Apple Inc.

Joshua A Hoover

Chad J Miller

Daniel A Podhajny

Nicholas R Trincia

Seul Bi Kim

Yi Zou

Yue Chen

William Leith

Kristen L Cretella

Donald L Olmstead

Kendall L Helbert

Samuel Gilkison Smith

Ari Y Benbasat

Stephen Theodore Schooley

Clayton J McCoy

Judd E Reed

Amit S Barve

Jenna L Withrow

Zhao Liu

Sean M Cole

Andrea L Blakemore

Devon J Rosner

Seulbi Kim

Jeremy C Franklin

Lee M Panecki

David M Kindlon

Yang Zhou

Miikka Olavi Tikander

Benjamin J Grena

Qigen Ji

Andrew L Rosenberg

Didio V Gomes

James G Griffin, Ii

Linda D Benavente-Notaro

Heidi Williamson

Camille I Henrot

Aaron P Beese

Lia Mieko Uesato

Bryan A Cloyd

Jack Pickup

Kristine S Tom

Michael B Velez

Ambert T Yeung

Candace A Marbury

Robert J Rose

Kevin T Pham

Benjamin C Creed

Lauren D Gerardi

Chihchen Sun

Nicholas R Trinica

Gregory Wilson Rice

Jennifer N Husted

A wearable electronic device may be formed from a layer of fabric having opposing first and second ends. The ends may have first and second respective ear openings that receive a user's ears and may have speakers for playing audio. A soft central portion of the fabric between the ends may overlap the user's eyes. The wearable electronic device may have control circuitry that receives power from a power source. Sensors may be used to gather sensor information such as biometric sensor information. The sensors, control circuitry, and power source may be mounted in a stiff edge portion of the fabric. The stiff edge portion of the fabric may have an elongated strip shape and may extend along an upper edge of the central and the electronic device. Stiffener structures sandwiched between inner and outer layers of the fabric may be used to support speakers.

Wearable electronic device

Items such as enclosures may be provided with hidden magnets. An enclosure may be formed from a flexible housing layer. The flexible housing layer may be configured to open and close by folding around fold axes. Portions of the flexible layer may include a flexible base layer with openings. Flexible magnets may be embedded within the openings. The flexible magnets may be used in forming a magnetic clasp for the enclosure. The flexible magnets may each have a height and durometer value that closely matches the height and durometer value of an adjacent portion of the flexible base layer, thereby helping to hide the flexible magnets within the housing layer.

Items with hidden magnets

Input mechanisms can employ a case for an electronic device that provides input capabilities to enhance the user experience when using the case in concert with the electronic device. For example, a case can provide an electromechanical touch sensor to provide the user with an input mechanism that does not require actuation of the button of the electronic device. The electronic device, upon detecting the presence of the case, can disable one or more buttons and perform actions corresponding to the buttons when signals are received from the case.

Case with input for electronic device

A wearable device can provide an audio module that is operable to provide audio output from a distance away from the ears of the user. For example, the wearable device can be worn on clothing of the user and direct audio waves to the ears of the user. Such audio waves can be focused by a parametric array of speakers that limit audibility by others. Thus, the privacy of the audio directed to the user can be maintained without requiring the user to wear audio headsets on, over, or in the ears of the user. The wearable device can further include microphones and/or connections to other devices that facilitate calibration of the audio module of the wearable device. The wearable device can further include user sensors that are configured to detect, measure, and/or track one or more properties of the user.

Wearable device with directional audio

An electronic device such as a pair of headphones may be configured to be worn on a head of a user. The headphones may have a headband and earcups that are coupled to the headband. The headband may have a frame and a headband frame cover that is removably attached to the frame. The cover may have protrusions, may be inflated using a pump, may include a battery and other components, and may include sensors. An earcup movement synchronization mechanism may be used to synchronize movement of a left earcup with a right earcup. A torsion spring with a stop mechanisms or other bend limiter may be configured to prevent overbending of the headband.

