Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100088853 | PORTABLE COMPUTER CLUTCH STRUCTURES - A portable computer is provided that has a housing. Upper and lower portions of the housing may be joined using a hinge. A clutch mechanism may be associated with the hinge. The clutch mechanism may exhibit asymmetrical friction during opening and closing of the portable computer housing portions. Additional closing force may help to prevent the computer from having a lid that is too easy to close, without overwhelming the clutch with unnecessary friction. The clutch may have a clutch spring that is attached to a clutch shaft using a slot in the shaft. A lobe may be provided in the spring in the vicinity of the slot. A protective cap may be provided over the tip of the shaft to prevent damage to nearby wires. A friction band in the clutch may be used to directly engage an end of the spring. | 04-15-2010 |
20100090847 | PORTABLE COMPUTER BATTERY INDICATOR - A portable computer may include battery indicator light structures. Battery status information in the portable computer may be presented to a user using an array of light-emitting diodes or other light emitters. Light-emitting diodes may be mounted on a printed circuit board. A stiffener may provide the printed circuit board with rigidity. The printed circuit board may include a connector that allows the board to be connected to a main logic board. A switch on the printed circuit board may be actuated by a power button on the portable computer. An opaque member with an array of holes may be used to reduce light bleed between adjacent light-emitting diodes. Diffusing plastic may be mounted within the array of holes. Bumps in the diffusing plastic may mate with corresponding holes on a portable computer housing. | 04-15-2010 |
20100091452 | PORTABLE COMPUTER STRUCTURES - Portable computer structures are provided. The portable computer structures may include connector structures. The portable computer may have a case. A portion of the connector structure may be formed by the case of the portable computer. The portable computer may have a circuit board with grounding spring-loaded pins which electrically ground the circuit board to the case of the portable computer. The portable computer may have an optical disk drive that is form fitted to mount to the portable computer case. | 04-15-2010 |
20100091454 | PORTABLE COMPUTER LATCH STRUCTURES - A portable computer is provided that has a housing. A battery may be contained within the housing. The housing may have panels such as a fixed housing panel and a removable access panel. A lever actuated latching mechanism may be used to lock the removable access panel and the battery within the portable computer. A lock may be used to block movement of the lever and thereby prevent access to the interior of the computer. Magnetic elements may be used to facilitate operation of the lever and to hold the access panel in place. The latch mechanism may provide mechanical advantage when disengaging the magnets that hold the access panel. | 04-15-2010 |
20100315570 | PORTABLE COMPUTER DISPLAY STRUCTURES - An electronic device housing may have upper and lower portions that are attached with a hinge. At least one portion of the housing may have a rear planar surface and peripheral sidewalls having edges. A display module may be mounted in the housing. The display module may have glass layers such as a color filter glass layer and a thin-film transistor substrate. The color filter glass layer may serve as the outermost glass layer in the display module. The edges of the display module may be aligned with the edges of the peripheral housing sidewalls to create the appearance of a borderless display for the electronic device. The display module may be provided with an opening that allows a camera or other electronic components to receive light. Traces may be provided on the underside of the thin-film transistor substrate to serve as signal paths for the electrical components. | 12-16-2010 |
20110103041 | PORTABLE COMPUTER HOUSING WITH INTEGRAL DISPLAY - An electronic device such as a portable computer may have a housing with a rectangular recess in which layers of display structures such as a light guide panel layer and other light guide structures are directly mounted without intervening chassis members. Mating alignment features in the housing and display structures may be used to align the display structures relative to the housing. A display may be formed from glass layers such as a color filter glass layer and a thin-film transistor glass layer. Backlight for the display may be generated by an array of light-emitting diodes. The light guide panel may direct light from the light-emitting diodes through the glass layers. A clamp may be used to hold the light-emitting diodes and light guide structures in place in the recess. An undercut in the housing may also hold the light guide structures in place. | 05-05-2011 |
