unless it is evident to the contrary from the description, where elements in different figures use identical reference numbers, the elements are generally either identical or at least similar in function or purpose. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of an electronic device having a visually continuous exterior surface according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of an AC to DC adapter having a visually continuous exterior surface according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a housing for the AC to DC adapter illustrated in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of a housing including a front wall support and an electronic assembly for the AC to DC adapter illustrated in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of injection mold tooling against the front wall support illustrated in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of an exterior layer that has been formed against the front wall support illustrated in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the AC to DC adapter illustrated in  FIG. 6  with a trim ring; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of an injection molding tool inserted through an aperture in a front wall support plate of an AC to DC adapter according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of an injection molding tool inserted through an aperture in a front wall support plate of an AC to DC adapter according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional side view of the injection molding tool illustrated in  FIGS. 8 and 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a method of forming an AC to DC adapter having an enclosure according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view of a housing for an AC to DC adapter having a convex shaped front wall support according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and 
         FIG. 13  is a partial cross-sectional view of a curved interface between an exterior layer and at least one sidewall of an enclosure according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to electronic devices that have a plastic enclosure that has the appearance and feel of not including any seams (e.g., having an apparently seamless enclosure). Various embodiments relate to enclosures that can also have improved structural integrity at the enclosure edges and/or resiliency to water or dust penetration. While the present disclosure can be useful for a wide variety of configurations, some embodiments of the disclosure are particularly useful for high voltage electronic assemblies encased in plastic enclosures, as described in more detail below. 
     For example, in some embodiments an injection molded plastic housing is formed with a cavity in communication with an opening, and a pair of AC wall adapter prongs that extend out of a face of the housing. An AC to DC converter assembly that includes high voltage circuitry is installed within the cavity and coupled to the prongs. A front wall support is placed in the opening and an exterior plastic layer is formed over the front wall support forming a visually continuous exterior surface at seams where the exterior plastic layer meets the housing. The exterior plastic layer has a receiving opening through which a DC connector can be coupled to the AC to DC converter. 
     In order to better appreciate the features and aspects of housings having a seamless appearance according to the present disclosure, further context for the disclosure is provided in the following section by discussing two particular implementations of electronic devices according to embodiments of the present disclosure. These embodiments are for example only and other embodiments can be employed in other electronic devices such as, but not limited to computers, watches, media players, RFID tags and other devices. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a simplified perspective view of an electronic device  100  according to some embodiments of the disclosure. As shown in  FIG. 1 , electronic device  100  has an enclosure  105  with an aperture  103  and a visually continuous exterior surface  110  having the appearance and feel of being seamless. More specifically, enclosure  105  includes a housing  115  and a front wall  120  that are visually continuous at a seam  125  where the housing and front wall meet. The seamless appearance can be aesthetically pleasing, and can also provide resilience to dust and liquid penetration when aperture  103  is sealed, as described in more detail below. Further, seam  125  can be imperceptible to a user&#39;s touch giving electronic device  100  a smooth monolithic feel. In some embodiments seam  125  can be formed to have sufficient mechanical strength so that front wall  120  cannot be easily separated from housing  115  and edges  130  of enclosure  105  resist fracturing. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , enclosure  105  is illustrated as including a display  135  (e.g., a touch display), an aperture  103  and first and second input buttons  140 ,  145 . In some embodiments an electronic connector is disposed within aperture  103  and can receive a mating connector that can charge electronic device  100  and/or be used to communicate data to and from the electronic device. Embodiments of the disclosure are not limited to any particular electronic device, however, and in other embodiments enclosure  105  can be used for devices that have different components than what is shown in  FIG. 1 . The seamless appearance of enclosure  105  can be both aesthetically pleasing and useful to make enclosure  105  liquid-tight. In one example, a liquid tight receptacle connector is disposed within aperture  103  such that enclosure  105  is liquid tight. 
     In various embodiments enclosure  105  can be used to enclose other electronics assemblies such as, but not limited to a wireless communication transceiver, a wireless router, an RFID device or an AC to DC adapter, as explained in more detail below. In some particular embodiments enclosure  105  can be part of a device that includes wireless transceiver, and a rechargeable battery. In further embodiments, enclosure  105  can be used for purposes other than enclosing an electronic device. In one example, enclosure  105  can be used to enclose an antique (e.g., a coin or a piece of ancient artwork) that needs to protected from damage and have an aesthetically appealing appearance. 
