公开(公告)号：US11653128B2

公开(公告)日：2023-05-16

申请号：US17475094

申请日：2021-09-14

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Daniel D. Sunshine ,  Kathryn P. Crews ,  Tirshathah A. Hunter ,  Kathleen A. Bergeron ,  Mingjing Ha ,  Shubham A. Gandhi ,  Paul S. Drzaic ,  Yung-Yu Hsu ,  David W. Lum

IPC: H04R1/02 ,  G06F1/16 ,  G10L15/20 ,  H04R5/02 ,  G06F1/18

CPC classification number: H04R1/023 ,  G06F1/1605 ,  G06F1/181 ,  G10L15/20 ,  H04R5/02

Abstract: An electronic device such as a voice-controlled speaker device may have a housing characterized by a vertical longitudinal axis. A flexible substrate such as a flexible mesh substrate with component support regions coupled by flexible segments may be wrapped around the housing and the vertical axis. The housing may have surface regions with compound curvature. The flexible substrate may conform to the regions with compound curvature. A fabric spacer layer may be interposed between the flexible substrate and the housing. Electrical components such as input-output devices may be mounted to the component support regions. A display may be formed from an array of light-emitting devices that are mounted on respective component support regions. Light from the light-emitting devices may pass through the fabric spacer layer toward the housing and back out away from the housing. An outer fabric layer may cover the mesh.

公开(公告)号：US20230000435A1

公开(公告)日：2023-01-05

申请号：US17900733

申请日：2022-08-31

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Steven J. Keating ,  Daniel D. Sunshine ,  Benjamin J. Grena ,  Daniel A. Podhajny ,  Jerzy S. Guterman ,  Jessica J. Lu ,  David M. Kindlon

IPC: A61B5/00 ,  A61B5/0205 ,  A61B5/021 ,  A61B5/024 ,  A61B5/08 ,  D03D1/00 ,  D03D7/00 ,  H04B1/3827 ,  H04W4/80 ,  A61B5/01 ,  A61B5/113 ,  D02G3/44 ,  D03D15/56 ,  A61B5/25

Abstract: A fabric-based item may be provided with a stretchable band. The stretchable band may be formed from a ring-shaped strip of stretchable fabric having an opening configured to fit around a body part of a user. Circuitry may be coupled to strands of material in the stretchable band. The circuitry may include sensor circuitry for making measurements on the body part such as electrocardiogram measurements, blood pressure measurements, and respiration rate measurements. Wireless communications circuitry in the fabric-based item may be used to communicate wirelessly with external electronic equipment. A wireless power transmitting device may transmit wireless power. A coil formed from conductive strands in the fabric-based item may be used by wireless power receiving circuitry in the fabric-based item to receive the wireless power. The coil may have one or more turns that run around the ring-shaped strip of stretchable fabric.

公开(公告)号：US11504945B2

公开(公告)日：2022-11-22

申请号：US16358590

申请日：2019-03-19

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Sofiane Berlat ,  Aedhan M. Loomis ,  Peter F. Coxeter ,  Sarah J. Montplaisir ,  Timon A. Wright ,  Yohji Hamada ,  Patrick Perry ,  Chad J. Miller ,  Andrew L. Rosenberg ,  Daniel A. Podhajny ,  Daniel D. Sunshine ,  Jessica J. Lu ,  Lia M. Uesato ,  Donald L. Olmstead

IPC: B32B7/09 ,  D04B1/08 ,  D04B21/20 ,  D04B1/22 ,  D05B1/06 ,  D05B93/00 ,  B29C70/24 ,  B29C65/00 ,  A45C11/00 ,  B32B3/26 ,  B32B5/06

Abstract: An item may be formed from structures that include holes. Stitching may be used to form a seam that joins the structures. The stitching may be formed from a chain stitch that passes through the holes. The holes may be formed from loops of knit fabric or other holes. Leather layers, polymer layers, fabric layers, and other structures with holes may be joined using the stitching. During fabrication, a layer of material with holes may be placed on an adjustable-shape fixture having a bed of needles. The shape of the bed of nails in the adjustable-shape fixture may then be changed. After the fixture has been used to transform the shape of one or more of the structures, the structures may be placed on needles in an assembly fixture and the stitching between the structures may be formed. The item may be an electronic device cover or other item.

