Patent Application
20110005796
Many aspects of a housing and method making the same can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present housing and method making the same. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
Referring to
The protective layer 17 and the adhesive layer 15 are respectively attached to the first surface 110 and the second surface 112. Accordingly, the decorative layer 11, the adhesive layer 15, and the protective layer 17 cooperatively serve as a soft layer 19. The soft layer 19 is attached to the metal layer 13 to form an intermediate product. Then the intermediate product is pressed and heated by the thermo compressing apparatus, and thus the adhesive layer 15 is tightly adhered to the metal layer 13 to form the housing 10. After the punching process, superfluous edges may occur on the housing 10. The superfluous edges can be cut away by the computer numerical control. At last, the protective layer 17 is removed and the first surface 110 is washed.
It can be understood that the metal layer 13 can be made of stainless steel, magnesium aluminium alloy, aluminium, or aluminium alloy. The protective layer 17 can be made of polyethylene (PE) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The adhesive layer 15 may include a medium denisty mixture of polyethylene (60%), polyisobutene (25%), butyl rubber (10%), and microcrystal wax (5%).
It is to be understood that, the adhesive layer 15 can be previously formed on the metal layer 13. Then, the decorative layer 11 can be attached to the adhesive layer 15.
It is to be understood that the protective layer 17 can be omitted. Accordingly, the step of washing the first surface can be omitted.
It is to be further understood that the adhesive layer 15 can alternatively be one of a double-faced adhesive belt, ultraviolet rays (UV) gum, and cyanoacrylate adhesive, etc.
It is to be further understood that the process of cutting the superfluous edges of the housing 10 can be omitted when the housing 10 does not require precision machining.
It is to be also understood, however, that even through numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200910304238.2 | Jul 2009 | CN | national |
This application is related to co-pending U.S. Patent Application (Attorney Docket No. US26566, entitled “HOUSING AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME”, by WU et al., which is the same assignee as the present application. The above-identified application is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field The present disclosure relates to housings and methods for making the housings. 2. Description of Related Art The housing for electronic devices can have a good tactility by forming a soft layer thereon. The soft layer is trimmed into a predetermined shape. The soft layer is attached to the housing by injection molding. However, the trimming process is costly and time consuming. Furthermore, the soft layer may subject to damage from the high temperatures of the injection molding. Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.