     As defined herein, liquid-tight shall mean a seal that conforms to one or more of the following ratings as defined by the International Protection Rating and International Electrochemical Commission (IEC) 60529 that can also be known as the I.P. 68 rating. In some embodiments the liquid-tight seal will protect the electronic assembly against the harmful ingress of water and have a “liquid ingress” rating between 1 (dripping water) and 8 (immersion beyond 1 meter). In various embodiments the liquid-tight seal shall be rated between 1 (dripping water) and 4 (splashing water) while in some embodiments the liquid-tight seal shall be rated between 2 (dripping water with device tilted at 15 degrees) and 5 (water jet). In various embodiments the liquid-tight seal shall be rated between 3 (spraying water) and 6 (powerful water jets) while in some embodiments the liquid-tight seal shall be rated between 4 (splashing water) and 7 (immersion up to 1 meter). In various embodiments the liquid-tight seal shall be rated between 5 (water jets) and 8 (immersion beyond 1 meter) while in some embodiments liquid-tight shall mean the seal will protect the electronic device against liquid ingress up to 100 feet for 30 
     Now referring to  FIG. 2  a simplified perspective view of an electronic device  200  having a seamless appearance is illustrated. As shown in  FIG. 2 , electronic device  200  can be an AC to DC adapter that includes an enclosure  205  having a visually continuous exterior surface  220 . In this embodiment, enclosure  205  encases an AC to DC electronics assembly (not shown in  FIG. 1 ), as discussed in more detail below. 
     Electronic device  200  has a pair of electrical prongs  311   a ,  311   b  that are configured to be plugged into an AC wall outlet to receive AC power. A receiving opening  235  is configured to receive a connector that can couple DC energy to a separate electronic device. In some embodiments continuous exterior surface  220  can provide device  200  with a pleasing feel for a user since housing  215  is not distinguishable from front wall  210  by touch. In further embodiments seams  240  formed between front wall  210  and housing  215 , can be configured to provide improved structural integrity such that enclosure  205  is able to withstand high mechanical forces. 
     In this particular embodiment enclosure  205  is for an AC to DC adapter where electrical prongs  311   a ,  311   b  are configured to be plugged into a wall outlet and receiving opening  235  is configured to receive a connector that can couple DC energy to an electronic device. However, other embodiments can have electronic assemblies with different functions than an AC to DC adapter. 
       FIGS. 3-7  illustrate sequential steps of forming electronic device  200 .  FIG. 3  illustrates a cross-sectional view of housing  215 . Housing  215  can have a seamless, or apparently seamless, exterior surface  305  and can be made out of a single piece of material. Housing  215  can have a rear wall  310  opposite an opening  315  and at least one sidewall  320  extending between the rear wall and the opening, forming a cavity  325 . In the example illustrated in  FIG. 3  there can be four sidewalls while a cylindrically shaped enclosure housing can have a single wall that encircles the electronic assembly. More specifically, in some embodiments housing  215  can have a first sidewall  326  opposite a second sidewall  327  and a third sidewall opposite a fourth sidewall (not shown in  FIG. 3 ). 
     The at least one sidewall  320  has a distal end  347  with a ledge  350  formed therein. More specifically, ledge  350  can be formed in an interior surface  355  the of at least one sidewall  320  around a perimeter of opening  315 . 
     Rear wall  310  can be formed around at least two electrical prongs  311   a ,  311   b  that are disposed through the rear wall (the second prong is disposed directly behind the prong illustrated in  FIG. 3 ). In other embodiments the at least two electrical prongs  311   a ,  311   b  can be inserted after the formation of housing  215 . Rear wall  310  and the at least one side wall  320  can be formed of plastic, such as a polycarbonate, and can be fabricated with an injection molding machine. In one embodiment the polycarbonate material can be unfilled, while in other embodiments it can have between 1 percent and 20 percent glass fiber or other reinforcement. In another embodiment the polycarbonate material can be RA46, LCP, nylon, PC-PBT or any other type of polycarbonate material. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a cross-sectional view of housing  215  with a front wall support  330 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , an electronic assembly  405  including AC to DC power conversion circuitry has been inserted within cavity  325  and electrically coupled to at least two electrical prongs  311   a ,  311   b . In addition, a front wall support  330  has been placed within opening  315  of housing  215  and is supported by ledge  335 . Front wall support  330  has an aperture  340  aligned with a receptacle connector  345  that extends out of electronics assembly  405 . In some embodiments receptacle connector  345  can be a USB or other type of electrical connector, such as, but not limited to a USB-C connector. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a simplified cross-sectional view of housing  215  positioned within injection molding tooling  505  that forms exterior layer  605 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , a portion of an injection mold tool  505  is in contact with front wall support  330 . Only the portion of injection mold tool  505  that is in contact with front wall support  330  is shown and other portions of the injection mold tooling have been hidden for clarity. Injection mold tool  505  pushes against front wall support  330 , towards rear wall  310  of housing  215 , forming a seal between the injection mold tooling and the front wall support. Front wall support  330  is pushed against housing  215  forming a seal between the front wall and the housing. