The present invention relates generally to electronics device housings including user interfaces, and more particularly, to a continuous housing having an integrated user interface formed therein.
Electronics devices generally have a housing and electronic components retained therein. Some devices have multiple housings pieces coupled together while others are a single housing. User interfaces are accessible through some portion of the housing. Where a housing is comprised of multiple portions, there are typically two or more portions, halves for example, that are put together to contain electronics. The housing provides structure to retain and protect the components. User interfaces protrude through an opening in the housing such that it is accessible to the user.
In one example an extrusion is used as the housing, the extrusion having a rectangular shape that has openings at the top and bottom, in the short dimension, and the user interface protrudes through an opening in the housing.
Multiple housing portions require multiple assembly steps, thereby increasing complexity and cost. As a result, a housing, which simplifies manufacturability while maintaining structural and esthetic characteristics, would be beneficial.
While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described presently preferred embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.
In this embodiment, the portion of the key 104 deflects substantially perpendicular to the surface of the continuous housing 100 such that the movement of the key is localized to the key 104 portion of the housing 100. In this embodiment, a plurality of keys are formed by a plurality of voids. A single continuous void 102 may form a single key or alternatively, as in this embodiment, a plurality of keys; for example, in this embodiment, the void 102 defines three keys, the first key 104 a second key 106 and a third key 108.
The continuous housing 100 in this embodiment has four contiguous (adjoining) sides that form the continuous housing 100; a first side 110; a second side 112; a third side 114; and a fourth side 116. The continuous housing sides form a a cavity 117. In this embodiment the housing includes four sides however it is to be understood that there may be a plurality of sides (i.e. two or more sides) one or more having integral user interface portions. For example, the housing may have two sides that meet at a point to form the enclosure, i.e. a front and a back only. In another embodiment the enclosure may have five sides such as a “punch through” extrusion. The sides may be flat or they may be non planar or a combination thereof giving the housing enclosure a variable contour.
Further, the housing 100 comprises a first cavity opening 118 and a second cavity opening 120 the second opening 120 is distal to the first opening 118. In this embodiment, the housing 100 is formed from an extrusion element; the extrusion element having the four sides and a hollow profile with a cavity 117 partially enclosed by the sides. The cavity openings 118, 120 are formed as part of the extrusion process. Each side has an outer portion and an inner portion. The first side 110 has a first side outer portion 1124 and a first side inner portion 122. The first side outer portion 124 accessible from the outside of the device (may also be referenced as a first face); the first side inner portion 122 accessible from the cavity 117. The continuous housing forms a continuous hollow profile.
In one embodiment the material is removed by a laser etching process. In another embodiment the material is removed by a CNC machining process. In this embodiment the continuous housing is formed by an extrusion process and the voids are formed secondary to the extrusion process. It is known to those of ordinary skill in the art that a plurality of mechanical operations may be used for the remove of material.
The key top is defined by the voids and has a key top outer surface that is on the outward side of the housing 100 and a key top inner surface on the inside of the housing 100 adjacent to the cavity 117. The inner surface is coupled to a switch on a circuit board (
In
The keypad back-fill 704 is configured between the key tops 104, 106, 108, 202 . . . of the integral user interface 101 and the keypad PCB. In one embodiment the keypad backfill 704 portion comprises a void filler portion 708. The void filler portion 708 extends into the void 102 and between a plurality of key tops or between a key top and adjacent continuous housing portions. The backfill 708 may be transparent to function as a light guide, to illuminate the backfill void filler portions and may transmit light to indicia formed into the key tops. The keypad backfill 704 is configured between the integral user interface inner surface 122 and the dome switch portion 706 of the keypad PCB 702.
In one embodiment the keypad PCB 702 comprises an illumination source that illuminates the key, icons of the keys, or the keypad backfill, which may transmit the light thereto. In this embodiment the illumination provides a backlight to the keypad features (such as the indicia of the key tops and a transparent keypad back-fill). The illumination source, in this embodiment is a layer between the dome switch 706 and the PCB 702. In one embodiment the illumination source is an electroluminescent panel (EL) attached to the dome switch 706 layer. In another embodiment the illumination source is an LED or plurality of LED's to create the backlighting. It is understood that keypad sub-assemblies, methods of providing a key switch, illumination, tactile feedback and the like are known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
In this embodiment, a keypad wedge 710 is provided and configured such that it is adjacent to the bottom side of the keypad PCB 702, the side opposite to the dome switches. The keypad wedge 710 is a stiffener to counteract the force of the key top depression during actuation. The keypad wedge 710 in this embodiment may also serve to shift the keypad subassembly 700 into place adjacent to the inner surface 122 of the integral user interface 101, aligning the individual keys with the dome switches of the keypad PCB. The wedge 710 shifts the keypad PCB 702 and the keypad back fill 704 in the z-axis toward the inner surface 122 of the housing 100. A keypad wedge 710 may or may not be present. For example, the PCB 702 may act as a stiffener and z-axis insertion element as the keypad thickness may provide sufficient strength in place of the wedge.
In another embodiment, the keypad sub-assembly includes touch sensors. The touch sensors sense the touching of the individual key tops of the integral user interface 101. The key tops 104, 106, 108 in this embodiment need not deflect; the key top shapes are defined by the voids and the three dimensional shaping of the outer surface of the key tops.
Referring to
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