Seamless textile covered enclosure

Abstract

A method of manufacturing an electronic device includes applying a fabric covering to a body panel. The body panel has a top surface, a bottom surface, and at least one edge between the top surface and bottom surface. The method includes wrapping the covering around the at least one edge from the bottom surface to the top surface such that the covering is continuous from the bottom surface to the top surface. The method includes compressing the covering against the top surface with a cap layer to plastically deform the covering at a seal on the top surface.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of manufacturing an electronic device, the method comprising:
 applying a fabric covering to a body panel, the body panel having a top surface, a bottom surface and at least one edge between the top surface and bottom surface;   wrapping the covering around the at least one edge from the bottom surface to the top surface such that the covering is continuous from the bottom surface to the top surface; and   compressing the covering against the top surface with a cap layer to plastically deform the covering at a seal on the top surface.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the covering is composed of at least one of: polyurethane, and polyester. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the covering is elastically stretched around the edge. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising adhering the covering to at least one of: the bottom surface, and the top surface. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein compressing the covering includes heating the covering to at least 60° C. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein compressing the covering includes reducing a thickness of the covering to less than 75% of a starting thickness. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein compressing the covering includes applying at least 50 pounds per square inch of pressure to the cap layer. 
     
     
         8 . An electronics device housing comprising:
 a body panel having external surfaces including a top surface and a bottom surface with an edge between the top surface and the bottom surface;   a cap layer affixed to the body panel; and   a covering enclosing external surfaces of the body panel such that the covering has no visible or tactile seams, wherein the covering is a flexible fabric covering adhered to the body panel and covering the edge continuously from the bottom surface to the top surface, wherein there is no visible or tactile seam between the covering and the cap layer.   
     
     
         9 . The electronics device housing of  claim 8 , wherein the fabric covering covers the bottom surface and the edge such that the covering is continuous from the bottom surface to the edge. 
     
     
         10 . The electronics device housing of  claim 8 , wherein the cap layer is affixed to the body panel to form a seal between the cap layer and the body panel, wherein a portion of the fabric covering of the body panel at the seal is compressed between the cap layer and the body panel to reduce a gap size between the body panel and the cap layer. 
     
     
         11 . The electronics device housing of  claim 10 , wherein a surface plane of the top surface has a relief at the seal of less than 1.0 millimeter. 
     
     
         12 . The electronics device housing of  claim 8 , wherein the cap layer is inset into the body panel such that the cap layer does not extend beyond an edge surface of the body panel. 
     
     
         13 . The electronics device housing of  claim 8 , wherein the cap layer includes at least one of a display, a keyset, a touch pad, and an additional body panel. 
     
     
         14 . The electronics device housing of  claim 8 , wherein the body panel includes a hinge section and wherein the fabric covering has an elastic portion that covers the hinge section. 
     
     
         15 . The electronics device housing of  claim 8 , wherein the edge is a first edge, and the body panel further includes a second edge, a third edge, and a fourth edge, and wherein the covering is further positioned on and covering the second edge, the third edge, and the fourth edge to cover all of an outer surface of the body panel. 
     
     
         16 . The electronics device housing of  claim 8 , further comprising an adhesive layer between the covering and an external surface of the body panel. 
     
     
         17 . The electronics device housing of  claim 8 , wherein the edge is a first edge and the covering is continuous across the bottom surface to a second edge of the body panel opposite the first edge, and the covering wraps around the second edge to a second seal. 
     
     
         18 . The electronics device housing of  claim 8 , wherein the flexible fabric covering visually hides components beneath the flexible fabric covering to provide the appearance of a continuous outer surface while covering the components. 
     
     
         19 . The electronics device housing of  claim 18 , wherein the flexible fabric covering is radiotransparent and the components include and RF window such that the flexible fabric covering visually hides the RF window beneath the flexible fabric covering to provide the appearance of a continuous outer surface while allowing RF signals to pass through the RF window and the flexible fabric covering. 
     
     
         20 . An electronic device housing comprising:
 a body panel;   a cap layer affixed to the body panel;   a flexible fabric covering enclosing external surfaces of body panel such that the flexible fabric covering has no visible or tactile seams.