公开(公告)号：US11484264B2

公开(公告)日：2022-11-01

申请号：US17088457

申请日：2020-11-03

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Steven J. Keating ,  Daniel D. Sunshine ,  Benjamin J. Grena ,  Daniel A. Podhajny ,  Jerzy S. Guterman ,  Jessica J. Lu ,  David M. Kindlon

IPC: A61B5/024 ,  A61B5/00 ,  A61B5/0205 ,  A61B5/021 ,  A61B5/08 ,  D03D1/00 ,  D03D7/00 ,  H04B1/3827 ,  H04W4/80 ,  A61B5/01 ,  A61B5/113 ,  D02G3/44 ,  D03D15/56 ,  A61B5/25

Abstract: A fabric-based item may be provide with a stretchable band. The stretchable band may be formed from a ring-shaped strip of stretchable fabric having an opening configured to fit around a body part of a user. Circuitry may be coupled to strands of material in the stretchable band. The circuitry may include sensor circuitry for making measurements on the body part such as electrocardiogram measurements, blood pressure measurements, and respiration rate measurements. Wireless communications circuitry in the fabric-based item may be used to communicate wirelessly with external electronic equipment. A wireless power transmitting device may transmit wireless power. A coil formed from conductive strands in the fabric-based item may be used by wireless power receiving circuitry in the fabric-based item to receive the wireless power. The coil may have one or more turns that run around the ring-shaped strip of stretchable fabric.

公开(公告)号：US11281305B2

公开(公告)日：2022-03-22

申请号：US16720548

申请日：2019-12-19

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Paul X. Wang ,  Chia Chi Wu ,  Qiliang Xu ,  Zheng Gao ,  Daniel D. Sunshine ,  Aidan N. Zimmerman

IPC: G06F3/02 ,  G06F1/16 ,  H03K17/98 ,  H03K17/96

Abstract: A keyboard may be provided that has keys overlapped by a touch sensor. The keyboard may have key sensor circuitry for monitoring switching in the keys for key press input. The keyboard may also have touch sensor circuitry such as capacitive touch sensor circuitry that monitors capacitive electrodes in the touch sensor for touch sensor input such as multitouch gesture input. The keyboard may include an outer layer of fabric that overlaps the keys. The fabric may have openings that are arranged to form alphanumeric characters. Light sources may emit light that passes through the openings and illuminates the alphanumeric characters. The touch sensor may have signal lines that are not visible through the openings. The signal lines may be transparent, may be covered by a diffuser, or may circumvent the openings so that they do not overlap.

公开(公告)号：US11233012B2

公开(公告)日：2022-01-25

申请号：US16134839

申请日：2018-09-18

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Steven J. Keating ,  Daniel D. Sunshine ,  Benjamin J. Grena

IPC: H01L23/538 ,  D02G3/12 ,  D02G3/36 ,  D02G3/44 ,  H01L33/62 ,  H01L25/065 ,  H01L25/18 ,  H01L25/16 ,  H01L25/075 ,  D03D1/00 ,  D03D15/47

Abstract: A fabric-based item may include fabric formed from intertwined strands of material with embedded circuitry. The strands of material may be formed from dielectric materials such as polymers. The strands of material may be formed from joined segments of polymer strand material or other material. Each joined segment may contain a potentially distinct circuit. Some joined segments may include one or more conductive lines. The conductive lines may run parallel to each other along the length of the joined segments to form circuit interconnects. Conductive lines may be joined to contact pads on integrated circuits and other embedded components formed from semiconductor dies. Control circuitry formed from the integrated circuits embedded in strands of material in the fabric and other control circuitry may be used to control the circuitry embedded in the fabric.