20110109829 | METHODS FOR FABRICATING DISPLAY STRUCTURES - An electronic device display may have a color filter layer and a thin film transistor layer. A layer of liquid crystal material may be interposed between the color filter layer and the thin film transistor layer. A layer of polarizer may be laminated onto the surface of the color filter layer. Laser trimming may ensure that the edges of the polarizer are even with the edges of the color filter layer. The thin film transistor layer may have an array of thin film transistors that control pixels of the liquid crystal material in the display. Driver circuitry may be used to control the array. The driver circuitry may be encapsulated in a planarized encapsulant on the thin film transistor layer or may be mounted to the underside of the color filter layer. Conductive structures may connect driver circuitry on the color filter layer to the thin film transistor layer. | 05-12-2011 |
20110114294 | HEAT REMOVAL IN COMPACT COMPUTING SYSTEMS - A low profile heat removal system suitable for removing excess heat generated by a component operating in a compact computing environment is disclosed. | 05-19-2011 |
20110141052 | TOUCH PAD WITH FORCE SENSORS AND ACTUATOR FEEDBACK - Electronic devices may use touch pads that have touch sensor arrays, force sensors, and actuators for providing tactile feedback. A touch pad may be mounted in a computer housing. The touch pad may have a rectangular planar touch pad member that has a glass layer covered with ink and contains a capacitive touch sensor array. Force sensors may be mounted under each of the four corners of the rectangular planar touch pad member. The force sensors may be used to measure how much force is applied to the surface of the planar touch pad member by a user. Processed force sensor signals may indicate the presence of button activity such as press and release events. In response to detected button activity or other activity in the device, actuator drive signals may be generated for controlling the actuator. The user may supply settings to adjust signal processing and tactile feedback parameters. | 06-16-2011 |
20110189004 | FAN INLET AND METHOD - A method and apparatus to improve air flow in an air circulating fan assembly by forming an inlet opening in a fan assembly. A static air pressure profile is calculated along a top portion of the fan assembly configured to operate in an enclosure. The shape of a section of the inlet opening in the top portion of the fan assembly is changed based on a pressure contour of the calculated static air pressure profile. The method is repeated iteratively one or more times using an inlet opening changed by a previously calculated static air pressure profile when calculating a subsequent static air pressure profile. The inlet opening is positioned in the top surface of the fan assembly so that the centroid of the inlet opening is laterally offset with respect to the rotational axis of an impeller in the fan assembly. | 08-04-2011 |
20120020001 | METHODS FOR FABRICATING DISPLAY STRUCTURES - An electronic device display may have a color filter layer and a thin film transistor layer. A layer of liquid crystal material may be interposed between the color filter layer and the thin film transistor layer. A layer of polarizer may be laminated onto the surface of the color filter layer. Laser trimming may ensure that the edges of the polarizer are even with the edges of the color filter layer. The thin film transistor layer may have an array of thin film transistors that control pixels of the liquid crystal material in the display. Driver circuitry may be used to control the array. The driver circuitry may be encapsulated in a planarized encapsulant on the thin film transistor layer or may be mounted to the underside of the color filter layer. Conductive structures may connect driver circuitry on the color filter layer to the thin film transistor layer. | 01-26-2012 |
20120020002 | PORTABLE COMPUTER DISPLAY STRUCTURES - An electronic device housing may have upper and lower portions that are attached with a hinge. At least one portion of the housing may have a rear planar surface and peripheral sidewalls having edges. A display module may be mounted in the housing. The display module may have glass layers such as a color filter glass layer and a thin-film transistor substrate. The color filter glass layer may serve as the outermost glass layer in the display module. The edges of the display module may be aligned with the edges of the peripheral housing sidewalls to create the appearance of a borderless display for the electronic device. The display module may be provided with an opening that allows a camera or other electronic components to receive light. Traces may be provided on the underside of the thin-film transistor substrate to serve as signal paths for the electrical components. | 01-26-2012 |
20120099264 | PORTABLE COMPUTING DEVICE - A portable computing device includes at least a base portion of a lightweight material that includes at least a wedge shaped top case having a trough formed at an interfacing edge thereof. The trough includes a raised portion having a first contact surface and a receiving area, and a bottom case coupled to the top case to form a complete housing for at least a portion of the portable computing device for enclosing at least a plurality of operational components and a plurality of structural components. The portable computing device also includes at least a lid portion pivotally connected to the base portion by a hinge assembly. In the described embodiments, the lid portion has a display in communication with one or more of the plurality of components in the base portion by way of or more electrical conductors that electrically connect the base portion to the lid portion. | 04-26-2012 |
