Apple Inc.

Colin M Ely

Fletcher R Rothkopf

Anna-Katrina Shedletsky

Christopher Matthew Werner

Duncan Robert Kerr

Erik G De Jong

Camille Moussette

John B Morrell

Samuel Bruce Weiss

Stephen Brian Lynch

Brad G Boozer

Jonathan P Ive

Bartley K Andre

Richard P Howarth

Eugene Antony Whang

Peter N Russell-Clarke

Christopher J Stringer

Martha Evans Hankey

Daniele De Iuliis

Daniel J Coster

Jody R Akana

Matthew Dean Rohrbach

Jeremy D Bataillou

Julian Hoenig

Mikael M Silvanto

Phillip Michael Hobson

Tyler S Bushnell

Trevor J Ness

Sameer Pandya

Rico L Zorkendorfer

Shota Aoyagi

Benjamin Andrew Shaffer

Anthony Michael Ashcroft

Marc A Newson

Michael Benjamin Wittenberg

Serhan O Isikman

Prashanth S Holenarsipur

Eric Steven Jol

Steven P Cardinali

Benjamin J Kallman

William C Lukens

Naoto Matsuyuki

Jason C Sauers

Maegan K Spencer

David M Pelletier

Steven C Roach

Christopher D Prest

Stephen Paul Zadesky

Dale N Memering

David I Nazzaro

Theodore Andrew Waniuk

Adam Thomas Clavelle

Makiko K Brzezinski

Kazuya Takagi

Lucy Elizabeth Browning

Rex Tyler Ehman

Shin Nishibori

Milind S Bhagavat

Nikolas T Vitt

Richard A Ruh

Andrzej T Baranski

David Glen Havskjold

Jiahui Liang

Stephen P Jackson

Shannon X Yang

Anant Rai

Ryan C Perkins

Baboo V Gowreesunker

James G Horiuchi

Daniel J Hiemstra

Mattia Pascolini

Emery Artemus Sanford

Daniel William Jarvis

Erik L Wang

Rico Zörkendörfer

Benjamin J Pope

Mahmoud R Amini

Joseph C Poole

Jared Mitchell Kole

Jayesh Nath

Edward Siahaan

Hung A Pham

John B Ardisana, Ii

Carlo Di Nallo

Daniel Ray Bloom

James A Wright

Mario Martinis

Anil K Kandangath

David D Dashevsky

Osamu Yabe

Christopher T Cheng

Sean Thomas McIntosh

Jason Joseph LeBlanc

Tyson Benner Manullang

Benjamin G Jackson

Trent K Do

Scott W Slabaugh

Zheyu Wang

Jorge L Rivera Espinoza

Zaki Moustafa

A device including a mechanical input and a touch-sensitive surface for detecting one or more touch inputs and an input from the mechanical input. The touch-sensitive surface can include a first portion for detecting at least the touch inputs, and a second portion for detecting at least the mechanical input. The touch-sensitive surface can include a first portion for detecting at least the touch inputs and the mechanical input. The mechanical input can comprise an electrically conductive material, and the mechanical input can be detected based on capacitance measurements between the mechanical input and the touch-sensitive surface. The device can include a sensing element, the mechanical input can comprise an electrically insulating material, and the mechanical input can be detected based on capacitance measurements between the touch-sensitive surface and the sensing element. The device can include logic to differentiate between the touch inputs and the mechanical input.

Capacitive touch panel for sensing mechanical inputs to a device

Various embodiments for detecting and rejecting false, unintended rotations of rotary inputs of electronic devices are disclosed herein. In one example, an electronic device is provided with an optical detector that measures the distance between the electronic device and the wearer's forearm or hand, and when the distance is smaller than a threshold distance, the turns of the rotary input are false, unintended turns. In another example, a crown of a rotary input includes a plurality of capacitive sensors that detects the presence of a wearer's finger, which when absent, the turns of the rotary input are false turns. In another example, deflections or positions of a shaft of the rotary input are measured and if the deflections/positions indicate an upward force on the rotary input (which are likely caused by the wearer's forearm or hand), the turns of the rotary input are false turns. Other embodiments are described herein.

Rejection of false turns of rotary inputs for electronic devices

An electronic device, such as a watch, has a crown assembly having a shaft and a user-rotatable crown. The user-rotatable crown may include a conductive cap that is mechanically and electrically coupled to the shaft and functions as an electrode. The conductive cap may be coupled to the shaft using solder or another conductive attachment mechanism. The shaft may electrically couple the conductive cap to a processing unit of the electronic device. One or more additional electrodes may be positioned on the exterior surface of the electronic device. The conductive cap is operable to be contacted by a finger of a user of the electronic device while another electrode is positioned against skin of the user. The processing unit of the electronic device is operable to determine a biological parameter, such as an electrocardiogram, of the user based on voltages at the electrodes.

