PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-12093359-B2
Application Number: US-202117471031-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Electronic device having a sealed biometric input system

Abstract:
A portable electronic device may include a housing member defining a side surface of the portable electronic device, a portion of the housing member defining a side wall of a hole extending through the housing member, a button member positioned along the side surface and defining a chassis portion and a hollow post extending into the hole defined through the housing member, and a first waterproof seal defined between the hollow post and the side wall of the hole. The portable electronic device may also include a biometric sensing component coupled to the chassis portion, a flexible circuit element extending through the hollow post and conductively coupling the biometric sensing component to a component within the housing, and a second waterproof seal defined within the hollow post.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A portable electronic device, comprising:
 a housing member defining a side surface of the portable electronic device, a portion of the housing member defining a side wall of a hole extending through the housing member; 
 a button member positioned along the side surface and defining:
 a chassis portion; and 
 a hollow post extending into the hole defined through the housing member; 
 
 a first waterproof seal defined between the hollow post and the side wall of the hole; 
 a biometric sensing component coupled to the chassis portion; 
 a flexible circuit element extending through the hollow post and conductively coupling the biometric sensing component to a component within the portable electronic device; and 
 a second waterproof seal defined within the hollow post. 
 
     
     
       2. The portable electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the biometric sensing component is configured to capture a representation of a fingerprint of a user; 
 the portable electronic device is configured to authenticate the user using the representation of the fingerprint; and 
 the portable electronic device further comprises an input sensor configured to detect an input force applied to the button member. 
 
     
     
       3. The portable electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the first waterproof seal comprises an O-ring. 
     
     
       4. The portable electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the second waterproof seal comprises a potting material at least partially filling the hollow post. 
     
     
       5. The portable electronic device of  claim 1 , further comprising a sapphire cap attached to the chassis portion and covering the biometric sensing component. 
     
     
       6. The portable electronic device of  claim 5 , further comprising a third waterproof seal between the sapphire cap and the chassis portion. 
     
     
       7. The portable electronic device of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the second waterproof seal is formed from a first curable liquid having a first viscosity; and 
 the third waterproof seal is formed from a second curable liquid having a second viscosity that is lower than the first viscosity. 
 
     
     
       8. A portable electronic device, comprising:
 a housing member defining a side wall of a hole extending through the housing member; 
 a display; 
 a transparent cover over the display and coupled to the housing member; 
 a button member positioned along a side of the housing member and defining:
 a chassis portion; and 
 a post extending from the chassis portion and positioned at least partially in the hole, the post defining a passage extending through the post from the chassis portion to an end of the post; 
 
 a biometric sensing component coupled to the chassis portion; and 
 a flexible circuit element extending through the passage and conductively coupling the biometric sensing component to a component within the portable electronic device. 
 
     
     
       9. The portable electronic device of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a sealing member in contact with an exterior surface of the post and the side wall of the hole and configured to inhibit ingress of liquid between the exterior surface of the post and the side wall of the hole; and 
 a potting material within the passage and at least partially encapsulating the flexible circuit element, the potting material configured to inhibit ingress of liquid through the passage. 
 
     
     
       10. The portable electronic device of  claim 9 , wherein the potting material at least partially encapsulates the biometric sensing component. 
     
     
       11. The portable electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the hole is a first hole; 
 the housing member defines a second hole extending through the housing member; and 
 the button member further defines an additional post extending from the chassis portion and positioned in the second hole. 
 
     
     
       12. The portable electronic device of  claim 11 , wherein the additional post is a solid post. 
     
     
       13. The portable electronic device of  claim 11 , further comprising an anti-roll bar retained to the housing member and coupled to the post and the additional post, the anti-roll bar configured to maintain uniform travel of the post and the additional post during actuation of the button member. 
     
     
       14. The portable electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the portable electronic device further comprises an input sensor configured to detect an input force applied to the button member. 
     
     
       15. The portable electronic device of  claim 14 , wherein the input sensor is a capacitive sensor. 
     
     
       16. A portable electronic device, comprising:
 a housing defining a side surface of the portable electronic device; 
 a display at least partially within the housing; 
 a transparent cover over the display and coupled to the housing; 
 a button member positioned along the side surface and defining a hollow post extending into a hole defined through the housing; 
 a biometric sensing component coupled to the button member; 
 a cap covering the biometric sensing component and secured to the button member; 
 a flexible circuit element extending through the hollow post and electrically coupling the biometric sensing component to a component within the housing; and 
 a potting material at least partially encapsulating the flexible circuit element and the biometric sensing component and at least partially filling the hollow post. 
 
     
     
       17. The portable electronic device of  claim 16 , wherein the button member further defines a solid post extending into an additional hole defined through the housing. 
     
     
       18. The portable electronic device of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a first sealing member positioned between the hollow post and a first surface of the housing that defines the hole; and 
 a second sealing member positioned between the solid post and a second surface of the housing that defines additional hole. 
 
     
     
       19. The portable electronic device of  claim 16 , further comprising a sealing material positioned in a gap defined between the cap and the button member. 
     