20120140397 | Portable Computer Clutch Structures - A portable computer is provided that has a housing. Upper and lower portions of the housing may be joined using a hinge. A clutch mechanism may be associated with the hinge. The clutch mechanism may exhibit asymmetrical friction during opening and closing of the portable computer housing portions. Additional closing force may help to prevent the computer from having a lid that is too easy to close, without overwhelming the clutch with unnecessary friction. The clutch may have a clutch spring that is attached to a clutch shaft using a slot in the shaft. A lobe may be provided in the spring in the vicinity of the slot. A protective cap may be provided over the tip of the shaft to prevent damage to nearby wires. A friction band in the clutch may be used to directly engage an end of the spring. | 06-07-2012 |
20120170213 | Portable Computer Structures - Portable computer structures are provided. The portable computer structures may include connector structures. The portable computer may have a case. A portion of the connector structure may be formed by the case of the portable computer. The portable computer may have a circuit board with grounding spring-loaded pins which electrically ground the circuit board to the case of the portable computer. The portable computer may have an optical disk drive that is form fitted to mount to the portable computer case. | 07-05-2012 |
20120224951 | COMPACT FAN ASSEMBLY WITH THRUST BEARING - A fan assembly for a computing device is disclosed. The device can include an impeller having a number of blades and a motor for turning the blades. The motor can turn the blades via a magnetic interaction between the impeller and the motor. A thrust bearing can be used to control a position of the impeller relative to the motor. In particular, the impeller can be configured to rotate around an axis and the thrust bearing can be used to control movement of the impeller in a direction aligned with the axis. In one embodiment, the impeller can be configured to generate aerodynamic forces, such as lift, and the parameters associated with the thrust bearing can be selected to counteract the aerodynamic forces so that the impeller remains within a desired positional range relative to the motor. | 09-06-2012 |
20130003280 | PORTABLE COMPUTING DEVICE - A portable computing device includes at least a base portion of a lightweight material that includes at least a wedge shaped top case having a trough formed at an interfacing edge thereof. The trough includes a raised portion having a first contact surface and a receiving area, and a bottom case coupled to the top case to form a complete housing for at least a portion of the portable computing device for enclosing at least a plurality of operational components and a plurality of structural components. The portable computing device also includes at least a lid portion pivotally connected to the base portion by a hinge assembly. In the described embodiments, the lid portion has a display in communication with one or more of the plurality of components in the base portion by way of or more electrical conductors that electrically connect the base portion to the lid portion. | 01-03-2013 |
20130003292 | CONSOLIDATED THERMAL MODULE - A low profile heat removal system suitable for removing excess heat generated by an integrated circuit operating in a compact computing environment is disclosed. | 01-03-2013 |
20130010424 | COMPUTER HINGE WITH HOLLOW AND PARTIALLY ANNULAR CLUTCH - A hinge assembly having a hollow and partially annular clutch is arranged to pivotally couple a portable computer base portion to a portable computer lid portion. The hinge assembly includes at least an elongated, hollow and partially open cylindrical portion that includes a partially annular outer region and a central bore region, the central bore region suitably arranged to provide support for electrical conductors between the base and lid portions. The hinge assembly also includes a plurality of fastening components that couple the hollow clutch to the base portion and the lid portion of the portable computer, with at least one of the fastening regions being integrally formed with the hollow and partially open cylindrical portion such that space, size and part count are minimized. | 01-10-2013 |
20130075065 | SCULPTED FAN HOUSING - The described embodiments relate generally to optimizing airflow in a computer system. By modifying the external surface of centrifugal cooling fan enclosures the pressure drop associated with airflow moving around the enclosures can be reduced. This is generally accomplished by rounding off hard edges from the outside of the cooling fan enclosure as well as forming cover surfaces rather than simply using flat cover surfaces. In some cases this can also involve modifying the shape of the fan inlet, or even contouring the shape of the cooling fan blades to allow air to flow more easily through the computer enclosure. | 03-28-2013 |
