Apple Inc.

David C Northway

John Mathew Depew

Robert Angelo Riccomini

Ken R Weber

Brion E LaPointe

Jeff Wood

An electromagnetic pen digitizer is integrated into a flat panel display assembly using &ldquo;bent TAB&rdquo; active electronics. Integration is performed by placing a discrete electromagnetic pen digitizer further inside the flat panel display assembly itself behind the diffuser backlight component, but in front of the &ldquo;bent TAB&rdquo; active electronics. Interference from the active electronics is avoided because they are not in between the digitizer and the pen operating upon the flat panel display. The electromagnetic pen digitizer is integrated into the flat panel display assembly by inserting the digitizer into the flat panel display assembly behind the diffuser backlight during the routine manufacture of the flat panel display assembly. Alternatively, the discrete electromagnetic pen digitizer is bonded to the diffuser backlight earlier in the manufacturing process; the combined diffuser backlight/digitizer component is placed into the flat panel display assembly during the routine manufacture of the complete flat panel display assembly. By integrating such a digitizer into the routine manufacturing process of a flat panel display, a standard &ldquo;off-the-shelf&rdquo; flat panel display may be used. The digitizer may be directly coated onto the diffuser backlight through an indium tin oxide (ITO) coating on the backlight itself. Also, an electromagnetic digitizer may be fabricated onto the front of the diffuser backlight by using a thin-film etched flexible circuit technique or a silk screen printed thin-film technique. Integrating an electromagnetic pen digitizer in this fashion allows for greater use of &ldquo;off-the-shelf&rdquo; display panels with only slight modifications.

Flat panel display with integrated electromagnetic pen digitizer

A metal frame is fabricated from magnesium alloy and all the main components of the computer, including the logic board, the hard disk drive, the keyboard, the upper and lower halves of the computer's case, and the pivoting display screen are all directly attached to the frame. The frame thus offers a method for constructing a personal computer which will have greatly improved shock resistance, integrated electromagnetic isolation, and structural strength, without increasing the weight of the completed computer in any significant fashion. Additionally, by means of a cooling flange fabricated as part of the frame, the central processing unit of the portable computer is thermally connected to the frame, which then acts as a heat-sink for the central processing unit, greatly improving its reliability.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

David C Northway