     
       20. The portable electronic device of  claim 16 , wherein the biometric sensing component is a capacitive sensor of a fingerprint sensing system.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a nonprovisional of, and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/209,769, filed Jun. 11, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/083,610, filed Sep. 25, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully disclosed herein. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The subject matter of this disclosure relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly, to electronic devices with environmentally-sealed biometric input systems for capturing images of fingerprints. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Modern consumer electronic devices take many shapes and forms, and have numerous uses and functions. Smartphones, for example, facilitate communications, productivity, entertainment, and the like. Such devices may include numerous systems to facilitate such functionality. For example, a smartphone may include a touch-sensitive display for providing graphical outputs and for accepting touch inputs, wireless communications systems for connecting with other devices to send and receive voice and data content, cameras for capturing photographs and videos, buttons for controlling device functions and providing other inputs to the device, and so forth. However, integrating these subsystems into a compact and reliable product that is able to withstand daily use presents a variety of technical challenges. The systems and techniques described herein may address many of these challenges while providing a device that offers a wide range of functionality. 
     SUMMARY 
     A portable electronic device may include a housing member defining a side surface of the portable electronic device, a portion of the housing member defining a side wall of a hole extending through the housing member, a button member positioned along the side surface and defining a chassis portion and a hollow post extending into the hole defined through the housing member, and a first waterproof seal defined between the hollow post and the side wall of the hole. The portable electronic device may also include a biometric sensing component coupled to the chassis portion, a flexible circuit element extending through the hollow post and conductively coupling the biometric sensing component to a component within the housing, and a second waterproof seal defined within the hollow post. The biometric sensing component may be configured to capture a representation of a fingerprint of a user and to authenticate the user using the representation of the fingerprint, and the portable electronic device may further include an input sensor configured to detect an input force applied to the button member. The first waterproof seal may include an O-ring. The second waterproof seal may include a potting material at least partially filling the hollow post. 
     The portable electronic device may further include a sapphire cap attached to the chassis portion and covering the biometric sensing component. The portable electronic device may further include a third waterproof seal between the sapphire cap and the chassis portion. The second waterproof seal may be formed from a first curable liquid having a first viscosity, and the third waterproof seal may be formed from a second curable liquid having a second viscosity that may be lower than the first viscosity. 
     A portable electronic device may include a housing member defining a side wall of a hole extending through the housing member, a display at least partially within the housing, a transparent cover over the display and coupled to the housing, and a button member positioned along a side of the housing member. The button member may define a chassis portion and a post extending from the chassis portion and positioned at least partially in the hole, the post defining a passage extending through the post from the chassis portion to an end of the post. The portable electronic device may further include a biometric sensing component coupled to the chassis portion, a flexible circuit element extending through the passage and conductively coupling the biometric sensing component to a component within the housing. 
     The hole may be a first hole, and the housing may define a second hole extending through the housing member, and the button member may further define an additional post extending from the chassis portion and positioned in the second hole. The additional post may be a solid post. The portable electronic device may further include an anti-roll bar retained to the housing and coupled to the hollow post and the additional post, the anti-roll bar configured to maintain uniform travel of the post and the additional post during actuation of the button member. 
     The portable electronic device may further include a sealing member in contact with an exterior surface of the post and the side wall of the hole and configured to inhibit ingress of liquid between the exterior surface of the post and the side wall of the hole. The portable electronic device may further include a potting material within the passage and at least partially encapsulating the flexible circuit element, and the potting material may be configured to inhibit ingress of liquid through the passage. The potting material may at least partially encapsulate the biometric sensing component. 
     The portable electronic device may further include an input sensor configured to detect an input force applied to the button member. The input sensor may be a capacitive sensor. 
     A portable electronic device may include a housing defining a side surface of the portable electronic device, a display at least partially within the housing, a transparent cover over the display and coupled to the housing, a button member positioned along the side surface and defining a hollow post extending into a hole defined through the housing, a biometric sensing component coupled to the button member, a cap covering the biometric sensing component and secured to the button member, a flexible circuit element extending through the hollow post and electrically coupling the biometric sensing component to a component within the housing, and a potting material at least partially encapsulating the flexible circuit element and the biometric sensing component and at least partially filling the hollow post. 
     The button member may further define a solid post extending into an additional hole defined through the housing. The portable electronic device may further include a first sealing member positioned between the hollow post and a first surface of the housing that defines the hole, and a second sealing member positioned between the solid post and a second surface of the housing that defines the additional hole. The portable electronic device may further include a sealing material positioned in a gap defined between the cap and the button member. The potting material may abut the sealing material. The biometric sensing component may be a capacitive sensor of a fingerprint sensing system. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which: 
         FIGS.  1 A- 1 B  depict an example electronic device having a fingerprint-sensing button; 
         FIG.  2 A  depicts a side view of the electronic device of  FIGS.  1 A- 1 B ; 
         FIG.  2 B  depicts a partial cross-sectional view of the electronic device of  FIGS.  1 A- 1 B ; 
         FIG.  2 C  depicts a partial exploded view of the electronic device of  FIGS.  1 A- 1 B ; 
         FIG.  2 D  depicts a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of a fingerprint-sensing button; 
         FIG.  2 E  depicts a portion of an interior of the electronic device of  FIGS.  1 A- 1 B ; 
         FIG.  3 A  depicts a partial exploded view of the fingerprint-sensing button; 
         FIG.  3 B  depicts another partial exploded view of the fingerprint-sensing button; 
         FIG.  3 C  depicts a partial cross-sectional view of the fingerprint-sensing button; 
         FIG.  4 A  depicts a side view of a portion of another fingerprint-sensing button; 
         FIG.  4 B  depicts a partial cross-sectional view of the fingerprint-sensing button of  FIG.  4 A ; 
         FIG.  5    depicts a button assembly for use with a fingerprint-sensing button; 
         FIG.  6 A  depicts a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of another fingerprint-sensing button; 
         FIG.  6 B  depicts a partial exploded view of a device including the fingerprint-sensing button of  FIG.  6 A ; 
         FIG.  7    depicts a partial cross-sectional view of a device, showing another example fingerprint-sensing button; 
         FIGS.  8 A- 8 B  depict a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of the fingerprint-sensing button of  FIG.  7   ; 
         FIG.  9    depicts a partial exploded view of the fingerprint-sensing button of  FIG.  7   ; 
         FIG.  10    depicts another partial exploded view of the fingerprint-sensing button of  FIG.  7   ; and 
         FIG.  11    depicts a schematic diagram of an example electronic device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to representative embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following descriptions are not intended to limit the embodiments to one preferred embodiment. To the contrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the described embodiments as defined by the appended claims. 
     Portable electronic devices as described herein, such as tablet computers, mobile phones, smart watches, and the like, may employ various security measures to ensure that only authorized users can access certain functions and operations of the device. For example, a user may be required to enter a passcode to unlock the device. As another example, a device may include a biometric authentication system that authenticates a user using some biometric information about the user, such as a fingerprint. In some cases, fingerprint sensors may be integrated with input buttons so that the button can provide multiple functions. For example, a user can touch the button to initiate a biometric authentication (e.g., using the user&#39;s fingerprint), and can also press the button to provide an input to control a function or operation of the device. 
     Portable electronic devices may be sealed against ingress of water, sweat, lotions, and other contaminants to increase the durability and functionality of the devices. However, external components and input devices such as buttons, biometric sensors, and the like, may introduce paths for liquids and contaminants to enter into the devices. Accordingly, such components and input devices need to be sealed in order to maintain the overall sealing integrity of the device. In the case of multi-function input devices, such as buttons with structurally integrated fingerprint sensors, the task of sealing the input devices may be more complicated, as both mechanical and electrical systems need to be suitably sealed, and in some cases, must allow movement of the input device. 
     Described herein are electronic devices (e.g., portable electronic devices) with biometric input systems that facilitate both conventional force-based inputs (e.g., button presses), as well as biometric inputs (e.g., fingerprint sensing), while providing a high degree of sealing against the ingress of water or other liquids or contaminants. For example, a button member may include a chassis or frame on which a fingerprint sensor (or portion thereof) may be mounted. The button member may be configured to operate as a movable input button, and may include a sealing member that seals the mechanical interface between the button member and the device housing to which the button member is attached. Because a fingerprint sensor is attached to the button member, an electrical connection must be made between the fingerprint sensor and components within the device, such as with a flexible circuit element. In order to seal the path through which the flexible circuit element passes into the interior of the device, an additional sealing material may be used. For example, the flexible circuit element may pass through a hollow post of the button member, and the hollow post may be filled with a potting material that encapsulates the flexible circuit element and forms a water-tight seal. Accordingly, the techniques and structures described herein amount to a dual-sealed structure in which both the mechanical interface (between the button and the housing) and the path for the electronic components (e.g., through the button member) are sealed against the ingress of liquids and other contaminants. 
       FIG.  1 A  shows an example electronic device  100  embodied as a tablet computer (e.g., an example of a portable electronic device). While the device  100  is a tablet computer, the concepts presented herein may apply to any appropriate electronic device, including wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches), laptop computers, handheld gaming devices, mobile phones (e.g., smartphones), or any other device that incorporates input devices (e.g., buttons) and biometric input systems (e.g., fingerprint sensors). Accordingly, any reference to an “electronic device” encompasses any and all of the foregoing. 
     The electronic device  100  includes a cover  102  (e.g., a front cover), such as a glass, plastic, or other substantially transparent material, component, or assembly, attached to a housing  104 . The cover  102 , which may be referred to as a transparent cover  102 , may be positioned over a display  103 . The cover  102  may be formed from glass (e.g., a chemically strengthened glass), sapphire, ceramic, glass-ceramic, plastic, or another suitable material. The housing  104  may include one or more metal members coupled together with polymer (or other dielectric) materials. In some cases, the housing  104  is a single piece of metal, a single piece of polymer, or it may use other materials and/or constructions. The housing  104  (and/or housing members of the housing) may define one or more side surfaces of the device  100 , which may define exterior side surfaces of the device  100 . 
     The device  100  may also include buttons, switches, and other types of physical input devices. For example, the device  100  may include buttons  116 , switches  118 , a fingerprint-sensing button  120  (or other type of biometric-sensing button), and/or other physical input systems. Such input systems may be used to control various operations and functions of the device  100 . For example, the buttons  116  may be operative to change speaker volume, and the switch  118  may be operative to switch between “ring” and “silent” modes. The fingerprint-sensing button  120  may include a fingerprint sensor or components thereof. The fingerprint sensor may be configured to capture an image or other representative data of a finger that is in contact with the fingerprint-sensing button  120 . The device may verify that a user is an authorized user by comparing a captured image (or other representative data) of a finger that is in contact with the fingerprint-sensing button  120  with stored images (or other representative data) of authorized users. An image of a fingerprint, as captured by a capacitive fingerprint sensor, for example, may be understood as a multi-dimensional array that corresponds to the sensor&#39;s electrical response to a user&#39;s finger. It is not necessary that the image be capable of depicting a visual representation of the user&#39;s finger or fingerprint. 
     While  FIGS.  1 A- 1 B , and the application more generally, describe an example fingerprint-sensing button  120 , it will be understood that a fingerprint sensor (or other biometric sensor) may be integrated with other buttons or input devices. Further, the fingerprint-sensing button  120  may perform any suitable function when actuated, such as controlling a power state of the device, changing a volume, activating or deactivating a display, or the like. 
     The display  103  may be at least partially positioned within the interior volume defined by the housing  104 . The display  103  may be coupled to the transparent cover  102 , such as via an adhesive or other coupling scheme. In some cases, the assembly that includes the display  103  and the transparent cover  102  may be referred to as a top module. The top module may also include other components, such as touch- and/or force-sensing components, structural members, cameras, biometric sensors (e.g., facial recognition systems), ambient light sensors, or the like. 