20130078052 | FLOATING FASTNERS - One or more fastenings can be used to fasten components together, such as housing components on a computing device. Each fastening can include a first opening associated with a first component, a second opening associated with a second component, a floating fastener, and a screw. The floating fastener is inserted into the first opening and/or second opening, and includes a threaded opening therein having a primary axis therethrough. The screw is inserted through first and/or second openings and into the threaded opening in the floating fastener. The screw and threaded opening combination is defined by contact between the screw and threaded opening about a thread surface that is substantially perpendicular to the primary axis, a screw thread return angle of 45 degrees or less, and a thread depth that is less than about triple the float between the major diameters of the screw and the threaded opening. | 03-28-2013 |
20130094141 | HEAT REMOVAL IN COMPACT COMPUTING SYSTEMS - A low profile heat removal system suitable for removing excess heat generated by a component operating in a compact computing environment is disclosed. | 04-18-2013 |
20130106540 | Noise-suppressing Orbital Relay Assembly | 05-02-2013 |
20130188305 | Portable Computer Display Structures - An electronic device housing may have upper and lower portions that are attached with a hinge. At least one portion of the housing may have a rear planar surface and peripheral sidewalls having edges. A display module may be mounted in the housing. The display module may have glass layers such as a color filter glass layer and a thin-film transistor substrate. The color filter glass layer may serve as the outermost glass layer in the display module. The edges of the display module may be aligned with the edges of the peripheral housing sidewalls to create the appearance of a borderless display for the electronic device. The display module may be provided with an opening that allows a camera or other electronic components to receive light. Traces may be provided on the underside of the thin-film transistor substrate to serve as signal paths for the electrical components. | 07-25-2013 |
20130215642 | Portable Computer Housing with Integral Display - An electronic device such as a portable computer may have a housing with a rectangular recess in which layers of display structures such as a light guide panel layer and other light guide structures are directly mounted without intervening chassis members. Mating alignment features in the housing and display structures may be used to align the display structures relative to the housing. A display may be formed from glass layers such as a color filter glass layer and a thin-film transistor glass layer. Backlight for the display may be generated by an array of light-emitting diodes. The light guide panel may direct light from the light-emitting diodes through the glass layers. A clamp may be used to hold the light-emitting diodes and light guide structures in place in the recess. An undercut in the housing may also hold the light guide structures in place. | 08-22-2013 |
20130285984 | MOVABLE TRACK PAD WITH ADDED FUNCTIONALITY - An input device is disclosed. The input device includes a movable touch-sensitive track pad capable of detecting an object in close proximity thereto so as to generate a tracking control signal. The input device also includes a movement indicator capable of detecting the movements of the movable track pad so as to generate one or more other control signals (e.g., button signals). The control signals can be used to perform actions in an electronic device operatively coupled to the input device. | 10-31-2013 |
20130288534 | EDGE CONNECTOR HAVING A HIGH-DENSITY OF CONTACTS - High-speed connectors having a high density of contacts may be provided. One example may provide a connector having a housing with a slot forming an opening in a top side. The slot and opening may be arranged to receive a card. This connector may provide a high density of contacts by arranging the contacts in multiple rows in the slot. Various contacts may include barbs to be inserted into the housing. The barbs may be angled and may have one or more teeth to help anchor the contacts in place. A conductive or nonconductive shield or shell may be placed over the housing. When a conductive shield is used, metal pins may be inserted into the housing for mechanical stability and secured to the shield, and various contacts may have contacting portions in contact with the shield to improve signal integrity. | 10-31-2013 |
20130319638 | THERMAL ARCHITECTURE - The described embodiment relates generally to the field of thermal management. More specifically an apparatus for cooling a unibody computing device with obscured inlet and outlet vents is disclosed. Inlet vents are arranged on a bottom surface of the unibody computing device and then exhaust air is vented out from a rear surface of the computing device. The rear vents can be obscured by a stand designed to support the weight of the computing device. By venting exhaust air to either side of the support stand exhaust air can be prevented from being drawn back into the inlet vents, thereby avoiding an overheating condition. | 12-05-2013 |
