Apple Inc.

Other

Michelle Rae Goldberg

Ron Alan Hopkinson

Chris A Ligtenberg

John Raff

Laura M DeForest

Bartley K Andre

John M Brock

Timothy S Hibbard

Bradley Joseph Hamel

Zheng Gao

William Francis Leggett

Kevin Scott Fetterman

Daniel J Coster

Nicholas Alan Rundle

Kathleen A Bergeron

Euan S Abraham

Brett W Degner

Jonathan P Ive

Christopher J Stringer

Matthew Phillip Casebolt

Matthew Theobald

Patrick Kessler

Charles A Schwalbach

John C Difonzo

Caitlin Elizabeth Kalinowski

Gavin J Reid

Robert L Coish

Eugene J Kim

David John Yeh

Jim C Hwang

Steven Keiper

Jay Kevin Osborn

Paul Xiaopeng Wang

Alex Joseph Lehmann

Kevin C Armendariz

William P Yarak, Iii

Mikael M Silvanto

Paul Stephen Drzaic

Victor H Yin

Jun Qi

Keith J Hendren

Gary S Thomason

Zachary Joseph Zeliff

Ruchi Goel

Po-Wen Chiu

Chung-Tse Huang

Erin Turullols

Dinesh C Mathew

Paul James Wehrenberg

Michael Kai Morishita

Anthony Nguyen

Stephen Vincent Jayanathan

David Phillip Tarkington

Mi Zhou

Glenn Wheelock

Peter N Jeziorek

Stewart Shannon Fields

Hank D Ching

Fabio T Campos

Laura Deforest

Edward H Frank

Adam T Garelli

Jerzy S Guterman

Justin Derry Crosby

Robert Sean Murphy

John C DiFonzo

Manisha P Pandya

Ari P Miller

Simon Regis Louis Lancaster-Larocque

Matthew William Blum

Bharat K Patel

James M Cuseo

David J Morgenstern

James R Krogdahl

Jonathan M Haylock

William A Tashman

John Douglas Field

Noemi Novello

Stefano Tizianel

Steve Xing-Fu Zhou

Deborah Claire Sharrah

Yuna Hu

Jacek M Kolodziejski

Kelsey J MacMillan

Bryan J Licata

Joshua Ryan Funamara

Trang Thi-Thanh Nguyen

Jonathan E Borkowski

Chee How Chong

Harsha Lakshmanan

Bartly K Andre

Christian A Ligtenbeg

Laura M Deforest

Embodiments are directed to a low profile key for a keyboard having an overmolded support structure. In one aspect, an embodiment includes a key cap having an illuminable symbol. A support structure having a pair of overmolded wings may pivotally couple to the key cap. A switch housing may surround the support structure and connect each of the first and second wings. A tactile dome may be at least partially positioned within the switch housing and configured to bias the key cap upward. A sensing membrane may be positioned along an underside surface of the tactile dome and configured to trigger a switch event in response to a collapsing of the tactile dome caused by a depression of the key cap. A feature plate may be positioned below the sensing membrane. A light guide panel may define at least one light extraction feature that may be configured to propagate light toward the key cap and cause illumination of the illuminable symbol.

Low-travel illuminated key mechanism

A top case assembly for a portable computer is disclosed. The assembly may include an integral unified (e.g., homogenous) top case formed from a single part. The integral top case provides an enclosure, frame and cosmetic exterior of the portable computer. The integral top case also serves as the primary structure of the portable computer. The assembly may include a variety of subassemblies such as keyboards, touchpads, circuit boards, and drives that are carried by the underside of the integral top case. The integral top case may be formed from aluminum slab that has been machined to form walls, openings, attachment areas and cosmetic areas of the top case.

Portable computer unified top case

A computing device is disclosed. The computing device may include a display, a processor in communication with the display and an enclosure connected to the display. The computing device may also include an input/output (I/O) device in communication with the processor. The I/O device may also be connected to the enclosure. Additionally, the I/O device may include a modifiable display that may substantially match the appearance of the enclosure.

Input/output device with a dynamically adjustable appearance and function

A portable computing device having a substantially non-conducting outer housing and alternative electrical grounding and audio system architectures is disclosed. The device can be a laptop computer having a main logic board, a keyboard assembly, an audio source positioned below the keyboard assembly, and an equalizer electrically coupled to the audio source, with each of these components being electrically coupled to a universal grounding structure. The audio source emits sound waves that are propagated through the keyboard assembly and between gaps between keyboard keys and the outer housing. Settings for the equalizer can be selected to account for sound absorption and amplification characteristics of the sound waves along these sound transmission paths. The universal grounding structure includes a plurality of separate ground components that are electrically intercoupled, each being substantially smaller than the overall portable computing device, and also includes an electromagnetic interference shield around the main logic board.

Portable computer electrical grounding and audio system architectures

A portable computing device includes at least a base portion of a lightweight material that includes at least a wedge shaped top case having a trough formed at an interfacing edge thereof. The trough includes a raised portion having a first contact surface and a receiving area, and a bottom case coupled to the top case to form a complete housing for at least a portion of the portable computing device for enclosing at least a plurality of operational components and a plurality of structural components. The portable computing device also includes at least a lid portion pivotally connected to the base portion by a hinge assembly. In the described embodiments, the lid portion has a display in communication with one or more of the plurality of components in the base portion by way of or more electrical conductors that electrically connect the base portion to the lid portion.

Portable computing device

Examples of tooling fixtures and methods for manufacturing computing devices are described. According to some examples, a computer component may be shaped using successive steps of forging after deep drawing. In some examples, certain components may be assembled to form sub-assemblies of computer components and the sub-assembly may then be machined to drive closer tolerances. According to other examples, a work holding tool is described which may include a first plurality of individually movable pins for supporting a first surface of a work piece, the tool also having a second plurality of individually movable pins for applying a restraining force over a second opposite surface of the work piece to retain the work piece in position while maintaining it in its natural state.

Manufacturing of computing devices

A multipart computer housing is described. The multipart computer housing includes at least a structural support layer and a body. The body includes at least an outer layer formed of lightweight flexible material and an inner layer attached to the outer layer. The inner layer is connected to the support layer forming a load path between the inner layer and the structural support layer. A load applied to the multipart computer housing is transferred by way of the load path to the support layer without substantially affecting the outer layer.

Computer housing

Growing community of inventors

Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Michelle Rae Goldberg