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a simplified cross-sectional view of housing  215  with an exterior layer  605  formed on front wall support  330 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , an exterior layer  605  is formed on an outside surface  610  of front wall support  330  such that exterior surface  305  of enclosure  205  has a seamless exterior appearance. More specifically, in some embodiments exterior layer  605  is formed by injecting molten plastic that forms an interface  620  between exterior layer  605  and at least one sidewall  320 . In various embodiments exterior layer  605  of plastic cold welds to the at least one sidewall, forming a structural joint as well as a joint with no gap giving enclosure  205  the appearance of being seamless. In some embodiments the same plastic material used for exterior layer  605  can be used for at least one sidewall  320 . The combination of front wall support  330  and exterior layer  605  make a front wall  625  of completed enclosure  205 . Injection mold tool  505  can be configured to preclude molten plastic from flowing into aperture  340  of front wall support  330 , forming an opening  630  within front wall  625  of enclosure  205  that is aligned with receptacle connector  345  extending out of electronic assembly  405 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a simplified cross-sectional view of a fully assembled electronic device  200 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the injection molding tool  505  (see  FIG. 6 ) has been removed and a trim ring  705  is disposed within opening  630  (see  FIG. 6 ). The result is an enclosure  205  surrounding electronic assembly  405  where exterior surface  305  of the enclosure is seamless, or at least has the appearance of being seamless. In addition, enclosure  205  can have improved structural integrity as the cold weld that forms between exterior layer  605  and one or more sidewalls  320  is cold welded along the entire interface  620 . Further, front wall support  330  can be made from a metal such as stainless steel, and can provide a significant amount of reinforcement to front wall  625 , and to at least one side wall  320  such that when enclosure  205  is compressed it will resist deflection and the cold weld at interface  620  will remain intact. 
     In some embodiments, such as for example, the AC to DC converter application, improved structural integrity can be beneficial so that the user is not exposed to high voltages. More specifically, by locating interface  620  of the two components between front wall  625  and at least one sidewall  320 , if the interface breaks it will expose the less dangerous low voltage portion of electronic assembly  405  instead of the high voltage portion that is near rear wall  310 . Further, the increased structural integrity can keep front wall  625  from breaking away from at least one sidewall  320  such that enclosure  205  is safe even when subjected to high impacts or forces. 
       FIGS. 8-10  illustrate cross-sectional views of another embodiment of an injection mold tool that can be used to form exterior layer  605 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , some embodiments can use an injection mold tool  800  that holds front wall support  330  from deforming during the formation of exterior layer  605 , as explained in more detail below. Injection mold tool  800  can have a pair of fingers  810   a ,  810   b  that are inserted through aperture  340  (see  FIG. 3 ) within front wall support  330 . Each finger  810   a ,  810   b  has a catch  815   a ,  815   b , that can be an enlarged area, formed on a distal end  820   a ,  820   b  such that when the fingers are forced apart, as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the catch will not let the fingers pull out of aperture  340 . Thus, in  FIG. 9  when fingers  810   a ,  810   b  have been forced apart by a plunger  825 , the fingers can pull upwards on front wall support  330  and pull the front wall securely against the tooling  505  (see  FIG. 6 ) such that no molten plastic can leak past the tooling and into aperture  340 . 
     In some embodiments this portion of the injection mold tool can operate similar to a pull or a slide where fingers  810   a ,  810   b  are inserted into aperture  340  when the tool closes and the fingers are forced apart and upward after the tool closes. In further embodiments the action can operate with a pneumatic cylinder, an electronic solenoid or actuator. As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , two cams  830   a ,  830   b  can be rotated and used to force fingers  810   a ,  810   b  in an upward direction. This tooling can keep front wall support  330  from deforming inward towards rear wall  310  or moving during the injection molding process. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a side view a cross-section of the injection mold tooling shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , plastic injection gate  1005  can be configured to inject plastic for forming exterior layer  605  into an inside edge of opening  630 . In this way the subsequently installed trim ring  705  (see  FIG. 7 ) can cover the gate vestige mark providing an enclosure  205  with a substantially continuous surface. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a method of forming an AC to DC adapter having a seamless enclosure. In step  1105  a housing is formed. In some embodiments the housing has a bottom wall and at least one side wall extending from the bottom wall. The at least one side wall includes a distal end having a ledge formed therein. The bottom wall is formed around at least two electrical prongs extending through the bottom wall. 
     In step  1110  an electronics assembly is placed within the housing. The electronics assembly is electrically coupled to the at least two electrical prongs. In step  1115  a front wall support is positioned on the ledge formed in the at least one sidewall. In step  1120  an exterior layer is formed on the front wall such that a front wall is formed that defines a cavity in which the electronic assembly is disposed. In some embodiments the exterior layer is formed by injection molding. 