20130327507 | OPTIMIZED VENT WALLS IN ELECTRONIC DEVICES - The disclosed embodiments related to a component for use in a portable electronic device. The component includes a wall of the portable electronic device, containing an intake zone that includes a set of intake vents directed at a first angle toward one or more heat-generating components of the portable electronic device. The wall also includes an exhaust zone containing a set of exhaust vents directed at a second angle out of the portable electronic device. | 12-12-2013 |
20130328521 | EXTERNAL BATTERY-MANAGEMENT MODULE - A power supply for use in a portable electronic device is described. This power supply includes battery cells in separate locations that are electrically coupled by a power bus to a battery-management circuit board, which includes an integrated circuit with control logic that monitors the battery cells and that regulates charging and discharging of the battery cells. The battery cells are not enclosed in a common battery-pack housing so that the battery cells are mechanically separate from each other. Moreover, the battery-management circuit board is external to the battery cells and is not enclosed in the battery-pack housing. By excluding the battery-pack housing from the power supply, there may be more space available to expand the sizes, and thus the total capacities, of the battery cells. | 12-12-2013 |
20130328741 | INTERNAL COMPONENTS OF A PORTABLE COMPUTING DEVICE - The present application describes various embodiments of systems and methods for providing internal components for portable computing devices having a thin profile. More particularly, the present application describes internal components configured to fit within a relatively thin outer enclosure. | 12-12-2013 |
20130329349 | BATTERY STRUCTURE AND INTEGRATION - A portable electronic device is described. This portable electronic device includes an external housing with a cavity defined by an edge. A keyboard, having a front surface and a back surface, is disposed in the cavity with the front surface facing the external housing. Moreover, a tray is disposed over the back surface of the keyboard, and is mechanically coupled to the external housing adjacent to the edge. Furthermore, battery cells are mechanically coupled to an opposite side of the tray from the back surface of the keyboard. The tray may allow the battery cells to be removed from the portable electronic device without damaging the keyboard. In addition, the tray may increase the compression strength and/or the bending strength of the portable electronic device. | 12-12-2013 |
20130329357 | GASKETS FOR THERMAL DUCTING AROUND HEAT PIPES - The disclosed embodiments provide a component for a portable electronic device. The component includes a gasket containing a rigid portion disposed around a bottom of a heat pipe, wherein the rigid portion forms a duct between a fan and an exhaust vent of the electronic device. The gasket also includes a first flexible portion bonded to the rigid portion, wherein the first flexible portion comprises a flap that is open during assembly of the heat pipe in the electronic device and closed over the heat pipe and the rigid portion to seal the duct around the heat pipe after the assembly. | 12-12-2013 |
20130329359 | PORTABLE COMPUTING DEVICE WITH A HOUSING SECURED BY A MAGNETIC ELEMENT AND RELATED METHOD - Magnetic elements and attractors may be employed to secure a top case and a bottom case of a housing of a personal computing device. The magnetic elements may include a magnet that produces a magnetic field and a shunt. The shunt may direct the magnetic field through an opening to a pocket in which the magnet is received. Accordingly, flux leakage may be reduced and the bottom case may be secured to the top case. Magnetic elements and attractors may also be employed to secure a lid portion of the portable computing device to the housing thereof. These magnetic elements and attractors may be centered with respect to proximal and distal edges thereof. | 12-12-2013 |
20130329368 | FASTENERS AND DUAL-THICKNESS THERMAL STAGES IN ELECTRONIC DEVICES - The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates heat transfer in an electronic device. The system includes a heat pipe configured to conduct heat away from a heat-generating component in the electronic device. The system also includes a thermal stage disposed along a thermal interface between the heat-generating component and the heat pipe, wherein the thermal stage applies a spring force between the heat-generating component and the heat pipe. The thermal stage includes a first thickness to accommodate the heat pipe and a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness to increase a spring force between the heat-generating component and the heat pipe. Finally, the system includes a set of fasteners configured to fasten the thermal stage to a surface within the electronic device and form a thermal gap between the heat pipe and an enclosure of the electronic device. | 12-12-2013 |
