The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 16, 2021
Filed:
Apr. 30, 2019
Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US);
Daniel J. Bechstein, Mountain View, CA (US);
Collin R. Petty, San Francisco, CA (US);
Martin P. Grunthaner, Los Altos Hills, CA (US);
Andrew W. Joyce, Santa Clara, CA (US);
John R. Matthews, San Jose, CA (US);
Pavan O. Gupta, Belmont, CA (US);
Albert Lin, Cupertino, CA (US);
Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US);
Abstract
A compliant material, such as a conductive foam, is positioned in the dielectric or capacitive gap between drive and sense electrodes and/or other conductive elements of a capacitive and/or other force sensor, such as a TFT or other display element and a sensor assembly. The compliant material prevents damage by preventing and/or cushioning contact. The compliant material may be conductive. By being conductive and being positioned between the electrodes while still being separated from one or more of the electrodes, the compliant material also shortens the effective electrical distance between the electrodes. As a result, the force sensor may be more sensitive than would otherwise be possible while being less vulnerable to damage.