Headband accessory

A stretchable fabric signal path may include a conductive strand located between first and second outer fabric layers. The outer fabric layers may be formed from intertwined strands of elastic material. The conductive strand may have a wavy shape to accommodate stretching of the stretchable fabric signal path. First and second inner fabric layers may be located between the outer stretchable fabric layers. The inner fabric layers may be formed from intertwined strands of non-elastic material. The inner fabric layers may have strands that are intertwined with the outer fabric layers to serve as anchor points for maintaining the shape of the conductive strand as the stretchable fabric signal path expands and contracts. The outer fabric layers and inner fabric layers may be woven. The conductive strand may convey electrical signals such as audio signals, power signals, data signals, or other suitable signals.

Stretchable signal path structures for electronic devices

Wireless earbuds may be provided with adjustable-shape housings. The housings may have bendable portions. Bendable metal members, hinges, or other flexible structures may be used in forming bendable structures for the earbuds. Electrical components may be covered by a layer of molded foam. A cover such as a fabric cover may be used to cover the molded foam. Spacer fabric or other soft material may be interposed between the fabric cover and the foam. The housing may be bent or otherwise adjusted between two or more states such as a normal, non-sleep, walking state in which the housing is expanded for normal operation while a user is sitting or walking and a sleep state in which the housing is bent to enhance comfort while sleeping. The wireless earbuds may have illumination systems, sensors, and other components.

Earbuds

An electronic device may be formed from acoustically permeable textile layers and voice coil layers. The voice coil layers may output sound through the textile layers. The textile layers and voice coil layers may be foldable or bent in one or more directions to allow the electronic device to be placed in expanded, collapsed, or folded configurations to allow for improved portability. Additionally, the textile layers and voice coil layers may be folded or bent to place the electronic device in cylindrical, conical, and other configurations to allow for improved sound output from the voice coil layers. The electronic device may also include light-emitting components between the textile layers that emit light through one of the textile layers to form indicators or images for a user of the device. The electronic device may have a plurality of sensors to allow user interactions to control the output of the electronic device.

Electronic device with flexible housings

An accessory for wireless earbuds can include a first receiving portion defining a first cavity sized to receive and retain a first earbud and a second receiving portion defining a second cavity sized to receive and retain a second earbud. Each receiving portion can include a charging component to electrically couple with the respective earbud. The accessory can include a flexible portion connected to the first receiving portion and the second receiving portion, the flexible portion at least partially defining an internal volume, and a battery disposed in the internal volume and electrically coupled with the charging components.

Wireless headphone accessory

Wearable electronic device with speakers and sensors

An electronic device such as a portable electronic device may have display with a capacitive touch sensor. A cover may have a front portion and a rear portion that bend along a bend axis. The front portion may overlap the display when the cover is closed. Conductive structures such as a patterned conductive layer having elongated strips of conductive material separated by gaps or another predetermined pattern may be formed in the front portion of a cover or other portion of a cover that overlaps the display and capacitive touch sensor when the cover is closed. Control circuitry in the device can gather capacitance images with the touch sensor and can detect when the cover has transitioned from open to closed or from closed to open from whether the predetermined pattern becomes present or becomes absent in the capacitance images.

Electronic devices with covers

An accessory case that can be used for protecting a separate portable electronic device may include a structural shell configured to contain the electronic device, a camera opening to align with a camera on the electronic device, and a button cover that can be used for actuating a button on the electronic device. The structural shell can include an outer layer, an internal layer, and a microfiber lining. The camera opening can include a chamfered or angled edge that reduces the effects of camera flash on the camera. The button cover can include an outer button cover component that is coupled to the outer layer. The outer button cover component, which may be anodized aluminum, can be a different material than the outer layer, which may include leather.

Features of a camera opening and buttons for an accessory case of an electronic device

According to some embodiments, a case for a portable electronic device is described. The case can include a bottom wall and side walls that cooperate to define a cavity having a size and shape suitable for accommodating the portable electronic device. The side walls can include an edge that defines an opening that leads to the cavity and that allows passage of the portable electronic device into the cavity. At least one of the side walls has a protrusion that extends at an angle into the cavity, and where the protrusion (i) allows insertion of the portable electronic device through the opening and into the cavity, and (ii) hinders movements of the portable electronic device out of the cavity.

Case with increased device retention from a micro-textured lip

Growing community of inventors

Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Joshua A Hoover