Apple Inc.

Simon R Lancaster-Larocque

Robert Y Cao

Dinesh C Mathew

Keith J Hendren

Mikael M Silvanto

Bryan W Posner

Karan Bir

Zheng Gao

Christiaan A Ligtenberg

Michael K McCord

Brett W Degner

Paul Xiaopeng Wang

Ron Alan Hopkinson

Alex Joseph Lehmann

Asif Hussain

Chang Zhang

Ari P Miller

Denis H Endisch

Robert J Lockwood

Genie Kim

John Raff

Adam T Garelli

Houtan R Farahani

Kevin M Robinson

Matthew Theobald

William A Counts

Collin D Chan

Simon J Trivett

Antonio Clarke

Francesco Ferretti

Gurshan Deol

Prabhu Sathyamurthy

Christopher D Jones

Christopher D Prest

Douglas Joseph Weber

Matthew S Rogers

Bradley Joseph Hamel

Naoto Matsuyuki

Martin Melcher

Craig C Leong

Nathan K Gupta

Alex M Lee

Chia Chi Wu

Motohide Hatanaka

Abhijit Ashok Kangude

Dominic E Dolci

Sarah J Montplaisir

James G Smeenge

David S Herman

Lindsay D Corbet

Patrick S Wieler

Sudirukkuge T Jinasundera

Weibo Cheng

Prithu Sharma

Shan Wu

Brian Shadle

Kenneth A Ross

Lucas Allen Whipple

Christopher I Owen-Elia

Kensuke Uemura

Purwadi Raharjo

Thomas G Budd

A C Manjunath

Gerardo Salas Bolanos

Cesar Lozano

Avianne Marie B Tuano

Matthew S Theobald

A button assembly for an electronic device is disclosed. The button assembly integrates a biometric sensor below a top surface of the button. The button assembly is positioned relative to a secondary display of an electronic device. The secondary display can be positioned relative to a keyboard, such as above a top row of keys of the keyboard.

Input devices incorporating biometric sensors

An electronic device includes an enclosure formed of a plurality of layers cooperating to define an interior volume. The enclosure includes a first layer formed of a first material and defining a user input surface of the enclosure and a first portion of a side surface of the enclosure. The enclosure also includes a second layer, formed of a second material different from the first material, positioned below the first layer and defining a second portion of the side surface of the enclosure. The enclosure also includes a third layer, formed of a third material different from the first and second materials, positioned below the second layer and defining a bottom surface of the enclosure and a third portion of the side surface of the enclosure.

Multi-part device enclosure

A portable computer includes a display portion comprising a display and a base portion pivotally coupled to the display portion. The base portion may include a bottom case and a top case, formed from a dielectric material, coupled to the bottom case. The top case may include a top member defining a top surface of the base portion and a sidewall integrally formed with the top member and defining a side surface of the base portion. The portable computer may also include a sensing system including a first sensing system configured to determine a location of a touch input applied to the top surface of the base portion and a second sensing system configured to determine a force of the touch input.

Device having integrated interface system

Apparatuses and systems can mitigate the ingress of debris such as small foreign particles or fluids passing into a joint of an electronic device. Some aspects of the systems prevent particles from passing between a flexible cable and a mandrel surface used to limit bending of the cable. Other aspects provide particle relief features including gaps, grooves, or reduced-size sections of the mandrel so that particles can pass into them and thereby cause no damage or pass out of the electronic device. Another aspect provides a protective layer configured to limit pressure applied to the cable by particles or other contaminants. These apparatuses and systems can improve the life and durability of the mandrel and cable, thereby improving the reliability of operating the electronic device.

Flexible cable durability

A cover for an electronic device includes a glass cover defining a substantially planar first surface, a substantially planar second surface opposite the first surface, an opening extending through the glass cover, and a raised wall surrounding the opening and defining a portion of an interior surface of the opening.

Forming glass covers for electronic devices

An electronic device includes an enclosure, a substrate within the enclosure, a keycap support mechanism, and a keycap supported by the keycap support mechanism and movable relative to the substrate. The keycap includes a body, a mask layer defining a glyph opening, and a semitransparent mirror layer positioned within the glyph opening. The electronic device also includes a light source configured to direct light through the semitransparent mirror layer.

Input devices with glyphs having a semitransparent mirror layer

Keyboards and other input devices are provided with membranes that extend under the keycaps or buttons. The membranes are flexible and can support conductive structures, traces, and electrical switch connections to enable effective key switches, lighting, and fluid-tightness for the keyboard. The flexible membrane is positioned near the keycaps to prevent ingress of fluids and debris into the lower portions of the key assemblies. In some cases, the flexible membrane also provides support for an interstitial layer that extends between keycaps.

Electrical key support membrane

Keycaps for keyboards that have transparent top portions have a set of layered components to define a top surface that provides key definition by curvature, texture, ridges, or other external structural features. Other portions of the keycaps define a glyph or support structure for the top layer. Features such as angle filters and partially reflective materials are implemented to improve the visibility, contrast, and reflectivity of the keycaps. Multiple methods are used to bend or otherwise modify rigid transparent materials such as glass in order to add surface features and to improve aesthetics of the keycaps of a keyboard.

Transparent keycaps

Invasive material ingress mitigation and control features are positioned in a hinge that uses a flexible cable and cable cover at a gap between housings of a portable electronic device. The features include hydrophobic materials on the cover or a cover-facing surface of the device housing, a barrier between the cover and the device housing, channels or protrusions on the cover-facing surface of the top case, a series of different top case surface feature modifications, and a flex cover profile modification that controls and limits contacting surface area between the cover and the top case.

Liquid ingress control for electronic devices

An electronic device may have a fiber composite friction hinge with first and second members that rotate relative to each other about a hinge axis. The fiber composite hinge may have first and second sets of interdigitated elongated fingers. Holes in the elongated fingers may receive a shaft of a fastener. The fastener may be tightened to squeeze the elongated fingers together along the hinge axis. The fiber composite hinge may be formed from a fiber composite material such as carbon fiber composite material. Fibers in the composite material may be embedded in binder such as polymer binder. The fibers may wrap around the holes and fold back on themselves in the fingers. Actuators may be provided to adjust the positions of portions of the hinge members. The electronic device may have a flexible layer such as a flexible display that overlaps the hinge structure.

Electronic devices with fiber composite friction hinges

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Simon R Lancaster-Larocque