Apple Inc.

Cesar Lozano Villarreal

Alexander Michael Kwan

Daniele De Iuliis

Ricardo Alba Mariano

Dominic E Dolci

James G Smeenge

Victoria A Spielmann

Mathieu P Roy

Chiew-Siang Goh

Peter A Dvorak

Johnathan D Simeroth

Mahmoud R Amini

Vinh H Diep

Siri Amrit Ramos

Doug Heirich

Vikas K Sinha

Xuyang Zhang

Ciaran Keane

Bartley K Andre

Christopher J Stringer

Daniel J Coster

Matthew Dean Rohrbach

Mikael M Silvanto

Jean-Marc Gery

Bruce E Berg

Jonathan M Zweig

Rui Zhou

David C Breece, Iii

Arun R Varma

Ruenjou Lu

Ross C Heyman

Adam H Herzog

Balal Khan

Michael A Foote

Shayla A Schoensee

Vicki Spielmann

Matthew A Lashinsky

Jeremy M Dahl

Brian K Thorne

Michael J Reis

Patrick M DalCanto

Richard J Langlois

Sharif S Chang

Kevin A Oberther

Jim Smeenge

Chiew-Sang Goh

Power adapters having a small-form factor, can deliver a large amount of power, can charge multiple electronic devices, and can allocate power between the multiple electronic devices in an efficient manner. One example can provide power adapters having small form factor that can be achieved by including space-efficient structures. This example can have an enclosure with first openings for power prongs, a second opening for a first connector receptacle, and a third opening for a second connector receptacle. An alignment adapter can be electromagnetically located between the power prongs and the first connector receptacle and between the power prongs and the second connector receptacle. The alignment adapter can include a compensating feature to allow each of the power prongs to be aligned with corresponding first openings, the first connector receptacle to be aligned with the second opening, and the second connector receptacle to be aligned with the third opening.

Space-efficient structures for multi-port power adapters

A power adapter for powering portable electronic devices is disclosed. The modifications and enhancements to the power adapter can reduce or eliminate the need for adhesives, flexible circuitry, and/or wiring. The power adapter includes multiple guide rails used to guide a circuit board (carrying components) to electrical springs. The electrical springs provide not only an electrical coupling, but also a mechanical coupling. As a result, wiring and/or adhesives is not required. Additionally, a cap is secured to the enclosure through melting part of the cap by, for example, ultrasonic welding without causing damage to the circuit board, as welding location(s) is/are in locations away from the electrical springs and other sensitive components. The power adapter further includes a connector connected to the circuit board. During assembly, the circuit board can pivot in three dimensions during assembly to align the connector with the cap.

Power adapter for electronic devices

A power adapter is disclosed. The power adapter includes housing parts that carries electronic components. To secure the housing parts together, one housing part includes snaps and another housing part includes protrusions and rails. During assembly, the protrusions slide under the snap, causing the snap to deflect in one direction, while the rails slide over the snap, which keeps the snap partially flat but also causes the snap to deflect in another direction. The engagement (during assembly) of the rails and the protrusions to opposing surfaces of the snap cause bi-directional deflection/bending of the snap. When each protrusion is positioned into an opening of the snap, the snap returns to a flat, non-deflected state, and the housing parts are secured together by the snap, protrusions, and rails. The rails support the snaps by limiting or preventing additional deflection of the snap, which subsequently promotes the housing remaining together.

Power adapter housing with snaps capable of bidirectional deflection

An enclosure for an electronic device includes a housing having a wall defining a cavity that is configured to receive an electronic assembly therein. The wall includes a distal end having a tongue. A cap is sized to attach to the housing with a corresponding groove that is formed in a perimeter of the cap. A double shear weld joint is formed between the tongue and the groove such that flash from the weld is contained within the enclosure and is not visible on the exterior surface of the enclosure.

Double shear weld joint for electronic enclosure

An enclosure for an AC to DC adapter has a continuous and apparently seamless exterior surface. The enclosure includes a housing and a cap that are joined by a pair of weld joints. One weld is formed on an interior portion of the enclosure providing strength and one weld joint is formed on the exterior surface providing a seamless appearance for the enclosure.

Enclosures having a seamless appearance

Systems and methods of providing a tooling system for forming a unitary housing are disclosed herein. One embodiment may utilize a plurality of injection cavity slides. The slides may form the interior cavity of the housing. Utilizing a plurality of injection cavity slides to form a single cavity insert may allow the slides to be remove from an opening in the housing which is smaller than the cavity of the housing. Removing the slides from housing allows for the formation of housing having a unitary structure.