20130329450 | PORTABLE COMPUTING DEVICE - The present application describes various embodiments regarding systems and methods for providing a lightweight and durable portable computing device having a thin profile. The portable computing device can take the form of a laptop computer. The laptop computer can include a uni-body top case having an integrated support system formed therein, the integrated support system providing structural support that distributes applied loads through the top case preventing warping and bowing. | 12-12-2013 |
20140009441 | TOUCH PAD WITH FORCE SENSORS AND ACTUATOR FEEDBACK - Electronic devices may use touch pads that have touch sensor arrays, force sensors, and actuators for providing tactile feedback. A touch pad may be mounted in a computer housing. The touch pad may have a rectangular planar touch pad member that has a glass layer covered with ink and contains a capacitive touch sensor array. Force sensors may be mounted under each of the four corners of the rectangular planar touch pad member. The force sensors may be used to measure how much force is applied to the surface of the planar touch pad member by a user. Processed force sensor signals may indicate the presence of button activity such as press and release events. In response to detected button activity or other activity in the device, actuator drive signals may be generated for controlling the actuator. The user may supply settings to adjust signal processing and tactile feedback parameters. | 01-09-2014 |
20140042406 | Flexible Displays - An electronic device may be provided with an organic light-emitting diode display with minimized border regions. The border regions may be minimized by providing the display with bent edge portions having neutral plane adjustment features that facilitate bending of the bent edge portions while minimizing damage to the bent edge portions. The neutral plane adjustment features may include a modified backfilm layer of the display in which portions of the backfilm layer are removed in a bend region. A display device may include a substrate, a display panel on the substrate having display pixels, and peripheral circuitry proximate the display panel and configured to drive the display pixels. A portion of the periphery of the substrate may be bent substantially orthogonal to the display panel to reduce an apparent surface area of the display device. The bent portion may include an electrode for communication with the peripheral circuitry. | 02-13-2014 |
20140049522 | Narrow Border Organic Light-Emitting Diode Display - An electronic device may be provided having an organic light-emitting diode display and control circuitry for operating the display. The display may include one or more display layers interposed between the control circuitry and a display layer having thin-film transistors. The electronic device may include a coupling structure interposed between the layer of thin-film transistors and the control circuitry that electrically couples the layer of thin-film transistors to the control circuitry. The coupling structure may include a dielectric member having a conductive via, a flexible printed circuit having a bent portion, or a conductive via formed in an encapsulation layer of the display. The display may include a layer of opaque masking material. The layer of opaque masking material may be formed on an encapsulation layer, an organic emissive layer, a thin-film transistor layer, or a glass layer of the organic light-emitting diode display. | 02-20-2014 |
20140049906 | COMPACT FAN ASSEMBLY WITH THRUST BEARING - A fan assembly for a computing device is disclosed. The device can include an impeller having a number of blades and a motor for turning the blades. The motor can turn the blades via a magnetic interaction between the impeller and the motor. A fluid dynamic thrust bearing can be used to control a position of the impeller relative to the motor. In particular, the impeller can be configured to rotate around an axis and the thrust bearing can be used to control movement of the impeller in a direction aligned with the rotational axis. In one embodiment, the thrust bearing can be configured to stabilize the impeller when vibratory forces act upon the fan assembly. More particularly, parameters associated with the thrust bearing can be selected to counteract vibratory forces emitted by a speaker system. | 02-20-2014 |
20140077670 | PORTABLE COMPUTING DEVICE - The present application describes various embodiments regarding systems and methods for providing a lightweight and durable portable computing device having a thin profile. The portable computing device can take the form of a laptop computer. The laptop computer can include a uni-body top case having an integrated support system formed therein, the integrated support system providing structural support that distributes applied loads through the top case preventing warping and bowing. | 03-20-2014 |
