# US 11,897,809 B2 · Electronic devices with textured glass and glass ceramic components

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- Number: US 11,897,809 B2
- Document ID: US11897809B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/109,887
- Filed: 2020-12-02
- Published: 2022-03-03
- Granted: 2024-02-13
- Earliest claimed: 2020-09-02
- Assignees: Apple Inc.
- Applicants: Apple Inc.
- Inventors: Andi M. Limarga; Akanksha Agrawal; Albert Ochagavia Tobena; Jason P. Shannon
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897809B2

## CPC

- H04B 1/3827: Portable transceivers
- C03C 15/00: Surface treatment of glass, not in the form of fibres or filaments, by etching (etching or surface-brightening compositions, in general C09K13/00)
- C03C 17/002: {for flat glass, e.g. float glass}
- C03C 21/002: {to perform ion-exchange between alkali ions (C03C21/005 takes precedence)}
- C03C 2217/72: Decorative coatings
- H04B: TRANSMISSION
- C03C: CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES OR VITREOUS ENAMELS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS, MINERALS OR SLAGS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS

## Abstract

Electronic devices including a textured component such as a cover member positioned over one or more components of the electronic device. Different surface regions of the textured component may be textured differently in order to provide optical contrast. For example, differently textured surface regions may differ in gloss, translucency, or both. In some cases the cover member defines a protruding feature and a surface region of the protruding feature is textured differently than an adjacent surface region.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic device comprising:
a display;
an enclosure at least partially surrounding the display and comprising:
a front cover assembly including a front member positioned over the display; and
a rear cover assembly including a chemically strengthened rear member, the chemically strengthened rear member defining:
a base portion defining a base surface region; and
a feature protruding with respect to the base surface region and defining a surface region having a texture comprising:
a mean pitch from 10 microns to 40 microns, and
a root mean square slope from 0.1 to 0.75; and
a camera assembly including a camera module positioned at least partially in a hole formed through the feature.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:
the base surface region of the chemically strengthened rear member has a first gloss value greater than or equal to 100 gloss units as measured at an angle of 60 degrees; and
the surface region of the chemically strengthened rear member has a second gloss value less than 10 gloss units as measured at an angle of 60 degrees.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the mean pitch is greater than 20 microns and less than or equal to 40 microns.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the surface region has a root mean square height from 0.75 microns to 5 microns.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:
the chemically strengthened rear member comprises at least one of a glass or a glass ceramic; and
the texture of the surface region is formed by a grinding operation followed by an etching operation.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:
the hole formed through the feature is a first hole; and
the camera assembly further comprises a sensor module positioned at least partially within a second hole formed through the feature.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the rear cover assembly further comprises an internal coating that defines a color visible along the base surface region and the surface region.

### Claim 8

An electronic device comprising:
an enclosure including a cover assembly comprising:
a glass member defining:
a first exterior surface region having a first gloss value greater than 90 gloss units as measured at 60 degrees and defining a first texture having a first root mean square height less than 0.5 microns; and
a second exterior surface region having a second gloss value less than 10 gloss units as measured at 60 degrees and defining a second texture having:
a second root mean square height from 1 micron to 5 microns; and
a mean pitch from 10 microns to 40 microns; and
a coating disposed along an interior surface of the glass member.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The electronic device of claim 8, wherein:
the glass member further defines a feature that protrudes with respect to the first exterior surface region and a set of through-holes that extend through the feature;
the feature defines the second exterior surface region; and
the electronic device further comprises a camera assembly comprising:
a first camera module extending into a first through-hole of the set of through-holes;
a second camera module extending into a second through-hole of the set of through-holes;
an illumination module extending into a third through-hole of the set of through-holes; and
a sensor module extending into a fourth through-hole of the set of through-holes.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The electronic device of claim 9, wherein:
the second exterior surface region defines a plateau that is parallel to the first exterior surface region;
the glass member has a thickness from 1 mm to 3 mm as measured at the second exterior surface region;
the glass member has a thickness from 0.5 mm to 1 mm as measured at the first exterior surface region; and
the coating is viewable through the first and the second exterior surface regions.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The electronic device of claim 10, wherein a median load bearing capacity of the plateau is from 400 N to 600 N.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The electronic device of claim 8, wherein a difference between the first gloss value and the second gloss value is from 80 gloss units to 140 gloss units.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The electronic device of claim 8, wherein a peak sharpness of the second texture is from 0.75 microns−1 to 1.5 microns−1.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The electronic device of claim 8, wherein a root mean square slope of the second texture is from 0.2 to 0.65.

### Claim 15

An electronic device comprising:
a display;
an enclosure at least partially surrounding the display and comprising:
a front cover assembly including a front member positioned over the display; and
a rear cover assembly including a rear member comprising at least one of a glass or a glass ceramic, the rear member defining:
a base region of an exterior surface of the rear member, the base region defining a first texture having:
a first root mean square height from 1 micron to 5 microns; and
a root mean square slope from 0.1 to 0.75; and
a feature protruding with respect to the base region, the feature defining a plateau region of the exterior surface of the rear member, the plateau region having optical contrast with the base region and defining a second texture having a second root mean square height less than 0.25 microns; and
a camera assembly including a camera module positioned at least partially within a hole formed in the feature.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the base region is defined by a base portion of the rear member and the base portion has a clarity value ranging from about 1% to about 30%.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The electronic device of claim 15, wherein a gloss value of the base region is less than 10 gloss units as measured at an angle of 60 degrees.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The electronic device of claim 15, wherein a gloss value of the base region is from 10 gloss units to 20 gloss units as measured at an angle of 60 degrees.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The electronic device of claim 15, wherein a difference between a gloss value of the plateau region and a gloss value of the base region is from 70 gloss units to 160 gloss units as measured at an angle of 60 degrees.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the rear member is a lithium aluminosilicate glass ceramic member.