After getting cozy with architecture and new ways to shape glass into an UFO shaped building, Apple is once again playing with methods to work with glass. This time they have a patent out for methods of building all glass iOS devices, including monitors and TV sets.
The Cupertino company was granted this week a US patent that covers a method of fusing glass structures together in order to hold inside the circuits of an iOS device. They also detail larger electronics like a TV set or monitor in the same patent. The US Patent and Trademark Office awarded Apple patent No. 8,773,848 for “Fused glass device housings”. Apple mentions in the document that all glass structures tend to be heavy, especially if the material gets an extra layer to protect it from scratches.
The company suggests a new building process by fusing glass pieces together instead of using a completely glass on glass mechanism. Glass structures can be added around holes or openings in the glass member, as well as internal skeletons of devices reducing breakage and flexing. Glass members are also shown fused together to create a five sided box in which circuitry is slid into place.
A cap will be put on the glass device to seal away the structure from debris and other contaminants. Usually, glass devices tend to get very hot. I wonder how Apple will overcome that…