     The display  103 , which may also be referred to herein as a display stack, may include a liquid-crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode display, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, an active layer organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) display, organic electroluminescent (EL) display, electrophoretic ink display, or the like. The display  103  may be configured to display graphical outputs, such as graphical user interfaces, that the user may view and interact with. The device  100  may also include an ambient light sensor that can determine properties of the ambient light conditions surrounding the device  100 . The device  100  may use information from the ambient light sensor to change, modify, adjust, or otherwise control the display  103  (e.g., by changing a hue, brightness, saturation, or other optical aspect of the display based on information from the ambient light sensor). 
     The display  103  may include or be associated with one or more touch- and/or force-sensing systems. In some cases, components of the touch- and/or force-sensing systems are integrated with the display stack. For example, electrode layers of a touch- and/or force-sensor may be provided in a stack that includes display components (and is optionally attached to or at least viewable through the cover  102 ). 
     The touch- and/or force-sensing systems may use any suitable type of sensing technology, including capacitive sensors, resistive sensors, surface acoustic wave sensors, piezoelectric sensors, resistive sensors, or the like. The outer or exterior surface of the cover  102  may define an input surface (e.g., a touch- and/or force-sensitive input surface) of the device. While both touch- and force-sensing systems may be included, in some cases the device  100  includes a touch-sensing system and does not include a force-sensing system. 
     The device  100  may also include a front-facing camera  106 . The front-facing camera  106  may be positioned below or otherwise covered and/or protected by the cover  102 . 
     The device  100  may also include a speaker outlet  110  to provide audio output to a user, such as to a user&#39;s ear during voice calls. The device  100  may also include a charging port  112  (e.g., for receiving a power cable for providing power to the device  100  and charging the battery of the device  100 ). The device  100  may also include loudspeaker openings  114 . The loudspeaker openings  114  may allow sound output from an internal speaker system to exit the housing  104 . The device  100  may also include one or more microphones. In some cases, a microphone within the housing  104  may be acoustically coupled to the surrounding environment through a loudspeaker opening  114 . 
       FIG.  1 B  illustrates a back side of the device  100 . The device  100  may include a back cover  132  coupled to the housing  104 . The back cover  132  may include a substrate formed of glass, though other suitable materials may alternatively be used (e.g., plastic, sapphire, ceramic, ceramic glass, etc.). The back cover  132  may define a back exterior surface of the device  100 . The back cover  132  may include one or more decorative layers on the exterior or interior surface of the substrate. For example, one or more opaque layers may be applied to the interior surface of the substrate (or otherwise positioned along the interior surface of the substrate) to provide a particular appearance to the back side of the device  100 . The opaque layer(s) may include a sheet, ink, dye, or combinations of these (or other) layers, materials, or the like. In some cases the opaque layer(s) have a color that substantially matches a color of the housing  104  (e.g., the exterior surfaces of the housing members and the joint structures). 
     In some cases, the housing  104  may define a back wall of the device  100 . For example, a single component or assembly may define the side surfaces and the back wall (and thus the back surface) of the device  100 . In some cases, a back cover  132  may be attached to a back wall of a housing  104 , such that the back cover  132 , and not the back wall of the housing  104 , defines the back surface of the device  100 . 
     The device  100  may include a wireless charging system, whereby the device  100  can be powered and/or its battery recharged by an inductive (or other electromagnetic) coupling between a charger and a wireless charging system within the device  100 . In such cases, the back cover  132  may be formed of a material that allows and/or facilitates the wireless coupling between the charger and the wireless charging system (e.g., glass). 
     The device  100  may also include a rear-facing camera  134  and a flash  136  that is configured to illuminate a scene to facilitate capturing images with the camera  134 . The flash  136  is configured to illuminate a scene to facilitate capturing images with the camera  134 . The flash  136  may include one or more light sources, such as one or more light emitting diodes (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, or more LEDs). 
       FIG.  2 A  a side view of the device  100 , showing additional details of the fingerprint-sensing button  120  positioned along a side surface of a housing member  203  of the device  100 . (The housing member  203  may be a component of the housing  104  and may define a side surface of the housing  104  and/or the device  100 .) For example, the fingerprint-sensing button  120  may include a button member  200 , and a cap  202  that is attached to the button member  200 . The button member  200  may act as a structural component of the fingerprint-sensing button  120  to which other components are coupled (e.g., biometric sensing components, the cap  202 , circuit boards, etc.). 
     The cap  202  may cover a fingerprint-sensing component  204  ( FIG.  2 B ) and may define an input surface of the fingerprint-sensing button  120 . A user may touch the input surface so that his or her fingerprint can be imaged by the fingerprint sensor for user authentication. When the fingerprint-sensing button  120  is being operated as a conventional button, the user may also contact the input surface to provide the requisite input or actuation force to the fingerprint-sensing button  120 . The cap  202  may be formed from sapphire, glass, ceramic, glass ceramic, plastic, or another suitable material. The cap  202  may be a single piece of material or multiple components assembled together. The cap  202  may be formed of a material or materials that permit biometric sensing therethrough. For example, if the fingerprint sensor of the fingerprint-sensing button  120  uses capacitive sensing, the cap  202  may be a dielectric material (e.g., glass, sapphire). The cap  202  may have a thickness between about 100 to about 200 microns. In some cases, the cap  202  may include one or more layers of ink, dye, coatings, films, or other materials. Such layers may be used to provide optical masking, cosmetic coloring, shielding, or the like. The thickness of the cap  202  with the one or more layers of material may be between about 200 and about 300 microns thick. 
       FIG.  2 B  is a partial cross-sectional view of the device  100 , viewed along line  2 B- 2 B in  FIG.  2 A , illustrating an example arrangement of the fingerprint-sensing button  120  and associated components.  FIG.  2 C  is a partial exploded view of the portion of the device  100  that includes the fingerprint-sensing button  120 . The fingerprint-sensing button  120  includes a button member  200  that defines a chassis portion  205  and posts  220 ,  222 . The chassis portion  205  and the posts  220 ,  222  may be a monolithic structure (e.g., a single piece of material, such as a die-cast, molded, or machined component), or it may be an assembly that includes multiple separate parts secured together. The button member  200  may be formed from aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, ceramic, an amorphous metal, a polymer, or any other suitable material(s). 
     A biometric sensing component may be coupled to the chassis portion  205  such that the biometric sensing component can sense, detect, or otherwise receive a biometric input from a user. As shown and described herein, the biometric sensor of the device  100  is a fingerprint sensor, and the biometric sensing component is a component of a fingerprint sensing system. More particularly,  FIG.  2 B  shows a fingerprint sensing component  204 . The fingerprint sensing component  204  may be a capacitive sense layer that is configured to capture an image of a fingerprint of a user to authenticate the user. For example, the capacitive sense layer, along with other components of a fingerprint sensing system, may detect physical characteristics of a user&#39;s fingerprint, such as the ridges and valleys and/or other patterns of a fingerprint. Upon authentication (and optionally additionally in response to detecting a press or force or other actuation of the fingerprint-sensing button  120 ), the device may take an action such as unlocking the device, initiating a payment, activating a display of the device, opening or launching an application, or the like. 
     The fingerprint sensing component  204  may be coupled to a substrate  206 , such as a circuit board, and a flexible circuit element  212  may be conductively coupled to the fingerprint sensing component  204  (optionally via conductors of the circuit board). The flexible circuit element  212  may conductively couple the fingerprint sensing component  204  (or other biometric sensing component) to a component within the housing of the device. For example, the flexible circuit element  212  may conductively couple to a flexible circuit element  238  (e.g., a flexible printed circuit or the like) via a set of interfacing connectors  234 ,  236 . The flexible circuit element  238  may, in turn, conductively couple to a processor or other component within the device  100 . Information from the fingerprint sensing component  204  may thus be provided to the processor or other component to facilitate fingerprint sensing, biometric authentication, or the like. The flexible circuit element  212  may be attached to an inner surface of the housing member  203  via an adhesive layer  232 , such as an adhesive foam that secures the flexible circuit element  212  in place and provides a biasing force to maintain the connection between the interfacing connectors  234 ,  236 . As used herein, a flexible circuit element may include a flexible substrate, such as a polymer film, with conductive traces formed of metals or other conductive materials on or otherwise integrated with the flexible substrate. 
     As noted above, the fingerprint-sensing button  120  may include a cap  202 , such as a sapphire cap. The cap  202  may be attached to the chassis portion  205  of the button member  200  via an adhesive  210 . The adhesive  210  may be a heat-activated adhesive, such as a heat-activated film, or any other suitable adhesive (e.g., a pressure-sensitive adhesive, an epoxy, etc.). The adhesive  210  may retain the cap  202  in place and securely attached to the chassis portion  205 . As described herein with respect to  FIG.  2 D , a sealing material, such as a curable liquid, may be introduced into a gap or space between the cap  202  and the chassis portion  205 . The sealing material may help prevent liquids or other materials, such as water, sweat, lotions, sunscreen, or the like, from getting into the space between the cap  202  and the chassis portion  205 , which may help improve the integrity and reliability of the fingerprint sensing component  204 . 
     The posts  220 ,  222  may extend into (e.g., through) holes  214 ,  215  that extend through the housing member  203 . Side walls of the holes  214 ,  215  (e.g., the shaft of the hole) may be defined by surfaces of the housing member  203 . A plate  240  may be attached to the posts  220 ,  222  inside the housing  104 . The plate  240  may serve several functions. For example, the plate  240  may retain the button member  200  to the housing  104  (e.g., by preventing the button member  200  from being removed along a vertical direction, as shown in  FIG.  2 B ). The plate  240  may also interact with an input sensor  228 . For example, when the button  120  is pressed by a user, the plate  240  may impart a force onto the input sensor  228 . The device  100  can detect the force and take an appropriate action in response to detecting the force. The input sensor  228  may be a switch (e.g., a dome switch), a force sensor or component of a force sensor (e.g., a strain gauge, a piezoelectric or piezoresistive material, a capacitive force sensor, or the like). In some cases, the input sensor  228  imparts a biasing force to the button member  200  to force the button member  200  outwards and in an undepressed configuration. 
     The input sensor  228  may be conductively coupled to the flexible circuit element  238 , which may be mounted to or otherwise in contact with a bracket  226 . The bracket  226  may be secured to the housing member  203  via fasteners  230 , or otherwise secured to the housing  104  and/or device  100 . The flexible circuit element  238  may conductively couple both the input sensor  228  and the fingerprint sensing component  204  (via the flexible circuit element  212 ) to other components within the device, such as a processor or other circuitry. 
     An anti-roll bar  239  may also be attached to the posts  220 ,  222 . The anti-roll bar  239 , discussed in greater detail with respect to  FIG.  2 E , may help maintain the alignment of the button member  200  when the button  120  is pressed (e.g., maintain uniform travel of both posts). For example, a force that is applied to the button  120  that is not directly centered on the cap  202  may tend to cause the button member  200  to rock, twist, or otherwise bind in the holes  214 ,  215 . The anti-roll bar  239  may help evenly distribute the forces between the posts  220 ,  222  so that even an offset force on the button member  200  results in the posts  220 ,  222  moving in unison and the input surface of the button (e.g., the cap  202 ) remaining perpendicular to the input force as it is being pressed and/or translated. 
     As noted above, in order to provide a durable device that can stand up to exposure to liquids, and optionally even full submersion, buttons and other input devices need to be well-sealed against the ingress of water and other liquids and contaminants. In the case of the fingerprint-sensing button  120 , the sealing may be more involved than for conventional buttons. For example, in addition to having to waterproof the mechanical interface between the button member  200  and the housing, the path of the flexible circuit element that connects to the fingerprint sensing component  204  must also be waterproofed. In order to achieve these goals, a variety of waterproof seals are employed. For example, in order to form a waterproof seal at the interface between the button member  200  and the housing  104 , sealing members  218  may be positioned around the posts  220 ,  222  and in contact with the posts  220 ,  222  and the side walls of the holes  214 ,  215 . In some cases, the sealing members  218  are O-rings formed of an elastomeric material (e.g., rubber), which may be retained in channels or grooves formed in the posts  220 ,  222  (as shown), or they may be retained in channels or grooves formed in the side walls of the holes  214 ,  215 . Other sealing members may be used instead of or in addition to the O-rings, such as insert-molded polymer seals, wipers, bushings, or the like. 
     As used herein, a waterproof seal may refer to a seal (which may be formed by one or more components or structures) that is configured to inhibit ingress of liquid. In some cases, a waterproof seal may achieve an ingress protection rating, such as at least IP61, IP62, IP63, IP64, IP65, IP66, IP67, IP68, or IP69, as defined by IEC 60529. 
