Patent Application
20150090576
The present disclosure relates generally to buttons of electronic devices, and more particularly relates to shims used in buttons of electronic devices.
Electronic devices—such as mobile devices, mobile phones, tablet computers, music and multi-media players, watches, gaming devices, and other handheld, wearable or portable devices—have one or more buttons such as home buttons, power buttons, or buttons that perform other functions.
These buttons typically are formed of multiple components arranged in a button assembly that may include button portion which is depressed by the finger or thumb of a user, and one or more components beneath the button portion.
In this example in
The shims 18 shown in
As recognized by the present inventor, proper tactile feel of a button assembly 10 for user is achieved when, as shown in
As recognized by the present inventor, there are variations in the manufactured thicknesses of each part 12, 14, 16, 20, 22 within a button assembly 10, including variations in the thickness of a conventional plastic shim 18, and these variations can result in either a small gap in the button assembly 10 such as shown in
Accordingly, as recognized by the present inventor, what is needed are improved button shims for buttons of electronic devices.
According to one broad aspect of one embodiment of the present disclosure, disclosed herein is a button assembly for an electronic device. In one example, the button assembly may include a housing for encasing the button assembly, a button positioned within the housing, and a curable foam shim positioned within the housing, the foam shim transformable between a compressible state to a rigid state. In one example, the foam shim in the compressible state has a first thickness, and when transformed by curing into the rigid state, the foam shim shrinks to a second thickness which is smaller than the first thickness. In this manner, the foam shim can be used to adaptively fill the interior of a button assembly by adapting to the dimensions of various components within the button assembly.
In one example, the foam shim transforms from the compressible state to the rigid state in response ultraviolet curing or curing by heat exposure.
In one example, the position of a curable foam shim may vary. For example, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a button assembly also includes a button bracket positioned within the housing, a flexible circuit positioned within the housing, and a tactile switch positioned within the housing. The foam shim may be positioned between the button bracket and the flexible circuit; between the flexible circuit and the tactile switch; or between the tactile switch and an interior surface of the button, by way of example.
The button assemblies disclosed herein may be used within a variety of electronic devices, such as mobile devices, mobile phones, tablet computers, music and multi-media players, watches, gaming devices, and other handheld, wearable or portable devices. The button assemblies disclosed herein may be used for numerous purposes, such as but not limited to buttons for power, volume, camera functions, controls, home function, multi-functions, configurable button functions, or any other functions of an electronic device.
According to another broad aspect of another embodiment of the present invention, disclosed herein is a button assembly for an electronic device including a housing for encasing the button assembly; a button positioned within the housing; and a foam shim positioned within the housing, the foam shim transformable by curing from a first state having a first thickness to a second state having a second thickness greater than the first thickness. In this manner, the foam shim can be used to adaptively fill the interior of a button assembly by adapting to the dimensions of various components within the button assembly.
According to another broad aspect of another embodiment of the present invention, disclosed herein is a method of forming a button assembly for use in an electronic device. In one example, the method may include providing a housing for encasing the button assembly; positioning a button within the housing; positioning a curable foam shim within the housing, the foam shim having a first thickness; curing the foam shim, thereby transforming the foam shim from a first state into a rigid second state wherein the foam shim has a second thickness.
In one example, in the first state the foam shim is compressible, and upon curing, the foam shim becomes rigid wherein the second thickness is smaller than the first thickness.
In another example, upon the curing operation, the foam shim expands such that the second thickness is greater than the first thickness.
The curing operation may be ultraviolet curing or curing by heat exposure, in one example.
Other embodiments of the disclosure are described herein. The features, utilities and advantages of various embodiments of this disclosure will be apparent from the following more particular description of embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Disclosed herein are various embodiments of foam shims that may be in button assemblies of electronic devices. These foam shims may be used in place of or in combination with conventional shims within any type of button assemblies for electronic devices, such as but not limited to buttons for power, volume, camera functions, controls, home function, multi-functions, configurable button functions, or any other functions of an electronic device.
