Portable Computer Housing with Integral Display

Abstract

An electronic device such as a portable computer may have a housing with a rectangular recess in which layers of display structures such as a light guide panel layer and other light guide structures are directly mounted without intervening chassis members. Mating alignment features in the housing and display structures may be used to align the display structures relative to the housing. A display may be formed from glass layers such as a color filter glass layer and a thin-film transistor glass layer. Backlight for the display may be generated by an array of light-emitting diodes. The light guide panel may direct light from the light-emitting diodes through the glass layers. A clamp may be used to hold the light-emitting diodes and light guide structures in place in the recess. An undercut in the housing may also hold the light guide structures in place.

1 - 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . Apparatus, comprising:
 a computer housing having a substantially rectangular recess with four edges; and   a substantially rectangular light guide panel disposed in the rectangular recess, wherein the light guide panel has four edges that are adjacent to the four edges of the rectangular recess without any intervening chassis structures.   
     
     
         30 . The apparatus defined in  claim 29  further comprising a clamp structure disposed over an edge of the light guide panel. 
     
     
         31 . The apparatus defined in  claim 30 , wherein the clamp structure comprises a sheet of metal. 
     
     
         32 . The apparatus defined in  claim 30 , wherein the clamp structure comprises a strip of stainless steel that is screwed into the computer housing. 
     
     
         33 . The apparatus defined in  claim 29 , wherein the light guide panel comprises at least one alignment tab and wherein the computer housing has at least one mating tab-shaped recess into which the alignment tab protrudes. 
     
     
         34 . The apparatus defined in  claim 33 , further comprising a reflective coating in the rectangular recess that reflects light back into the light guide panel. 
     
     
         35 . The apparatus defined in  claim 34 , wherein the reflective coating comprises white paint in the rectangular recess. 
     
     
         36 . The apparatus defined in  claim 33 , wherein the reflective coating comprises a layer of metal. 
     
     
         37 . The apparatus defined in  claim 29 , further comprising a white reflective sheet disposed between the light guide panel and the recess in the computer housing, wherein the white reflective sheet has portions that cover at least one of the edges of the light guide panel. 
     
     
         38 . The apparatus defined in  claim 29 , wherein the computer housing comprises machined aluminum. 
     
     
         39 . The apparatus defined in  claim 29 , further comprising: an array of light-emitting diodes that emit light into one of the four edges of the light guide panel. 
     
     
         40 . The apparatus defined in  claim 29 , further comprising:
 a thin-film transistor glass layer; and   a color filter glass layer, wherein the thin-film transistor glass layer and the color filter glass layer are positioned above the rectangular recess and wherein light from the light guide panel passes through the thin-film glass layer and the color filter glass layer.   
     
     
         41 . The apparatus defined in  claim 29 , wherein the light guide panel comprises at least one alignment tab, wherein the computer housing has at least one mating tab-shaped recess into which the alignment tab protrudes, wherein the apparatus further comprises layers of optical films including a diffuser layer, and wherein the layers of optical films each include at least one alignment tab that protrudes into the tab-shaped recess in the computer housing. 
     
     
         42 . The apparatus defined in  claim 41 , further comprising a plastic reflective sheet under the light guide panel, wherein the plastic reflective sheet has bent edges that cover at least two of the edges of the light guide panel. 
     
     
         43 . The apparatus defined in  claim 29 , further comprising:
 glass layers through which light from the light guide panel passes; and   a bezel that covers at least part of the glass layers.   
     
     
         44 . The apparatus defined in  claim 29 , further comprising: an array of light-emitting diodes that emit light into one of the edges of the light guide panel; a flex circuit on which the light-emitting diodes are mounted; and reflective tape that covers at least part of the flex circuit. 
     
     
         45 . The apparatus defined in  claim 44 , further comprising a sheet of reflective material under the light guide panel, wherein at least a portion of the sheet of reflective material covers the flex circuit. 
     
     
         46 . A computer, comprising:
 a housing having a base unit hingedly connected to a display housing, wherein the display housing comprises:   a machined rectangular recess having four recess edges and having alignment notches disposed along at least two of the four recess edges; and   a rectangular light guide panel having at least four light guide panel edges and having alignment tabs disposed along at least two of the four light guide panel edges;   wherein the alignment taps protrude into and mate with the alignment notches in the display housing.   
     
     
         47 . The computer defined in  claim 46 , further comprising a color filter glass layer through which light from the rectangular light guide panel passes. 
     
     
         48 . The computer defined in  claim 47 , further comprising a white reflective sheet with tabs that mate with the alignment notches. 
     
     
         49 . The computer defined in  claim 48 , further comprising at least one optical film layer on the light guide panel, wherein the at least one optical film layer includes a diffuser layer with tabs that mate with the alignment notches. 
     
     
         50 . A method of forming a liquid-crystal display in an electronic device, comprising:
 forming a rectangular recess in an electronic device housing, wherein the electronic device housing has an exterior surface that serves as an exterior for the electronic device and has an interior surface in which the rectangular recess is formed; and   placing individual layers of light guide structures directly into the rectangular recess without mounting the light guide structures in a chassis.   
     
     
         51 . The method defined in  claim 50 , wherein the rectangular recess and the light guide structures have respective mating recess alignment features and light guide structure alignment features and wherein placing the light guide structures directly into the rectangular recess comprises placing the light guide structures into the rectangular recess so that the recess alignment features mate with the light guide structure alignment features. 
     
     
         52 . The method defined in  claim 51 , wherein the light guide structures include at least one planar rectangular light guide panel, the method further comprising: attaching a clamp to the electronic device housing to hold the light guide structures in place within the recess. 
     
     
         53 . The method defined in  claim 52 , further comprising: inserting at least an edge of the light guide structures into an undercut groove in the metal electronic device housing. 
     
     
         54 . The method defined in  claim 52 , further comprising: holding light-emitting diodes under the clamp.