     While the holes  214 ,  215  through the housing member  203  allow physical access through the housing so that the button member can actuate an input sensor, access into the housing must also be provided so that the fingerprint sensing component, which by necessity must be externally accessible by a user, can be conductively coupled to components within the housing  104 . In order to leverage the waterproof seal that is already present between the posts  220 ,  222  and the side walls of the holes  214 ,  215 , access for the fingerprint sensing component  204  may be provided through a hollow post. For example, as shown in  FIG.  2 B , the post  222  may be a hollow post that defines a passage that extends from an opening in the chassis portion  205  (e.g., where the fingerprint sensing component  204  is located) to an opening  224  that is past the sealing member  218  and communicates with the internal volume of the device  100 . The flexible circuit element  212  may extend through the hollow post  222  to conductively couple the fingerprint sensing component  204  to the flexible circuit element  238  (or any other suitable component, circuit board, conductive connector, or the like). 
     While routing the flexible circuit element  238  through the hollow post  222  avoids the necessity of forming another hole through the housing member  203 , it still affords another possible access path for liquids. Accordingly, a second waterproof seal may be formed within the hollow post  222 . For example, a potting material  208  may be positioned in the hollow post  222  to at least partially encapsulate the flexible circuit element  238  and to form a waterproof seal within the hollow post  222 . The potting material  208  may fill spaces and gaps in the fingerprint-sensing button  120  more generally. For example, the potting material  208  may contact and/or at least partially encapsulate the fingerprint sensing component  204 , the substrate  206 , the back of the cap  202 , or the like. The potting material  208  may thus fill substantially all of the voids defined between the button member  200  and the components that are coupled to the button member  200  (e.g., the cap  202 , the fingerprint sensing component  204 , etc.), thereby preventing ingress of liquid into the device through the hollow post  222  (and through the button member  200  more generally). Because the potting material  208  extends around the fingerprint sensing component  204  and other components, it effectively prevents liquids or other contaminants from contacting and potentially damaging those components as well. 
     The potting material  208  may be positioned in the hollow post  222 , and in the voids between the button member  200  and the other components, by flowing a liquid or otherwise flowable material into place, and then allowing the liquid or flowable material to cure or otherwise harden. The potting material  208  may be an epoxy, glue, polymer, or another suitable material. The potting material  208  may be introduced in various ways and via various entry points. For example, the potting material  208  may be flowed, injected, or otherwise introduced through a hole  255  defined through the chassis portion  205  of the button member  200 . Instead of or in addition to flowing through the hole  255 , the potting material  208  may be flowed, injected, or otherwise introduced through the hollow post  222 . Other introduction points are also contemplated (e.g., a second hollow post, an injection port formed through the chassis portion  205 , etc.). Regardless of the introduction and/or flow path, the potting material  208  may flow into the hollow post  222 , into the voids defined between the button member  200  and the components that are coupled to the button member  200 , and onto the fingerprint sensing component  204  and/or substrate  206  (e.g., to at least partially encapsulate the fingerprint sensing component  204  and/or substrate  206 ). 
     As shown in  FIG.  2 B , the post  220  may be a solid post. In some cases, however, the post  220  may also be a second hollow post. The second hollow post may be used to reduce the weight of the device and may also be used to facilitate the introduction of potting material. For example, the second hollow post may allow air to vent out of the volume where the potting material  208  is being introduced. In some cases, suction may be applied to the second hollow post to help cause the potting material  208  to flow into and fill the target volume. 
     As noted above,  FIG.  2 C  is a partial exploded view of the portion of the device  100  that includes the fingerprint-sensing button  120  and shows additional details of the components shown and described with respect to  FIG.  2 B . 
     As shown in  FIG.  2 C , the adhesive  210  may include two discrete adhesive layers positioned at the longitudinal ends of the cap  202 . In some cases, the potting material  208  may work in conjunction with the adhesive  210  to secure the cap  202  (as well as the fingerprint sensing component  204  and substrate  206  which may be secured to the cap  202  prior to assembly of the cap  202  to the button member  200 ) to the button member  200 . For example, the potting material  208  may bond to and/or mechanically engage features of the substrate  206 , fingerprint sensing component  204 , and the cap  202 , as well as bonding to and/or mechanically engaging features of the button member  200 . The bonding and/or mechanical engagement (e.g., mechanical interlocks) provided by the potting material  208  may help retain the cap  202 , fingerprint sensing component  204 , and substrate  206  to the button member  200 . As shown in  FIG.  2 C , the potting material  208  is in a cured or hardened condition, though it will be understood that this is for illustrative purposes, and that the potting material  208  is not installed or assembled in a cured or hardened state, but rather is flowed into place and allowed to cure after the cap  202  is attached to the button member  200  (e.g., via the adhesive  210 ). 
     During assembly, the components shown to the right of the housing member  203  in  FIG.  2 C  (including the flexible circuit element  212  and connector  234 ) may be assembled together to form a button subassembly, which may thereafter be assembled with the device  100 . For example, the flexible circuit element  212  may be threaded through the hole  215  in the housing member  203 , and the posts  220 ,  222  of the button member  200  maybe inserted into the holes  214 ,  215  in the housing member  203 . Thereafter, the plate  240  and the anti-roll bar  239  may be attached to the button member  200 , and the remaining components may be assembled to complete this portion of the device. 
       FIG.  2 D  is a partial cross-sectional view of the fingerprint-sensing button  120 , viewed along line  2 D- 2 D in  FIG.  2 A .  FIG.  2 D  illustrates an example arrangement of the components and materials in the chassis portion  205  of the button member  200  and shows a sealing material  248  that may be introduced between portions of the cap  202  and the chassis  205 . For example, the cap  202  may be fit into the chassis  205  with a tight tolerance, such that a gap  249  between the side surfaces of the cap  202  and the inner surfaces of the chassis  205  are small (e.g., between about 10 and about 100 microns, between about 15 and about 30 microns, or the like). In such cases, a potting material may not be able to fill the gap  249 . For example, the viscosity of the potting material  208  in its liquid form may be too high to effectively fill the gap  249 . 
     Accordingly, a sealing material  248  may be introduced into the gap  249  to help fill and seal the gap  249 . The sealing material  248  may be introduced into the gap  249  as a liquid, where the liquid has a viscosity that allows the liquid to at least partially fill the gap  249 . The viscosity of the liquid may be lower than that of the liquid state of the potting material  208 . The sealing material  248  may then be allowed to cure or otherwise harden in place, thereby filling the gap  249  so that liquids or other contaminants cannot enter into the button member through the gap  249 . Accordingly, the sealing material  248  may define a third waterproof seal, in addition to those defined by the sealing members  218  and the potting material  208 , between the cap  202  and the chassis  205 . After the sealing material  248  is introduced into the gap  249 , the potting material  208  may be flowed into place. The potting material  208  may abut the sealing material, forming intimate contact with the sealing material  248 , thereby further enhancing the waterproof seals provided by the potting material  208  and the sealing material  248 . 
     The sealing material  248  may be introduced into the gap  249  by flowing a liquid or otherwise flowable material into place, and then allowing the liquid or flowable material to cure or otherwise harden. The sealing material  248  may be introduced in various ways and via various entry points. For example, the sealing material  248  may be flowed, injected, or otherwise introduced through the hole  255  defined through the chassis portion  205  of the button member  200 , and/or the sealing material  248  may be flowed, injected, or otherwise introduced through the hollow post  222 . As another example, the sealing material  248  may be flowed, injected, or otherwise introduced directly into the gap  249  from the exterior side of the button member. Other introduction points are also contemplated (e.g., a second hollow post, an injection port formed through the chassis portion  205 , etc.). Regardless of the introduction and/or flow path, the sealing material  248  may flow into the gap  249 , as shown in the figures. 
     The sealing material  248  may perform several functions. For example, it acts as a barrier so that liquids such as water, sweat, lotion, sunscreen, and the like cannot enter into the gap  249  where it could potentially become trapped, travel further into the button member, or damage components in the button member (e.g., the fingerprint sensing component  204  or other electrical or conductive components). Additionally, the sealing material  248  helps ensure that the conductive properties of the materials near the fingerprint sensing component  204  remain relatively constant and are not affected by different liquids or other materials being introduced into the gap  249 . For example, without the sealing material  248 , water or another liquid may enter into the gap  249  during use of the device, which may affect capacitive coupling between the fingerprint sensing component  204  and the chassis  205  (which may be formed of a metal such as aluminum, stainless steel, or the like). The change in capacitive coupling between these components may negatively affect the operation of the fingerprint sensing component  204 . Accordingly, filling or substantially filling the gap  249  with the sealing material  248  may help improve the integrity and reliability of the fingerprint sensing functions. 
     In some cases, the sealing material  248  completely fills the gap  249  such that the top surface  246  of the chassis, the top surface of the sealing material  248 , and the top surface of the cap  202  (as oriented in  FIG.  2 D ) are all flush with one another (e.g., to within a threshold such as about 100 microns, about 50 microns, about 25 microns, or the like). In some cases, the top surface of the sealing material  248  is recessed relative to the top surface  246  of the chassis and the top surface of the cap  202 . Where the top surface of the sealing material  248  is recessed, the top surface of the sealing material  248  may be recessed from the top surface of the cap  202  by less than about 5%, less than about 10%, less than about 15%, or less than about 20% of the thickness of the cap  202 . In some cases, the top surface of the sealing material  248  is recessed from the top surface of the cap  202  by between about 20 and about 30 microns. 
     As shown in  FIG.  2 D , the top surface  246  of the chassis and the top surface of the cap  202  may be flush (e.g., to within a threshold such as about 100 microns, about 50 microns, about 25 microns, or the like). In some cases, the top surface  246  of the chassis and the top surface of the cap  202  may be offset from one another, with either the top surface  246  of the chassis or the top surface of the cap  202  proud of the other. 
     In some cases, the chassis  205  is configured to operate as a connection between a user&#39;s finger (when the finger is in contact with the fingerprint-sensing button  120 ) and an electrical ground of the device  100 . In some cases, the ground connection between the user&#39;s finger and the chassis  205  (and the grounding of the chassis  205  more generally) helps electrically shield the fingerprint sensing component  204 , improves signal-to-noise ratio of the fingerprint sensing component  204 , and generally improves the operation of the fingerprint sensing component  204  and its ability to capture an image or other data from the user&#39;s finger. To facilitate the electrical grounding, the chassis  205  (and indeed the whole button member  200 ) may be conductively coupled to an electrical ground of the device  100 . For example, the ground path may be defined by a solder joint between the chassis  205  and the flexible circuit element  212 , which is conductively coupled to other components within the device  100  (e.g., the flexible circuit element  212  conductively couples the chassis  205  to the electrical ground of the device  100 ). 
     As noted above, the fingerprint-sensing button  120  may include an anti-roll bar  239 .  FIG.  2 E  illustrates a simplified view of an internal portion of the device  100 , illustrating an example configuration of the anti-roll bar  239  and its integration with the housing structure and the button components. For example, the anti-roll bar  239  may be retained to the housing  104  by positioning a shaft  256  of the anti-roll bar  239  in a recess  254  or other feature formed in the housing member  203 . Ends of the anti-roll bar  239  may be coupled to the posts  220 ,  222 , such as via connection features  250 ,  252 , respectively. The connection features  250 ,  252  may be holes into which the ends of the anti-roll bar  239  extend, or they may be any other suitable feature or mechanism (e.g., a clip, socket, etc.). 
     The shaft  256  may be allowed to rotate within the recess  254 , but translation of the shaft (at least along the actuation direction of the fingerprint-sensing button) may be limited or constrained. Thus, when the button is pressed, the posts  220 ,  222  move inwards along an actuation direction, causing the anti-roll bar  239  to pivot or rotate within the recess  254 . In this way, binding or twisting of the fingerprint-sensing button  120  due to off-center applications of force to the button may be reduced or eliminated. For example, any inward motion of one of the posts  220 ,  222  essentially causes the other post to be pulled inward by substantially the same amount, even if no force or less force is being applied directly over the other post. 
     While  FIG.  2 E  shows the anti-roll bar  239  retained to the housing via the shaft  256  being positioned in the recess  254 , this is merely one example configuration. In some cases, instead of or in addition to a recess, the anti-roll bar  239  may be retained to the housing via clips, brackets, fasteners, and/or the like. 
       FIG.  3 A  is a partial exploded view of a portion of the fingerprint-sensing button  120 . For example,  FIG.  3 A  illustrates the button member  200  with the cap  202  and the adhesive  210  removed. The adhesive  210  may be positioned on coupling surfaces  300  of the button member  200  to secure the cap  202  to the button member  200 . 
     The button member  200  may also define channels  302  between the button coupling surfaces  300  and a rim  304  of the button member  200 . The channels  302  may be configured to allow a sealing material, such as the sealing material  248 , to flow into the space between the cap  202  and the interior surfaces of the chassis  205  and into the gap  249  ( FIG.  2 D ), without being blocked by the adhesive  210 . In some cases, the channels  302  and the bottom surface of the cap  202  may define a capillary channel that draws the sealing material through the channel and towards or into the gap  249  so that the sealing material  248  reaches its target locations and substantially or completely fills the gap  249 . 