20140079508 | FLOATING FASTENERS - One or more fastenings can be used to fasten components together, such as housing components on a computing device. Each fastening can include a first opening associated with a first component, a second opening associated with a second component, a floating fastener, and a screw. The floating fastener is inserted into the first opening and/or second opening, and includes a threaded opening therein having a primary axis therethrough. The screw is inserted through first and/or second openings and into the threaded opening in the floating fastener. The screw and threaded opening combination is defined by contact between the screw and threaded opening about a thread surface that is substantially perpendicular to the primary axis, a screw thread return angle of 45 degrees or less, and a thread depth that is less than about triple the float between the major diameters of the screw and the threaded opening. | 03-20-2014 |
20140085563 | COMPUTER BACKLIGHT UNIT (BLU) ATTACHMENT TO COVER GLASS/CELL - The described embodiments relate generally to computing devices including liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and more particularly to methods for attaching a backlight assembly to a cover glass layer while minimizing an amount of stress transferred through the cover glass layer to the LCD module. A continuous and compliant foam adhesive can be used to bond the cover glass layer to the backlight assembly. The compliant bond can absorb and distribute local stress concentrations caused by structural loads, mismatched surfaces and differing thermal expansion rates between various structures and cover glass layer. This can reduce stress concentrations in the cover glass layer that can lead to stress induced birefringence in the LCD cell. In another embodiment, a series of rigid plates can be bonded to the cover glass layer and attached to the backlight assembly. Point loads applied from the backlight assembly can be distributed over a larger area due to the resilience of the rigid plates. | 03-27-2014 |
20140085564 | COMPUTER LED BAR AND THERMAL ARCHITECTURE FEATURES - The described embodiments relate generally to liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and more particularly to thermal management of heat produced by an illumination source in an LCD module. High temperatures generated by the illumination source can cause color shifts in the LCD due to changes in any included LEDs and liquid crystals. One solution is to house the LCD module in a metal chassis and thermally couple the LED light bar to the metal chassis. Furthermore, the LCD module can be kept at a uniform temperature by transferring heat from a region near the LED light bar to a relatively cooler region of the LCD module. These approaches can minimize any alterations or shifts in color resulting from heat from the LED light bar. | 03-27-2014 |
20140085796 | COMPUTER DISPLAY OR COVER GLASS/CELL ATTACHMENT TO FRAME - The described embodiments relate generally to computing devices including liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and more particularly to methods for attaching a cover glass layer to a structural housing while minimizing an amount of stress transferred through the cover glass layer to the LCD module. A continuous and compliant foam adhesive can be used to bond the cover glass layer to a structural. The compliant bond can absorb and distribute local stress concentrations caused by structural loads, mismatched surfaces and differing thermal expansion rates between various structures and cover glass layer. This can reduce stress concentrations in the cover glass layer that can lead to stress induced birefringence in the LCD cell. In other embodiments, the cover glass layer can be attached using magnets or a tongue and groove design. | 03-27-2014 |
20140091688 | REMOVABLE DOOR FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICE - A door for a electronic device that may be removed by the user. | 04-03-2014 |
20140092064 | Touch Pad with Force Sensors and Actuator Feedback - Electronic devices may use touch pads that have touch sensor arrays, force sensors, and actuators for providing tactile feedback. A touch pad may be mounted in a computer housing. The touch pad may have a rectangular planar touch pad member that has a glass layer covered with ink and contains a capacitive touch sensor array. Force sensors may be mounted under each of the four corners of the rectangular planar touch pad member. The force sensors may be used to measure how much force is applied to the surface of the planar touch pad member by a user. Processed force sensor signals may indicate the presence of button activity such as press and release events. In response to detected button activity or other activity in the device, actuator drive signals may be generated for controlling the actuator. The user may supply settings to adjust signal processing and tactile feedback parameters. | 04-03-2014 |
20140093303 | REMOVABLE STAND FOR COMPUTING DEVICE - A stand for a computing device that may be removed by a user. | 04-03-2014 |
