ELECTRONIC DEVICE HOUSING AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

Abstract

A housing (10) used in portable electronic devices includes gripping portions (40) defined thereon, such gripping portions being bounded by grooving created in a surface of the housing. A method of manufacturing the housing is also provided, the method includes these steps: forming a housing; grinding the housing; polishing the housing; and forming the gripping portions on the housing.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to electronic device housings and methods for manufacturing the housings and, particularly, to a housing defining gripping portions thereon and a method of manufacturing the same.

2. Description of Related Art

Nowadays, portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops and personal digital assistants (PDA) are widely used. Metallic housings are often used to protect and decorate these portable electronic devices. Generally, in a typical manufacturing process for the housings, paint is sprayed onto the housings. The paint is used to decorate and protect the housings.

However, the paint tends to have a low wear-resistance. When portable electronic devices having metallic housings are used, the paint adhering on the housings is likely to be abraded onto/against other surfaces. Additionally, the surfaces of the housings tend to be very smooth because they are covered by paint, which makes them difficult to hold and thus easier to accidentally drop.

Therefore, a new device housing and a new method of manufacturing the housing are desired in order to overcome the above-described shortcomings.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a housing used in portable electronic devices includes a surface having being roughened or knurled to facilitate gripping thereof.

In another aspect, a method for manufacturing the housing includes these steps: forming a housing; polishing the housing; and forming a surface having being roughened or knurled to facilitate gripping of the housing.

Other advantages and novel features will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present electronic device housing and the method of making such can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the various drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present electronic device housing and the method of making such. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the diagrams.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the electronic device housing, in accordance with a present embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a method, in accordance with a present embodiment, for manufacturing the housing shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating the step of engraving the housing, according to the method shown in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows an electronic device housing 10, in accordance with a present embodiment. The housing 10 can quite advantageously be used in portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras, etc. The housing 10 is approximately rectangular in shape and can be made of a metal such as copper, iron, aluminum, titanium, or alloys including these metals, etc. The housing 10 includes gripping portions 40 (i.e., groove-bounded sections or knurled portions of surface protruding and/or recessing (depending on perspective) from their surroundings so as to facilitate gripping) defined thereon (i.e., extending integrally from an outer surface (not labeled) thereof). The gripping portions 40 are usefully groove-bounded sections formed by engraving, advantageously, two groups of arcs. In the interest of production time and achieving the desired final appearance and structure, each arc crosses with at least some of the arcs of another group, and all arcs of a same group are arranged to be essentially equidistant from and parallel to any adjacent arc in that group. Thus, most all of the gripping portions 40 of the present embodiment are resultingly rhomboid-shaped (i.e., gripping portions 40 at the exterior edges of the housing 10 may not necessarily be rhomboid, given that they could be bounded by less than four arc portions). It is also to be understood that another pattern of grooves may be chosen to result in gripping portions 40 having a shape other than rhomboid, and such non-rhomboid gripping sections 40 would still be within the scope of the present electronic device housing. Further, the grooves associated with the gripping portions 40 could, potentially, be essentially linear in appearance, and such grooves are considered to be contemplated by the present embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a method, in accordance with a present embodiment, for manufacturing the housing 10 is provided. The method includes steps as follows.

Forming the housing 10: A precursor metal board (not shown in initial form) is punched or cut, for example, to form an essentially rectangular shape and then sides of the metal board are finished to form the housing 10. A thickness of the housing 10 can, e.g., be approximately 0.6 mm, permitting ready machining thereof yet ensuring sufficient mechanical durability to act as the housing 10.

Grinding the housing 10 to remove protuberances and/or stains therefrom: A method for grinding the housing 10 can include placing the housing 10 into a container (not shown) containing a plurality of ceramic balls, placing a cleaning agent into the container, and shaking the container (i.e., essentially ball-milling). In this way, the ceramic balls grind off protuberances on the housing 10, and the cleanser gets rid of stains on the housing 10. It is, however, to be understood that such grinding could be achieved by other known grinding means (e.g., rotary grinder; high-grit slurry spray) and be within the scope of the present method. Likewise, the cleanser could be applied before, during, and/or after the actual grinding and still be effective and within the present scope.

Polishing the housing 10: Usefully, a lubricant is spread on a rag wheel (not shown), the rag wheel is rotated rapidly, and the housing 10 is polished by the rag wheel. In this way, the friction between the rag wheel and the housing 10 creates heat, thus eliminating small nicks on the housing 10. After being polished, a roughness of the housing 10 should be in an approximate range from 0.08-0.1 microns. Of course, other polishing procedures could, alternatively or additionally, be employed and still be in line with the current method.

Washing the housing 10: The housing 10 can be washed using a degreaser, such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution, a surfactant, and/or another cleaning agent. After the housing 10 is washed, any dust (including particles generated during grinding/polishing), cleanser, and/or lubricant remaining on the housing 10 can be removed, such as by rinsing and/or by air jet.