       FIG.  3 B  is a partial exploded view of a portion of the fingerprint-sensing button  120 , showing an underside view of the fingerprint-sensing button  120 .  FIG.  3 B  shows the fingerprint sensing component  204  and substrate  206  coupled to the cap  202 , and the flexible circuit element  212  coupled to the substrate  206 .  FIG.  3 B  may also represent a stage of the assembly process for the fingerprint-sensing button  120 , when a cap subassembly (e.g., the assembled cap  202 , fingerprint sensing component  204 , substrate  206 , and flexible circuit element  212 ) is being attached to the button member  200 . In particular, the flexible circuit element  212  is being extended through the hollow post  222 , and the adhesive  210  is being positioned between the cap  202  and the button member  200 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  3 B , the substrate  206 , which may be a circuit board, may include circuit components  308 . Such components may be coated and/or encapsulated prior to the cap subassembly being attached to the button member  200 . The coating and/or encapsulation material may help seal and protect the circuit components  308  from liquids or other contaminants, as well protect the circuit components  308  from being directly contacted by the potting material. 
       FIG.  3 B  also illustrates a grounding feature  310  of the button member  200 . The grounding feature  310  may be a tab, protrusion, or any other suitable feature that may be soldered (or otherwise conductively coupled) to a conductive pad  306  (e.g., a solder pad) on the flexible circuit element  212 . As noted above, the flexible circuit element  212  may conductively couple the button member  200  to an electrical ground of the device  100 . 
       FIG.  3 C  is a partial cross-sectional view of the button member  200 , corresponding to a view along line  2 B- 2 B in  FIG.  2 A , showing the cap subassembly attached to the button member  200 .  FIG.  3 C  also illustrates an optional bracing member  312  that may be positioned in the hollow post  222  to position the portion of the flexible circuit element  212  that is in the post, at least until the potting material  208  is introduced into the button member  200  and the hollow post  222 . The bracing member  312  may be attached to the flexible circuit element  212  such that, when the flexible circuit element  212  is threaded through the hollow post  222 , the bracing member  312  is appropriately located. As another example, the bracing member  312  may be attached to or otherwise positioned in the hollow post  222  prior to the flexible circuit element  212  being installed. 
     The bracing member  312  may help position the flexible circuit element  212  away from the inner surfaces of the hollow post  222 . In this way, the flexible circuit element  212  may be protected from accidental electrical shorting to the button member  200 , and/or other potential damage that may occur from contacting the inner surfaces of the hollow post  222  during assembly. The bracing member  312  may also maintain the flexible circuit element  212  in a target position within the hollow post  222  during the introduction and curing of the potting material  208  so that the flexible circuit element  212  does not move to an undesirable position within the post or otherwise become out-of-position during the potting process. 
       FIGS.  4 A and  4 B  illustrate an example fingerprint-sensing button  403  ( FIG.  4 B ) in which the button member defines a single elongated hollow post.  FIG.  4 A  illustrates a side view of a button member  400  for use in the fingerprint-sensing button of  FIGS.  4 A- 4 B . The button member  400  defines a post  402 , which may be hollow, as shown in  FIG.  4 B . The button member  400  also includes a sealing member  404 . The sealing member  404  may be molded onto, adhered to, or otherwise attached to the button member  400 . The sealing member  404  may be formed from or include an elastomeric material, such as a rubber or other polymer. The sealing member  404  may extend substantially entirely around the post  402  and may define a waterproof seal between the button member  400  and a housing member (e.g., the housing member  401 ,  FIG.  4 B , which may be analogous to the housing member  203 ). 
       FIG.  4 B  is a partial cross-sectional view of the fingerprint sensing button  403 , corresponding to a view along line  2 B- 2 B in  FIG.  2 A . Similar to the fingerprint-sensing button  120 , the fingerprint-sensing button  403  may include a cap  406  attached to the button member  400  via an adhesive  410 . A sealing material  414  may be positioned in a gap between the cap  406  and surfaces of the button member  400 , and a potting material  412  may at least partially fill the hollow post  402 . The potting material  412  may also at least partially encapsulate a flexible circuit element  426  and a sensing stack  408  (which may include a fingerprint sensing component, a substrate, and optionally other electrical or other components). In some cases, the fingerprint-sensing button  403  may also include an anti-roll mechanism, such as the anti-roll bar  239 . The components of the fingerprint-sensing button  403  may be embodiments of or otherwise similar to the corresponding components described with respect to the fingerprint-sensing button  120 . Details of those components will be understood to apply equally to those of the fingerprint-sensing button  403 , and as such their details will not be repeated here. 
     The fingerprint-sensing button  403  may also include a plate  416  coupled to the button member  400  (e.g., via fasteners  418  or any other suitable attachment component(s) or technique(s)). The plate  416  may overlap a portion of the housing member  401  to retain the button member  400  to the device. The plate  416  may also define a hole  424  through which the flexible circuit element  426  may extend. The plate  416  may also be configured to contact an input sensor  420 , such as a dome switch, capacitive force sensor, strain gauge, or the like. When the button member  400  is pressed, the button member  400  may compress or otherwise impart a force on the input sensor  420 , which the device may recognize as an input and perform an appropriate action. The input sensor  420  may be conductively coupled to a circuit element (e.g., a flexible circuit element)  430 , which is also conductively coupled to other components of the device (e.g., a processor). The flexible circuit element  426  may also be conductively coupled to the circuit element  430 , thereby facilitating a conductive coupling between the fingerprint sensing component and other components of the device (e.g., a processor). A frame  428  may be coupled to the housing member  401  and may support the input sensor  420  and the circuit element  430 . 
       FIG.  5    is a partial cross-sectional view of an example configuration for a button assembly  500  that includes a button member and cap of a fingerprint-sensing button. In particular, while other button members described herein define a rim that surrounds the sides of the cap (and optionally defines a ground path to a user&#39;s finger),  FIG.  5    illustrates an example button member in which the cap is not surrounded by a rim of the button member. 
     For example, the button assembly  500  includes a cap  502  that is attached, along the bottom surface of the cap  502 , to a button member  516  by an adhesive  510 . The adhesive  510  may be configured to define a waterproof seal between the cap  502  and the button member  516 . Notably, the sides of the cap  502  are exposed and/or are not surrounded by a rim or other structure of the button member  516 . By omitting the rim, a fingerprint-sensing button using the configuration shown in  FIG.  5    may have a smaller outside dimension and/or occupy less volume than a fingerprint-sensing button that includes a rim around the outer periphery of the cap. 
     The button member  516  of  FIG.  5    also defines a hollow post  518  through which a flexible circuit element  512  may extend. A potting material  514  may also at least partially fill the hollow post and at least partially encapsulate the flexible circuit element  512  and a fingerprint sensing component  504  and/or substrate  506 . The potting material  514  may define a waterproof seal within the hollow post  518 , and the sealing members  508  may be coupled to the posts of the button member  516  to define a waterproof seal between the button member  516  and a housing of a device. 
     The components shown in  FIG.  5    (e.g., the cap  502 , adhesive  510 , potting material  514 , fingerprint sensing component  504 , substrate  506 , sealing members  508 , flexible circuit element  512 ) may be embodiments of or otherwise similar to the corresponding components described with respect to other fingerprint-sensing buttons described herein. Details of those components will be understood to apply equally to those shown in  FIG.  5   , and as such their details will not be repeated here. 
     As described above, button functions may be provided in part by input sensors, such as dome switches, that are actuated in response to a force being applied to a button member. In some cases, the input sensors use force sensing technologies such as capacitive force sensors to detect force inputs. As shown in  FIGS.  2 B and  4 B , such force sensors may be positioned below a movable button member, to be actuated by movement of the button member or force applied by the button member.  FIGS.  6 A- 6 B  illustrate another example integration of a capacitive force sensor in a fingerprint-sensing button. 
       FIG.  6 A  is a partial cross-sectional view of a fingerprint sensing button  600 , along a line corresponding to  FIG.  2 B- 2 B  in  FIG.  2 A .  FIG.  6 B  is a partial exploded view of a device including the fingerprint sensing button  600 . The fingerprint sensing button  600  includes a button member that includes a chassis portion  601  and a base portion  605 . The chassis portion  601  and base portion  605  may be coupled together via adhesives and/or mechanical fasteners (e.g., screws, latches, mechanical interlocks, etc.). A sealing member  618  may be molded onto, adhered to, or otherwise attached to the base portion  605 . The sealing member  618  may be formed from or include an elastomeric material, such as a rubber or other polymer. The sealing member  618  may extend substantially entirely around the base portion  605  and may define a waterproof seal between the base portion  605  and a housing member, such as the housing member  603 , which may be analogous to the housing member  203 . 
     The button member, and more particularly the base portion  605  of the button member, may be secured to the housing member  603  via fasteners  620 , and/or via any other suitable attachment system or technique (e.g., adhesives, mechanical interlocks, clips, rivets, etc.). Whereas the fingerprint-sensing buttons shown in  FIGS.  2 B and  4 B  are configured to move (e.g., translate) relative to a housing member so that an input sensor can be compressed, moved, or otherwise subjected to a force, the button member in  FIG.  6 A  may be fixed in position relative to the housing member  603 . In this example, the force sensor (or a portion thereof) may be integrated into the button member such that any motion or deformation necessary to detect a force is provided within the button member itself. For example, as described herein, a force applied to the button member (e.g., the cap  602 ) may result in a deformation or deflection of the cap  602  relative to another structure of the button member. A force sensor may detect the change in the size of the gap to determine whether a threshold force has been reached. 
     The fingerprint sensing button  600  also includes a cap  602  and a fingerprint sensing component  604  below the cap  602 . The cap  602  and fingerprint sensing component  604  may be similar to or embodiments of other caps and fingerprint sensing components described herein, and the details of those components are not repeated here for brevity. The fingerprint sensing component  604  may be conductively coupled to a flexible circuit element  606 , such as a flexible circuit board, that conductively couples the fingerprint sensing component  604  to other components of a device (e.g., a processor). 
     The cap  602  may be attached to the chassis portion  601  via a compliant adhesive component  610 . The compliant adhesive component  610  may include multiple layers of material to provide the target adhesive and compliant properties to the joint between the cap  602  and the chassis portion  601 . For example, the compliant adhesive component  610  may include a complaint material, such as an elastomer foam, sandwiched between two layers of adhesive (e.g., heat sensitive adhesive, pressure sensitive adhesive, or the like). The compliant adhesive component  610  may both attach the cap  602  to the chassis portion  601 , while also allowing the cap  602  to move relative to the chassis portion  601  (e.g., towards the chassis portion  601 ) when a force is applied to the cap  602 . 
     As noted above, the fingerprint-sensing button  600  may detect forces applied to the cap  602  by detecting a deformation or deflection of the cap  602  relative to the housing. This may be facilitated by a capacitive gap sensor. As shown in  FIGS.  6 A and  6 B , a capacitive gap sensor may be implemented by a first electrode  623  or set of electrodes ( FIG.  6 B ) positioned at and/or integrated with a first sensing portion  607  of the flexible circuit element  606 , and a second electrode  625  or set of electrodes ( FIG.  6 B ) positioned at and/or integrated with a second sensing portion  612  of the flexible circuit element  606 . The second sensing portion  612  and the first sensing portion  607  may be separated by a gap  622  (which may be an air-gap or it may include a compliant material such as a foam, elastomer, potting material, or the like). The second sensing portion  612  of the flexible circuit element  606  may be positioned on a bracket  624 , which is secured to the base portion  605 . The bracket  624  supports the second sensing portion  612  of the flexible circuit element  606  such that a force applied to the cap  602  causes the gap  622  to be decreased (e.g., either by the cap  602  being deflected or deformed downwards while the bracket  624  and the second sensing portion remain stationary, or by the cap  602  deflecting or deformed downwards more than the bracket  624  and second sensing portion are deflected downwards). 
     When a force is applied to the cap  602 , the gap  622  between the first and second electrodes  623 ,  625  may change (e.g., reduce), thus producing a change in capacitance that is detectable by one or both of the first and second electrodes  623 ,  625 . While the foregoing describes a capacitive gap sensor, other types of force sensors may be implemented in the button member to detect changes in the gap  622 . For example, force sensors that use strain gauges, piezoelectric or piezoresistive materials, dome switches, or the like, may be positioned between the cap  602  and the bracket  624 . 
     As noted above, the first and second electrodes  623 ,  625  of the force sensor may be conductively coupled to different portions of the same flexible circuit element  606 . To facilitate the use of a single flexible circuit element, the flexible circuit element  606  may define a loop portion  614  that extends from the portion of the flexible circuit element  606  that is attached to the cap  602 , to the portion of the flexible circuit element  606  that is attached to the bracket  624 . The loop portion  614  may flex or bend during input events when an input force pushes the cap  602  downwards. 
