Assembly for attaching a lens to a housing
The present invention provides an assembly for attaching a lens to a housing of a device. The assembly includes a housing having a front opening, and a front edge which extends at least partially around the front opening, and a circuit substrate coupled to the housing. The assembly further includes one or more end caps coupled to the circuit substrate, the one or more end caps each having a front facing surface, where each end cap extends at least partially into the space between the circuit substrate and the front edge of the housing. A lens is coupled to the housing at the front edge and the front facing surface of the end cap.
1. An assembly for attaching a lens to a housing of a device, said assembly comprising:
a housing including a front opening, and a front edge which extends at least partially around the front opening;
a circuit substrate coupled to the housing;
one or more end caps coupled to the circuit substrate, the one or more end caps each having a front facing surface, where each end cap extends at least partially into the space between the circuit substrate and the front edge of the housing; and
a lens adhered to both the housing and the front facing surface of the one or more end caps.
2. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a back side opposite the front opening and one or more sidewalls that extend from the back side to the front edge, which extends at least partially around the front opening.
3. An assembly in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the front opening is sized to receive the circuit substrate into the housing via the front opening.
4. An assembly as recited in claim 2 , wherein the sidewalls of the housing are integrated with the back side of the housing to form a bucket configuration for the housing.
5. An assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the circuit substrate is a printed circuit board.
6. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the circuit substrate is recessed from the front opening in a direction placing the circuit substrate within the housing.
7. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the one or more end caps overlap the circuit substrate.
8. An assembly in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the circuit substrate has a front surface and a back surface opposite the front surface, wherein the front surface faces toward the front of the device, and wherein the one or more end caps overlap at least partially the front surface of the circuit substrate.
9. An assembly in accordance with claim 8 , wherein in addition to overlapping at least partially the front surface of the circuit substrate, each of the one or more end caps overlaps at least partially the back surface of the circuit substrate.
10. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the one or more end caps each have a slot, the slot having a width corresponding to the thickness of the circuit substrate for receiving an end of the circuit substrate.
11. An assembly in accordance with claim 10 , wherein at least one of the one or more end caps includes one or more voids adapted to coincide with the placement of components on the circuit substrate proximate the end of the circuit substrate to be received in the slot of the at least one end cap.
12. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more end caps extending at least partially into the space between the circuit substrate and the front edge of the housing extends in a direction parallel to the front facing surface of the end cap.
13. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more end caps extending at least partially into the space between the circuit substrate and the front edge of the housing extends in a direction perpendicular to the front facing surface of the end cap.
14. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the front facing surface of each of the one or more end caps is substantially in line with the front edge of the housing which extends at least partially around the front opening.
15. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the one or more end caps includes a pair of end caps, where each one of the pair of end caps is coupled to the circuit substrate at opposite ends of the circuit substrate.
16. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the assembly further comprises a display positioned between the circuit substrate and the lens.
17. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the one or more end caps are formed from a rigid substance adapted for providing additional structural support for at least one of the circuit substrate and the housing.
18. An assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the assembly is for use in a hand-held electronic device.
19. An assembly in accordance with claim 18 , wherein the hand-held electronic device is a wireless communication device.
20. A hand-held electronic device comprising:
a housing including a front opening, and a front edge which extends at least partially around the front opening;
a circuit substrate coupled to the housing;
one or more end caps coupled to the circuit substrate, the one or more end caps each having a front facing surface that is substantially parallel and in line with the front edge of the housing, each of the one or more end caps extending at least partially into the space between the circuit substrate and the front edge of the housing; and
a lens coupled to the housing at the front edge and the front facing surface of the one or more end caps.