Engraving the housing 10 to form gripping portions 40 thereon: The housing 10 is held on a worktable (not shown). An engraving wheel 20 and an engraver 30 mounted on a peripheral portion of the engraving wheel 20 are, beneficially, used to engrave the housing 10. The engraving wheel 20 with the engraver 30 can rotate at a rate of about 2300 r/min, and the housing 10 can be moved (e.g., via X, Y, and/or 0 directions) under the engraver 30 to be engraved at the desired location(s). An engraving depth achievable can, for example, be in a range of about 0.05˜0.2 mm and, preferably, is about 0.1 mm. It is, of course, to be understood that the use of another type of engraving mechanism (e.g., a laser, a diamond-embedded saw, etc.) could prove suitable for achieving the engraving step of the present method. Additionally, it is to be understood that the engraver 30 is advantageously configured for engraving a plurality of grooves in a single pass to both ensure groove uniformity and minimize production time (i.e., beneficially allowing all grooves in certain direction to be simultaneously formed). That said, it could be useful in certain instances to use fewer engraving elements (including potentially just one) as part of a given engraver 30 to permit more customized engraving, if so desired.

The engraver 30 engraves the housing 10 along two distinct directions. In a first engraving, the rotating engraving wheel 20 moves along a first diagonal 1. As such, the engraver 30 rotates and moves with the engraving wheel 20 to engrave a group/set of approximately equidistant and thereby parallel arcs on the housing 10. In a second engraving, the rotating engraving wheel 20 moves along a second diagonal 11, with the engraver 30 rotating and moving with the engraving wheel 20 to thereby engrave another group of approximately equidistant arcs that cross the arcs formed in the first engraving on the housing 10. In this way, rhombic gripping portions 40 are formed on the housing 10. With respect to the first and second diagonals I and II, it is to be understood that such diagonals could potentially be linear or essentially so, in nature (as opposed to arcuate) and still generate a desirable shape for the gripping portions 40.

Anodizing the housing 10: The engraved housing 10 is placed into an anodizing container (not shown) containing, beneficially, sulfuric acid solution having a concentration of about 0.2 g/ml. The housing 10 is connected to an anode and electrolyzed for about 30-40 minutes, thus an oxide film (not shown) having many holes is formed on the housing 10. The housing 10 is then placed into a dyeing container (not shown) containing dye (e.g., pigment/paint), and the dye is absorbed into the holes of the oxide film. In this way, the housing 10 is dyed to a predetermined color. Finally, the dyed housing 10 is placed into a resin container (not shown), containing resin particulates (for example, fluorin resin, epoxy resin or polyvinyl resin) suspended in liquid (for example, water or ethanol). The resin particulates form a hard protecting film (not shown) on the oxide film, giving the housing 10 a higher wear-resistance and a higher degree of polish/shine. In this way, the housing 10 is protected, and the portable electronic devices using the housing 10 can be firmly held because of the gripping portions 40.

Understandably, the shape and depth of the gripping portions 40 can be adjusted via adjusting, e.g., the angle, rotation, and/or movement (e.g., speed) of the engraving wheel 20. For improving manufacturing efficiency, such engraving parameters can be automatically adjusted. The engraver 30 can be made of diamond, ceramics (e.g., alumina, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, etc.), metals/alloys, and/or cermets having a high level of hardness.

It is to be further understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of structures and functions of various embodiments, 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 present invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device housing comprising a surface and a plurality of gripping portions defined in the surface of the housing, such gripping portions being bounded by grooving created in the surface of the housing.

2. The housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gripping portions protrude from their surroundings.

3. The housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gripping portions are rhomboid-shaped.

4. The housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gripping portions are formed by two groups of arcs, wherein each arc in a respective group of arcs crosses a plurality of arcs of the other of the two groups, and all arcs of a same group are arranged to be essentially equidistant from any adjacent arc in a given same group.

5. The housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing is made of a material comprised of at least one of copper, iron, aluminum, and titanium.

6. A method for manufacturing a housing, comprising these steps:

forming a housing;

polishing the housing; and

forming gripping portions on the housing by employing an engraving step.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the housing is made of a material comprised of at least one of copper, iron, aluminum, and titanium.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a step of washing the housing after the step of polishing the housing.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step of forming gripping portions on the housings includes performing a first engraving procedure along a first direction and a second engraving procedure along a second direction that crosses the first direction.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the housing is substantially rectangular, the first direction corresponds to a first diagonal of the housing, and the second direction corresponds to a second diagonal of the housing.

11. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a step of anodizing the housing after forming gripping portions on the housing.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a step of dyeing the housing after the step of anodizing the housing.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a step of forming a protecting film on the housing after the step of dyeing the housing.