     The flexible circuit element  606  also defines a tail portion  630  ( FIG.  6 B ) that facilitates conductive coupling of the fingerprint sensing component  604  and the first and second electrodes  623 ,  625  (or any other suitable force sensing components that may be coupled to the flexible circuit element  606 ) to other components within the device. The tail portion may extend through a hole  626  defined in the base portion  605 , as well as a hole  628  defined in the housing member  603 . The tail portion  630  may be coupled to another circuit element (e.g. a circuit board) within the device. 
     As noted above, the sealing member  618  defines a waterproof seal between the base portion  605  and the housing member  603 . In some cases, a sealing material, such as the sealing material  248  described above, may be provided between the cap  602  and the chassis portion  601  to define a waterproof seal between the cap  602  and the chassis. A potting material may also be introduced to fill gaps and/or voids within the button member, thereby preventing or limiting ingress of water into the button member, and also provide a barrier around the internal components of the fingerprint-sensing button  600 . In cases where a potting material is used, the potting material may be sufficiently compliant to allow the cap  602  to deform or deflect relative to the bracket  624  to facilitate the force sensing operations described above. 
     In the foregoing discussion, flexible circuit elements may be used to conductively couple components of fingerprint sensing buttons to other components within a device. In some cases, the flexible circuit elements, or portions thereof, may employ other types of conductive members. For example, wires, wire bundles, or other flexible conductors may also be used. In some cases, rigid circuit boards may be used in place of portions of flexible circuit elements. For example, with reference to  FIGS.  6 A- 6 B , the first and second sensing portions  607 ,  612  of the flexible circuit element  606  may use rigid circuit substrates, which may be coupled together via a loop portion that includes a flexible circuit element. 
       FIG.  7    depicts a partial cross-sectional view of a device  700  with another example fingerprint-sensing button  701  that may be used in an electronic device. The fingerprint-sensing button  701  may be an embodiment of the fingerprint-sensing button  120  and may perform the same or similar functions as other fingerprint-sensing buttons described herein. For example, the fingerprint-sensing button  701  may be operable to receive inputs (e.g., button presses), which can control or change various operations and functions of a device (e.g., change speaker volume, activate or deactivate a display, change a device mode, etc.). The fingerprint-sensing button  701  may also include a fingerprint sensor or components thereof, which may be configured to capture an image or other representative data of a finger that is in contact with the fingerprint-sensing button  701  (e.g., for authenticating a user). The electronic device  700  may be a tablet computer, mobile phone, smart watch, laptop or notebook computer, or the like. It will be understood that components, features, functions, and/or other aspects of other fingerprint buttons described herein may apply equally to the fingerprint-sensing button  701 . 
     The fingerprint-sensing button  701  includes a button structure  702  that includes a chassis  704  and a cap  705  attached to the chassis  704 . The chassis  704  may be formed from aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, ceramic, an amorphous metal, a polymer, or any other suitable material(s). The cap  705  may be attached to the chassis  704  via an adhesive  709 . The adhesive  709  may be a heat-activated adhesive, such as a heat-activated film, or any other suitable adhesive (e.g., a pressure-sensitive adhesive, an epoxy, etc.). The adhesive  709  may retain the cap  705  in place and securely attached to the chassis  704 . In some cases, a sealing material, such as a curable liquid, may be introduced into a gap or space between the cap  705  and the chassis  704 . The sealing material may help prevent liquids or other materials, such as water, sweat, lotions, sunscreen, or the like, from getting into the space between the cap  705  and the chassis  704 , which may help improve the integrity and reliability of the fingerprint sensing components of the fingerprint-sensing button  701 . Sealing materials between a cap and a chassis are described in greater detail with respect to  FIG.  2 D , and those details will be understood to apply equally to the cap  705  and the chassis  704 . 
     The cap  705  may cover a fingerprint-sensing component  706 , and may define an input surface of the fingerprint-sensing button  701 . A user may touch the input surface so that his or her fingerprint can be imaged by the fingerprint sensor for user authentication. When the fingerprint-sensing button  701  is being operated as a conventional button, the user may also contact the input surface to provide the requisite input or actuation force to the fingerprint-sensing button  701 . The cap  705  may be formed from sapphire, glass, ceramic, glass ceramic, plastic, or another suitable material. The cap  705  may be a single piece of material or multiple components assembled together. The cap  705  may be formed of a material or materials that permit biometric sensing therethrough. For example, if the fingerprint sensor of the fingerprint-sensing button  701  uses capacitive sensing, the cap  705  may be a dielectric material (e.g., glass, sapphire). The cap  705  may have a thickness between about 100 to about 200 microns. In some cases, the cap  705  may include one or more layers of ink, dye, coatings, films, or other materials. Such layers may be used to provide optical masking, cosmetic coloring, shielding, or the like. The thickness of the cap  705  with the one or more layers of material may be between about 200 and about 300 microns thick. 
     The fingerprint sensing component  706  (or other biometric sensing component) may be a capacitive sense layer that is configured to capture an image of a fingerprint of a user to authenticate the user. The fingerprint sensing component  706  may be coupled to a circuit component  707 , and a flexible circuit element  708  may be conductively coupled to the fingerprint sensing component  706  (optionally via conductors of the circuit component  707 ). The circuit component  707  may be a system-in-package that includes multiple electronic components in a single carrier. For example, the system-in-package circuit component  707  may include electronic components such as a processor, memory, and/or other components used for biometric sensing on a single substrate. The flexible circuit element  708  may conductively couple the fingerprint sensing component  706  (or other biometric sensing component) to a component within the housing of the device, in the same or similar manner to the flexible circuit element  212  described above. 
     The fingerprint sensing component  706  and the circuit component  707  may be attached to the cap  705 , such as via adhesive. In some cases, neither the fingerprint sensing component  706  nor the circuit component  707  contact the chassis  704 . 
     The button member  702  may be coupled to a compressible support assembly  710 . The button member  712  may be attached via adhesive, fasteners, fusion bonds (e.g., welding), staking (e.g., heat staking), brazing, soldering, or the like. For example, an upper surface of the compressible support assembly  710  (e.g., an upper surface of a movable member  711 ) may be adhered to a bottom surface of the chassis  714 . 
     The compressible support assembly  710  provides multiple functions to the fingerprint-sensing button  701 . For example, the compressible support assembly  710  biases the button structure  702  towards an unactuated position (e.g., fully extended and/or undepressed), while also retaining the button structure  702  to the device. The compressible support assembly  710  also transfers input forces applied to the button structure  702  to an input sensor. Further, the compressible support assembly  710  acts as a multi-interface sealing structure to inhibit ingress of water, liquids, and/or other contaminants into the device. In some cases, the seals defined by the compressible support assembly  710  are waterproof seals. 
     The compressible support assembly  710  includes a movable member  711  and a stationary member  712 . The movable member  711  is coupled to and supports the button structure  702 . For example, a bottom side of the chassis  704  may be adhered to or otherwise attached to an upper surface of the movable member  711 . The stationary member  712  may act as one side of a clamping structure that secures the compressible support assembly  710 , and thus the button structure  702 , to the device housing. For example, as shown in  FIG.  7   , the stationary member  712  and an inner bracket  713  may together act as a clamping structure that engages or clamps onto a portion of the housing  703 . For example, the stationary member  712  and the inner bracket  713  may capture flanges  714  of the housing  703  between clamping surfaces of the stationary member  712  and the inner bracket  713 . Fasteners  715  (e.g., screws) may secure the stationary member  712  to the inner bracket  713  and provide the clamping force that is imparted to the flanges  715  and that retains the stationary member  712  and the inner bracket  713  to the housing  703 . 
     The compressible support assembly  710  also includes biasing springs  716  that bias the movable member  711  (and thus the button structure  702 ) towards an unactuated position (e.g., fully extended and/or undepressed). The biasing springs  716  may be positioned between the movable member  711  and the stationary member  712 , and an input force applied to the button structure  702  may cause the biasing springs  716  to be compressed between the movable member  711  and the stationary member  712 . The biasing springs  716  may be coil springs (as shown), or any other suitable type of spring or resilient member or material (e.g., leaf springs, beam springs, elastomer, etc.). 
     The movable member  711  may be retained to the stationary member  712  via retention pins  720 . The retention pins  720  may include a flange or other feature that engages the movable member  711  to limit its travel in one direction (e.g., outwards or towards an unactuated position). The biasing springs  716  may bias the movable member  711  against the retention pins  720 , thereby defining the outward-most position of the button structure  702  (e.g., defining the unactuated position). The retention pins  720  may be attached to the stationary member  712 . For example, retention clips  721  (e.g., c-clips or e-clips) may engage terminal ends of the retention pins to retain the retention pins  720  to the stationary member  712 . In some cases, the retention pins  720  are fixed to the stationary member  712  via the retention clips  720 . 
     The movable member  711  may be configured to actuate an input sensor  719 , such as a dome switch (as shown), capacitive force sensor, strain gauge, or the like. The input sensor  719  may be attached to or mounted on the inner bracket  713 . When the button structure  702  is pressed, the button structure  712 , and thus the movable member  711  that is attached to the button structure  702 , may compress or otherwise impart a force on the input sensor  719 , which the device may recognize as an input and perform an appropriate action. The input sensor  719  may be conductively coupled to a circuit element via one or more electrical connectors (e.g., vias), which may extend through an opening or hole in the inner bracket  713 , which is also conductively coupled to other components of the device (e.g., a processor). 
     The movable member  711  may include or define an actuation structure  717  that engages a plunger  718  to impart the force on the input sensor  719  when the button is pressed. In some cases, the plunger  718  is secured to the actuation structure  717  (e.g., via adhesive), while in some cases it contacts the actuation structure  717  but is not attached. In some cases, the movable member  711  includes an actuation structure  717  that extends fully to the input sensor  719  to engage the input sensor  717  directly. 
     The compressible support assembly  710  also seals the fingerprint-sensing button  701  to inhibit ingress of water, liquids, or other contaminants into the device. More particularly, the compressible support assembly  710  seals several interfaces of the fingerprint-sensing button  701 , while leaving a large sealed environment in which electrical and mechanical components may be positioned. For example, the compressible support assembly  710  includes a first seal  722 , shown here as a skirt seal (and sometimes referred to as a skirt seal  722 ), that is coupled to the movable member  711  and seals an interface between the chassis  704  and the movable member  711 . The skirt seal  722  includes a seal wall  801  that is configured to collapse, buckle, or otherwise deform when the button structure  702  is pressed (e.g., to actuate the input sensor  719 ), while keeping the sealed environment enclosed during button actuation. The compressible support assembly  710  also includes a second seal  723  that is coupled to the stationary member  712  and is coupled to the first seal  722 , and is configured to seal an interface between the stationary member  712  and the housing  703  (e.g., a surface of the flange  714 ). The first seal  722  and the second seal  723  are further described with respect to  FIGS.  8 A- 8 B . 
     As described above, the compressible support assembly  710  provides numerous mechanical and sealing functions to the fingerprint-sensing button  701 . For example, the compressible support assembly  710  biases the button structure  702  to an unactuated position, retains the button structure  702  to the device housing  703 , serves as part of a clamping structure that secures the button structure  702  to the device housing, facilitates force transfer to an input sensor, provides a tactile response to a user when the button is being pressed (e.g., via the springs), and also seals multiple interfaces between components of the fingerprint-sensing button  701 . 
     In some cases, the compressible support assembly  710  may be fully assembled prior to attachment to the chassis  704 . For example, the movable member  711  may be inserted into a mold, and a polymer material may be introduced into the mold and against the movable member  711  to form the first seal  722 . Subsequently, the stationary member  712  (and optionally the retention pins  720 , biasing springs  716 , and actuation structure) may be introduced into the mold (or a different mold) along with the movable member  711  and the first seal  722 , and another polymer material (which may have the same or a different composition as the first seal  722 ) may be introduced into the mold and against both the first seal  722  and the stationary member  712  to define the second seal  723 . Retention clips  721  may then be included to secure the retention pins  720  to the stationary member  712 . This process may result in a pre-assembled compressible support assembly  710  that can be attached to the chassis  704  and secured to the housing  703  to efficiently and quickly provide mechanical button functionality and define reliable seals for the fingerprint-sensing button  701 . 
     As described above, the compressible support assembly  710  defines a sealed chamber  730  below the button structure  702 . The sealed chamber  730  is positioned over and/or encompasses holes formed through the housing  703 . The holes in the housing  703  allow mechanical and/or electrical components to pass through into the interior of the housing  703 . Thus, because the holes are within the sealed chamber  730 , those components are protected from liquids, water, or other contaminants. 
