Patent number 20090091879 is for a method and apparatus for providing holes through portions of a housing. The invention relates to methods and apparatus for providing holes through housing components of electronic devices.

Electronic devices are provided with housing components that have improved aesthetics. One or more holes may be formed through a portion of the housing and then the housing portion may be anodized. The anodization process may increase or decrease the geometries of each hole. The holes may be formed through the housing portion from a cosmetic side of the housing portion to an interior side of the housing portion.

Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: Some known electronic devices (e.g., computers and telephones) include at least one internal electronic component associated with the operation of the device and a protective housing that at least partially encloses the one or more internal electronic components. Typically, the housing includes one or more housing components that serve to surround the internal electronic components at a peripheral region of the electronic device so as to cover and protect the internal components from adverse conditions. Also, one or more holes may be provided through one or more of the housing components. Information transmitted from and/or received by the internal electronic components may be passed through the one or more holes provided through the housing component of the electronic device.

Cosmetic features are important to consumers of electronic devices, as these features help create the overall impression that one has of the electronic device. Therefore, the housing and the holes provided through the housing may also be configured to form and aesthetically enhance the outward appearance of the electronic device. For example, the shape, contours, and/or color of the housing and/or the holes provided through the housing may be designed so as to create a positive impression about the electronic device, thereby contributing to the overall success of the device in the market place.

Accordingly, what is needed are apparatus and methods for providing holes through housing components of various electronic devices.

According to one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of forming a housing component for an electronic device. The method may include providing a piece of material for creating a portion of the housing component, forming at least one hole through the piece of material, and then anodizing the piece of material.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of forming a housing component for an electronic device. The method may include providing a piece of material with an inner surface and an outer surface for creating a portion of the housing component, forming at least one hole through the piece of material between the inner surface and the outer surface, and anodizing the piece of material, wherein the anodizing changes the size of the at least one hole.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided an electronic device that includes a housing component. The housing component may include an anodized piece of material with an inner surface, an outer surface, and at least one hole through the anodized piece of material between the inner surface and the outer surface. An anodization layer may cover at least a portion of the piece of material within the at least one hole.

The inventor is Way Chet Lim. The graphic below is a top, front, right perspective view of an electronic device in accordance with some embodiments of the invention.

Also potentially related is patent number 20090091551 for a single-layer touch sensitive display. A touch sensor panel having co-planar single-layer touch sensors fabricated on a single side of a substrate is disclosed. The drive and sense lines can be fabricated as column-like patterns in a first orientation and patches in a second orientation, where each column-like pattern in the first orientation is connected to a separate metal trace in the border area of the touch sensor panel, and all patches in each of multiple rows in the second orientation are connected together using a separate metal trace in the border area of the touch sensor panel.

The metal traces in the border areas can be formed on the same side of the substrate as the patches and columns, but separated from the patches and column-like patterns by a dielectric layer. The inventors are Steve Hotelling and John Z. Zhong.