20140109379 | FLOATING FASTENERS - One or more floating fastener assemblies used to fasten components together are described. In some embodiments, the components are top and bottom portions of an enclosure of a computing device. Each floating fastener assembly can include a fastener having at least one surface that can engage with a surface of the enclosure to limit the rotation of the fastener during fastening. Each floating fastener can also include a clearance area for the fastener to “float” in a lateral direction with respect to the enclosure. Thus, when corresponding openings in the top and bottom portions of the enclosure are not exactly aligned, each fastener can shift laterally to allow screws to engage to fasten the top and bottom portions together. | 04-24-2014 |
20140211415 | CONSOLIDATED THERMAL MODULE - A low profile heat removal system suitable for removing excess heat generated by an integrated circuit operating in a compact computing environment is disclosed. | 07-31-2014 |
20140361671 | COMPUTER INTERNAL ARCHITECTURE - An internal component and external interface arrangement for a cylindrical compact computing system is described that includes at least a structural heat sink having triangular shape disposed within a cylindrical volume defined by a cylindrical housing. A computing engine having a generally triangular shape is described having internal components that include a graphics processing unit (GPU) board, a central processing unit (CPU) board, an input/output (I/O) interface board, an interconnect board, and a power supply unit (PSU). | 12-11-2014 |
20140361672 | COMPUTER HOUSING - A desktop computing system having at least a central core surrounded by housing having a shape that defines a volume in which the central core resides is described. The housing includes a first opening and a second opening axially displaced from the first opening. The first opening having a size and shape in accordance with an amount of airflow used as a heat transfer medium for cooling internal components, the second opening defined by a lip that engages a portion of the airflow in such a way that at least some of the heat transferred to the air flow from the internal components is passed to the housing. | 12-11-2014 |
20140361893 | COMPUTER INPUT/OUTPUT INTERFACE - An internal component and external interface arrangement for a cylindrical compact computing system is described that includes at least a structural heat sink having triangular shape disposed within a cylindrical volume defined by a cylindrical housing. A computing engine having a generally triangular shape is described having internal components that include a graphics processing unit (GPU) board, a central processing unit (CPU) board, an input/output (I/O) interface board, an interconnect board, and a power supply unit (PSU). | 12-11-2014 |
20140362519 | COMPUTER SYSTEM - A desktop computing system having at least a central core surrounded by housing having a shape that defines a volume in which the central core resides is described. The housing includes a first opening and a second opening axially displaced from the first opening. The first opening having a size and shape in accordance with an amount of airflow used as a heat transfer medium for cooling internal components, the second opening defined by a lip that engages a portion of the airflow in such a way that at least some of the heat transferred to the air flow from the internal components is passed to the housing. | 12-11-2014 |
20140362522 | COMPUTER THERMAL SYSTEM - The present application describes various embodiments regarding systems and methods for providing efficient heat rejection for a lightweight and durable compact computing system having a small form factor. The compact computing system can take the form of a desktop computer. The desktop computer can include a monolithic top case having an integrated support system formed therein, the integrated support system providing structural support that distributes applied loads through the top case preventing warping and bowing. A mixed flow fan is utilized to efficiently pull cooling air through the compact computing system. | 12-11-2014 |
20140362523 | COMPUTER THERMAL MANAGEMENT - The present application describes various embodiments regarding systems and methods for providing efficient heat rejection for a lightweight and durable compact computing system having a small form factor. The compact computing system can take the form of a desktop computer. The desktop computer can include a monolithic top case having an integrated support system formed therein, the integrated support system providing structural support that distributes applied loads through the top case preventing warping and bowing. A mixed flow fan is utilized to efficiently pull cooling air through the compact computing system. | 12-11-2014 |
20140362576 | COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE - An internal component and external interface arrangement for a cylindrical compact computing system is described that includes at least a structural heat sink having triangular shape disposed within a cylindrical volume defined by a cylindrical housing. A computing engine having a generally triangular shape is described having internal components that include a graphics processing unit (GPU) board, a central processing unit (CPU) board, an input/output (I/O) interface board, an interconnect board, and a power supply unit (PSU). | 12-11-2014 |