     One such component that is in and/or passes through the sealed chamber  730  is a flexible circuit element  708 . The flexible circuit element  708  is coupled to the circuit component  707  and passes through the sealed chamber  730  and into the device through a hole  728  in the inner bracket  713 . The flexible circuit element  708  carries electrical signals between the circuit component  707  and other electrical components of the device  700  (e.g., a processor, main logic board, etc.). The electrical signals may include signals from the fingerprint sensing component  706 . Because the sealed chamber  730  is sealed from the exterior environment, and because the sealed chamber  730  is relatively large (e.g., encompassing up to 90% or more of the area below the chassis  704 ), the flexible circuit element  708  can pass freely through the sealed chamber  730 , optionally without additional sealing structures. Further, the large volume of the sealed chamber  730  allows sufficient room for the flexible circuit element  708  to flex or bend during button actuations, and allows the flexible circuit element  708  to be routed into the device housing  703  without tight bends or curves. 
     As described above, an inner bracket  713  may operate as one side of a clamping structure that secures the compressible support assembly  710  to the housing  703 . In some cases, the inner bracket  713  also secures a microphone module  724  to the housing  703 . More particularly, a wing portion  726  of the inner bracket  713  may be configured to extend along a portion of an interior surface of the housing that includes a recess for the microphone module  724 . The wing portion  726  may hold the microphone module  724  in the recess. Notably, the same clamping configuration from the inner bracket  713  and the compressible support assembly  710  retains the microphone module  724  in place. More particularly, by clamping the flanges  714  of the housing  703  between the inner bracket  713  and the compressible support assembly  710 , the wing portion  726  is rigidly held in the position that secures the microphone module  724  in place. In some cases, no additional fasteners are needed to retain the microphone module  724  in place in its recess. In some cases, a biasing member such as a foam pad is positioned between the wing portion  726  and the microphone module  724  to help bias the microphone module against the housing  703 . The microphone module  724  may receive sound through a hole  725  formed through the housing  703 . 
       FIGS.  8 A- 8 B  depict a portion of the device  700  corresponding to area  8 A- 8 A in  FIG.  7   , illustrating details of the first and second seals  722 .  FIG.  8 A  shows the button in an unactuated state, such as may occur when the fingerprint sensing button  701  is not being subjected to an input force (e.g., it is not being pressed). In this state, the biasing springs may be forcing the movable member  711  into its outward most position. 
     As shown in  FIG.  8 A , the first seal  722  is attached to the movable member  711  such as via injection molding, such that the first seal  722  is bonded to the movable member  711  and defines a water-tight seal between the first seal  722  and the movable member  711 . The first seal  722  defines a first sealing feature  802  that contacts the chassis  704 . The first sealing feature  802 , which may be a protrusion, bump, or any other suitable shape or configuration, may seal against a surface of the chassis  704  to define a sealing interface between the first seal  722  and the chassis  704 . The first sealing feature  802  may be deformed against the chassis  704  (e.g., compressed) due to the size of the first sealing feature  802  being larger than the gap between the sealing surface of the chassis  704  and the movable member  711 . 
     The second seal  723  is attached to the stationary member  712  such as via injection molding, such that the second seal  723  is bonded to the stationary member  712  and defines a water-tight seal between the second seal  723  and the stationary member  712 . Accordingly, the interface between the second seal  723  and the stationary member  712  may be water-tight. The second seal  723  defines a second sealing feature  805  that contacts the housing  703  (e.g., the flange  714  of the housing  703 ). The second sealing feature  805 , which may be a protrusion, bump, or any other suitable shape or configuration, may seal against a surface of the housing (e.g., the flange  714 ) to define a sealing interface between the second seal  723  and the housing  703 . The second sealing feature  805  may be deformed against the flange  714  (e.g., compressed) due to the size of the second sealing feature  805  being larger than the gap between the sealing surface of the flange  714  and the stationary member  712 . 
     The first seal  722  is also attached to the stationary member  712 , and optionally attached to the second seal  723 . In particular, the second seal  723  may be attached to an end portion  803  of the first seal  722 , along a bond interface  804  (e.g., where the first and second seals  722 ,  723  are bonded to each other). The attachment between the first seal  722  and the stationary member  712  and second seal  723  may result from the injection process, in which the second seal  723  bonds to the first seal  722  and to the stationary member  712 . The bonds between the first seal  722  and the movable member  711 , between the first seal  722  and the second seal  723 , and between the second seal  723  and the stationary member  712  (as well as the sealing interfaces provided by the first and second sealing features) defines a boot-like seal around the periphery of the compressible support assembly  710 , and thus defines the sealed chamber  730 . The sealed chamber  730  is thus sealed against ingress of water, liquids, or other contaminants, and allows a large area below the button structure  702  to be open to the interior of the housing. This large, environmentally sealed area can contain many mechanical and electrical components that would otherwise not be suitable for free environmental contact (e.g., flexible circuit elements, input sensors, fingerprint sensing components, circuit boards, etc.). 
       FIG.  8 B  illustrates the fingerprint-sensing button  701  in a depressed or actuated state, such as may occur when a user presses on the button member to provide an input to a device. In this state, the button structure  702  (including the chassis  704 ) and the movable member  711  are moved downwards (e.g., towards the stationary member  712 ), resulting in the first seal  722  deforming along a seal wall  801 . Because the sealing wall  801  deforms during button actuation, the seal remains intact during the button actuation. Moreover, because the sealing wall  801  deforms, neither of the sealing interfaces have to move or slide along a sealing surface during button actuation. More particularly, during button actuation and movement, the first sealing feature  802  remains static against the sealing surface of the chassis  704 , while the second sealing feature  805  remains static against the sealing surface of the ledge  714 . Thus, movement of the button does not apply forces to or produce friction on the sealing features, leading to less wear and greater durability. Further, because the sealing interfaces are static, the seals may be stronger or less likely to allow ingress of liquid, water, etc. Thus, the configuration of a deformable sealing wall  801  with static sealing features provides a robust seal that may have a greater sealing effect and durability as compared to seals that move or slide against surfaces during actuation. 
       FIG.  9    is a partial exploded view of the fingerprint-sensing button  701 , illustrating an example of how the components of the fingerprint-sensing button  701  and the device housing  703  are arranged.  FIG.  9    may also illustrate how the fingerprint-sensing button  701  may be assembled. 
     As shown in  FIG.  9   , the cap  705 , which may have circuit components including a flexible circuit element  708  coupled to a bottom surface thereof, is coupled to a top side of the chassis  704 . The compressible support assembly  710  may also be coupled to a bottom side of the chassis  704 . The compressible support assembly  710  may be secured to flange or other mounting surface of the chassis  704  via adhesive  900  (which may be adhesive film, a curable liquid adhesive, or the like). The process of attaching the compressible support assembly  710  to the chassis  704  results in the first sealing feature  802  ( FIGS.  8 A- 8 B ) being forced against the chassis  704  to form a watertight seal between the chassis  704  and the first seal  722 . Further, during the coupling of the cap  705 , chassis  704 , and compressible support assembly  710 , the flexible circuit element  708  may be routed through the central hole of the chassis  704  and through the sealed chamber  730  of the compressible support assembly  710 . 
     Once coupled together, cap  705 , chassis  704 , and compressible support assembly  710  may be positioned in a hole  901  in the housing  703 , and the flexible circuit element  708  may be routed through a hole in the inner bracket  713 . The fasteners  715  may be installed to secure the inner bracket  713  (with the input sensor  719 ) to the compressible support assembly  710 , thereby clamping the flange  714  of the housing  703  between the compressible support assembly  710  and the inner bracket  713  and securing the fingerprint-sensing button  701  to the housing  703 .  FIG.  9    further illustrates how the configuration of the flange  714 , the compressible support assembly  710 , and the inner bracket  713  result in a clamping interface that extends around the wall of the hole  901  and around an outer periphery of the compressible support assembly  710 . Accordingly, the clamping interface has a ring-like shape that extends around a large sealed area through which components may pass while remaining within the sealed environment. 
     The process of clamping the flange  714  of the housing  703  between the compressible support assembly  710  and the inner bracket  713  also results in the second sealing feature  805  ( FIGS.  8 A- 8 B ) being forced against the housing (e.g., the flange  714 ) to form a watertight seal between the flange  714  of the housing  703  and the second seal  723 . Further, as noted above, a microphone module may be positioned in a recess in the housing  703 , such that attaching the inner bracket  713  to the compressible support assembly  710  results in the wing portion  726  of the inner bracket  713  retaining the microphone module in place. 
       FIG.  10    is another partial exploded view of the fingerprint-sensing button  701 , illustrating how the components of the fingerprint-sensing button  701  are arranged. As shown in  FIG.  10   , the fingerprint-sensing component  706  may be attached to a bottom side surface of the cap  705  with an adhesive  1001 , such as an adhesive film, a curable liquid adhesive, or the like. The circuit component  707 , which may be a system-in-package circuit component, may be conductively coupled to the fingerprint-sensing component  706 . For example, the fingerprint-sensing component  706  may include one or more electrode layers for capacitively sensing details of a user&#39;s fingerprints, and the circuit component  707  may include processors, memory, and/or other circuitry that are conductively coupled to the electrode layers (and/or other components of the fingerprint-sensing component  706 ) to facilitate fingerprint sensing. The circuit component  707  may be attached to the fingerprint-sensing component  706  with an adhesive, such as an adhesive film, a curable liquid adhesive, or the like. 
     The flexible circuit element  708  may include a connector  1003  that conductively couples to the circuit element  707  and facilitates the flexible circuit element  708  in carrying electrical signals and/or other communications between the circuit element  707  and other electronic components of a device. In order to reach the relevant electronic components within a device, the flexible circuit element  708  may be routed through a hole  1002  or open central region of the chassis  704 , and through a hole  1004  in the compressible support assembly  710 . Thus, as described more fully herein, the flexible circuit element  708  extends through the sealed chamber  730  and, more generally, is within the sealed environment defined by the sealing components of the fingerprint-sensing button  701 . 
       FIG.  11    depicts an example schematic diagram of an electronic device  1100 . The electronic device  1100  may be an embodiment of or otherwise represent the device  100 . The device  1100  includes one or more processing units  1101  that are configured to access a memory  1102  having instructions stored thereon. The instructions or computer programs may be configured to perform one or more of the operations or functions described with respect to the electronic devices described herein. For example, the instructions may be configured to control or coordinate the operation of one or more displays  1108 , one or more touch sensors  1103 , one or more force sensors  1105 , one or more communications channels  1104 , one or more audio input systems  1109 , one or more audio output systems  1110 , one or more positioning systems  1111 , one or more sensors  1112 , and/or one or more haptic feedback devices  1106 . 
     The processing units  1101  of  FIG.  11    may be implemented as any electronic device capable of processing, receiving, or transmitting data or instructions. For example, the processing units  1101  may include one or more of: a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), or combinations of such devices. As described herein, the term “processor” is meant to encompass a single processor or processing unit, multiple processors, multiple processing units, or other suitably configured computing element or elements. The processing units  1101  may be coupled to a logic board of the device  1100 . 
     The memory  1102  can store electronic data that can be used by the device  1100 . For example, a memory can store electrical data or content such as, for example, audio and video files, images, documents and applications, device settings and user preferences, programs, instructions, timing and control signals or data for the various modules, data structures or databases, and so on. The memory  1102  can be configured as any type of memory. By way of example only, the memory can be implemented as random access memory, read-only memory, Flash memory, removable memory, or other types of storage elements, or combinations of such devices. The memory  1102  may be coupled to a logic board of the device  1100 . 
     The touch sensors  1103  may detect various types of touch-based inputs and generate signals or data that are able to be accessed using processor instructions. The touch sensors  1103  may use any suitable components and may rely on any suitable phenomena to detect physical inputs. For example, the touch sensors  1103  may be capacitive touch sensors, resistive touch sensors, acoustic wave sensors, or the like. The touch sensors  1103  may include any suitable components for detecting touch-based inputs and generating signals or data that are able to be accessed using processor instructions, including electrodes (e.g., electrode layers), physical components (e.g., substrates, spacing layers, structural supports, compressible elements, etc.) processors, circuitry, firmware, and the like. The touch sensors  1103  may be integrated with or otherwise configured to detect touch inputs applied to any portion of the device  1100 . For example, the touch sensors  1103  may be configured to detect touch inputs applied to any portion of the device  1100  that includes a display (and may be integrated with a display). The touch sensors  1103  may operate in conjunction with the force sensors  1105  to generate signals or data in response to touch inputs. A touch sensor or force sensor that is positioned over a display surface or otherwise integrated with a display may be referred to herein as a touch-sensitive display, force-sensitive display, or touchscreen. 