公开(公告)号：US11146871B2

公开(公告)日：2021-10-12

申请号：US16140409

申请日：2018-09-24

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Daniel D. Sunshine ,  Kathryn P. Crews ,  Tirshathah A. Hunter ,  Kathleen A. Bergeron ,  Mingjing Ha ,  Shubham A. Gandhi ,  Paul S. Drzaic ,  Yung-Yu Hsu ,  David W. Lum

IPC: H04R1/02 ,  G06F1/16 ,  G10L15/20 ,  H04R5/02 ,  G06F1/18

Abstract: An electronic device such as a voice-controlled speaker device may have a housing characterized by a vertical longitudinal axis. A flexible substrate such as a flexible mesh substrate with component support regions coupled by flexible segments may be wrapped around the housing and the vertical axis. The housing may have surface regions with compound curvature. The flexible substrate may conform to the regions with compound curvature. A fabric spacer layer may be interposed between the flexible substrate and the housing. Electrical components such as input-output devices may be mounted to the component support regions. A display may be formed from an array of light-emitting devices that are mounted on respective component support regions. Light from the light-emitting devices may pass through the fabric spacer layer toward the housing and back out away from the housing. An outer fabric layer may cover the mesh.

公开(公告)号：US20210087720A1

公开(公告)日：2021-03-25

申请号：US17112323

申请日：2020-12-04

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Daniel A. Podhajny ,  Daniel D. Sunshine ,  Kathryn P. Crews

IPC: D03D1/00 ,  A41D1/00 ,  A41D31/02 ,  G06F3/0488 ,  G06F3/042 ,  G06F3/044

Abstract: A fabric-based item may include a housing that is covered in fabric. Areas of the fabric may overlap input circuitry such as button switches, touch sensors, force sensors, proximity sensors, and other sensing circuitry and may overlap other components such as light-emitting components and haptic output devices. The fabric-based item may include control circuitry that gathers user input from the input circuitry and wireless communications circuitry that the control circuitry uses to transmit remote control commands and other wireless signals in response information from the input circuitry. The fabric-based item may have a weight that is located in the housing to orient the housing in a desired direction when the housing rests on a surface. A movable weight may tilt the housing in response to proximity sensor signals or other input. Portions of the fabric may overlap light-emitting components and optical fiber configured to emit light.

公开(公告)号：US10849557B2

公开(公告)日：2020-12-01

申请号：US16140419

申请日：2018-09-24

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Steven J. Keating ,  Daniel D. Sunshine ,  Benjamin J. Grena ,  Daniel A. Podhajny ,  Jerzy S. Guterman ,  Jessica J. Lu ,  David M. Kindlon

IPC: A61B5/00 ,  A61B5/0205 ,  A61B5/021 ,  A61B5/024 ,  A61B5/0408 ,  A61B5/08 ,  D03D1/00 ,  D03D7/00 ,  D03D15/08 ,  H04B1/3827 ,  H04W4/80 ,  A61B5/01 ,  A61B5/113 ,  D02G3/44

Abstract: A fabric-based item may be provide with a stretchable band. The stretchable band may be formed from a ring-shaped strip of stretchable fabric having an opening configured to fit around a body part of a user. Circuitry may be coupled to strands of material in the stretchable band. The circuitry may include sensor circuitry for making measurements on the body part such as electrocardiogram measurements, blood pressure measurements, and respiration rate measurements. Wireless communications circuitry in the fabric-based item may be used to communicate wirelessly with external electronic equipment. A wireless power transmitting device may transmit wireless power. A coil formed from conductive strands in the fabric-based item may be used by wireless power receiving circuitry in the fabric-based item to receive the wireless power. The coil may have one or more turns that run around the ring-shaped strip of stretchable fabric.

公开(公告)号：US20200350253A1

公开(公告)日：2020-11-05

申请号：US16935088

申请日：2020-07-21

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Daniel D. Sunshine ,  Paul S. Drzaic ,  Daniel A. Podhajny ,  David M. Kindlon ,  Hoon Sik Kim ,  Kathryn P. Crews ,  Yung-Yu Hsu

IPC: H01L23/538 ,  H05K1/18 ,  H05K1/03 ,  D02G3/44 ,  G01D11/30 ,  H01L23/31 ,  H01L25/075 ,  H01L33/56

Abstract: A fabric-based item may include fabric layers and other layers of material. An array of electrical components may be mounted in the fabric-based item. The electrical components may be mounted to a support structure such as a flexible printed circuit. The flexible printed circuit may have a mesh shape formed from an array of openings. Serpentine flexible printed circuit segments may extend between the openings. The electrical components may be light-emitting diodes or other electrical devices. Polymer with light-scattering particles or other materials may cover the electrical components. The flexible printed circuit may be laminated between fabric layers or other layers of material in the fabric-based item.