     In some embodiments an automated injection molding and assembly machine can be used to form enclosure  205 , insert electronic assembly  405  and form front wall  625  in sequential operations. In some embodiments the automated machine can be a turret type machine where the assembly rotates to different stations while in other embodiments the machines can have a different configuration such as, for example a progressive in-line system. 
     In some embodiments in a first station housing  215  can be injection molded around two or more electrical prongs  311   a ,  311   b . Housing  215  can then be moved to a second station where electronic assembly  405  is inserted within housing  215  and is coupled to two electrical prongs  311   a ,  311   b . In a third station front wall support  330  can be disposed within opening  315  of housing  215 . In a fourth station exterior layer  605  can be formed on outside surface  610  of front wall support  330 . In a fifth station the assembly can be electrically tested. In some embodiments, by leaving housing  215  in the same tooling it was formed in, tolerance stack ups can become less complex and easier to maintain since there are fewer variables that factor into the tolerance calculations. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates a cross-section of an AC to DC adapter  1200  that uses a curved front wall support  1205 . As illustrated in  FIG. 12  some embodiments can incorporate a front wall support  1205  that is curved in one or more dimensions. In this illustration front wall support  1205  is curved on all sides such that it substantially a convex or cup shape. This shape can provide increased strength of front wall  1202  to resist deformation from the injection molding process. Other front wall shapes can be used and other means of reinforcing the front wall can be used and are within the scope of this disclosure. In some embodiments the front wall can be made from stainless steel material. 
       FIG. 13  illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of an enclosure  1300 . As shown in  FIG. 13  some embodiments can use curved or angular interface  1305  between exterior layer  1310  and one or more sidewalls  1320 . This can result in a less noticeable transition from exterior layer  1310  and one or more sidewalls  1320 . 
     In further embodiments one or more surfaces of enclosure  1300  can be roughened to further obscure the transition between exterior layer  1310  and the one or more sidewalls  1320  to make enclosure  1300  appear seamless. For example, in one embodiment exterior surface  1325  of exterior layer  1310  can be formed with a matte finish while exterior surface  1330  of one or more sidewalls  1320  can be formed with a smooth finish. The matte finish can be used to hide small imperfections in the cold weld interface and to make seam  1335  difficult to discern by touch and/or by sight. 
     Although electronic devices  100  and  200  (see  FIGS. 1 and 2 , respectively) are described and illustrated as two particular electronic devices, embodiments of the disclosure are suitable for use with a multiplicity of electronic devices. For example, any device that encloses an electrical assembly can be used with embodiments of the invention 
     In some instances, embodiments of the disclosure are particularly well suited for use with portable electronic devices because of the importance of their aesthetic appearance. As used herein, an electronic media device includes any device with at least one electronic component. Such devices can include, for example, portable music players (e.g., MP3 devices and Apple&#39;s iPod devices), portable video players (e.g., portable DVD players), cellular telephones (e.g., smart telephones such as Apple&#39;s iPhone devices), wireless routers, video cameras, digital still cameras, projection systems (e.g., holographic projection systems), gaming systems, PDAs, as well as tablet (e.g., Apple&#39;s iPad devices), laptop or other mobile computers. Some of these devices can be configured to provide audio, video or other data or sensory output. 
     For simplicity, various internal components, such as the AC to DC power conversion circuitry, bus, memory, storage device and other components of electronic devices  100  and  200  (see  FIGS. 1 and 2 , respectively) are not shown in the figures. 
     In the foregoing specification, embodiments of the disclosure have been described with reference to numerous specific details that can vary from implementation to implementation. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The sole and exclusive indicator of the scope of the disclosure, and what is intended by the applicants to be the scope of the disclosure, is the literal and equivalent scope of the set of claims that issue from this application, in the specific form in which such claims issue, including any subsequent correction. The specific details of particular embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without departing from the spirit and scope of embodiments of the disclosure. 
     Additionally, spatially relative terms, such as “bottom or “top” and the like can be used to describe an element and/or feature&#39;s relationship to another element(s) and/or feature(s) as, for example, illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use and/or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as a “bottom” surface can then be oriented “above” other elements or features. The device can be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20160930
Publication Date: 20170613
Grant Date: 20170613
Priority Date: 20150930
Inventors: Dvorak Peter A.
RAMOS SIRI AMRIT
ZHANG XUYANG
VILLARREAL CESAR LOZANO
Keane Ciaran J.
KWAN ALEXANDER M.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H01R31/065", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/665", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/504", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/504", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R43/18", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R31/065", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R43/18", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/504", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R43/18", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/665", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R31/065", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 58409940