     The force sensors  1105  may detect various types of force-based inputs and generate signals or data that are able to be accessed using processor instructions. The force sensors  1105  may use any suitable components and may rely on any suitable phenomena to detect physical inputs. For example, the force sensors  1105  may be strain-based sensors, piezoelectric-based sensors, piezoresistive-based sensors, capacitive sensors, resistive sensors, or the like. The force sensors  1105  may include any suitable components for detecting force-based inputs and generating signals or data that are able to be accessed using processor instructions, including electrodes (e.g., electrode layers), physical components (e.g., substrates, spacing layers, structural supports, compressible elements, etc.), processors, circuitry, firmware, and the like. The force sensors  1105  may be used in conjunction with various input mechanisms to detect various types of inputs. For example, the force sensors  1105  may be used to detect presses or other force inputs that satisfy a force threshold (which may represent a more forceful input than is typical for a standard “touch” input). Like the touch sensors  1103 , the force sensors  1105  may be integrated with or otherwise configured to detect force inputs applied to any portion of the device  1100 . For example, the force sensors  1105  may be configured to detect force inputs applied to any portion of the device  1100  that includes a display (and may be integrated with a display). The force sensors  1105  may operate in conjunction with the touch sensors  1103  to generate signals or data in response to touch- and/or force-based inputs. Force sensors  1105  may be integrated with buttons (e.g., the fingerprint-sensing buttons  120 ,  403 ,  600 ,  701 ) to detect inputs applied to the buttons. 
     The device  1100  may also include one or more haptic devices  1106 . The haptic device  1106  may include one or more of a variety of haptic technologies such as, but not necessarily limited to, rotational haptic devices, linear actuators, piezoelectric devices, vibration elements, and so on. In general, the haptic device  1106  may be configured to provide punctuated and distinct feedback to a user of the device. More particularly, the haptic device  1106  may be adapted to produce a knock or tap sensation and/or a vibration sensation. Such haptic outputs may be provided in response to detection of inputs such as touch and/or force inputs, or events such as a successful (or unsuccessful) biometric authentication. The haptic outputs may be imparted to a user through the exterior surface of the device  1100  (e.g., via a glass or other surface that acts as a touch- and/or force-sensitive display or surface), or via an input member such as a button or biometric sensor (e.g., the fingerprint-sensing button  120 ,  FIG.  1 A ). 
     The one or more communications channels  1104  may include one or more wireless interface(s) that are adapted to provide communication between the processing unit(s)  1101  and an external device. The one or more communication channels  1104  may include antennas (e.g., antennas that include or use the housing members of the housing  104  as radiating members), communications circuitry, firmware, software, or any other components or systems that facilitate wireless communications with other devices. In general, the one or more communications channels  1104  may be configured to transmit and receive data and/or signals that may be interpreted by instructions executed on the processing units  1101 . In some cases, the external device is part of an external communication network that is configured to exchange data with wireless devices. Generally, the wireless interface may communicate via, without limitation, radio frequency, optical, acoustic, and/or magnetic signals and may be configured to operate over a wireless interface or protocol. Example wireless interfaces include radio frequency cellular interfaces (e.g., 2G, 3G, 4G, 4G long-term evolution (LTE), 5G, GSM, CDMA, or the like), fiber optic interfaces, acoustic interfaces, Bluetooth interfaces, infrared interfaces, USB interfaces, Wi-Fi interfaces, TCP/IP interfaces, network communications interfaces, or any conventional communication interfaces. The one or more communications channels  1104  may also include ultra-wideband interfaces, which may include any appropriate communications circuitry, instructions, and number and position of suitable UWB antennas. 
     As shown in  FIG.  11   , the device  1100  may include a battery  1107  that is used to store and provide power to the other components of the device  1100 . The battery  1107  may be a rechargeable power supply that is configured to provide power to the device  1100 . The battery  1107  may be coupled to charging systems (e.g., wired and/or wireless charging systems) and/or other circuitry to control the electrical power provided to the battery  1107  and to control the electrical power provided from the battery  1107  to the device  1100 . 
     The device  1100  may also include one or more displays  1108  configured to display graphical outputs. The displays  1108  may use any suitable display technology, including liquid crystal displays (LCD), organic light emitting diodes (OLED) displays, active-matrix organic light-emitting diode displays (AMOLED), or the like. The displays  1108  may display graphical user interfaces, images, icons, or any other suitable graphical outputs. The display  1108  may correspond to the display  103  of  FIG.  1 A . 
     The device  1100  may also provide audio input functionality via one or more audio input systems  1109 . The audio input systems  1109  may include microphones, transducers, or other devices that capture sound for voice calls, video calls, audio recordings, video recordings, voice commands, and the like. 
     The device  1100  may also provide audio output functionality via one or more audio output systems (e.g., speakers)  1110 . The audio output systems  1110  may produce sound from voice calls, video calls, streaming or local audio content, streaming or local video content, or the like. 
     The device  1100  may also include a positioning system  1111 . The positioning system  1111  may be configured to determine the location of the device  1100 . For example, the positioning system  1111  may include magnetometers, gyroscopes, accelerometers, optical sensors, cameras, global positioning system (GPS) receivers, inertial positioning systems, or the like. The positioning system  1111  may be used to determine spatial parameters of the device  1100 , such as the location of the device  1100  (e.g., geographical coordinates of the device), measurements or estimates of physical movement of the device  1100 , an orientation of the device  1100 , or the like. 
     The device  1100  may also include one or more additional sensors  1112  to receive inputs (e.g., from a user or another computer, device, system, network, etc.) or to detect any suitable property or parameter of the device, the environment surrounding the device, people or things interacting with the device (or nearby the device), or the like. For example, a device may include temperature sensors, biometric sensors (e.g., fingerprint sensors, photoplethysmographs, blood-oxygen sensors, blood sugar sensors, or the like), eye-tracking sensors, retinal scanners, humidity sensors, buttons, switches, lid-closure sensors, or the like. 
     To the extent that multiple functionalities, operations, and structures described with reference to  FIG.  11    are disclosed as being part of, incorporated into, or performed by the device  1100 , it should be understood that various embodiments may omit any or all such described functionalities, operations, and structures. Thus, different embodiments of the device  1100  may have some, none, or all of the various capabilities, apparatuses, physical features, modes, and operating parameters discussed herein. Further, the systems included in the device  1100  are not exclusive, and the device  1100  may include alternative or additional systems, components, modules, programs, instructions, or the like, that may be necessary or useful to perform the functions described herein. 
     As described above, one aspect of the present technology is the gathering and use of data available from various sources. The present disclosure contemplates that, in some instances, this gathered data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data can include demographic data, location-based data, telephone numbers, email addresses, twitter ID&#39;s, home addresses, data or records relating to a user&#39;s health or level of fitness (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or any other identifying or personal information. 
     The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data, in the present technology, can be used to the benefit of users. For example, the personal information data can be used to deliver targeted content that is of greater interest to the user. Accordingly, use of such personal information data enables users to calculated control of the delivered content. Further, other uses for personal information data that benefit the user are also contemplated by the present disclosure. For instance, health and fitness data may be used to provide insights into a user&#39;s general wellness, or may be used as positive feedback to individuals using technology to pursue wellness goals. 
     The present disclosure contemplates that the entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use of such personal information data will comply with well-established privacy policies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities should implement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining personal information data private and secure. Such policies should be easily accessible by users, and should be updated as the collection and/or use of data changes. Personal information from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonable uses of the entity and not shared or sold outside of those legitimate uses. Further, such collection/sharing should occur after receiving the informed consent of the users. Additionally, such entities should consider taking any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access to such personal information data and ensuring that others with access to the personal information data adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluation by third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adapted for the particular types of personal information data being collected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards, including jurisdiction-specific considerations. For instance, in the US, collection of or access to certain health data may be governed by federal and/or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); whereas health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. Hence different privacy practices should be maintained for different personal data types in each country. 
     Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to, personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, in the case of advertisement delivery services, the present technology can be configured to allow users to select to “opt in” or “opt out” of participation in the collection of personal information data during registration for services or anytime thereafter. In another example, users can select not to provide mood-associated data for targeted content delivery services. In yet another example, users can select to limit the length of time mood-associated data is maintained or entirely prohibit the development of a baseline mood profile. In addition to providing “opt in” and “opt out” options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notifications relating to the access or use of personal information. For instance, a user may be notified upon downloading an app that their personal information data will be accessed and then reminded again just before personal information data is accessed by the app. 
     Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and handled in a way to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can be minimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once it is no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect a user&#39;s privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, when appropriate, by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g., collecting location data at a city level rather than at an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and/or other methods. 
     Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use of personal information data to implement one or more various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the various embodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing such personal information data. That is, the various embodiments of the present technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data. For example, content can be selected and delivered to users by inferring preferences based on non-personal information data or a bare minimum amount of personal information, such as the content being requested by the device associated with a user, other non-personal information available to the content delivery services, or publicly available information. 
     As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” preceding a series of items, with the term “and” or “or” to separate any of the items, modifies the list as a whole, rather than each member of the list. The phrase “at least one of” does not require selection of at least one of each item listed; rather, the phrase allows a meaning that includes at a minimum one of any of the items, and/or at a minimum one of any combination of the items, and/or at a minimum one of each of the items. By way of example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” or “at least one of A, B, or C” each refer to only A, only B, or only C; any combination of A, B, and C; and/or one or more of each of A, B, and C. Similarly, it may be appreciated that an order of elements presented for a conjunctive or disjunctive list provided herein should not be construed as limiting the disclosure to only that order provided. 
     The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the described embodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the specific embodiments described herein are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not targeted to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. Also, when used herein to refer to positions of components, the terms above, below, over, under, left, or right (or other similar relative position terms), do not necessarily refer to an absolute position relative to an external reference, but instead refer to the relative position of components within the figure being referred to. Similarly, horizontal and vertical orientations may be understood as relative to the orientation of the components within the figure being referred to, unless an absolute horizontal or vertical orientation is indicated.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20210909
Publication Date: 20240917
Grant Date: 20240917
Priority Date: 20200925
Inventors: KOCH, TIMOTHY D.
MAGIDA, Dylan L.
WITTENBERG, MICHAEL B.
YANG, HENRY H.
CHANG, ALVIN T.
ROACH, STEVEN C.
OSTDIEK, JARED P.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04B2001/3894", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B1/3827", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1656", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V40/13", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01H2223/002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01H2207/01", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01H13/86", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01H13/81", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01H2229/038", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01H2239/074", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01H2239/006", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K17/975", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1684", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/026", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/72466", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M2250/12", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F21/32", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/236", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B2001/3894", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B1/3827", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06V40/13", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1656", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F21/32", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 78085790