Conductive cap for watch crown

An electronic device, such as a watch, has an input mechanism, such as a crown, that may receive translational inputs, rotational inputs, and/or touch inputs. Inputs received at the crown may result in changes in operation of the electronic device and/or outputs, such as graphical outputs, provided by the electronic device. In various embodiments, the crown includes a retainer that couples an outer crown body to an inner crown body and secures an isolator between the outer crown body and the inner crown body. The embodiments of the crown described herein provide a simple and robust input mechanism for receiving rotational, translational, and touch inputs as described above, while simplifying part alignment, ensuring consistent rotation, and allowing for efficient manufacturing.

Watch crown having a conductive surface

Wearable electronic devices, such as watches, can be provided with an attachment system for connecting and releasing a removable module that interfaces with some portion of the electronic device. For example, a watch housing includes a main body having a channel for receiving a watchband and a first opening extending to the channel. A rear cover coupled to the main body provides a second opening. A unibody button is positioned between the main body and the rear cover. The button is biased against the rear cover and is moveable toward the channel to release a watchband engaged therein.

Attachment system for watchband

A switch module for an electronic device detects translational inputs and defines at least portion of a conductive path from an input surface of the electronic device to a processing unit of the electronic device. The switch module may be a component of a crown assembly for detecting rotational inputs, translational inputs, touch inputs and/or biological signals such as electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. The switch module may include a conductive dome and a friction guard that is positioned between the conductive dome and the actuation member of the crown assembly. The conductive dome and/or the friction guard may define at least a portion of the conductive path from the input surface to the processing unit.

Switch module for electronic crown assembly

The present disclosure generally relates to methods and apparatuses for detecting gestures on a reduced-size electronic device at locations off of the display, such as gestures on the housing of the device or on a rotatable input mechanism (e.g., a digital crown) of the device, and responding to the gestures by, for example, navigating lists of items and selecting items from the list; translating the display of an electronic document; or sending audio control data to an external audio device.

Gesture detection, list navigation, and item selection using a crown and sensors

An electronic watch may include a tactile switch and/or one or more sensors for detecting rotational and translational inputs. The watch may include a display configured to produce graphical outputs that may change in response to rotational inputs, translational inputs, and/or touch inputs received at the display. The watch include a crown positioned along an exterior of the watch enclosure and a shaft coupled to the crown and extending into the enclosure. The tactile switch and/or the one or more sensors may be used to detect rotational and/or translational inputs provided at the crown.

Tactile switch for an electronic device

An electronic device includes a housing sidewall defining an opening and a display component, such as a display cover, disposed in the opening to form a gap between the housing sidewall and the display component. In at least one example, the cavity is defined by the sidewall and the display cover with the cavity in fluid communication with an external environment through the gap. In at least one example, an epoxy component at least partially defines the cavity and can be in direct contact with the housing sidewall.

Electronic device

A modular button assembly includes a button housing that may be disposed in an opening of an enclosure of an electronic device. The modular button assembly may include an input member that forms an exterior surface of the button housing and is configured to receive inputs, for example from a user of the electronic device. The modular button assembly may further include a sensor to detect the received inputs and transmit a signal to a processor of the electronic device. The modular button assembly may be configured such that disposing the button housing in the opening of the enclosure forms a seal that prevents contaminants from entering the button housing and the enclosure.

Modular button assembly for an electronic device

An input mechanism, such as a crown, detects amounts of applied force. In various examples, an assembly including an input mechanism has an enclosure; a stem coupled to the enclosure such that the stem is rotatable, translatable, and transversely moveable with respect to the enclosure; a sensor, coupled between the stem and the housing, to which force is transferred when the stem moves with respect to the housing; and a processing unit coupled to the sensor. The processing unit is operable to determine a measurement of the force, based on a signal from the sensor.

Force-detecting input structure

A compact crown for an electronic device such as an electronic watch, including a set of wipers capable of determining a rotation angle, rotation direction, or rotation speed, is disclosed. The set of wipers is in contact with at least one resistance member at different angular positions around a rotation axis. The crown may have a group of ground taps disposed along the resistance member and a measured signal may vary based on the position of each wiper as it contacts the at least one resistance member. A compact crown may also include capacitive members and capacitive sensors in order to similarly determine rotation angle, rotation direction, or rotation speed.

Rotatable crown for an electronic device

An electronic watch may include a housing at least partially defining an interior cavity divided into at least a first volume and a second volume, a pressure-sensing component positioned within the first volume, a speaker positioned within the first volume, a processor positioned within the second volume, a battery positioned within the second volume, and a barometric vent that allows air pressure equalization between the first volume and an external environment.

Electronic watch with barometric vent

Housing for an electronic device

An input device includes a movable input surface protruding from an electronic device. The input device enables force inputs along three axes relative to the electronic device: first lateral movements, second lateral movements, and axial movements. The input device includes force or displacement sensors which can detect a direction and magnitude of input forces.

Tri-axis force sensor

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Colin M Ely