As described herein, in one example of the disclosure, a button assembly includes a compressible oversized curable foam shim that is positioned within and compressed within the button assembly, which upon curing such as through heat or ultraviolet light, the foam shim becomes rigid with a fixed thickness. In this manner, the foam shim adapts to the precise thickness needed within the button assembly, which aids in providing desired tactile feel of the button for a user.
In another example of the disclosure, a button assembly may include an expandable curable foam shim positioned within the button assembly, which upon curing such as through heat or ultraviolet light while within the button assembly, the foam shim expands and becomes rigid with a fixed thickness. In this manner, the foam shim adapts to the precise thickness needed within a button assembly, which aids in providing desired tactile feel for the button assembly.
Various embodiments of foam shims for use in button assemblies of electronic devices, and related methods, are disclosed herein. The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings that depict various details of examples selected to show how particular embodiments may be implemented. The discussion herein addresses various examples of the inventive subject matter at least partially in reference to these drawings and describes the depicted embodiments in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments. Many other embodiments may be utilized for practicing the subject matter other than the illustrative examples discussed herein, and many structural and operational changes in addition to the alternatives specifically discussed herein may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosed subject matter.
In this description, references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment,” or to “one example” or “an example” mean that the feature being referred to is, or may be, included in at least one embodiment or example of the disclosure. Separate references to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” or to “one example” or “an example” in this description are not intended to necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example; however, neither are such embodiments mutually exclusive, unless so stated or as will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure includes a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments and examples described herein, as well as further embodiments and examples as defined within the scope of all claims based on this disclosure, as well as all legal equivalents of such claims.
Referring to
In
At operation 32 of
At operation 34 of
One example of this operation 34 is illustrated in
Referring to
In
The expandable foam shim 78 may be positioned between the tactile switch 76, optional flexible circuit 80, and optional button bracket 82 in one example. The expandable foam shim 78 may have a thickness that increases in response to ultraviolet light curing or heat curing, in one example.
At operation 62 of
The initial thickness of the foam shim 78 may be selected in an undersized dimension such that when the foam shim 78 and the other components (i.e., 74, 76, 80, 82) of the button assembly 70 are positioned within the housing 72, there is a gap 84 present between the components of the button assembly within the housing 72.
At operation 64 of
One example of operation 64 is illustrated in
In both
In another example of an embodiment of this disclosure, a button can be formed without flexible circuits and without button brackets. For instance, a button could be formed with a button housing, a button, a tactile switch, and a foam shim positioned within the button housing, wherein the foam shim fills any gap that would otherwise exist within the button assembly. In one example, such a button could be mounted to a circuit board or other electronic device or component thereof.
In another embodiment, a laser welded bracket could be used in a button assembly instead of an expandable/curable shim. For instance, in one example, two stamped sheet metal parts could have a slight spring between them, and could be positioned within a button assembly to take up or fill any gap that exists within the button assembly. The sheet metal parts could be laser welded together to form a bracket that provides a strong structure inside the button assembly, which can thereby fill gaps between button components within the button assembly to provide desired tactile feel for the button.
The buttons 44, 74 can be formed using any desired top surface shape or configuration, depending upon the implementation, in order to engage a user's finger or thumb during use. For instance, the top surface of buttons 44, 74 can shaped in configurations such as round, oval, square, rectangular, or any other shape as desired. In the example electronic device 38 of
Accordingly, it can be seen that embodiments of the present disclosure provide for curable foam shims that may be used within button assemblies of electronic devices, in order to aid in providing desired tactile feel of such button assemblies to users of the electronic devices.
While the methods disclosed herein have been described and shown with reference to particular operations performed in a particular order, it will be understood that these operations may be combined, sub-divided, or re-ordered to form equivalent methods without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. Accordingly, unless specifically indicated herein, the order and grouping of the operations is not a limitation of the present disclosure.
It should be appreciated that in the foregoing description of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, various features of the disclosure are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that an embodiment requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment, and each embodiment described herein may contain more than one inventive feature.
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in the form and details may be made from the embodiments shown and described without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
