Systems and methods for using a portion of a housing in a button assembly

Abstract

Systems and methods for cutting a cover from a portion of a housing of an electronic device, and positioning the cover within the housing are provided. An electronic device can include an interface having an actuator over which a cover is placed. The cover can be constructed by cutting away a portion of a housing of the electronic device. To improve the aesthetic appeal of the device, the orientation of the cover can be maintained while and after it is cut away from the housing by a fixture used for the cutting process. An adhesive sheet can be placed over the housing and the cover to ensure that the cover remains stationary relative to the housing once it is separated from the housing.

1 . A fixture, comprising:
 a fixture base comprising:
 at least two extensions operative to support a housing; and 
 a pocket between the at least two extensions; and 
   a fixture cover operative to be placed over the fixture base to secure a portion of the housing between the fixture base and the fixture cover in a manner such that the portion of the housing can be cut away from the housing while remaining in a specific orientation with respect to the housing.   
     
     
         2 . The fixture of  claim 1 , wherein:
 a periphery of the cover is aligned with a portion of the pocket.   
     
     
         3 . The fixture of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the pocket defines a closed loop.   
     
     
         4 . The fixture of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the pocket is operative to receive material removed from the housing when the cover is cut away from the housing.   
     
     
         5 . The fixture of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the fixture cover comprises an array of magnets, wherein at least two magnets of the array of magnet are operative to apply a magnetic force to each of the at least two extensions.   
     
     
         6 . The fixture of  claim 5 , wherein:
 at least one of the at least two extensions is operative to support the cover; and   another of the at least two extensions is operative to support portions of the housing other than the cover.   
     
     
         7 . The fixture of  claim 5 , wherein:
 cuts are provided around the magnets of the array of magnets; and   an adhesive sheet is provided between magnets of the array of magnets and over the cuts.   
     
     
         8 . A fixture comprising:
 a fixture base operative to support a housing element, wherein the fixture base comprises at least one pocket over which cuts can be made;   a fixture cover operative to be placed over the housing element and the fixture base to secure the housing element between the fixture base and the fixture cover; and   an adhesive layer secured to a portion of the housing and to a portion of an external element to be removed from the housing element.   
     
     
         9 . The fixture of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the fixture base comprises at least one extension supporting the external element.   
     
     
         10 . The fixture of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the fixture cover comprises at least one magnet operative to be placed opposite the at least one extension.   
     
     
         11 . The fixture of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the fixture cover is operative to be removed from fixture base after the adhesive layer has been placed over the portion of the housing and the portion of the external element.   
     
     
         12 . The fixture of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the external element comprises a cover of a button assembly.   
     
     
         13 . The fixture of  claim 8  further including a laser operative to remove material from said housing element along a closed path defining said external element. 
     
     
         14 . The fixture of  claim 8  further including a cutting tool operative to remove material from said housing element along a closed path defining said external element.