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US 2019/0081431 A1Published application
Electronic device enclosures having a monolithic appearance
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsRoss C. Heyman, Alfredo Castillo, Arun R. Varma
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An enclosure for an AC to DC adapter has a continuous and apparently monolithic exterior appearance. The enclosure includes a housing and a cap that are joined together by one or more weld joints. The weld joints create flash on the exterior surface of the enclosure and the flash is removed by forming a chamfer along the weld joint such that it removes a portion of the housing and the cap.
Claims20
An enclosure for an electronic assembly, the enclosure having a seamless exterior appearance and comprising:
- a housing including a bottom wall and at least one side wall extending from the bottom wall, the at least one side wall having a distal end portion and an interior surface opposite an exterior surface;
- a cap comprising:
- an outer surface opposite an inner surface;
- and
- a perimeter region coupled to the distal end portion of the at least one side wall;
- wherein the cap, the bottom wall, and the at least one side wall define a cavity sized and shaped to accommodate the electronic assembly;
- a first weld joint formed between the distal end portion and the perimeter region and located adjacent the exterior surface of the housing and the outer surface of the cap;
- a second weld joint formed between the distal end portion and the perimeter region and located adjacent the interior surface of the housing and the inner surface of the cap, wherein the first weld joint, the second weld joint, the cap and the housing define a central flash trap;
- and
- a chamfer formed along a length of the first weld joint and extending across a portion of the exterior surface of the at least one side wall and a portion of the outer surface of the cap.
7 more elements
An enclosure for an electronic assembly, the enclosure having a seamless exterior appearance and comprising:
- a housing including a bottom wall and at least one side wall extending from the bottom wall, the at least one side wall having a distal end portion and an interior surface opposite an exterior surface;
- a cap comprising:
- an outer surface opposite an inner surface;
- and
- a perimeter region coupled to the distal end portion of the at least one side wall;
- wherein the cap, the bottom wall, and the at least one side wall define a cavity sized and shaped to accommodate the electronic assembly;
- a first weld joint formed between the distal end portion and the perimeter region and located adjacent the exterior surface of the housing and the outer surface of the cap;
- a chamfer formed along a length of the first weld joint and extending across a portion of the exterior surface of the at least one side wall and a portion of the outer surface of the cap;
- and
- a second weld joint formed between the distal end portion and the perimeter region and located adjacent the interior surface of the housing and the inner surface of the cap;
- wherein the second weld joint, the interior surface of the at least one side wall and the inner surface of the cap define an interior flash trap that contains welding flash from the second weld joint.
8 more elements
A method of forming an electronic device having a seamless exterior appearance, the method comprising:
- forming a housing having a bottom wall and at least one side wall extending from the bottom wall, the at least one side wall including a distal end portion having a curved tip, and wherein the bottom wall is formed around at least two electrical prongs extending through the bottom wall;
- disposing an electronic assembly within the housing such that the electronic assembly is electrically coupled to the at least two electrical prongs;
- positioning a cap on the housing such that the curved tip of the at least one sidewall is in contact with a curved profile of a perimeter region of the cap;
- and
- forming a first weld joint between the distal end portion of the at least one side wall and the perimeter region of the cap, wherein the cap, the bottom wall, and the at least one side wall define a cavity in which the electronic assembly positioned thereby forming a first flash formation on an exterior portion of the first weld joint and a second flash formation on an interior portion of the first weld joint;
- and
- forming a chamfer along a length the first weld joint such that the first flash formation, a portion of the housing and a portion of the cap are removed.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.