IP Library Granted Patent US 12,301,744
Granted Patent B2
US 12,301,744 · App. 17/903,963 · Granted May 13, 2025

Handheld electronic device

Inventors: David A. Hurrell (San Mateo, CA); Gregory N. Stephens (Morgan Hill, CA); Isabel Yang (San Jose, CA); John J. Baker (Santa Clara, CA); Sherry Lee (San Jose, CA); Matthew D. Hill (Mountain View, CA); Obinna Onyemepu (Cupertino, CA); Douglas G. Fournier (San Jose, CA); Benjamin J. Pope (Woodside, CA); Michael W. Firka (Santa Clara, CA); Griffin L. Schmitt (San Francisco, CA); Arun R. Varma (San Jose, CA); Robert Hrabchak (Chicago, IL)
Assignee: APPLE INC.
H04M1/0264G06F1/203G06F3/016G06F3/0488G09G3/18H02K33/02H04M1/0202H04M1/0262H04M1/0266H04N23/51H04N23/55H04N23/90H05K7/20481H05K7/205H04M2201/08H04M2201/38
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,301,744
App. No.
17/903,963
Granted
May 13, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A mobile phone may include an enclosure defining an internal volume, the enclosure including a front cover formed from a transparent material and defining a front exterior surface, a rear cover formed from a glass material and defining a rear exterior surface, and a housing component defining a side exterior surface. The mobile phone may include a circuit board assembly within the internal volume. The circuit board assembly may include a circuit board, a circuit component coupled to an exterior surface of the circuit board, and a cowling coupled to the circuit board and covering the circuit component, the cowling having a thickness less than about 0.5 mm and including a base structure formed from an aluminum alloy having a thickness less than about 0.4 mm and a thermally conductive structure positioned over the base structure and configured to dissipate heat.

Claims (88)

1. A mobile phone comprising:

an enclosure defining an internal structure, the enclosure comprising:

a front cover assembly comprising a front cover formed from a transparent material and defining a front exterior surface of the mobile phone;

a rear cover formed from a glass material and defining a rear exterior surface of the mobile phone; and

a housing component defining a side exterior surface of the mobile phone; and

a circuit board assembly positioned on the internal structure and comprising:

a circuit board;

a circuit component coupled to an exterior surface of the circuit board;

a cowling coupled to a first side of the circuit board assembly and covering the circuit component, the cowling having a thickness less than about 0.5 mm and comprising:

a base structure formed from an aluminum alloy having a thickness less than about 0.4 mm;

a first thermally conductive structure positioned over the base structure and configured to dissipate heat from the circuit board assembly; and

a second thermally conductive structure positioned on the second side of the circuit board assembly;

a first thermal bridge coupled to the first thermally conductive structure and thermally coupling the circuit board assembly to the front cover assembly; and

a second thermal bridge coupled to the second thermally conductive structure and thermally coupling the circuit board assembly to the internal structure of the enclosure.

2. The mobile phone of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum alloy is a 7475 series aluminum alloy.

3. The mobile phone of claim 1 , wherein the thermally conductive structure comprises graphite.

4. The mobile phone of claim 1 , wherein the thermally conductive structure comprises a multi-layer structure including:

a plurality of graphite layers; and

a plurality of adhesive layers.

5. The mobile phone of claim 1 , wherein:

the cowling defines a bend segment extending from a main portion of the cowling to a raised portion of the cowling; and

the bend segment has bend radius that is greater than about 0.5 mm.

6. The mobile phone of claim 5 , wherein a thickness of the cowling in the raised portion is less than a thickness of the cowling in the main portion.

