Liquidmetal Technologies Inc (LQMT)

[Gamesc]

One of Apple's first applications to reference Liquidmetal" became a patent in Europe today.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/EP2176049B1.html

"Although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been described, it should be understood that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the scope of the claims. By way of example, while the present invention has been described in terms of metal parts, the present invention is not limited to being used with respect to metal parts. Rather than being formed from metal, a substrate onto which features are to be adhered may be fabricated from other materials including, but not limited to including, glass or ceramic.?A moldable material from which features are formed may be formed from substantially any suitable plastic or resin. For instance, a moldable material may be formed from a plastic such as polycarbonate or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). It should be appreciated that a moldable material is not limited to being a plastic or a resin. By way of example, a moldable material may be an injectable ceramic, or a moldable or injectable metal such as LiquidMetal. Liquid metals, and the use thereof, are described in U.S. Provisional Application No.
60/949,449 filed July 12, 2007, and entitled "INSERT MOLDING LIQUID METAL AROUND GLASS".?While the surface of a metal part which is to be bound to a moldable part has generally been described as including either protrusions or undercuts, the surface of a metal part is not limited to including either protrusions or undercuts. For instance, the surface of a metal part to which a moldable part is lobe adhered may include both protrusions and undercuts. Further, the sizes and the shapes of protrusions and undercuts associated with the surface of a metal part may vary. In one embodiment, protrusions of different shapes and/or undercuts of different shapes may be associated with a single metal part. By way of example, chemically etching undercuts and/or voids in a substrate may include applying a first set of chemicals to etch peaks and valleys on the surface of a substrate, providing a liquid in the valleys, polishing the surface, and then applying a second set of chemicals that 'eats' the liquid in the valleys at different rates than the surface to create undercuts. Therefore, the present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein, but maybe modified within the scope of the appended claims."