IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,652,342
Granted Patent B2
US 12,652,342 · App. 17/903,937 · Granted Jun 9, 2026

Handheld electronic device

Inventors: Kevin M. Froese (San Francisco, CA); Brittany Barbara (Cupertino, CA); Matthew D. Hill (Mountain View, CA); James A. Bertin (Saratoga, CA); Alan Wu (Cupertino, CA); Justin D. Crosby (Cupertino, CA); Sawyer I. Cohen (Menlo Park, CA)
Assignee: APPLE INC.
H04M1/0266
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,652,342
App. No.
17/903,937
Granted
Jun 9, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A portable electronic device may include an enclosure including a housing component defining a side exterior surface of the portable electronic device, and a front cover assembly coupled to the housing component and defining a front exterior surface of the portable electronic device. The front cover assembly may include a cover defining a notch. The portable electronic device may include a speaker assembly positioned below the front cover assembly and coupled to an audio passage configured to transmit audio output from the speaker assembly, an end portion of the audio passage including a void defined between the housing component and the notch of the cover.

Claims (57)

1 . A portable electronic device comprising:

an enclosure comprising:

a housing component defining a side exterior surface of the portable electronic device; and

a front cover assembly coupled to the housing component and defining a front exterior surface of the portable electronic device, the front cover assembly comprising a cover defining a notch;

a speaker assembly positioned below the front cover assembly and coupled to an audio passage configured to transmit audio output from the speaker assembly, an end portion of the audio passage including a void defined between the housing component and the notch of the cover; and

a grate element positioned in the audio passage, the grate element defining an outward-facing surface that is offset from the front exterior surface of the portable electronic device by a distance that is greater than a thickness of the cover.

2 . The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:

the void is bounded by a set of four sides;

the cover defines three sides of the set of four sides; and

an inner surface of the housing component defines one side of the set of four sides.

3 . The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:

the grate element defines an array of openings; and

each opening of the array of openings has a width ranging from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm.

4 . The portable electronic device of claim 3 , wherein each of a subset of openings of the array of openings has an elongated shape with a length at least twice the width.

5 . The portable electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the grate element is molded from a polymer material.

6 . The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the grate element comprises a frame and a screen mesh attached to the frame.

7 . The portable electronic device of claim 6 , wherein:

the frame is over-molded over an edge portion of the screen mesh; and

the screen mesh has an array of perforations, each perforation having a diameter ranging between 100 microns and 200 microns.

8 . The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the grate element is attached to the housing component.

9 . A mobile phone comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

an enclosure at least partially enclosing the touch-sensitive display, the enclosure comprising:

a front cover assembly having a transparent cover, the transparent cover having a recess defined along an edge, the transparent cover defining:

a front exterior surface; and

a bottom surface opposite the front exterior surface;

a first housing component coupled to the front cover assembly and defining an upper exterior surface of the mobile phone, the first housing component and the recess of the transparent cover defining a first audio port; and

a second housing component coupled to the front cover assembly and defining a lower exterior surface of the mobile phone, the second housing component defining a second audio port;

a speaker assembly positioned below the front cover assembly and acoustically coupled to the first audio port;

a microphone positioned within the enclosure and acoustically coupled to the second audio port; and

a grate element positioned below the bottom surface of the transparent cover and within the audio passage.

10 . The mobile phone of claim 9 , wherein the first housing component and the recess of the transparent cover define a void of the first audio port.

11 . The mobile phone of claim 9 , wherein:

the first audio port is acoustically coupled to the speaker assembly by an audio passage.

12 . The mobile phone of claim 11 , wherein:

the grate element is molded from a polymer material; and

the polymer material defines a set of elongated openings positioned along a length of the grate element.

13 . The mobile phone of claim 11 , wherein the grate element comprises a screen defining an array of openings and a frame molded along at least one edge of the screen.

14 . The mobile phone of claim 9 , wherein the first audio port has a width less than 0.5 mm and a length that ranges from 10 mm to 20 mm.

15 . An electronic device comprising:

a display;

a speaker assembly configured to produce an audio output;

an enclosure enclosing the display and the speaker assembly, the enclosure comprising

a housing component defining a side exterior surface of the electronic device and a first portion of a front exterior surface of the electronic device; and

a front cover assembly coupled to the housing component and defining a second portion of the front exterior surface, the front cover assembly comprising a cover defining a notch along an edge of the cover, the notch and the housing component defining an open cavity that is acoustically coupled to the speaker assembly and configured to transmit the audio output; and

a grate element positioned below the open cavity and offset inward from the front exterior surface by a distance greater than a thickness of the cover.

16 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein:

the enclosure defines an internal shelf offset inward from the front exterior surface; and

the grate element is attached to the internal shelf.

17 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein:

the grate element defines an array of slits arranged along a length of the grate element; and

each slit has a width ranging from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm.

18 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein:

the electronic device is a mobile phone; and

the open cavity defines a receiver port for the mobile phone configured to direct the audio output to an ear of a user.

19 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the open cavity defines an opening having an area between 4 mm2 and 8 mm2.

20 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the grate element is attached to the first housing component.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 15, 2022
From: WU, ALAN; COHEN, SAWYER I.; CROSBY, JUSTIN D.; BERTIN, JAMES A.; HILL, MATTHEW D.; FROESE, KEVIN M.; BARBARA, BRITTANY
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 061783/0272 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63298182 · Jan 10, 2022
Related Publication 20230224393A1 · Jul 13, 2023
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