Apple Inc.

Other

Thomas W Wilson, Jr

Dinesh C Mathew

Keith J Hendren

Victor H Yin

Brett W Degner

Bryan W Posner

Peteris K Augenbergs

John M Brock

Chris A Ligtenberg

Adam T Garelli

Craig C Leong

James J Niu

Jun Qi

Bartley K Andre

John Z Zhong

Steve Porter Hotelling

Lynn Richard Youngs

Kuo-Hua Sung

Bruce E Berg

Patrick Kessler

Mikael M Silvanto

Paul Xiaopeng Wang

Joss Nathan Giddings

Christopher J Stringer

Daniel J Coster

Matthew Phillip Casebolt

Christiaan A Ligtenberg

Frank Faqiu Liang

Amaury J Heresztyn

Meizi Jiao

Shinsuke Watanabe

Brad Lee Patton

Satoshi Okuma

Duncan Robert Kerr

Benjamin Andrew Shaffer

Stephen Robert McClure

Sean S Corbin

Jonah Alexander Harley

Omar Sze Leung

Bradley Joseph Hamel

Ihab A Ali

Robert Sean Murphy

Nicholas Alan Rundle

Kenneth Lawrence Staton

Benjamin A Cousins

Melody L Kuna

Laura M DeForest

Jesse T Dybenko

Carl R Peterson

Eugene J Kim

Dhaval Chandrakant Patel

Connor Raymond Duke

R Sean Murphy

Steven Keiper

Tomas E Ponce

Michael A Damlanakis

An electronic device housing may have upper and lower portions that are attached with a hinge. At least one portion of the housing may have a rear planar surface and peripheral sidewalls having edges. A display module may be mounted in the housing. The display module may have glass layers such as a color filter glass layer and a thin-film transistor substrate. The color filter glass layer may serve as the outermost glass layer in the display module. The edges of the display module may be aligned with the edges of the peripheral housing sidewalls to create the appearance of a borderless display for the electronic device. The display module may be provided with an opening that allows a camera or other electronic components to receive light. Traces may be provided on the underside of the thin-film transistor substrate to serve as signal paths for the electrical components.

Portable computer display structures

An electronic device may have a display. Inactive portions of the display such as peripheral portions of the display may be masked using an opaque masking layer. An opening may be provided in the opaque masking layer to allow light to pass. For example, a logo may be viewed through an opening in the opaque masking layer and a camera may receive light through an opening in the opaque masking layer. The display may include upper and lower polarizers, a color filter layer, and a thin-film transistor layer. The opaque masking layer may be formed on the upper polarizer, may be interposed between the upper polarizer and the color filter layer, or may be interposed between the color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer. The upper polarizer may have unpolarized windows for cameras, logos, or other internal structures.

Displays with polarizer windows and opaque masking layers for electronic devices

The present invention extends adjustable keyboard components. A user can selectively adjust height, tilt, and other keyboard positioning aspects (e.g., pitch, tilt, roll, yaw etc.), to accommodate the specific preferences and/or physical or anatomical characteristics of the user. Keyboard adjustments can tailor a solid foundational position for the user's fingers and hands. The keyboard can include separate left and right modules. Adjustability and separability facilitate highly variable and independent movement of the user's left and right hands. Adjustments and re-adjustments allow a user to make a wide range of alterations to their typing position at any point in time based on circumstances and comfort. As such, adjustments and re-adjustments can (potentially significantly) reduce discomfort and/or injuries associated with repetitive motion.

Adjustable keyboard

Multi-functional keyboard assemblies include an array of keys formed from stacked component layers. A top portion of the key may be capable of travelling vertically with respect to a base of the key. The top portion can include a keycap and a circuitry module coupled to the keycap. The keys may be capable of receive at least two distinct types of inputs and/or receiving at least one type of input and providing at least one type of output. Such output may include use of one or more light sources, displays, and/or haptic feedback devices.

Multi-functional keyboard assemblies

An electronic device may have a housing in which a display is mounted. A gasket may be mounted in a groove between the display and housing. The gasket may contain an embedded stiffener. Corner brackets may be installed in the corners of the housing. The housing may have inner and outer concentric ribs. Recesses in the housing may be configured to receive the corner brackets. The recesses may be formed between the inner and outer concentric ribs. Gap filling structures such as a foam layer may be interposed between a rear housing wall and a display backlight unit. Display color variations may be corrected by using a backlight unit having an array of light-emitting diodes of different colors. An electrostatic discharge protection layer may be grounded to a housing using conductive tape. Black edge coatings and adhesive-based structures may block stray light. Camera window regions may be supported using adhesive.

Electronic device display structures

An electronic device display may have a color filter layer and a thin film transistor layer. A layer of liquid crystal material may be interposed between the color filter layer and the thin film transistor layer. A layer of polarizer may be laminated onto the surface of the color filter layer. Laser trimming may ensure that the edges of the polarizer are even with the edges of the color filter layer. The thin film transistor layer may have an array of thin film transistors that control pixels of the liquid crystal material in the display. Driver circuitry may be used to control the array. The driver circuitry may be encapsulated in a planarized encapsulant on the thin film transistor layer or may be mounted to the underside of the color filter layer. Conductive structures may connect driver circuitry on the color filter layer to the thin film transistor layer.

Methods for fabricating display structures

An input device, such as a keyboard, includes one or more keys that each includes a keycap operable to move within an aperture of a frame to activate a switch and fabric disposed over the frame and keycap. A first region of the fabric is bonded to the keycap and a second region of the fabric is bonded to the frame. The first region may be an embossed region and the second region may be an unembossed region. The fabric may dampen sound from within the keyboard, such as noise related to movement of the keycap, activation of the switch, and so on. The fabric may also form a barrier that restricts passage of contaminants into the aperture and/or other portions of the input device.

Fabric keyboard

A key mechanism including one or more butterfly hinges. Each butterfly hinge may include a double wing design operative to move between a depressed position and non-depressed position. Hinged coupling mechanisms couple respective arms of the wings together. Additionally or alternatively, a key mechanism can include one or more half-butterfly hinges. Each half-butterfly hinge includes a double wing design operative to move between a depressed position and non-depressed position. A hinged coupling mechanism couples one set of corresponding arms of the wings together, while the other set of corresponding arms are not coupled together.

Low-travel key mechanisms using butterfly hinges

A low travel switch assembly and systems and methods for using the same are disclosed. The low travel dome may include a domed surface having upper and lower portions, and a set of tuning members integrated within the domed surface between the upper and lower portions. The tuning members may be operative to control a force-displacement curve characteristic of the low travel dome.

Low travel switch assembly

Keyboard key employing a capacitive sensor and dome

Growing community of inventors

Pleasanton, CA, United States of America

Thomas W Wilson, Jr