Injection mold with multi-axial core inserts

An enclosure for an AC to DC adapter has a continuous and seamless exterior surface. The enclosure includes a housing and a front wall that are joined by a bonded interface. The front wall is formed from a metallic interface plate and an exterior layer of plastic that is formed over the metallic interface plate and bonded to the housing.

Molded enclosures having a seamless appearance

A dual-purpose transformer may be oriented in a plane perpendicular to planes in which printed circuit boards connected thereto are oriented, thereby providing structural support for a framework that can include a dense arrangement of internal power adapter components, in addition to stepping down voltage. Methods for ultrasonic welding are also provided and may be used to concurrently assemble, join and press-fit power adapter housing components. A ground lug is also provided that is shaped and located within a cover piece of a power adapter housing to allow for blind mating with a printed circuit board during an assembly process.

Power adapter components, housing and methods of assembly

Methods, systems, and apparatus for selectively communicating data and audio over a limited-size audio plug. A host device determines whether an audio accessory or a data communicating accessory is plugged therein via a signal, or lack thereof, communicated to the host device via the audio plug of the accessory. The host device then either communicates audio or data over the audio plug contacts that are typically used only for audio communication based on whether its connected to an audio accessory or data communicating accessory. An audio plug may also include a split-ring contact where multiple, independent contacts are formed in place of a single tip, ring, or sleeve contact. The split-ring contact may be used for communicating audio and/or data.

Data communications via limited length audio jack

An electrical power adapter has first and second prongs that are retractable and deployable. When the prongs are in the deployed position the adapter may be mated with a receptacle and when in the retracted position the adapter has a reduced physical size. A linkage couples the first prong to the second prongs such that the first and second prongs retract and deploy simultaneously. An actuation mechanism causes the prongs to have a first detent in the deployed position and a second detent in the retracted position.

Power adapter with retractable prongs

Connector adapters that may allow contacts in a connector insert to form electrical connections with contacts in an incompatible connector receptacle. One example may provide a connector adapter for providing a connection between a connector insert and an incompatible connector receptacle. The connector adapter may be a magnetic connector providing a magnetic connector receptacle at a first end to accept a connector insert having an attraction plate. This connector adapter may further provide a connector insert having an attraction plate at a second end to insert into a magnetic connector receptacle on an electrical device.

Connector adapter

Various embodiments of low profile male connectors are described. In one embodiment, a connector includes a plug housing having a depth and an interior cavity designed to accommodate pins that extend within the interior cavity in a direction of the depth. The plug housing may be designed to be fully insertable into a receptacle connector of an electronic device, and to have a rear surface that conforms with a shape of an exterior surface of the electronic device. The pins arranged in the plug housing may include various features, such as connecting portions protruding from the plug housing at an angle of approximately 90 degrees for coupling to a cable, bases including cutouts for extending a length of an elongated shaft of the pin, barbs for engaging the plug housing, and limit stops for distributing a force applied to the elongated shaft upon engagement with a receiving pin.

Low profile male connector

An electronic device may have a housing in which electronic components are mounted. The electronic components may be mounted to a substrate such as a printed circuit board. A heat sink structure may dissipate heat generated by the electronic components. The housing may have a housing wall that is separated from the heat sink structure by an air gap. The housing wall may have integral support structures. Each of the support structures may have an inwardly protruding portion that protrudes through a corresponding opening in the heat sink structure. The protruding portions may each have a longitudinal axis and a cylindrical cavity that lies along the longitudinal axis. Each of the support structures may have fins that extend radially outward from the longitudinal axis.

Electronic device enclosures and heatsink structures with thermal management features

An electrical power adapter employs a magnetically coupled mechanism to retract and deploy prongs used to interface with an electrical receptacle. The magnetically coupled mechanism is linearly displaced by a user, converting the linear displacement to rotary motion, pivoting the retractable prongs between a deployed position and a retracted position. When the retractable prongs are in the deployed position the adapter may be mated with a receptacle and when in the retracted position the adapter has a reduced physical size.

Magnetic rotation actuator

An electronic device may have electronic components enclosed within a plastic housing. The plastic housing may include housing members that are joined using heat activated thermoset polymer film. The heat activated thermoset polymer film may be heated using a metal structure such as a strip of metal that is placed along a joint between the housing members. The temperature of the metal strip and associated layers of the thermoset polymer film may be raised by applying current to the metal strip using an external tool or the electronic components within the housing. Heat activated thermoset polymer film may be heated using a reactive multilayer metal foil. Heat sink layers of metal may be interposed between the reactive multilayer metal foil and the thermoset polymer film. A heated metal ring or a heated edge portion of a plastic housing member may also be used to heat the thermoset polymer film.

Methods for joining electronic device housing structures using heat activated thermoset film

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Cesar Lozano Villarreal