7. A portable electronic device comprising:

an enclosure comprising:

a housing structure comprising:

a first wall section defining a first side exterior surface of the portable electronic device;

a second wall section defining a second side exterior surface opposite to the first side exterior surface; and

a mid-chassis section extending between the first wall section and the second wall section;

a front cover assembly coupled to the housing structure and comprising a first transparent member defining a front surface of the portable electronic device; and

a rear cover assembly coupled to the housing structure and comprising a second transparent member defining a rear surface of the portable electronic device;

a display at least partially within the enclosure and below the front cover assembly;

a battery at least partially within the enclosure;

a circuit board assembly at least partially within the enclosure and comprising:

a circuit board; and

a cowling coupled to the circuit board and defining an exterior surface of the circuit board assembly, the cowling comprising:

an aluminum alloy base structure; and

a graphite layer over the aluminum alloy base structure; and

a first thermal bridge coupled to the circuit board assembly and thermally coupling the circuit board assembly to the front cover assembly; and

a second thermal bridge coupled to the circuit board assembly structure and thermally coupling the circuit board assembly to the mid-chassis section of the enclosure.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the cowling covers substantially an entire top surface of the circuit board.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 8 , wherein:

the circuit board assembly comprises:

a first circuit component coupled to the top surface of the circuit board; and

a second circuit component coupled to the top surface of the circuit board; and

the cowling covers the first circuit component and the second circuit component.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the aluminum alloy base structure is formed of a 7475 series aluminum alloy.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the aluminum alloy base structure has a thickness less than about 0.4 mm.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 7 , wherein:

the graphite layer is a first graphite layer;

the cowling is coupled to a first side of the circuit board assembly; and

the circuit board assembly further comprises a multi-layer thermally conductive structure coupled to a second side of the circuit board assembly and comprising:

a plurality of second graphite layers; and

a plurality of adhesive layers.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 7 , wherein:

the circuit board is a first circuit board; and

the circuit board assembly further comprises:

a wall structure coupled to the first circuit board; and

a second circuit board coupled to the wall structure and supported above the first circuit board by the wall structure.

14. An electronic device comprising:

a display;

a battery; and

an enclosure enclosing the display and the battery, the enclosure comprising:

a front cover assembly defining a front exterior surface of the electronic device;

a rear cover assembly defining a rear exterior surface of the electronic device; and

a housing component comprising:

a first wall section defining a first side exterior surface of the electronic device;

a second wall section defining a second side exterior surface opposite to the first side exterior surface; and

a mid-chassis section extending between the first wall section and the second wall section;

a circuit board assembly coupled to the mid-chassis section and defining a first peripheral side proximate the first wall section of the housing component and a second peripheral side opposite the first peripheral side; and

a thermal bridge thermally coupling the circuit board assembly to the mid-chassis section, the thermal bridge positioned proximate the first peripheral side of the circuit board assembly.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein a center of the thermal bridge is offset from a midline of the circuit board assembly.

16. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein:

the thermal bridge is a first thermal bridge; and

the electronic device further comprises a second thermal bridge thermally coupling the circuit board assembly to the front cover assembly.

17. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein:

the thermal bridge is a first thermal bridge;

the circuit board assembly defines:

a first segment extending along a first side of the battery; and

a second segment extending along a second side of the battery, the second side perpendicular to the first side;

the first thermal bridge is positioned on the first segment of the circuit board assembly; and

the electronic device further comprises a second thermal bridge positioned on the second segment of the circuit board assembly.

18. The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein:

the circuit board assembly further comprises:

a first cowling coupled to the first segment of the circuit board assembly and covering a first circuit component of the circuit board assembly;

a second cowling coupled to the second segment of the circuit board assembly and covering a second circuit component of the circuit board assembly; and

a thermally conductive structure extending over both the first cowling and the second cowling; and

the first thermal bridge and the second thermal bridge are coupled to the thermally conductive structure.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 15, 2022
From: HILL, MATTHEW D.; POPE, BENJAMIN J.; VARMA, ARUN R.; HURRELL, DAVID A.; YANG, ISABEL; SCHMITT, GRIFFIN L.; STEPHENS, GREGORY N.; BAKER, JOHN J.; FIRKA, MICHAEL W.; LEE, SHERRY; FOURNIER, DOUGLAS G.; ONYEMEPU, OBINNA O.; HRABCHAK, ROBERT
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 061783/0636 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63298182 · Jan 10, 2022
Related Publication 20230221782A1 · Jul 13, 2023
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